Saturday, September 27, 2014

Amritsar with Chef Vikas Khanna



It’s not everyday that a Michelin-starred restaurant chef takes you on a food trail. So when an opportunity like that comes along what do you do? Quite simply, grab it and grub around. That’s what I did last week along with a motley lot.

The chef in question was Vikas Khanna, the occasion was the launch of his new book Amritsar: Flavours of the Golden City (Roli Books), and the venue, quite appropriately, was his hometown and the food capital of Punjab: Amritsar.

The book is not merely a recipe guide but an ode to his beloved city and the people who shaped who he is today. A celebrity chef, the face of India in New York where he’s the executive chef at Junoon, a popular television host/guest/judge, cookbook(s) writer, documentary film-maker… Vikas Khanna dons many a hat and does so with utmost ease. He resides in America but wears Made in India on his sleeve. A proud Punjabi, he’s as much at home in Manhattan as he is on the streets he took us to, happily posing with whoever came by for a photo-op, praising nondescript cooks for their excellent skills, generously hugging dhaba-owners he had known since childhood and making them swell with pride on being credited for being a part of his evolution. 

Winsome, self-deprecating and modest to a fault, he's almost unbelievable. These are qualities that have endeared him to the masses giving him near-rockstar status. The cynic journo in me felt he skillfully plays to the gallery; perhaps an art he had mastered like his art of cooking. That aside, there's no taking away his accomplishments. In a world of 'pop-up' celebrities he stands among the achievers. Take a bow Vikas Khanna, you have walked the miles and there are many more to go.   

STOP PRESS: Oct 1, 2014: 
"Junoon is graced with FOURTH Michelin star in a row. A huge thank you to all of YOU and big congrats to the entire devoted team of Junoon who worked diligently for this honor."

Amritsar food trail


Clockwise from top left: Emblematically Amritsar... milkman with valtohi or brass milk-can; jalebi at Katra Ahluwalia;the authentic Amritsari kulcha; gulab jamun at Sharma Sweet Shop off Lawrence Road;Rana's fruit cream stall at Lohgarh Road; just-can't-be-missed kesar lassi at Ahuja Milk Bhandar in Dhab Khatikan; batter-coated Amritsari fried fish; peethi-poori at Kanha Sweets on Lawrence Road; and aloo tikki

There’s a popular Punjabi idiom: Tthid naa payayieen rotian te sabay gallan khotiyaan… If there’s no food in the stomach, everything looks fake. Somehow in Amritsar nothing ever looks fake; there’s always something in the stomach here! 

Amritsar is a city where food is passion. Who would know it better than local boy chef Vikas Khanna. ”If you ask anyone in Amritsar, ‘Kithon aa rahe ho… where are you coming from?’ chances are the person will say, ‘Main roti kha ke aa rehan haan…I’ve just had lunch and come’. For us Ambarsaris food reigns supreme,” he says in a matter of fact way as we begin the food trail organised as part of the launch of his new book, Amritsar: Flavours of a Golden City. Later, amiable Balraj Kang, District Tourist Officer, gives us his take on his city. “Adha Amritsar khaan vich mast rehnda hai, adha pakaan vich… half the city is busy in eating the other half in cooking.” 

In a city like that how could we stay away from food for too long. Let’s get on to the tastes we savoured at spots that were the chef’s personal picks. Most were established names, some dating back almost 90 years. Recipes from some of these eateries feature in his book too. 

Our first stop was for an appetizing breakfast consisting of peethi-poori, chhole, aloo launji, gur kara and lassi. The pooris were the piece de resistance. Mini footballs these, their size made most of us feel we wouldn’t go beyond one. But one bite and we couldn’t stop at one. Crisp and flavourful these looked deceptively oil-free! Of the accompaniments, the aloo launji was the tangy surprise. The sweetness of sugar had been blended delightfully with the sourness of tamarind to create this wonderful potato curry worthy of repeats.       
Here’s where:
Kanha Sweets, Lawrence Road
Taste-o-meter: 9/10

The chef had warned us to keep space for his favourite flat gulab jamun available next door. The lot of us arrived at the hole in the wall to be met by Sharmaji, who was busy stirring milk in his gigantic kadhai. The chef presented him with his new book, showering praises on his fare. Cameras buzzed and questions flew but Sharmaji remained unmoved by all the attention; his focus was purely on the milk. To which chef Khanna said, “This is passion! At this moment the man does not care who we are. His only concern is the milk which needs his top priority. A newbie chef would have rushed for a photo-op with me, but not him. He is totally involved. And that’s the first lesson for success in any profession.” 
Here’s where: 
Sharma Sweet House, Off Lawrence Road
Taste-o-meter: 7.5/10

Post the morning food session we proceeded for a heritage walk. Having burnt a few calories and sweated suitably under a blazing noon sun we were ready for another tryst with taste. It was time for lassi at one of the most popular places in town. Looking at the size of the glass, like most others in the group, I asked for the quantity to be reduced to one-third. No sooner than had we gulped it down that we were asking for refills. It was the best I had ever had. The kesar lassi gets my top vote. I tasted the masala paneer too, and relished its melt-in the-mouth texture. I got some packed for home and blissfully it survived the heat and dust.  
Here’s where:
Ahuja Milk Bhandar, Dhab Khatikan
Taste-o-meter: 9/10

This is one place our group missed visiting. But it should definitely be on the list of anyone coming into Amritsar. Maqbool Road’s kulcha-wala Sardarji is a legend and his stuffed kulcha is truly “all-India fames”, as his board once said before it was corrected to “Famous”!  Now there is no board, I hear. He ain’t in need of any. The Sardarji consistently gets his kulcha right and is known to shut shop, a true-blue roadside eatery, as soon as his kneaded flour gets over, which could be as soon as 3 pm. So…
Right click on image to see
published version
The test of a perfect kulcha lies in its crackle: once it’s out of the tandoor and on to your plate (glazed with a tempting dollop of butter) all you need to do is hold it in your hand and lightly crush it. If it gives a crackling sound you’ve got an ace, if not, another address needs to be tried. In flavour it should be flaky, crisp and moist. Besides the dough mix and the low-fire  tandoor that gives it its distinct flavour, it’s also the gheou (ghee) that does the trick. Nothing succeeds like ghee and it’s not for nothing they say in these parts of the country: Sau daaroo tey ek gheou... Despite a hundred medicines, nothing can match the value of desi ghee. 
Here’s where:
Kulchawala, Maqbool Road
Taste-o-meter: 9.5/10
* I will also recommend the stuffed kulcha served at Holiday Inn, Amritsar (www.ihg.com), where I stayed. It was a winner in all respects. Once I had tasted it, everything else on the buffet ceased to exist.   

Our evening raid began on a snacky note with papdi-chat, aloo-tikki, bhel etc. The place was the popular Brijwasi Chat on Cooper Road. I found the stuff here below par, the aloo tikki being the only redeeming item. This joint gets my thumbs down.

Soon it was time for some kukad-shukad, meat te machhi. Though locals have a lot of personal favourites for tandoori chicken, keema naan and Amritsari fish, these neighbours are popular spots.   
Here’s where (on Majitha Road):  
Beera Chicken House
Taste-o-meter: 8/10
Makhan Fish
Taste-o-meter: 7.5/10

Prepared in a wooden balti 
We had eaten, actually seen, enough fare for a day. By the time we reached the fruit  cream stalls it was around 10 pm and we were quite satiated. The genial Balraj Singh insisted on us trying out this “different stuff”. How different  could good ol’ fruit cream be? Oh! It surely was. Another one-of-its-kind of Amritsar. It was not the fruit cream I had grown up eating at the Army messes. Nor was it the kind Grandpa liked Granny to make when he had his buddies over. It was, as Balraj ji said, “different”. And delicious. A nutty fruit cream, stuffed as it was with nuts, cashews most, and no banana (as most glow-signs in the vicinity mentioned), it was delicately sweet, lightly creamy and had a crunch in every bite. It was prepared the way the old-style balti-ice cream was, and magically, despite it being whisked pure cream, one never felt that unsavoury hint of milk-fat sticking to the palate. 
Here’s where:
Rana (fruit cream), Lohgarh Road
Taste-o-meter: 9.5/10

The trip was on an invitation by Roli Books and Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board 

Saturday, September 13, 2014

BBC Good FOOD India: Malopolska


Eat like a local 
Malopolska
From artisan cheese to home-brewed liquor, it is all about the good life in this southern Polish region

In a picturesque pocket of Poland lies the sparkling region of Malopolska. A mosaic of quaint villages, Renaissance towns, lavish palaces, towering castles, rich forests, the alpine Tatra mountains and the fertile Vistula valley, so complete is it in itself that it’s often called Little Poland. A mix of diverse geography and rich history is found on its platters that are always served with cheer.


Hearty, unfussy and infused with natural flavours and colours, the strength of MaƂopolska cuisine lies in using fresh ingredients. Meals are centered around sour or cream-enriched soups and stews (Bigos or Hunter’s Stew is considered the national dish); a selection of breads; braised, cured or roasted meats; pickled vegetables and fruity desserts. Cooking owes it tastes to root vegetables as well as mild spices, particularly marjoram, caraway, dill and poppy seeds. A remarkable variety of kielbasa or sausages (lisiecka is considered culinary perfection), smoked or fresh, spice up the fare. When paired with home-brewed traditional Polish vodka, beer or fruit wines, these are perfect accompaniments for ‘Na Zdrowie’ or raising a toast.  

Quintessentially, ingredients from the fields and forests go into the pans, are cooked with love and relished together by the family. Every meal is a celebration, and endearingly, despite winds of change, like in India, babka (granny) nostalgia is evoked when conversation veers around food. Almost anyone you meet will have their favourite babka recipes to share. It’s no wonder then that one of the most-loved yeast cakes across Poland is simply called ‘Babka’.

The day’s main repast is obiad or dinner and it’s eaten anytime between 12 noon and 4 pm. If it is later than that it’s obiadokolacja or ‘lunchsupper’. In between there’s drugie sniadanie or second breakfast. A leisurely obiad is usually a three-course affair, and  favourites mains include kaczka z jablkami (baked duck with apples and cranberry sauce), kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet) and golabki (cabbage leaves stuffed with a meat and rice). Freshwater fish as trout or salmon are enjoyed too.    
The trade in Baltic amber and salt — from its mines of Wieliczka and Bochnia — particularly enriched Malopolska with assorted culinary customs, one of these was the dumpling that’s now the Polish favourite pierogi. Each region has its version and Malopolska is famed for the classic Pierogi Ruskie that’s simply filled with potato, onion and cheese. It can be a snack or meal in itself. Never steamed (“that’s Chinese”, you are told), these half-moons are always boiled and garnished with a sprinkling of fried onions or browned breadcrumbs, chives and sour cream. Some do prefer it fried.

One of its cousin is the tiny uszka, Polish for 'little ears', that’s prepared with wild mushrooms. These are eaten dunked into the traditional barszcz, a ruby-red complexioned beetroot sour soup. Each season packs pierogi with different stuffing. Summer menus especially offer a variety of fruit fillings, from strawberries and cherries to forest blueberries and orchard-fresh apples. Traditionally, the rolled-out dough is cut into circles using a glass tumbler and whether its star-hotels or farmer homes, everyone adheres to that age-old custom. The singular is pierog, but rarely used, for you can’t just eat one.

Flavoursome soups and wholegrain breads are table regulars and often both use a common ingredient: rye flour. Sour soups are a Slavic tradition, and of the appetizing Zurek it’s said, there are as many recipes as there are homes in Poland. What they all agree on, however, is its homemade sourdough starter zakwas prepared with fermented rye flour. Zurek is often called 'yesterday's menu soup' as a whole lot of raw leftovers are tossed in along with fresh biala kielbasa or white sausage, garlic and mushrooms. Commercially always served in an arresting bread bowl, it’s a lightly tart, creamy-textured soup. An optional sliced hard-boiled egg in it is a treat to the eyes and palate.

Malopolska’s cuisine remains incomplete without the mention of the scenic highlands of Podhale, in the Tatra foothills of the Carpathian Mountain. This is the region that produces the distinct spindle-shaped oscypek, a smoked sheep-milk cheese. Every Tatran worth his cheese will definitely have it on the kitchen shelves, and a grilled oscypek is as gourmet as it gets. Over the years, the cylindrical golka, made with cow's milk, the sour and nutty tasting sheep-milk bundz and the soft, pungent bryndza cheese have gained in reputation.

The celebrated culinary traditions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire have had an enormous influence on Malopolska as has Jewish cooking. So along with strudel, schnitzel, gingerbread and torte, the holiszki as golabki, latkes as placki ziemniaczane or potato pancake etc have also become a part of its repertoire. Borrowing from the French is noticeable too, especially in the all-time-favourite kremowka. This is flavoured creme patissiere between two layers of puff-pastry and, interestingly, has become part of a neo-legend. In 1999, during a trip back home to Wadowice, near Krakow, Pope John Paul II mentioned being fond of it. Overnight the dessert got re-branded ‘kremowka papieska’ or ‘papal cream cake’.  

Though most Malopolska foodstuff has reached department stores there is nothing quite like tasting it in its place of origin, the original way.

 Click here to read complete piece and recipes of 

Barszcz Czysty Czerwony
Placki Ziemniaczane
Pierogi ruskie
4Traditional Polish piernik


Published in BBC Good Food India, September 2014  
Section: eat away


Monday, September 1, 2014

Hotel Review: Park Plaza, Zirakpur

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India Today Travel Plus, Sept 2014
                                                                                  
Other reads at:  http://indiatoday.intoday.in/author/Brinda-Suri/1.html