Street food in Kolkata during lunch hour

Kolkata is a unique city. People come here daily from the suburbs and distant places for work. Some of them work in offices, some in businesses. They come by local trains or cross the River Ganges in steamers or use buses or other forms of public transports. Many of them have to depend on local food outlets during lunchtime. That is when the street food vendors become active. They have a wide variety of products that include pure Bengali dishes like rice, dal, fish curry with some fries and pickles. In case someone wants to have some sweets like sandesh or rosogolla, he can get that also from another vendor.

Then there are those who love biriyani or chapatti with mutton or chicken dishes. Even bread sandwich and omelet are available. There are also demands for Chinese dishes like chow mien. All these are on offer during the lunch hour when the customers enjoy their chosen dishes amidst the rush of traffic on the road. They ignore the dangerous fumes from the exhausts that pollute the surroundings. For those who want to play safe, there are seasonal fruits available in plenty. In short, Kolkata is a vibrant city and the range of street foods is mindboggling. There is something for everyone.


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Eggs have a field day when it comes to street foods

Those who love street foods love eggs. They can be simple boiled eggs to egg poach and omelets. Each of them has a unique taste and there are any number of takers. I remember boiled eggs used to be sold at railway stations – the vendor would have them in a container slung around his neck. He would remove the shell, slice the egg into two halves, sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on the pieces and serve.

Then there are the various combinations of eggs. Simplest form is the poach – all you need is an oven, a frying pan, oil and eggs. Take oil in the frying pan, crack one end of the egg and pour the contents onto the hot pan. The white portion will solidify and the yolk will resemble the rising sun. There are people who love double egg poach. Another version of the egg is the omelet. Here the egg is beaten in a container. Then comes the addition of chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves and chilies. The next step is to transfer them into the frying pan, fry and serve. A modification of the omelet is the Mughlai Paratha – this is a favorite of Kolkata.


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TATA IPL 2022 – KKR beats CSK in Match No. 1

The inaugural match of TATA IPL 2022 was between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. KKR won the toss, asked CSK to bat first, and won the match. Both teams had new captains. Ravindra Jadeja was captain of CSK and Shreas Iyer was captain of KKR. In hindsight, it seems Jadeja could have innovated and tried to win the match. He could have brought in Dwayne Bravo a bit earlier and the score might have been more respectable. That might have helped. However, what is done cannot be undone.

The first match of TATA IPL 2022 went to KKR. CSK put up a very low score of 131 and its opener Rituraj Gaikwad perished for a duck. His partner followed him after a few balls and others put up a gallant fight. The 50 not out of M. S. Dhoni showed he can still play his shots but the bowlers of KKR kept bowling dot balls. Umesh Yadav got 2 wickets while Varun Chakravorty and Andre Russel got one wicket each. It was certainly not the sort of start CSK wanted.


Anyway, KKR ensured a win with 9 balls left in spite of the bowling of Dwayne Bravo. He got three wickets for 20 runs. The wickets were of Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings and Nitish Rana. Man of the Match was Umesh Yadav for his 2 for 20.


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Street foods like idli and dosa of South India have flooded Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and other cities

Once upon a time in the 1970s, there used to be a tiny outlet for South Indian snacks beside the Metro Cinema in Kolkata. Today, such foods have gained acceptance across the country. A possible reason could be the simple ingredients involved like rice and dal with a few spices. These are for idlis – they are steamed, do not require any cooking oil and are served with sambhar and coconut chutney. When it comes to dosas, there are additions of onion, chili, and cooking oil. Here also sambhar and coconut chutney are served along with the main item. The utensils are simple affairs and while investments are less, the returns are high. Many unemployed youth have opted to sell such street foods.

Of course, some have innovated on the final product. There are omelet dosas where a beaten egg replaces the normal stuffing of a mixture of mashed potatoes and onions with green chilies and curry leaves. The bottom line is to introduce a bit of variety in one’s life.


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Vidya Balan ready to act in Kahaani sequel

Actress Vidya Balan has admitted that shooting for film “Te3n” was a sort of preparation for her role in Sujoy Ghosh’s sequel to “Kahaani” for which she had bagged the Filmfare Award for best actress. The film 'Te3n' has stars Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 19 February 2016.

In the film 'Te3n'. Vidya Balan has made a special appearance and, in her own words, it was fun because Sujoy Ghosh produced the film and Vidya had a chance to go back to Kolkata for the shoot.
On Kolkata she has often claimed that Bengal is her second home. She has portrayed memorable roles in Bengali movies like “Parineeta” and “Kahaani” and she has been mistaken as a Bengali. But, she hails from Kerala and was born and brought up in Kolkata - so she considers Bengal as her second home.
There had been rumors that the sequel to 'Kahaani' had been shelved but Sujoy Ghosh has clarified that the film was definitely on and was in pre-production stages. The shooting would begin soon.


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When Bollywood film stars fall in love with Kolkata

Kolkata is buzzing with news of a 70-plus Bollywood actor who has been seen on Howrah Bridge riding a scooter. He had earlier been seen in the lobbies of Writer’s Building and even in front of the red building riding the two wheeler. He had earlier ridden a bicycle in another film. And – who knows, he could now take on a rickshaw in a future film.
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Kolkata has always been an attractive locale for films and the trend had probably been set by the movie City of Joy of the 1970s. It is natural for Bengali films to be filmed in the city but, when it comes to Bollywood movies that have a greater appeal in the national market, it means Kolkata has plenty of variety to offer.
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Big B rides a scooter in Kolkata - shooting for another movie

Big B's love for Kolkata is well known and he keeps returning to the city to shoot movies. Only last year, he had been here to shoot for 'Piku' when he pedaled around on a bicycle in the eastern metropolis wearing a kurta and hat for Shoojit Sircar’s film. He has come back to Kolkata to now shoot for Ribhu Dasgupta’s “Te3N”.
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This time the megastar Amitabh Bachchan was back on the road riding a scooter for “Te3N”. He now wore a brown check shirt and dark brown trousers. He kick-started the two-wheeler at the historic Writers’ Building complex which used to be the permanent seat of the West Bengal government.
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