I am not much into shopping, but I must say I enjoy pottering around what's informally known as the Samachar Market in Mayur Vihar - Phase 1. I often go there to buy fish, and when I am there I hang around the second-hand book stalls on the pavements to stock up my pulp fiction collection. I also like to try out the fare at the small eateries that keep springing up there. Somebody somewhere sells biryani, someone else sells momos in a steamer, a gentleman does brisk business with his rolls — all in all there is a feeling of festivity in the market. I was there again last week. And, as always, I was snooping around when I suddenly spotted a man standing by a table on the other side of the road from the fish sellers' corner.
Behind the table, there was a steaming kadhai and what seemed like at a distance a line of edibles waiting to be dunked into the hot oil. I stopped by to have a look, and was pleasantly surprised to find an array of Bengali snacks on the table. A few minutes later, I was a happy man, tucking into what's called a beguni in Bengal, a slice of brinjal coated with a batter of besan and deep-fried. Two big begunis were being sold for Rs.10. There was lots else too, and I got it all packed for folks at home. I asked for some cauliflower pakoras (Rs.10 a plate), vegetable chops (Rs.10 a piece) and mochar chop (stuffed with banana flower) for Rs.10 a piece.
The gentleman by the table packed it all for me rather well in cardboard boxes, adding a helping of salad to it, and I was home in a while, eating the pakoras with my tea.
The snacks were indeed all very good. The vegetable and mochar chops were excellent. The first had bits of beetroot and other vegetables packed together as a stuffing and peppered with nicely roasted bits of peanuts. The latter had the sweet taste of banana florets and I thought it was even nicer than some of the mochar chops I have eaten in the best restaurants. I had the beguni — a plump slice of brinjal — later with rice and dal and thought it was rather good. The gobhi pakora would have been excellent but for the fact that there was just a wee bit of extra salt in the batter. But even then, I enjoyed it.
I asked for a card and now I know that the little place is run by Sagar Chatterjee (mobile: 8800535197 and 9971180733), who also has a sari shop in Chilla.
The snacks are a great option for those who are looking for something to munch in the evenings. In fact, the next time I have friends home, I may pack the chops for them to have as appetisers. The filling is good and tasty, the outer casing is nice and crisp, and all in all it's value for money. Buying fish used to be a bit of a chore. Now I must say I quite look forward to it.
