বাংলায় পড়ুন
Along with the Pani-puri, Ghugni Chat and egg roll, jhal-muri is one of much loved and famous street foods of Bengalis. In Kolkata you will find the small temporary stall nearly at every important door you ever exit, be it outside of any Bank, museum or any metro station. The iconic jhal-muri has won the heart of Bengalis long back but now it has also won the heart of the Brits. This dry snack, which is perfect for walking and snacking or just as a snack while taking any form of transport has grabbed the eye of Britain citizens too. All thanks goes to Angus Denoon.
Yes, Britain’s Chef Angus Denoon was bowled over by the taste of Jhal-muri and he took this versatile dish to his motherland - London. When he was asked how and when his love affair with this dish began, he said, “I like the versatility of this dish, the fact that it was so portable and you don’t need a kitchen to get it done. When I went to Kolkata, I knew no one, so I observed a lot. Then one day I saw a guy in front of Dunlop Building on the corner of Mirza Ghalib Street and Royd Street near Park Street selling puffed rice with few interesting ingredients with it. It looked fresh and light and was good to taste.”
Denoon took his love for the dish all the way to London and introduced it to his family. Later,he opened his own “Jhal-muri” stall there. His recipe was an instant hit. Enthused by the fast response, Denoon started a food cart business and named it as “Jhal-muri Express”. His little portable stall looks exactly like the ones used in India. He carries the stall on his shoulder and sets it up in any street he likes. This encouraged him to introduce more items to his menu chart – Ghugni chaat, lassi, dhoklas and even chai. Angus has participated in various food festivals across Britain and he is quite popular among the people.
So, is this a role reversal of sorts then? Is Bengals snack all out to control the taste buds of London? Well, now that’s what we call spicy takeover.
