It’s time to relish the ilish

For those unable to queue up at CR Park fish markets, Oh! Calcutta has a special hilsa combo for you

The Internet is bursting with pictures of the hilsa these days. WhatsApp messages have been shouting with glee about huge stacks arriving at the CR Park fish markets. Just as I was drooling over a picture of plump hilsa pieces soaked in mustard, I heard from a couple of friends that Oh! Calcutta had a special hilsa combo on offer.

I called the restaurant and found that the hamper consisted of two pieces of steamed hilsa (ilish paturi), two pieces of hilsa cooked with brinjal (ilish beguner jhol), two betki fish fries, potato cauliflower curry (aloo phoolkopir dalna), roasted mung dal (bhaja moong dal) and potato fritters (aloo bhaja) with steamed Basmati rice. For dessert it had tomato date chutney, kheer with rice and two malpuas. This is for ₹3,300 (including taxes). But the hamper, as I subsequently discovered, was enough for two people, and, in our case, was right for three, with a piece left over for dinner.

As I waited for the food to arrive, I marvelled at how Delhi had embraced Bengal’s food in the last few decades. Bengalis were among the first to migrate to the city as the new Capital took shape, but there were only a few basic places where a Bengali migrant could get a homelike meal. Prominent among them was Basu Lodge. It offered rooms and food, and continued to do so for decades. I remember having a simple but satisfying meal there several years ago. I recall in particular the taste of the dal and the crispy potato fries that came with it.