New Market, for me, is a labyrinth of excitement: Asma Said Khan

The recent news about the Omicron variant of Covid has left London-based chef Asma Said Khan a bit worried. “When I left for Kolkata, people in London were no longer wearing masks, as it was not mandatory,” said Asma, who is in town for the holidays. “This is festival time and a large number of people will be on the streets, shopping for Christmas. So, I’m a bit worried about the new variant of Covid,” she added.
Recalling winter memories in the City of Joy, Asma said, “Winter in Kolkata takes me to the kitchen and food. My mother had a catering business and used to serve at parties and clubs. Evidently, this is the time we used to be very busy. My mornings and afternoons were spent cutting out the sides of bread slices. My mother used to be very particular about that while preparing chicken sandwiches.”

Asma said she used to help her mother do the catering arrangements and would accompany her to the market. And later, she would pick up bakery items and run other errands for her mother. “Winter days were also about running and queuing up in frot of city bakeries to pick up pastries and cakes for parties. I remember we used to pick up pastries and pizza from quite a few popular New Market bakeries,” she said. Recalling a particular incident, she said, “I once ran out of money and exchanged my stamps for a marzipan. It would have been a shame to visit New Market and return without enjoying the famous marzipan.”
No wonder, Asma has a strong connection with New Market. So CT accompanied her on a shopping trip to the market. “New Market visits used to be a charm in itself. Walking through the masala gali, buying meat and paneer – those little things used to be the joyful moments in my life. The alleys of New Market, even today, are a labyrinth of excitement for me. I shifted to London when I was 21. I’ve been living there for a little more than three decades now. That also means that I’ve lived longer in London than I had in Kolkata. But this city is still my home. It’s still more comforting to be back here,” Asma said with a smile.