Let’s get hungry

100 years of spice of life
GS Paul in Amritsar

Simple decor, efficient service, rich, divine Punjabi taste and precisely 100-year-old history behind it: It’s Kesar Da Dhaba, near Golden Temple. Located in the narrow lanes of Walled City, the centre of vegetarian Punjabi cuisine would seldom be a miss on the itinerary of tourists. 

First, be genuinely hungry: there are 15 vegetarian dishes. Yet, it’s the aroma of the simmering ‘maah di dal’ cooked in pure ‘desi ghee’ to be served with ‘lachha parantha’ or ‘butter naan.’ This is a speciality that has made this traditional Punjabi kitchen a landmark.

In 1916, Lala Kesar Mal and his wife Parvati set up one outlet in Sheikhupura, Pakistan. After the Partition, the dhaba was shifted to Amritsar. It is the third and fourth generation -- Raj Kumar Mehra and Vijay Mehra assisted by their sons Ajay and Ramesh -- who carries forward the legacy religiously.

Vijay Mehra says the kitchen has the same set of deg (big cooking utensils) made of copper which are used for cooking ‘ Maah di daal’. The hall has no air-conditioning and the seating is typical Punjabi with wooden stools and marble tabletops.

“We carry forward the century-old tradition: one of us would cook the initial stage of ‘maah di daal’ to preserve the flavour. The duties start at 2.30 am daily. We have engaged around 30 cooks to prepare other varieties,” says Vijay Mehra. 

For the health-conscious customers, especially the foreigners and metropolitan citizens, Ramesh Mehra says there are oil-less dishes. “It’s the ‘tadka’ (fried in oil and mixed with spices for flavour) which distinguishes our cuisines. If a customer demands, we avoid it”, he says. 

Makhan Lal, the head chef, who has the experience of 25 years here, chips in. “Most of our customers, prefer the whole lot of spices and cooking techniques”, he says.

The menu is simple. A small bowl of ‘tadka-less daal’ costs Rs 40, but the price doubles if it is in true ‘Kesar’ style. A laccha prantha costs Rs 40 each. But, a ‘thali’ is the best option to taste the other varieties which contain, a bowl each of daal, a seasonal vegetable, ‘paneer’(cheese) dish, yoghurt and two pranthas. It costs Rs 235. 

About the ‘obsolete’ decor, Ramesh said, “We tried once to renovate it, but it didn’t work. We got a negative feedback”. 

There is a separate airconditioned outlet for the VVIPs. “We have served food to Hinduja Brothers, Anil Ambani, Rattan Tata, Sunny Deol, Salman Khan, Jimmi Shergill, Raza Murad, Liza Ray, Pooja Batra, and recently, Arun Jaitley and Smriti Irani”, Ramesh said. 

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Milk in exalted flavour
Deepender Deswal in Hisar

Hansi town of Hisar is known for two things: peda and satta (betting). It’s the peda that would catch you unawares if you have a sweet tooth.

Hansi ka peda, the crusty sweet thing is made from milk. So special and peculiar is the taste of the Hansi pedas that no other halwais outside Hansi had been able to recreate the magic of this delicacy. The pedas are available only in Hansi.

The local confectioners owe it to the father-son duo of Lala Duni Chand and Chhabil Das who made the pedas so famous. Today, a huge quantity of them is supplied to neighbouring Delhi, Rajasthan, UP, and Punjab.

Rohit Mittal, the great grandson of Lala Duni Chand, says they had a peculiar method to prepare the sweet. Therefore, they make a limited quantity of around 30-40 kg pedas every day. “It takes a lot of time to prepare mawa (dehydrated milk). Despite a heavy demand, we are unable to increase the quantity. If we try to employ more persons to help us in the process, we run the risk of compromising with quality as we have to personally supervise the preparation,” he says.

Rajesh Bansal, a local resident said that there are around 170 shops of pedas in Hansi. “Over the years, the local halwais who worked at Lala Duni Chand’s outlet have started their own work. But it’s difficult to match the taste and quality of the original peda,” he says.

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Taste this Karhi-chawal
Aparna Banerji in Jalandhar

In the midst of narrow, winding lanes and a barely visible sky from the historic Suniara Bazaar of Jalandhar, a small shop has been dishing out culinary goodness of Punjab for six decades. Set up in 1947, the dhaba run by Sardar Prithvipal Singh Sethi guards the secrets of culinary wisdom protected for three generations. Serving Karhi Chawal, Rajmah & dal with roti and rice, the thalis are packed with delightful flavours. From two streets away, the aroma of rice (and roti) topped with karhi/rajmah/dal topped with tangy mint chutney and onions draws a visitor to the threshold of the little 12-seater establishment. 

Serving at least 80 plates each day for 69 years, the outlet was set up by Prithvipal’s grandfather Jhanda Singh after he migrated from Lahore Cantt. The legacy was carried forward by Sethi’s father Sr. Tara Singh and uncle, Harbans Singh. Says Sethi with a winsome warmth: “I didn’t start the business but my father told me a plate-full was sold for a taka or an anna.. The shop then served only karhi.”

Jaggu Chowk, where it is located, is now known  as Karhi Wala Chowk. A documentary has also been made on the dhaba by a London based channel. 

Sethi is also renowned for his generosity. The dhaba charges reasonable rates at Rs 30-35. “There is a magic recipe. I have trusted a standard brand for the spices I add. That brand is known to have pure ingredients for my food,” he says.

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Drooling for Laddhu ki dal fry
Sunit Dhawan in Rohtak

When Bhagat Parmanand, a halwai in Dera Ghazi Khan of Punjab province (now in Pakistan), migrated to Rohtak during the Partition, little did he know about the magic in his hand and mind. Initially, he sold halwa at Bhiwani Stand in Rohtak. In 1949, he put up a small dhaba on a rented area of merely 12 square yards. Thanks to his relentless efforts, the dhaba flourished and became a popular joint. The dhaba, which was originally known as ‘Bhagat ji da Dhaba’, later became famous for ‘Laddhu di daal-fry’ after his elder son Laddha Ram alias Laddhu took over.

Generations of Rohtak residents have grown up savouring the famous daal-fry, tandoori rotis and other seasonal vegetable dishes prepared at the dhaba. The admirers of Laddhu’s daal-fry include former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajya Sabha MP Shadi Lal Batra, Finance Minister Capt Abhimnayu, local MLA and senior BJP leader Manish Grover, and many more.

“The space constraint (the dhaba is  in just 18 square yards) has forced us to offer packed food only,” says Ravinder, son of Bhagat Parmanand and younger brother of Laddhu. Ravinder (60) says the daal is cooked from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. for lunch and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for dinner on customized ‘chulhas’ using natural fuel like coal. A single plate of butter-fried daal costs Rs 75.

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The cream of life: The grand Lassi 
Gagan K. Teja in Patiala

It all started from a small shop in the main market of Banur in 1961 as Vaishno Bhojan. Today, the Grand Punjab Lassi Café, situated on the Patiala-Chandigarh highway, is a stopover for hundreds of commuters. Jaswant Lal’s unique experiment has now been upgraded into a hotel and restaurant. 

However, the lassi café continues to be its USP, attracting over 400 persons every day, according to the caretakers. A classic lassi could be a heavy drink and so delicious that while the stomach is full; the heart cries for more.  

Taste the flavours: mango, strawberry, brown sugar, sugar free, masala, pudina and sweet lassi, ranging between Rs 70 and Rs 90. There are no preservatives and added flavours. Sunil Kumar, who joined his father Jaswant Lal in 1990 after completing his hotel management course, says even though he has introduced many new things, the very essence of the café remains the same. 

“My father’s family was into the apparel business but since he was very fond of cooking, he decided to open a dhaba. He then introduced various flavours of lassi,” says Sunil.

He continues to buy milk from those dairy farmers with whom his father had developed a personal bond. Now settled in Chandigarh, Sunil plans an outlet in Elante Mall.

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Cheer up on way to Shimla
Ambika Sharma in Solan

On Chandigarh-Shimla route at Dharampur, Giani da Dhabha can rejuvenate you with its sumptuous variety of Punjabi cuisine. Run by the family of Kuldeep Singh Bhatia, his wife Jasbir Kaur and their son Manpreet Singh, the outlet came up in 1974 as a small eatery offering tea and some snacks. Ironically, it picked up business when this road was being two-laned and now it faces the threat of being shifted when the same road is being four-laned. 

Kuldeep Singh, who was working as a mechanic with a local watch manufacturing company, opened the joint as an outlet that offered a decent stop-over snack to the commuters. He gradually expanded. Such is the lure of the food served here that people spend hours to be served. Though as many as 120 people can be accommodated in one go, a similar number can be seen waiting outside. 

“Apart from the variety, it is the quality and homely flavour that makes us stop here,” say Rajiv and Shilpa, a young couple from Chandigarh.

Several writers, singers and politicians from Punjab stop here occasionally for lunch, says Kuldeep Singh, who rules the highway aroma with his vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. “No visit to Kasauli is complete without enjoying a sumptuous lunch at this dhabha” says Shivender Singh from Patiala.

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Ambala: Munch your chicken with memories of Sardar-ji
Aastha Kanwar in Ambala

He could be like Colonel Harland Sanders (the famed owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken). The Colonel, the honorary title given to him by Kentucky Governor in 1950, after a thousand rejections to market his fried chicken, came up with the first KFC restaurant in partnership with businessman Pete Harman. For us chicken lovers, something of that sort wafts across the Ambala NH-1, where stands Asli Sardar Puran Singh ka Dhaba, with so many memories and an apparent dispute. 

As you gorge on the crunchy-juicy-spicy stuff, you realise there are many such dhabas with Puran Singh’s name proudly written over the places. These are at best a tribute to that man whose skills are appreciated by celebs, food junkies and chefs.

The genuine one is located right next to the railway station and the bus stand as you enter Ambala Cantt from NH-1. The fact is Puran Singh is no more. “Sardar-ji died on August 28, 2001, leaving me and our adopted son. His last words were: keep this eatery alive,” says Savitri. She along with their son runs ‘Asli Puran Singh Ka Dhaba’ in a narrow lane next to the ‘Puran Singh Ka Mashoor Vishal Dhaba.’ 

Savitri says none of their workers knows the secret recipe. “I grind the spices brought from Khari Baoli (Delhi) and mix them as prescribed by Sardar-ji,” she says. She has led a miserable life, being a heart patient and an accident survivor. “Though I am completely illiterate, I pay all my bills, rents and taxes. I have been threatened, robbed and attacked, but I can’t close this place, bound as I am by the promise I made to Sardar-ji. I have served a number of film stars,” she says.

Vijendra Nagar, the owner of Puran Singh Ka Mashhoor Vishal Dhaba, claims to be an associate of Puran Singh. He says: “I was the mutton supplier of Sardar-ji, whom I served till his death. I bought the place in 1994. I plan to spread the brand name throughout.”

Ashok Nanda, an old resident of Ambala, recalls his association with Sardar-ji. “I met him when he owned a stall near the railway station soon after Partition. It was the best chicken and was loved by all. He organized trips to Vaishno Devi for his employees every year on Navratri. But personal problems led him to sell his eatery to an associate. He worked as an employee.” Puran Singh later bought a comparatively smaller place in front of the old one in a narrow lane and adopted a son as well, says Nanda.

Confusion over his name notwithstanding, chef Sanjeev Kumar, foodie Vinod Dua and reviewer Rocky have visited the place and relished the chicken in the name of Puran Singh.