Dishes here
Kathi rollA flaky paratha, a griddled flatbread, wrapped round grilled kebab. Kolkata's street lunch, and Nizam's claims it first.Shorshe ilishHilsa, Bengal's favourite river fish, in mustard sauce. Bony, so take your time. Have it with rice at a Bengali place.RasagolaSoft cheese balls in light syrup. Odisha holds a protected name for its own version, a proud local claim.MomosSteamed dumplings of Tibetan origin, filled with meat or vegetables. Eat them piping hot with dalle, a fiery red chilli pickle.Kolkata biryaniFragrant rice and meat cooked together. For many locals Arsalan is the benchmark. A filling lunch.Mishti doiSweet, caramel-coloured yoghurt set in clay pots. Finish a meal with it at an old sweet shop.ChurpeeA hard cheese snack from cow or yak milk, chewed slowly. Buy it and keep your jaw busy on the walk.Darjeeling teaThe hill's own tea, grown on the slopes you can see. Have it at a tea room, then buy a packet to take home.Nepali thaliA set plate of rice, lentils, vegetable curries, pickles, curd and a sweet. A full lunch.ThukpaA big noodle soup with meat, egg and vegetables. The right lunch when the mist rolls in.GundrukFermented, dried leafy greens with a strong sour taste, usually in soup. Winter food, and almost always vegetarian.Sel rotiA ring of rice-flour batter fried until crisp. Festival food, and a snack from street vendors when you find it.Sha phaleyA Tibetan fried bread pocket stuffed with meat, or a vegetarian filling. Lunch while you wander MG Marg.Chelo kebabButtered rice with kebabs and egg, the plate that made Peter Cat famous. Have it at dinner on Park Street.Kosha mangshoMutton cooked slowly in a dark, thick onion gravy. A Bengali dish for a long lunch with rice or luchi, a puffed fried bread.Chhena podaFresh cheese baked until the sugar browns. Buy it from a sweet shop, still warm if you can.Chingudi jholaA light prawn curry eaten with rice. Have it along the Puri seafront.DalmaLentils cooked with vegetables and a little spice, Odisha's comfort dish. Have it with rice at lunch.Machha besaraFish in mustard curry, the classic of this coast. Have it at lunch in Puri.PakhalaRice soaked in water, eaten cool with fried sides. Odisha's summer lunch, and restaurants serve it as a thali, a set plate.Aloo postoPotatoes in a paste of poppy seeds, a dish this part of Bengal is especially fond of. Have it with rice at lunch.Katla jholA light curry of katla, a river fish, eaten with rice. A simple lunch near Sonajhuri.Mochar ghontoBanana flower cooked dry with coconut and Bengali five-spice. Look for it on a vegetarian thali, a set plate.ShuktoA mildly bitter-sweet mixed vegetable curry, eaten as the first course of a Bengali meal.Amudi fryA soft-boned local fish, spiced and deep-fried, a little like anchovies. A boat snack if your cook has it.Fish curry and riceSimple Bengali river fish curry, or jhol, with rice and lentils. It's your usual boat lunch, eaten on deck.Luchi and alooLuchi, puffed fried bread, with spiced potato. A common breakfast on the boats, often with a boiled egg alongside.