Kolkata Restaurants Grapple with LPG Crisis by Removing Slow-Cooked Delicacies
In response to a severe LPG shortage, restaurants across Kolkata are making significant menu changes, discontinuing slow-cooked dishes that consume excessive fuel. Iconic items such as handi biryani, mutton rezala, rogan josh, gosht kaali mirch, dal makhani, and rumali rotis are being phased out to conserve scarce LPG supplies at numerous fine-dining establishments.
Shift to Alternative Cooking Methods
To navigate the fuel crisis, most restaurants are transitioning to induction cookers and traditional chullahs. This shift has particularly impacted establishments specializing in Mughlai and north Indian cuisine, where long cooking times are essential. Dishes that require prolonged preparation are being removed from burners as they are deemed unsustainable under current conditions.
Aminia owner Kabir Azhar explained, "We have moved to an open chullah for central biryani cooking but discontinued handi biryani, dal makhni, and rumali rotis due to their high fuel consumption. Mutton items, which need slow cooking, are too gas-intensive and cannot be prepared well on electronic gadgets. Non-priority items like desserts are also being temporarily discarded."
Specific Menu Cuts and Adaptations
Songhai-Manthan has dropped two major mutton dishes: rogan josh and mutton biryani. Owner Sudesh Poddar, who is also the President of the Hotel and Restaurants' Association of Eastern India, stated, "While biryani is not a best-seller, we will continue serving mutton kaali mirch, a variant of rogan josh. However, preparing both will be impossible once our LPG stock runs out." The restaurant will also outsource desserts like brownie and cheesecake.
Mughlai joints are discontinuing rumali rotis because they require an open flame to keep an upturned kadai warm, leading to high fuel usage. A restaurant manager noted, "The flame cannot be turned off, and preparing 50 rumali rotis costs as much fuel as 200 pieces, making it inefficient."
Prioritization and Innovative Solutions
Mughlai chain Oudh 1590 is prioritizing 80% of its top-selling items. Owner and co-founder Shiladitya Chaudhury said, "We discontinued keema kalija, a signature but infrequently ordered dish. For desserts, we are alternating between firni and shahi tukda to manage resources."
One restaurant owner described the situation as "very grim," with LPG vendors halting supplies. "Our menu has been curtailed significantly. We are now cooking biryani and tandoor items on a coal bhatti, but it has limited capacity, so we also use induction cookers," he added.
Oasis on Park Street has reduced LPG use by 75% by employing electric steamers for biryani rice and pressure cookers for meat. Owner Pratap Daryanani explained, "For Chinese dishes, we use electric boilers, fryers, and inductions to minimize gas consumption."
This crisis highlights the broader challenges faced by Kolkata's culinary scene, forcing restaurants to innovate and adapt while preserving core offerings amidst fuel scarcity.
