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On a Sunday in Kolkata, the aroma of Mutton Kosha simmering in home kitchens signals a leisurely family lunch. Every household has its own recipe. For Senjuti Mahato, co-founder of Earth Story Farms, these flavours define Bengali food. She brings them to Mumbai through a collaboration with Kari Apla.

Nolen Gur Tiramisu

This is the first edition of In Good Company, a series celebrating collaborations and good food, and brings together Bengali family favourites and ingredients sourced through Earth Story Farms. The collaboration grew out of friendship. Mahato, who once lived in Mumbai, became a regular at Kari Apla, eventually introducing the restaurant to Earth Story’s jaggery.

Nolen Gur Payesh

Then came the fish kachoris she sent the team to try.Kari Apla co-founder Ebaani Tewari recalls the surprise of discovering the preparation. “I didn’t even know you could make them with fish,” she says. The team fried the kachoris and feasted, and when the idea of a Bengali menu emerged, Mahato was the natural choice. For her, the menu draws on food she and co-founder Abhishek Choudhury grew up eating, with family recipes taking centre stage.

Familiar flavours

Non-vegetarian thali

The Ghee Piyaj is perhaps the most personal example. Onions sautéed in ghee, salt and black pepper might seem unassuming, but the dish carries childhood memories. Mahato’s mother would make it when the family’s fish curry was not ready before they had to leave for the day. “I have not had Ghee Piyaj anywhere else,” Mahato admits. “When she would make it for me as a kid, I would have a full plate of rice with that.”

Macher Kochuri

Another home-style favourite gets a vegetarian interpretation. Raw jackfruit cooked in the masala used for Kosha Mangsho draws on the Bengali expression ‘gach patha’, or tree goat, recreating the character of the Sunday staple without the meat. The Macher Kochuri follows her mother’s recipe, while Bengali vegetable chops get a twist where the usual beetroot filling is replaced with Earth Story’s semi-hard Kalimpong cheese adding a mellow, woody pungency.

Bombil goes Bengali

Mumbai’s bombil takes a different form in Bombil Bharta, a spicy, tangy mash inspired by eastern Bengal’s bata and bharta traditions. Cooking off the fish’s moisture takes time, making it a preparation that is increasingly rare in home kitchens. “Whenever I find fresh bombil in the market, I always make it,” says Mahato.

Abhishek Choudhury and Senjuti Mahato, co-founders of Earth Story Farms. Pics courtesy/Earth Farms; Kari Apla

A salad pairs crunchy Mourola maach, a small Bengali fish, with a kasundi dressing made using mustard from Jhargram, Mahato’s home district. Its pungency is tempered without losing the mustard’s distinctive flavour. Dessert bridges Bengal and Italy with a Nolen Gur Tiramisu. What began as Mahato’s home experiment with replacing sugar with date palm jaggery became a version she loved sharing with friends and family.

Traditions matter

“The idea is to keep artisans and their craft at the centre of everything and try to revive these things which are now becoming part of a dying culture,” says Choudhury says. Kari Apla co-founder Mathew Varghese sees the pop-up series as a way to build stronger relationships with producers, while giving the restaurant team and diners an opportunity to discover unfamiliar ingredients.

Mathew Varghese and Ebaani Tewari of Kari Apla

The aim, he says, is to showcase Indian produce in its own right rather than rush to transform it into something elaborate. As Mahato puts it, “We go gaga over maple syrup, but we don’t talk about mahua.” With this idea, the hope is to bring these overlooked ingredients, recipes and stories to the table.

FROM October 31 to November 8
AT Kari Apla, Shop number 5, Mangal Bhavna, Khar Pali Road, Khar West. 
CALL 8433706258 
COST Rs 1500