The origin story of this near-forgotten culinary classic dates back to the 19th century. The British had only just expanded the railway networks to Goalondo Ghat which was a vital river port located where the Padma river converged with the Brahmaputra river – a point that is now in modern-day Bangladesh. Anyone travelling to Dhaka, Assam or even Burma, especially from Calcutta, would make their way to Goalondo Ghat and then board paddle steamers for what was typically an overnight journey. During this journey, deckhands and boatmen called ‘khalasis’ hailing from far and wide locales like Chittagong and Sylhet, for practical reasons, cooked their own meals aboard. The same galley was used to prepare both rice as well as the meat curry to go along with it. It was impossible to carry so much produce aboard when the journey would commence which made it so that the shrimp paste became a makeshift addition to their desi murgi concoctions. The story goes that the aroma of this recipe was so alluring that travellers on deck eventually began asking to share in on the deliciousness. A reference to this dish has also been made by journalist Syed Mujtaba Ali in his writings. The railway and steamer lines of course faded out of existence following partition, but the tales and the recipe of this meaty sustenance has somehow, just about survived and is still considered a Bangal delicacy. Follow the directions for a gastronomic trip back in time.
