Turban Tadka’s chef loves to gorge in city

AMRITSAR: His tadka has become synonymous with some of the best traditional flavours in Punjabi cuisine

Updated At : 06:26 AM Feb 23, 2015 IST

<p>Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi (left) with city baker Arundeep Singh interacts with food lovers and professionals at Best Western Merrion in Amritsar. A Tribune Photograph</p>

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 22

His “tadka” has become synonymous with some of the best traditional flavours in Punjabi cuisine. His punchline as famous as his name, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi loves the rich luxurious food, especially when in Amritsar. In city to interact with food lovers and present a live culinary session for a popular food brand, Chef Sokhi shared his unlimited pallate for Punjabi food and some expert cooking tips.

He says, “I particularly enjoy my trips to Amritsar because I believe that this is the best place to enjoy and respect food. The world can learn a lot in food business management from city known for its specific delicacies. Every popular eatery in city specialises in one particular kind of dish and not try to cook up everything and turn it into a chaos.” Ask him his favourite food in the city and he says, “Ask me what I might not like. The kulcha, mutton, makhan fish, kesar gulab jamun and everything here on menu excites my taste buds.”

Talking to food lovers and professionals at Best Western Merrion, Chef Sokhi dished out sumptuous Chinese recipes, the only difference being the Indianisation. “You don’t get authentic Chinese food in India. All the Chinese available is the Indian version of the recipe. A dimsum shop in China would not even relate to the momos or dimsums cooked Indian style,” he clears. He does feel that the difference between home cooked food and restaurant menu has bridged due to the enormous amount of promotion given to food culture. “All these food shows has helped people to educate themselves about various ingredients. Earlier, cooking was restricted to home kitchen and a job confined to our mothers and women in the family. But today the food industry is dominated by men, inspiring others to explore and have kitchen adventures of their own,” he says.

Sokhi’s Turban Tadka fame has inspired the men in his family to take up cooking. He says, “My father and brother now watch me cook and even cook up their own recipes.” Sokhi now wants to get on a culinary tour to educate, interact and experience spontaneous cooking with his fans and food enthusiasts on his side. “I think cooking can be made exciting and I want to promote this culture all around,” adds Sokhi.