Authentic Bengali cuisine at the Navratna

Navratna, the specialty Indian restaurant at the Taj Samudra Hotel is marking this October’s Navratri festivities with an authentic Bengali food festival till October 29.

‘Nav’ means ‘nine’ and ‘ratri’ means ‘night’, thus ‘Navratri’ means ‘nine nights'. There are many legends attached to the conception of Navratri like all Indian festivals. All of them are related to Goddess Durga (Hindu Mother Goddess) and her various forms. It is one of the most celebrated festivals of the Hindu calendar, it holds special significance for Gujratis and Bengalis and one can see it in the zeal and fervor of the people with which they indulge in the festive activities of the season.

Bengali cuisine is appreciated for its fabulous use of panchphoron, a term used to refer to the five essential spices, namely mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed and black cumin seed.

The specialty of Bengali food lies in the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavours. For Bengalis, food is one of the most essential aspects of their day to day lives.

Master Chef Sujoy Gupta joins us from Taj Bengal in Kolkata to present a carefully crafted authentic Bengali cuisine during this exclusive food festival. Currently established as the Executive Sous Chef of Taj Bengal, Chef Gupta has been with the Taj Group since 2005 and has had the honor of representing India at the highly acclaimed Maximum India Cuisine Festival at the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington DC in 2011.

Navratna restaurant will feature a special a-la-carte menu containing Bengali favourites such as Chingri Macher Malai Curry (fresh river prawns cooked in coconut cream), Kosha Mangsho (lamb cooked in special Bengali masala - traditionally cooked on special occasions), Machher Paturi (steamed fish with mustard, wrapped in a banana leaf), Mogewala Kukkad (an immensely popular village dish of slow cooked boneless chicken simmered in fenugreek flavored rich tomato gravy), Kofta Sam Severa (large dumpling of spinach and cottage cheese filled with nuts fried and simmered tomato and cashew nut gravy), Saag Bhutta (a delightful preparation of golden corn kernels and creamy spinach cooked), Basanti Pulao (green carddamom,orange and saffron flavored rice ) and much more.