Savour chholar daler muithya and bhapa doi at this Durga Puja pop-up in Bengaluru 

Tijouri — in collaboration with food curation platform Soul on a Plate — is hosting a pop-up that celebrates the upcoming pujo season. Helmed by Madhumita Pyne, a filmmaker-turned-professional cook, the five-day event is aimed at highlighting festive Bengali treats.

It is that time of year again when Durga Puja pandals and Navaratri-golu hopping take over our schedules. Just in time to kickstart the festivities, Tijouri — in collaboration with food curation platform Soul on a Plate — is hosting a pop-up that celebrates the upcoming pujo season. Helmed by Madhumita Pyne, a filmmaker-turned-professional cook, the five-day event is aimed at highlighting festive Bengali treats. “I also run a catering company called Insomniac Cook, and focus on unearthing lost and rare heritage culinary practices,” says Madhumita who has been working on the pop-up menu since late July. 

Highlights include gandhoraj ghol (Bengali style lassi with Gandhoraj lemon), mochar chop (banana flower croquette), bhetki paturi (fish with grated coconut and mustard paste), tomato-khejurer chatni (tomato and date relish) and bhapa doi (baked yogurt), among others. “My constant endeavour is to work with as much local and seasonal produce as possible. The process of figuring out what’s available in a new location and designing a menu that still manages to showcase different flavours and techniques of Bengali cuisine is always an exhilarating task for me,” says Madhumita, who will be hosting a pop-up in Bengaluru for the first time.

The menu, she says, has been designed to showcase the “different flavours and techniques of Bengali cuisine”. Savour popular Kolkata street foods from chops to paturis, and little-known dishes with historical connections. “The chholar daler muthiya (chana dal dumpling curry) originated in the kitchens of the Tagore family. On Ashtami and Navami, there’s a special treat of khichuri, labra, and bhaja for those missing the festival back home,” she adds.

Her favourites from the line-up are the chingrir chop (prawn croquettes) — that she says are a popular street food delicacy in Kolkata — chholar daler muithya, and the bhetki paturi. “The latter is a dish that has the barramundi wrapped in a banana leaf. It’s a classic dish that showcases a Bengali’s love for fish, mustard paste, and the popular technique of wrapping food in leaves and cooking.” The most time consuming dish, however, is the kosha mangsho. “The mutton is slow cooked in its own juices for hours to get the perfect taste and texture, and is a tough one to crack.”

From October 9-13 at Tijouri, No 1, Radisson Blu Atria, Race Course Road, Bengaluru. For details, call 7338686084.