Heirloom Christmas recipes by three Christian families of Kolkata

The Christian community in Kolkata is wonderfully diverse and every family celebrates Christmas with unique traditions. Food plays a central role in these festivities, influenced by both ethnicity and cosmopolitan tastes. Yet, most families cherish a traditional recipe passed down through generations. This year, ahead of Christmas, My Kolkata spoke to three people from the community to learn about their favourite family food traditions.

A traditional Goan sorpotel

Kolkata-based educationist John Bagul belongs from a diverse background. While he is born to an East Indian father and a Goan mother, his wife is a Malayali. He says, “My mother is a Fernandes with Goan-Portuguese parents and she married an east Indian. And I married a Malayali, so the cultures are totally mixed.” However, when it comes to Christmas, the favourite recipe of the family is Goan-style sorpotel that Bagul fondly remembers his mother preparing. Continuing this cherished tradition, the spicy and tangy sorpotel remains a staple at the Bagul family's Christmas feast. Made with pork meat, offal, and pig’s blood (optional), the dish is a delicacy in Goan cuisine.

Sharing the recipe with My Kolkata, Bagul said, “My grandmother used to make it and passed the recipe down to my mother, and now I make it at home. Goan-style pork sorpotel is a traditional and richly spiced dish, influenced by both Portuguese and Indian culinary traditions. The use of pig’s blood adds depth and authenticity to the recipe.” Here’s the family’s old recipe, reflecting the Goan adaptation of this Portuguese dish.

Ingredients

• Pork belly or shoulder (with some fat pieces diced into small cubes): 1 kg
• Pork liver: 200 g
• Fresh pig's blood: 100 ml (optional)
• Vinegar: 1-2 tbsp
• Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder: 1 tbsp
• Kashmiri red chili powder: 2 tbsp
• Salt: to taste

For sorpotel masala paste

• Dried Kashmiri red chilies: 12-15
• Cumin seeds: 2 tbsp
• Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
• Black peppercorns: 10-12
• Cloves: 4-5
• Cinnamon: 1-inch stick
• Vinegar: 2 tbsp

Other ingredients

• Onions: 2 large
• Tomatoes: 4 medium
• Green chilies: 2
• Sugar: 1 tbsp (optional)
• Coconut or vegetable oil: 3 tbsp
• Toddy vinegar or Goan vinegar: 1 cup
• Water: 1-2 cups

Method

• Prepare the pork and liver. Start with washing pork and liver with vinegar and rinse thoroughly
• Parboil the pork and liver in salted water for 15-20 minutes. Save the stock
• Dice the parboiled meat into small cubes. Reserve the fat
• For the spices, dry roast the spices (chilies, cumin, coriander, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon) on low heat until aromatic. Grind them into a fine paste with vinegar. Set aside
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil. Add the diced pork fat and render it slightly to release oil. Fry the diced liver and pork in batches until golden brown. Remove and set aside
• In the same pot, sauté the onions until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until fragrant.
• Stir in the chopped tomatoes and green chilies. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and the oil separates
• Add the prepared sorpotel masala paste to the pot. Fry until the oil begins to separate
• Put the fried pork and liver to the pot, mixing well with the masala
• Pour in the reserved pork stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer
• If using pig’s blood, mix it with a bit of water to prevent clumping and add it slowly to the simmering curry, stirring continuously
• Stir in toddy vinegar and sugar (if using). Adjust salt to taste
• Simmer the sorpotel for at least 45-60 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavors to develop
• Traditional sorpotel tastes better after resting for a day or two. Store it in the refrigerator and reheat before serving
• Serve hot with sannas (Goan steamed rice cakes) or poee (Goan bread)

Homemade ginger and grape wine 

A retired teacher from Kolkata, Rita Ambett was born in Bihar to a Bengali mother and married into a Malayali family. Her paternal side traces its ancestry to the Rajputs. While the Christmas feast in her household was a blend of various cuisines, one staple that always found its way to the table was homemade grape and ginger wine.

“The recipe for the homemade wine is my mother’s, and I later began making it every year for family and friends,” shared Ambett. A loaf of fruit cake accompanied by homemade ginger or grape wine became a cherished tradition and a customary gift from her.

“Wine needs to be made with great care and patience. My age no longer permits me to make it, but I wish to start again,” she said, as she lovingly penned down the recipe for My Kolkata.

Ingredient (Ginger wine)

• Sugar: 2 kg
• Water: 6 bottles
• Ginger: 0.5 kg
• Red dry chilies: 42 pcs
• Cardamom: 1 handful
• Fresh plums: 2 handfuls, cut into small pieces
• Lemon: 6 pcs

Method

• Boil six bottles of water in a container with sugar
• Clean, peel and smash the ginger and add in the water
• Add all the mentioned ingredients together and boil for 45 minutes
• Turn off the flame and let it cool down
• Squeeze in the lemon juice (remember to deseed)
• Make carmalised sugar syrup and add into the liquid for colour
• Strain into bottles and serve chilled

Ingredients (Grape wine)

• Black or purple grapes: 1 kg
• Water: 1 liter (boiled and cooled)
• Whole wheat: 3 tablespoons (in a dry muslin cloth)
• Cinnamon: 4 (one-inch long pieces)
• Cloves: 2-3
• Sugar: 3 cups (divided into two portions)

Method

• Remove grapes from stems, wash, and dry with a cloth
• Put half the grapes (500g) in a dry, clean ceramic vessel
• Add 1.5 cups of sugar, the wheat bundle and the remaining grapes
• Add the remaining 1.5 cups of sugar and boiled, cooled water
• Add cinnamon and cloves
• Cover the vessel with a thick cloth and tie it
• Every four days, remove the cover and stir
• On the 18th day, add a medium-sized cup of rum (optional)
• On the 22nd day, strain the liquid using a stainless steel or nylon net sieve with a thin, clean cotton cloth
• Store the wine in airtight glass bottles

Duck roast

Born into a Bengali family in Bihar, Suchitra Guha grew up with a mix of Bengali and non-Bengali cultures. Daily meals typically consisted of rotis and sabzi for dinner. “Fish wasn’t easily available, but my father managed to organise it at least 4-5 times a week. In those days, mutton was more popular than chicken,” she recalled.

On Sundays and festive occasions, the family enjoyed a mix of continental and Indian dishes. “There would be roast, luncheon meat or a meatloaf, sausages and things like that. On Christmas Day, lunch was very traditional — pulao, chicken curry, meatballs and a big salad. But dinner always featured a duck roast, boiled vegetables, soup, and a very good pudding,” shared the director of Hi Care Remedy.

Growing up, she often watched her father assist her mother in preparing the roast. The septuagenarian added, “When the roast was ready, my father sliced it very professionally and served it with plenty of boiled vegetables and French mustard.” Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• Dressed whole duck: 1-2 kg

For the marinade:

• Yogurt: 1 cup
• Lemon juice: 2 tbsp
• Ginger paste: 1 tsp
• Garlic paste: 1 tsp
• Cumin powder: 1 tsp
• Coriander powder: 1 tsp
• Red chili powder: 1 tsp
• Salt: to taste

For the stuffing:

• Chopped onions: 1 cup
• Chopped carrots: 1 cup
• Chopped celery: 1 cup
• Chopped fresh coriander: 1/4 cup
• Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
• Salt: to taste
• Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

Other ingredients:

• Olive oil or ghee: for basting

Method

• Clean the duck by removing the giblets and neck from the cavity. Rinse it under cold water and pat dry with paper towels
• In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger paste, garlic paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt. Rub the marinade on the duck, making sure to get some under the skin as well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until they are softened. Add the chopped coriander, garam masala powder, salt, and lemon juice. Mix well. Fill the prepared stuffing mixture into the duck cavity
• Use kitchen twine to tie the duck's legs together at the joints
• Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the duck in a roasting pan and put it in the oven. Roast the duck for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours, or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Baste the duck with olive oil or ghee every 30 minutes to keep it moist
• Once the duck is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes
• Carve the duck and serve it with the stuffing and your choice of sides. Garnish with fresh coriander