From Tagore’s kitchen

Legend has it that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagorersquos birthday was first celebrated when he was 26 years old thanks to his beloved niece Sarala Devi who gathered bokul flowers to make him garlands and presented him with a swish new set of dhutichador dhoti and a wrap Despite the late start Pachishe Baishakh or the 25th day of Baishakh month when Tagore was born has become no less than a festival in the lives of BengalisPalong Shak Bhate Kachkolar Hingi Pathar Bangla Chingri Diye Bhat Bake RiceSince then to celebrate Rabindrajayanti programmes are held in every school club pada neighbourhood association and even at home No matter your age yoursquore expected to chip in be it with a poetry recital a song a dance performance or a play And like all Bengali celebrations snacks are integral mdash a customary box of singaras samosarsquos eastern cousin sandesh and vegetable chop mdash but for a change food isnrsquot central to the dayKachkolar HingiSo imagine our surprise when ahead of the literary iconrsquos 160th birth anniversary we learnt about Maladbased home chef Madhumita Pynersquos Thakurbarir Ranna menu that celebrates the myriad cooking styles of the Tagore household A Kolkata girl at heart Pyne who highlights lesser represented fare from Bengal through her venture Insomniac Cook shares that the Rabindrajayanti menu is rooted in her love for food history ldquoLast year I picked up the books Thakurbarir Ranna by Purnima Thakur and Amish o Niramish Ahar by Pragyasundari Devi both lend an insight into the Tagoresrsquo kitchen From meat pies to bakes and biscuits I realised so many of their dishes were so different from what yoursquod see in any other Bengali household as they had cultural exchanges across the world including with the British at homerdquoPeyajer PayeshFrom the summer favourite jhaler jhol mixed veggies curry to the soulwarming murgir pishpash onepot chicken curryrice the menu boasts of eight fairly unique dishes from the Tagore familyrsquos repertoire ldquoTagorersquos relationship with food was strange He was known to not like the same food for a long time and would give into fad diets For instance he went through a diet where he ate raw eggs only or the time he went through phases of eating boiled vegetablesrdquo she revealsPalong Shak BhateStill reeling from the euphoria of connecting with friends and family for two virtual Rabindrajayanti programmes the unmistakable aroma of mustard greets us when we open Pynersquos neatly packed labelled containers We pair palong shak bhate Rs 250 mdash a mash of spinach and coconut tempered with mustard mdash with aromatic Gobindobhog rice The heady notes of mustard hit the right spot The kachkolar hingi Rs 250 a hingflavoured green banana sabzi we find is a simple celebration of the humble plantains the boris or tiny lentil dumplings in it pack a nice crunch The Tagore familyrsquos European exposure comes alive in chingri diye bhat bake Rs 450 a mildly spiced layered casserole of rice prawns potato slices and onion rings that makes for a comforting affair The pathar Bangla Rs 450 a tender mutton curry however is a bit sweetish for our likingMadhumita PyneThe real surprise is the dessert mdash peyajer payesh Rs 200 or onion kheer Laden with fragrant dry fruits the payesh is a lipsmacking way to wrap up the eclectic feast Wersquore not sure what Tagore did post such luncheons but we recommend a nice siestaTill May 16 order 48 hours in advanceCall 9892803506