For food content creator Indrajit Lahiri, also known as Foodka, Durga Puja is about spending time at home with family over good food. As the city prepares for the grand festival, My Kolkata caught up with him for a pujo-special conversation over a hearty lunch at The Yellow Turtle, Golpark.
Lahiri, who spends the whole year visiting restaurants across the city, says, “Durga Puja means eating everything. Whatever we want, we eat. I am a hardcore non-vegetarian.”
Although Lahiri will be in Kolkata during the festival, he said he stays away from pandal hopping. “That's my son’s game. He will be hopping pandals, maybe sending me pictures, and my Puja celebration will be done through his eyes,” he said. Friends will drop by his home, or the group will land at someone else’s.
Although Lahiri will be in Kolkata during the festival, he said he stays away from pandal hopping Soumyajit Dey
With restaurants packed for five days of pujo and long queues outside, Foodka prefers dining in. “That’s a happy problem, and that’s the beauty of Calcutta. That’s why we order in through aggregators or restaurant delivery apps. Mornings begin with hot radhaballabhi or kachori and alur dom brought from a local shop.”
His pujo menu follows a simple pattern. “Ashtami is khichudi, bhaja and labra, while Navami is mutton and rice. I avoid biryani, which I eat all year.” When asked to pick between ilish, chingri and mutton, he answered without pause: “Ilish, mutton, chingri, in that order.”
On Puja romance, he said that he had his share, and expects his son to enjoy the feeling. His date-night pick is pocket-friendly yet effortless. “Maybe a phuchka competition, some Kathi rolls to be shared. It’s easier on the pocket.”
