Durga Puja Pandal

Food Trail

In Kolkata, Don't Miss These Dishes

Quick Summary

Durga Puja isn’t just about pandal hopping; it's also a five-day eating plan for serious street food loyalists. Hop on the festive bandwagon for this guide breaks down what to eat, where, and when, from the beloved puchka near Vivekananda Park, Mughlai paratha at Anadi Cabin, Kolkata biryani at Aminia, to the mishti tucked into every nook and cranny of Kolkata’s winding lanes.

Deep Dive

Every day of Durga Puja is not the same, and pandal hoppers know this too well. That’s why the foodies divide the must-try dishes between different pandal hopping dates, tossing calorie-counting out of the window. For those foodies, and everyone else who wants to hop on the pandal trail, we’ve got the ultimate list of street food and local favourites of Kolkata that resurge in popularity during Durga Puja. From the on-the-go snack Jhalmuri to the richer and filling Kolkata-style biryani, there’s much to add to the list and savour this festive season.

Puchka

Different pockets of the country stake their claim on who prepares the best pani puri, gol gappas, or puchka. But what makes the Bengal version special? In Kolkata, the puchka filling is made with mashed potatoes, black salt, tamarind water, green chillies or red chilli powder, a mix of special masala and coriander. You might also find brown chana or matar in them. It’s spicier and tangier than North Indian pani puri. From Rajendra Fuchka in Dhakuria to Dilip Da’s Puchka Centre outside Vivekananda Park, there are many noteworthy stalls across the region.

Ghoogni

Ghoogni or ghugni is a Bengali classic that is made with boiled yellow or white peas in a spicy, tangy gravy. Traditionally, it’s served hot in small dried leaf bowls (made with sal leaves), topped with onions, coriander, sour chutney, and occasionally coconut slices. Lately, plastic bowls with tiny spoons to scoop up the ghugni have made their way to the street stalls. A festive favourite, bigger stalls or chaat shops often give it a creative spin by adding crushed papdi or even puchkas in it. 

Kathi Roll

Kathi roll was reportedly invented at Nizam’s in Kolkata, by Raza Hassan Saheb in 1932. It’s an indulgent version of the typical roll, made with a paratha layered with egg, filled with skewered chicken, mutton, or paneer, onions, and chilli sauce, then rolled in a specific thin, greyish white paper. The OG location is, of course, the Nizam’s New Market, but places like Kusum Rolls in Park Street, and tiny hole-in-the-wall shops also sell this delicious fare. 

Kolkata Biryani

Kolkata Biryani traces its origin to Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s exile in Metiabruz in the 1850s. It’s less greasy and less spicy than its Hyderabadi cousin, and most notably, includes a whole boiled potato. Introduced as a local adaptation due to meat scarcity at the time, the potato is now its calling card. Long-grain basmati, saffron, kewra water, boiled egg, and mildly spiced mutton or chicken define this aromatic dish. The biryani is slow-cooked in sealed pots. Royal Indian Hotel (Chitpur), Aminia, Oudh, Arsalan, and Shiraz are top places to try this dish. Enjoy it with a side of chicken or mutton chaap or rezala. To skip the crowd, you can grab a plate from the local biryani stalls. 

Mughlai Paratha

Originating in Bengal during the Mughal period, this paratha is stuffed with beaten eggs, minced meat (keema), onion, and green chillies. The dough is folded like an envelope, and shallow-fried till crisp and golden. It’s heavier than a roll, and served hot and sliced, with potato curry and a raw onion-cucumber salad. You can grab this classic in Kolkata’s cabin-style cafes, in places like Anadi Cabin (Esplanade) or Das Cabin in Gariahat. Expect lots of oil, but the warmth and a bit of crunch make it irresistible.

Chowmein

Kolkata’s chowmein is an ode to the Indo-Chinese culinary fare, created by Chinese immigrants in the region around the 20th century. It uses thin wheat noodles stir-fried on a large iron tawa with cabbage, carrots, onions, capsicum, egg, and sometimes shredded chicken. Egg chowmein is the most popular fix for Durga Puja, with thin chowmein sometimes replaced by thicker noodles. The seasoning includes soy sauce, green chilli vinegar, MSG, and tomato ketchup, all served in newspaper-lined plates with a topping of scrambled egg and chilli sauce. Popular spots include Dacre Lane, Hatibagan, or outside big pandals in South Kolkata.

Mishti

This is an umbrella term for the sweets in Bengal, which are present on most street corners close to major pandals, especially in Kolkata. The narrower the streets get, the more variety of shops you will get. The smaller shops tend to stick to classics like rosogolla, kalakand, kanchagolla, kala jamun, special sandesh like talshash, sitabhog, and mihidana, to name a few. Go to bigger ones like Girish Chandra Dey & Nakur Chandra Nandy, Nabin Chandra Das, and Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick, and you will find unique sweets like roshomalancha, madhuporko, and agamoni sandesh.

Jhalmuri

Jhalmuri literally means spicy puffed rice, which is Kolkata’s go-to street snack. It’s a dry, no-cook mix of puffed rice (muri) tossed with spicy chanachur, peanuts, onions, tomatoes, boiled potato, coriander, mustard oil, chilli, and lemon, all shaken up in a paper cone or ‘thonga’. You'll spot vendors nearly everywhere during the festival, especially outside major pandal routes. The snack’s portability, chatpata flavours, and reasonable price make it a perfect on-the-go snack for munching. 

A Festive Food Trail Like No Other

Pandal hopping needs some fuel, and these street foods and some local dishes are the perfect relief during crowd surfing. Whether it’s the sharp hit of spiced mustard oil in a thonga of jhalmuri or the inimitable aroma of biryani with the iconic aloo, the pandal dishes tempt all senses.  Most of these dishes, from full meals to simple snacks, are budget-friendly, depending on which place you get your food from. So when the dhak beats begin and the streets start buzzing, grab a plate of nostalgia and familiar comfort.