‘Congressi’ pakoras tickle taste buds for eight decades

The political fortunes of the Congress party may have seen highs and lows, but in Hoshiarpur, a crispy and flavourful tribute to its legacy has only grown stronger with time. The ‘Congressi’— a beloved local delicacy sold by the iconic fritter shop Pandit Bihari Pakore Wale — has ruled the taste buds of generations for more than eight decades.

Interestingly, the ‘Congressi’ pakora has nothing to do with the Congress party directly, but its name draws inspiration from the idea of unity that the party once symbolised. Jagmohan Sharma, the third generation at the helm of the family business, explains, “We don’t know if it was named by Pandit ji, or by the customers.

But, all I know about it is that it was named as Congressi because it had veggies and spices of various types and tastes mixed all in this one pakora. It was inspired by the Congress party, which was known to have people from all religions, castes, states and languages as its members.”

The name stuck and so did its popularity. “Put the sales of all other pakoras of 25 other types in our shop, and the Congressi on the other. Whatever else our customers order or not, Congressi is sure to be there in every order,” says Jagmohan, who joined the business right after graduating from DAV College in 1999.

The story of the Congressi pakora dates back nearly 85–90 years. Pandit Bihari Lal, along with his elder brother Pandit Milkhi Ram, migrated from Lelehli village in Una—then a sub-division of Hoshiarpur district (now in Himachal Pradesh). The duo began selling pakoras in the Chaowk Surajan area in the heart of Hoshiarpur.

In their quest to innovate, they came up with a new style of pakora—a round ball-shaped fritter that combined almost every vegetable typically used in pakoras. It was prepared using besan (gram flour) and a special blend of spices. The pakora was served with two unique chutneys—one made of dried raw mango pulp, and the other a blend of onion and mint—deliberately skipping the commonly used tamarind.

Even after all these years, the recipe remains unchanged. The ingredients include brinjal, pumpkin, onion, cauliflower, spinach, green fenugreek leaves (or dried fenugreek when fresh isn’t available), green coriander leaves, coriander seeds, cumin and other spices. One ingredient, however, has been intentionally excluded from the start—potato. Despite being a staple in most pakora recipes, it was strictly prohibited in the Congressi.