#blahvsfood goes to Ah Leung, Tangra

 

The one classic Kolkata thing I didn’t want to do was a Chinese meal at Tangra. I love authentic Chinese rather than Indian takes on it, and the idea of having over seasoned food doused in red sauce and soy wasn’t remotely appealing to me (and yes I know that may just be a stereotype in my mind).

But Chef Auroni of Sienna Store and Cafe offered to take me to this gem of a restaurant in the furthest end of Tangra, that served authentic Cantonese food out of his home and garage. The place isn’t much to look at and the path to get there requires faith and commitment, especially on a rainy muddy day. But the payoff is massive Mr. Ah Leung serves the best Cantonese food I’ve had in India, with none of the bullshit that now passes for Chinese cuisine in India.

For hardcore Kolkata foodies, Ah Leung is famous for its wanton noodles, known colloquially as “singara” noodles, after the Bengali name for samosas because of the shape of the wantons. The noodles are freshly made by hand and cooked it lard to give it a rich firmness, and soak in the flavour of the accompanying sauces. 

But while the singara noodles are famous, the dish I loved were the Kaptai gravy noodles - pork liver and other orhas, Chinese cooking wine, fermented mustard greens stir fried over noodles. This was a umami-loaded, comforting noodle dish that was light years away from the Cantonese food served in 5 star hotels. The chilli chicken was also stunning, a dry, pan-fried dish tossed with chilli, more akin to what would be described as pepper chicken in Indian restaurants. While the sliced pork dishes we ate were what we would describe as chilli pork.

I’m glad I got over my inhibitions and went with Auroni because this was a special meal. And while a part of me didn’t want to share it because it feels like of those wonderful secrets to keep, it wouldn’t be fair to deny Mr. Ah Leung his share of the spotlight!