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While Jaipur's thriving food culture is known for blending global flavors, a recent pop-up event at Laalee Jaipur celebrated the vegetarian richness of Bengali cuisine. Hosted on 15th and 16th February, this two-day culinary experience, titled 'The Emerald Table,' highlighted the abundant vegetarian dishes rooted in Bengal's fertile Gangetic delta. This region's lush landscape offers over 100 varieties of edible greens, roots, and vegetables that form the backbone of Bengali cuisine. The pop-up also acknowledged the historical link between Rajasthan and Bengal, especially through the influence of Kolkata’s Marwari community.
The experience was curated by Pritha Sen, a historian, chef, and food revivalist, in association with Gormei, a culinary curator focused on exceptional dining experiences. “A pure vegetarian menu that came out of Bengali kitchens showcasing its spectacular green repertoire that few are aware of” – Pritha Sen
Decoding Bengal's Vegetarian Traditions
Bengali cuisine is often associated with iconic dishes like Macher Jhol (fish curry), Kosha Mangsho (slow-cooked mutton curry), and Chingri Malai Curry (prawn curry in coconut milk). However, this narrative barely scratches the surface of Bengal's rich and diverse food traditions. Pritha Sen highlighted this misconception, saying, “When I started this, I wanted to tell people about vegan, vegetarian food that Bengalis are just not fish curry and rice.”
She shared an experience that illustrates this perception: “Many a times people say, ‘Oh, I can't come to your home or go to a Bengali restaurant because I don't eat fish.’ However, on the contrary, we eat a lot of vegetarian food,” she explained. Bengali cuisine, rooted in seasonal eating practices, features vegetarian dishes that reflect its Ayurvedic principles, offering taste and health in every meal.
The Rasavat Experience
At the heart of the Emerald Table dining experience was 'Rasavat,' a seven-course menu that took diners on a journey from ‘teeta to meetha’ (bitter to sweet), unfolding the six essential tastes alongside the depth of umami. This curated sequence reflected Bengal’s dining tradition of starting with bitter flavors to stimulate digestion and ending with something sweet to balance the meal.
The Rasavat Menu
MAYA
Topa Kuler Aumbole: Jujube berries, Gondhoraj lime
Neem Begun: Crisp fried tender neem leaf, eggplant
Khoi Bora: Popped rice fritters, ginger, fennel, coconut with green tamarind chutney
SHADA RASA: Condiments
Kancha Holud & Aam Ada: Pickled raw turmeric & Mango ginger
Morich bata: Mathania chilli chutney
Kodbel achar: Elephant wood apple pickle
PRAKRITI: The purity of greens
Pea shoots, baby red spinach, goosefoot, swamp weed, malabar spinach pods, radish pods
Spiced winter beetroot & goyna (jewellery) vadis
S H R I S H T I
Club Kachori: A Kolkata 'Marwari' street food classic featuring winter-special green peas.
Kumror Chhokka: A sweet and sour pumpkin dish with green choliya, showcasing the Bengal-Rajasthan connection.
Postor Nara: Hyacinth beans, button onions, and poppy seed paste.
M U K H S H U D D H I
Kamranga Tepari Makha: Chilled starfruit, cape gooseberry, with a tangy Kasundi dressing.
S R I J A N
Palanno: Gobindobhog rice with dry fruits, beans, carrots, and ghee.
Patri: Winter fresh radish and radish greens with mustard paste, wrapped in banana leaves.
Komola Dal: Masoor dal flavoured with oranges.
M A D H U R A M L A
Tomato, Dates, Mango Jelly Chutney, Papad: A palate-cleansing chutney to round off the main courses.
P R A N A Y A N
Patishapta: Rice flour crepes filled with coconut and nolen gur (date palm jaggery).
Bhapa Doi: Steamed flavoured yoghurt with strawberries and flattened rice crispies.
"From Teeta to Mitha, our meals are a journey of flavours," Sen explained. "A traditional meal starts with something bitter, often neem leaves or karela, to cleanse the palate and stimulate digestion. This is followed by greens, standalone vegetables, lentils with fritters, and then the fish and meat dishes. The meal is always concluded with a chutney as a palate cleanser and a dessert. This organized method of consumption is not simply a matter of taste but follows Ayurvedic guidelines for maintaining the digestive process in balance."
Rajasthani Influence on Bengali Cuisine
A unique aspect of the Emerald Table menu was the subtle inclusion of Rajasthani influences. Dishes like Club Kachori showcased the Marwari influence on Bengal’s cuisine, stemming from the historical migration of Rajasthanis to Bengal.
"Some influences crept into Bengali cuisine from the Rajasthanis who settled in Bengal right from the 17th century," Pritha Sen explained. "In the 17th century, Rajasthani's settled in Murshidabad in an area called Azim Ganj, which was considered an urban hub. These settlers, known as Sheherwali Marwaris, were prominent bankers, traders, and financiers, serving the East India Company and Robert Clive during the Battle of Plassey. The second wave came when Calcutta began emerging as a metropolitan hub during British rule. This cultural exchange naturally reflected in our food."
The Experience
The Emerald Table received enthusiastic praise from those involved. Argha Sen, Founder of Gormei, expressed his admiration for Pritha's expertise, saying, "No better person than Chef-Historian-Revivalist Pritha Sen to do this with as no one knows more about the cuisine of Bengal than she does, thanks to her decades of research and documentation."
Devyani and Shan Bhatnagar, owners of Laalee Jaipur, were equally thrilled. Devyani shared, "It was a great privilege and learning experience for us to have hosted Pritha Sen, who is known as a food connoisseur for Bengali cuisine. At Laalee, we are always exploring ways to create unique food experiences that people will remember, and her good food just hit the right chords."
