A Steamy Affair

There are a few Bengali haunts in the city where bhapa dishes can be enjoyed in all glory. The elegant fine-dine haven Oh! Calcutta seems like a leader in this. The eatery’s huge hard-bound menu list begins with a Bhapa section and lists items like Bhapa Aloo,Bhapa Paneer,the ubiquitous Bhapa Ilish and many more dishes. On hand are also charming fusions like the Kakra Chingri Bhapa,which combines crab meet and prawns; while the Steamed Hilsa Boneless achieves the challenging task of de-boning a notoriously prickly fish. “Steamed food takes a lot of time to make and needs to be marinated well to taste good. People don’t make much of bhapa at home nowadays because they don’t have the time,” says Manoj Panda of Oh! Calcutta.

The biggest attraction to bhapa food is its flavour rich,but still tender character. Bhapa Ilish for instance is marinated in a zesty paste of mustard,mustard oil,whole green chillies,salt and turmeric,and then steamed. Maitree Banerjee makes her own favourite version at home,albeit in a microwave. “We serve it with steamed rice usually,” she says. “It’s a much healthier option than frying obviously,becaue one need use one spoon of oil.”

Another ever popular joint for food cooked in pucca Bengali style is Radhika restaurant on Senapati Bapat road. Go here to dig into scrumptious Bhapa Ilish and Bhetki Paturi,that ethereal succulent dish made by wrapping meat in banana leaves and then steaming. The owner,Aditi De,gives the steamed leaves a slight taste of a hot tawa before serving. “I have discovered that mildly frying it gives it more taste,as the juices and spices are better soaked in,” she says. She recalls the olden days when bhapa food was sometimes made by putting the marinated meat in a box-like vessel and then immersed in boiling rice to cook. “Nowadays people prefer to do it in a steamer or a microwave,” she laments.

And how can we forget the sweets? Pithe,made of rice flour and khajoor (date) jaggery becomes a favourite every time the festival of Sankranti comes calling. “I love food that is made in the bhapa style. The local places which make bhapa dishes are the best,” says Abhishek Jana,an executive in a food company. Head to Oh! Calcutta though for that melt-in-the-mouth Bhapa Sondesh. Yum is the word!