Borodin Bounties of Bengal – Aaheli interprets the winter

At Peerless Hotels, we look forward to the winters. Not only because the dip in the mercury ushers in the season of festivities, but because, at Aaheli restaurant in Kolkata, this celebration of seasonal abundance is feted with joie de vivre that is typically Bengali, quintessentially Peerless. If Bengal opens her cornucopia of plenty in the winters, at Aaheli it reaches its crescendo! 

The Bengali kitchen has long breathed life into the fresh winter gatherings, with successive generations of cuisine queens creating timeless dishes that have earned their place in the gastronomic wonders of the world. Hing (asafoetida), notun aloo (first flush potatoes), dhonepata (Coriander Leaves), peyajkoli (onion greens), kopi (local cabbage and cauliflower), saag (leafy vegetables), nolen gur (New Jaggery), khejur patali (Date Palm Jaggery), topa kul (Jujube Fruit) and many others – apparently unassuming ingredients, have, cooked in their tender loving care, been transformed into delectable delights that have and continue to tempt connoisseurs.

At Aaheli restaurant in Kolkata, our Chefs traverse this Taste Route, gathering legacy recipes from the far corners of the Bengali culture, to pamper the culinary desires of the stoic and the gluttonous alike. All ingredients are farm fresh, the recipes are mostly lost in time, the nuanced use of spices and the subtle balancing of flavours that heighten the unique character of individual dishes, a statement against the hotchpotch of conveyor-belt multicuisine fare.

A point that needs to be highlighted here is that the seasonal ingredients used in these dishes at Aaheli restaurant in Kolkata, their exact proportions, follow time-tested traditions that are aimed at fortifying the body against several ailments that used to run amok in the days of yore.     

While most cultures gather in sacred places to celebrate the winter solstice, in Bengal, it is revered and celebrated on the plate. Take a steaming Hing Koraisuti'r Kochuri (Puffy breads stuffed with seasonal green peas, flavoured with Hing) that is paired with Jhal Jhal Nutun Aloor Dum (Spicy curry featuring tender, sweet New Potatoes) and Dhonepata'r Bora (Crisp fritters made with fresh, fragrant Coriander Leaves) as accompaniment. In quick succession will follow Aloo Piyaj Koli Bhaja (Fried slices of potato and flavorful Spring Onion Greens), Desi Banda Kopir Ghonto (A traditional savoury preparation of winter Cabbage) and Phool Kopir Paturi (Seasonal Cauliflower steamed in a banana leaf with mustard). All this to deliver the culinary coup de grâce: Sorge Saag Diye Mangsho (Meat preparation featuring Seasonal Greens) and Patay Mora Bhetki Roast (Bhetki Wrapped in Leaf and Roasted).

To take the aficionado through the spectrum of tastes, in keeping with the best of Bengali fine dining traditions, the Topa Kuler Chutney (A sweet and sour condiment using the seasonal Jujube Fruit) is then served, its sweet and sour high note complemented with Nolengurer Chhanar Payes (the iconic winter dessert made with Date Palm Jaggery), or, the quintessential Bengali favourite Misti Doi Cheese Cake (Sweet Yogurt Cheesecake).

Perhaps nowhere else do all six seasons manifest themselves as they do in Bengal – each bringing unique weather, flowers, festivals, fruits, and agricultural activities. Certainly, no other cuisine is as rich in its diversity and inclusiveness as it is here in Bengal, reflecting in its aroma, flavour and taste the high points of the times. The keyword here is “inclusiveness,” as Bengali cuisine, like the Bengali psyche, is extremely receptive, open to influences, with an innate ability to incorporate stimuli from diverse sources. That is why the dishes at Aaheli, though Bengali in character, are rich in inspirations drawn from cuisines as varied as European, Central Asian, Mughlai, and Awadhi. On the same vein, it can be said that the winter food festival in the Best Bengali Restaurant, Aaheli, is much more than just a food feast celebrating a season – it is a typically Bengali way of celebrating the city’s tryst with its colonial past, a tribute to its inherent multicultural ethos. The birth of the Lord interpreted to touch the soul by delighting the tastebuds.  At Aaheli restaurant in Kolkata, the chefs have taken this tradition to the level of a fine art. Come, savour winter and its chilly warmth at its best!

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