From the garden to Park Street: how a lot is packed
The week after a lot arrives in Kolkata, from opening the chest to the pouch with the garden and flush on it.
Pujo at home: tea for a houseful of guests
Brewing in quantity, keeping it hot and choosing teas that suit relatives, neighbours and late-night pandal hoppers.
During Durga Pujo, most Kolkata homes become open houses. Relatives arrive from Howrah and Salt Lake, neighbours drop in between pandals, and tea is made from morning until well after midnight. A little planning saves the person in the kitchen from standing at the stove all five days.
For guests who take milk and sugar, which is most of them, brew a strong base and keep it ready. Boil 1 litre of water with 8 heaped teaspoons of our Assam orthodox or masala chai for four minutes, strain it into a steel flask, and add hot milk and sugar to each pot as guests arrive. The base keeps well in a good flask for two to three hours. This one batch makes about 20 cups.
Keep one teapot of Darjeeling for those who drink it plain. A second flush is the most forgiving: 2 g per cup, water just off the boil, three minutes, then pour everything off the leaves into a second warmed pot so it does not stew. Older relatives often appreciate being asked how they like it.
For late nights after pandal hopping, our Himalayan flower tisane of marigold, rose and lemongrass has no caffeine and looks lovely in a glass pot. Make a large pot and leave it on the table. Work out quantities before Shashthi. A family that serves around 40 cups a day over five days will use about 1 kg of Assam or chai, 100 g of Darjeeling and a pack or two of tisane. Our Pujo orders ship until Panchami.
