Come on. Chop some coriander for me.
No, onions will come later when you’re more professional.
I’m quite good at onions.
I’m sure you are…
Hi. I'm Tom.
I'm traveling through one of the most colorful and vibrant countries in the world, and with
the help of local knowledge, I’ll be trying to find out what makes this place so special.
Join me on a journey through India.
Kolkata, still commonly referred to as Calcutta, is the capital of the eastern state of West Bengal.
While it’s now known for its gentle pace of life, back in the eighteenth century the
city was British India’s most important trading post and the showpiece of their colonial power.
Home to prominent intellectuals, Kolkata is regarded as the artistic and cultural capital of India.
Kolkata used to be the capital of India at the beginning of the twentieth century,
when it was under British rule.
Victoria Memorial was built around that time and really illustrates that colonial period.
As well as its history, this city is famous for its food.
Bengali cuisine has evolved over time, but Kolkata still remains the ideal place to experience it.
On this journey I’ve been really keen to try some home-cooked Indian food,
and what better place to do that than in West Bengal?
Fortunately enough, a lady who has lived in this city, has agreed to let me in her home and even cook for me.
Hi. Iti?
Hello Tom. Welcome, welcome. Come in please.
Thank you very much.
Iti Misra is a retired British Airways executive, but has built a second career as a chef.
As well as appearing on a number of Indian cooking shows, she hosts lunches in her home
so that visitors to the city can experience a taste of Bengali cuisine and get a glimpse into local life.
You need an apron? I’m sorry. I don’t have an apron.
You don’t have an apron for me, and you’ve got 'queen of the kitchen' on yours?
Then I’m the queen of the kitchen, aren’t I?
I should probably be jester of the kitchen.
Yes, you’re my commie for today.
Pay attention.
Okay this is roasted mung beans, which we call daal.
It’s normally eaten as a first course with rice.
You know most of the spices we use are really not for taste.
They’re more for digestion.
Really?
Yes, they all serve medicinal purpose.
And then we will put in a little bit of the chopped tomatoes.
Okay.
More for color than for taste.
There we go.
A lot of Indians are vegetarian.
This is where they get their protein.
Bowl of daal, maybe a couple of chapatis or a bowl of rice.
And that’s a meal in itself.
There’s a nice color to it as well.
So how long have you been in Kolkata for?
I have lived in Kolkata all my life, I’m a Kolkata girl.
I went to school here, college, married, brought up my children.
Everything in this city, I love this city.
I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
Now we will do a fish dish which will be steamed.
Is this quite a traditional dish to Kolkata?
This is very typical of Bengal.
Bengalis are great fish eaters.
So what I’m going to do is I’m going to marinade the fish with some mustard paste.
And then I’m going to ask you to wrap these in the banana leaves.
Okay. It all looks so pretty.
Pretty right?
Now we fold it, this way. And then here and then here.
So you can get ready for Christmas now.
Neatly please. Neatly!
Fold one over there. There we go.
You’re a professional. You’ll have me out of a job now.
Next dish we’re going to do is eggplant, in yogurt.
Kolkata, how has it changed over your lifetime?
In some ways, nothing has changed.
We’re still very colonial in our outlook. Kolkata used to be the heart of India.
People came to Kolkata to seek their fortune, but it’s considered the backwater now by
a lot of large multinational companies. But still we have a lot of people who come here
for the music, for the art, for the performing arts.
Now we have our prawns.
Amazing, look at those tails.
They’re sort of dark blue, purple and yellow. Beautiful, aren’t they?
These are freshwater, and we keep the head because that’s where all the taste is.
Now we’re just going to leave it a little to simmer, and by that time when it’s cooked,
we will add coconut milk. Maybe put a couple of red chilis for drama.
Otherwise, how will you know that you’re eating Indian food?
Potatoes in?
Yes please.
Not with the water!
Too much water!
There was a doubting Thomas in the scriptures, and there is a Thomas the faint hearted here.
I’m going to place it in the order in which it is to be eaten.
Right prawns. I’m excited for these.
And this, the heart of the banana. Have you ever eaten it before?
No.
Have you ever seen it cooked before?
No.
It's so good. Right, let’s try some of the fish.
That is delicious, and the mustard is really, really good.
I also just ate a bit of chili on the fish.
You knew where the chili was.
I know, I wanted to try it and see how brave I was.
Alright okay, it’s good for you.
I don’t think I’ll get anything like this back home, that’s for sure.
So what do you do in the evenings in Kolkata?
I have a lot of fun. I have friends. We go out dining or we meet at our club.
Would you like to join me for a drink in the evening?
Yeah if that’s ok?
Yes it’s very nice, very colonial.
Back in the days of the Raj, it was built.
I was beginning to miss you already.
You can’t make me laugh when I’m about to eat.
Traveling from the center of Kolkata, I’m heading north to the oldest part of the city.
Northern Kolkata feels like it’s in a bit of a time warp.
You’ve got these old buildings that line both sides of the street and even the taxis
look like they’re from the 1960s.
This area of the city is home to the busy Kumartuli clay making quarter.
It’s also where you’ll find the stately mansions of famous Kolkatans,
such as India’s greatest modern poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Chai?
One of the things you’ll notice when you come to Kolkata is the humidity. It is stifling.
So you leave your home, leave the safety of air conditioning and you are sweltering.
So it’s important to keep drinking.
As the day draws to a close, I’m heading to the river that runs right through the city.
I’ve been told the best place to see the sunset in Kolkata is on Hooghly River.
You can hire one of these boats to get yourself right out onto the water.
At roughly 160 miles long, the Hooghly River provides the city with water and serves as
a major transport system for both people and cargo.
It was through this river that the East India Company sailed into Bengal
and established their trade settlement.
Being out on the water, you get a great understanding of where things lie in the city.
You’ve got the old Howrah Bridge built in the Second World War and the Vidyasagar Setu
which was built in 1992 as the city has expanded.
It’s absolutely beautiful out on the water, I mean the views are incredible.
It’s also got a really nice breeze just in case you’re overheating.
It gets dark early in Kolkata because we’re in West Bengal, which is in the eastern part
of India, and I’ve got a date with Iti which I better not be late for.
So this is the Saturday Club where Iti and I are ready to have our date, and look at this
badminton court with all these huge high ceilings and the railings going around.
It’s got a really colonial vibe to it.
Hi Iti. Nice to see you.
Good to see you again.
Thank you for having us here.
The Saturday Club was founded by British officers of the Calcutta Light Horse Regiment in 1875
and moved into its current premises at the beginning of the twentieth century.
And places like this, you know these private member clubs that have been built during the
colonial period, do you think they will last for generations to come?
So it’s quite an aspirational thing, you know,
‘I’m a member of such and such a club,’ which means I have a place in society.
In fact, it’s one of the few clubs where women are also on the committee, which was
nice because clubs were supposed to be a gentleman's thing.
It was where they met to get away from their wives but not anymore.
They can’t get away from them.
No, they followed them here.
Wow.
Thank you very much.
It’s been lovely spending time with you.
Thank you very much Iti, for cooking for me and telling me all about Kolkata.
I enjoyed it so much.
Cheers.
Seeing Kolkata through Iti’s eyes has helped me understand how closely tied this city is
to its colonial past. Whether it’s the grand private members clubs or the heritage buildings,
reminders of its history can be found on every corner.
But it’s also the challenge facing this unique and friendly metropolis, to combine
the traditional and modern in order to help the gateway to eastern India retain its position
as one of the country's most influential cities.
Hi guys. Thanks for joining us on our journey through India.
If you want to see our previous stop in Bangalore, then click here.
And our next stop, which will be in Delhi, click here and do let us know what your favorite
travel destinations are by commenting below the video and remember don’t forget to subscribe.