What’s on chef Auroni Mookerjee’s 2025 culinary wishlist?
The chef shares a restaurant to try, a cuisine to explore and hyperlocal ingredients to embrace
Published 01.01.25, 11:41 AM
Image courtesy: @auronithologist/Instagram
New eating resolutions? Find out what chef Auroni Mookerjee has on his culinary wishlist for 2025...
What restaurant chef is planning to visit?
Chef Hussain Shahzad’s Papa’s is on the Kolkata chef’s list of must-visit places. “The restaurant is on my wishlist because I still haven’t managed to eat there yet and Hussain is a friend and a chef I admire very much. So I’d love to see what amazing work he is doing there.”
What cuisine is he looking to explore?
Chef Auroni ardently wishes to explore more of Odiya cuisine. He said, “I've been visiting the neighbouring state, Odisha, for the last few years and every time I go there, the produce, food, community and culture fascinate me.”
Top four hyperlocal ingredients to try this year
When it comes to hero-ing hyperlocal ingredients, chef Auroni’s skills aren’t unknown to Kolkata. When asked about his top four hyperlocal produce that we must try this year, he said:
- Local grain of the region: “Whether it is a rice or a millet or wheat, you know, the way it’s cooked, its flavours and aromas tell you a lot about the land, culture and people”
- Local jaggery: “Quite often there are traditional sweetening agents — like how Bengal has its gur. If you come to central India, they take Mahua nectar and make a traditional form of jaggery, called Rab. Now, that’s one of the most interesting ingredients I have had recently
- Foraged mushrooms: “This has a lot to do with rainfall and a particular season. Foraged mushrooms of any particular region, are always delicious and fascinating”
- Himalayan chestnuts: “Someone gave me Himalayan chestnuts recently and those were a rich, sweet ingredient with a beautiful nuttiness”
— Jaismita Alexander
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