Savoring the Flavors of Bengal: Masalawala & Sons Restaurant delights with authentic Bengali cuisine

Masalawala & Sons, a Park Slope restaurant in New York City serving authentic Bengali cuisine, is the newest addition to the restaurant group led by Roni Mazumdar and his father Satyen Mazumdar.

The original namesake Masalawala, located on the Lower East Side, closed in 2021 after a decade in operation.

At the new restaurant, the elder Mazumdar can still be found presiding over the dining room and telling stories about how dishes were made in Kolkata, a major metropolitan city situated on the Eastern Coast of India 50 years ago.

The restaurant’s updated menu features the bold mustard kick and flavours of Bengali cuisine, along with other ingredients such as mustard oil, green chiles, coconut, eggplant, and yogurt.

The Bengali restro also serves dishes from Gujarat, Hyderabad, and Kashmir. The dining space is decorated with colorful floral folk motifs, creating a psychedelic, country-store-like atmosphere. The restaurant can accommodate twice as many guests as the original location, seating up to 60 diners.

During the initial days, the food did not quite meet the high standards set by Masalawala’s sister restaurants, which include Dhamaka, Adda, and Semma. The dishes arrived overcooked, with a lamb chunk in curry even sticking to the blackened bottom of the pan. Some dishes were also ungenerous in their allocation of ingredients, such as a $36 entree with only four small shrimp.

However, despite these initial shortcomings, Masalawal is addressing the reported issues promptly and there is promise in the regional menu and the restaurant’s commitment to replicating traditional cooking methods.

Regular goers of the old joint may breathe a sigh of relief, as the new restaurant retains its emphasis on the staple food of West Bengal.

The country-store-like restaurant’s kitchen actively strives to replicate traditional cooking methods, ensuring that the dishes are as authentic as possible. Although the restaurant may not be perfect yet, the promise of delicious Bengali cuisine and a welcoming atmosphere will likely draw patrons back for a second chance.

Daab Chingri

The standout dish of the meal was a pastry-covered coconut filled with small prawns, and various spices in a richly textured coconut milk sauce. The shells and heads of the prawns were included in the dish, providing a crunchy texture and more shrimpy flavor to the dish. The dish was accompanied by Jeera rice, a short-grained aromatic type favored in West Bengal, which was swimming in ghee. While the dish cost $36, every bite was heavenly, and scraping the last spoonfuls from the coconut felt like finding treasure in a deep cave. The ‘Daab Chingri’ will give you a tour of the meadows of sunny-toned Greenland followed by the holy Ganga.

As a cuisine with a vast array of fritters, both with and without vegetable fillings, Indian food certainly knows how to make a statement even in your blunt pallet.

Subudana vada, however, takes the genre to a unique level by embedding tapioca pearls within the potato fritters. The result is a delightful symphony of squishiness and crunch, akin to a savory and solid version of bubble tea (which also features tapioca pearls). A dip of cumin-laced yogurt is served alongside, providing an extra kick of tartness and earthy flavor to this dish, which costs $11.

Mutton Yakhni Pulao

A delectable rice dish or as India called its ‘Pulao’ that traces its origins to the Muslim conquest era, yakhni pulao is a popular specialty of the Kashmir Wazwan.

Made with aromatic basmati or sela rice and Black Bengal mutton cooked in a robust broth called yakhni, this dish boasts a rich and intricate flavor profile.

The Mazumdars, inspired by their Kolkata neighbors who hailed from the Himalayan region, perfected their recipe for this dish. Every bite of this yakhni pulao, infused with aromatic Silk Road spices and a trip to the city of Bengal Renaissance, is a delightful treat for the pallets. It’s a must-try for all food enthusiasts. At $34, it’s worth every dime of yours.

Bhetki Paturi

The barramundi, a type of sea bass, is a signature Bengali cuisine that’s marinated in a thick mustard paste, wrapped in a banana leaf, and steamed in low flame to perfection.

As you peel away the oily half-burned leaf, you’re met with an almost mousse-like texture and a steamy smell that’s infused with the sharp tang of mustard and the gentle heat of green chilies. The bass marinade is speckled with poppy and mustard seeds, which add a delightful crunch and earthy-smoky flavour to the dish. At $21, it’s a steal for anyone looking to delve into authentic Bengali flavours.

Keema Kaleji

Keema Kaleji, a delicacy savored across Northern India, as well as in the neighboring countries of Bangladesh and Pakistan, is a hearty stew-like preparation made with minced mutton and goat liver. Cooked in a thick tomato gravy, seasoned with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaf, it boasts a richness that requires savoring each spoonful.

To balance out the potent flavors, the dish is garnished with a scrambled egg and some butter nan that mellows it down. At $23, this dish is a must-try for meat lovers seeking authentic Northern Indian flavours.

The article info credit goes to eater.com