Bengali Jol Khabar – Alur Chop and Muri

After a long gap, I finally met my chotomama a few days ago. In a typical Indian household, conversations about children, health, pujo plans, and the rising cost of goods would normally take place in these situations, but we didn’t. My love for street food was sparked by this Chotomama. So, whenever we get together, we like exchanging notes about the latest eateries in Chandannagore. 

Chandannagore – the telebhaja paradise ?

Even while Jolbhora in particular and sweets, in general, are Chandannagore’s speciality, the telebhaja stores are the hidden gems that, if you ask anyone like me, they will just tell you to see them. They may not even be mentioned on the state or national culinary map.
The list of dishes included mutton chop, vegetable chop, dimer devil, chingrir chop, peyaji, and fuluri, each with a unique twist. Since it was a tiny town, the most of the telebhaja stores were intimately known to the family. They were everywhere.
Growing up, my family made a point of differentiating between Amish and Niramish (Veg and Non-Veg) foods. Interestingly, Alur Chop was considered Amish in certain stores but Niramish in others. Why Alur Chop is even in the discussion?

Why Alur Chop in particular

Alur Chop evokes pleasant memories or a sense of cosy evenings in Chandannagore. Bengali Jolkhabar is commonly associated with the term Muri Alur Chop. This is a really popular evening snack, even at some offices in Kolkata. Easily accessible and convenient, this is also filling. It’s impressive to see a whole kadhai of the spicy potato mashes known as flat Bengal gramme.
As an adult, I was in charge of purchasing chop and telebhaja, with Alur Chop being the most popular. Upon returning from work, Baba would frequently sit down with Ma, myself, and a big bowl of muri and alur chop. Here in Kolkata, as one of our readers shared, there was an incredible shop at Kidderpore which sold great Alur Chop and while coming back from school, he made a point to stop and pick up chop from there. I will definitely recommend Lakshmi Narayan Shaw in Hathibagan for the Alur Chop and Kalika Too. 

Here is all about Lakshmi Narayan Shaw –

I couldn’t help but share this beautiful poem by famous Bengali actor Johor Roy which sums up the mood of Bengalis and Alur Chop and Bhaja Bhuji. This place where Lakshmi Narayan Shaw is located is the yesteryears Theatre Para – a locality where there used to be regular theatrical performances on Thursdays and Satrurdays and Sandays. He shared this poem –

চপ খাবো আস্ত
তৈরি করব স্বাস্থ্য

বেগুনি খাবো গোটা
আমরা সবাই হব মোটা

পিঁয়াজি খাবো শেষে
খাবো ভালবেসে

চানাচুর খাবো অল্প
শোনাবো সবাইকে গল্প

ইতি জহর রায়

Alur Chop and a bitter-sweet memory

There were a few telltale indications during the school days that indicated it was time for us to head home after a hard football match. The realisation of winning, kissing your jersey with the scribbled number 10, and then returning home to finish your homework on decimal sums. Jojo, also known as Jr. Maradona, had to go back to his father’s improvised Tele Bhaja store every evening. It was Jojo’s responsibility to get the paper bag (thonga) ready by adding some muri and then liberally sprinkling rocksalt, phuluri, peyaji, veggie chop, or alur chop on top.

The highlight dish was Alur Chop, which was a hot mashed potato flattened into circular discs together with green chilli, onion, and garlic. These were gently dipped into the oil that was boiling in the kadai and then into the hand-whisked besan batter. At that moment, about thirty alur chops would ignite simultaneously. A bite revealed a delicious potato interior and a puff of smoke from the crispy outer layer. Jojo still runs both the store and a kirana store. He had switched his allegiance to a specific CR7 since the previous time I saw him.

Check out this recipe of alu’r chop with a twist with addition of prawns. 

Why Jolkhabar needs to be popularized across India 

Morning jolkhabars were solemn and sometimes flirtatious, but evening jolkhabars were daring. It is difficult to convey the essence of jolkhabar to individuals who are not from Bengal. a wide range of cuisines from different cultures that are portable and easy to consume on the go. Some of these foods have been around for 100 years. Jolkhabar in Bengali merits a stand-alone book. 

Here is the Instagram reel of Jolkhabar to give you indulgence triggers

And for the detailed recipe you can check out the You Tube video also –

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