Champaran Ki Rasoi, Kasba, Kolkata cloud kitchen

Restaurant Name: Champaran Ki Rasoi, Kasba, Kolkata
Phone: +916206074897
Address: 58, Rajdanga Chakraborty Para, Kasba, Kolkata 700016 West Bengal India
Time: 11:30 AM – 11:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 500
Cuisines: North Indian, Mughlai
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Seating Available, Free Parking

The undivided Champaran district, in north Bihar, may have been put on the world map by Gandhiji’s first satyagraha in support of the oppressed indigo farmers, sowing the seed of the Indian independence movement itself, but currently it is famous for another kind of revolution — in regional gastronomy. The present upheaval is a breakthrough in its robust roots, dedicated to aromas of the soil in their local soul-stirring rendition of mutton dishes,breaking all typecasts in sophisticated cooking techniques.

Said to have originally migrated from the Himalayan foothills just across the border in Nepal, the dish, Champaran mutton,is traced back to a small settlement, Ghorasahan, only 30 kms from Motihari, Gandhiji’s historic outpost. The present recipe is credited to one Gopal Khushwaha, whose claim of the adaptation now raging in Patna is from the migrant labour community; dumcooking local herb-fed mutton in sealed earthen pots,with pungent mustard oil and a twist of refinement in a set of khada masala.

We discover this absolute gem of a delicacy in a tiny cloud kitchen in south Kolkata named aptly after its heredity Champaran Ki Rasoi. There is no other way to enjoy this delectable meal,but to take away or get it door delivered – they are currently off aggregators due to steep commissions – but their free delivery promise upto five kilometers on orders above ₹350 seems to be a seamless practice. In my opinion, a first visit to their awning-covered tiny-spot of a garage shed sporting coal ovens is a visual delight to the elaborate processing, a part of connoisseurs’ experience.

Champaran Ki Rasoi, Kasba, Kolkata: Food

The menu is focused. The star dish is Ahuna (handi) mutton or chicken,sold by weight between 250 gms (₹330 / ₹300) to the kilo (₹1,200 / ₹1,000). Accompaniments are few, with a typical combination meal of Litti-Chokha, roti, paratha or rice. And just a sprinkling of street side kebabs and a couple of versions of meat curry. We cover almost everything on the cards with Ghee litti chokha (₹50), Mutton taas 200 gms (₹200), the signature Mutton ahuna 500 gms/10 pieces (₹650), Ghee paratha (₹20) and added a Mutton curry basmati rice meal (₹175), for sampling.

Plus & Minus:

First things first,the staple litti-chokha, is a combination of coal-baked, nutritious, rustic charred crusty whole-wheat balls of roasted gram flour stuffing with just a touch of ghee, broken with fingers to be enjoyed with a piquant homely mash of eggplants and potatoes tempered with fresh greens and chillies. Simple, tangible flavours of the soil. The Mutton Tash in comparison,is a street side conversation starter with small pieces of marinated meat,stir fried on an iron griddle to soak in& the sweetness of fried onions, textured chewy bites of meat, tempered with prickly Himalayan pepper.

The fragrance draws us to the signature Ahuna mutton, even before a glimpse of the delicate golden brown curried meat – easily defined as the pot of gold, marinated with richness of hand-pressed mustard oil, onion-ginger-garlic and steam-cooked in an sealed earthen pot with flavorful bouquet of whole spices, infused with bulbs of sweet,whole garlic and enriched with ghee or clarified butter, braised to subtlety and left to stew and simmer over coal fire for a couple of hours. Of course the taste varies with the quality of mutton – hill fed or grass fed – we get a batch of locally sourced, luscious mutton pieces falling off the bones,making it great for mopping up with the triangular ghee paratha and the Basmati rice. In comparison, the mutton curry with rice meal is a zesty onslaught of red chilli heat, recommended for the adventurous.