SPICY SAUCE IN CHANDIGARH

Every city has its favourite eat streets-those by-lanes that buzz in the evenings with hungry shoppers jostling around stalls dishing out sizzling hot samosas, burgers and tikkis or ice-creams, soups and chaats drowned in spicy sauce. Chandigarh is no exception; it too has its share of pitstops that dole out no-frills but delicious fare.

Meet Azeez, who is one of the biggest stars on Chandigarh’s eat street. The most famous golgappa seller in the city, Azeez says his day typically begins at six in the morning, when the day kisses the night. The whole day, he toils on the preparations for the spices and fillings that make his chaats the chat of the town and come evening, he’s ready at his stall in Sector 23. When the light starts going out, people start coming,” he laughs.

Azeez, who quaintly is also known as Michael, is a rather poetic being. Gesturing towards his abundant spread of golgappas, aloo and chana, he pronounces: “All these things come from the sunlight, the colours of the rainbow and the glory of nature.” Interrupt him to ask him about hygiene and he bristles. “Hygiene is of paramount importance to us. People will never visit us again if they fall ill after having our golgappas. Which is why we keep the ingredients covered and wash our hands before serving customers.”

Regular customer Natasha Sethi wouldn’t dream of having golgappas off a platter served by a waiter in a restaurant anyway. “No fancy restaurant can match the charm of a roadside vend. The real flavour of street food lies in the way it is served-on paper or leaf platters. Making and eating golgappas is an art. In any case, the water used to fill the golgappas is good for digestion,” she says.

Despite the incursion of spiffy retail chains, burgeoning fast food outlets and stringent court diktats, the popularity of street food remains unchallenged. People enjoy getting their hands dirty and watching the vendor prepare the snack-an experience that can’t be matched by the best air-conditioned restaurants where kitchens are strictly out of bounds.

That’s perhaps one of the reasons Mahendra Chopra, a New York-based watch designer, and his wife Yogita, are drawn to Punjab’s street food. Every time they are here, they stop by Ali’s roadside stall in Sector 21. “I don’t think anybody makes better burgers than him,” asserts Mahendra. Ali glows at the warm praise. “My burgers, served with cheese, potatoes and mint chatni are priced at just Rs 5,” he says. New customers invariably come in looking for a menu. Instead, they find a placard which reads “From Ali with Love.” Clearly, this is service with more than a smile.

A favourite with Mohali residents is Rohan’s chicken soup.
Every evening, Rohan can be seen stacking bowls for his loyalists at the corner of Phase 3-B2 and soon, people start pouring in. Though he hardly gets time to chat with his customers, Rohan says he knows each of them personally. Homemaker Harpreet Kaur is one client whose family comes here regularly.” You can’t get better soup at a five star restaurant,” she smiles.

Globe-trotting businessman Parminder Singh says street food represents well-established local culinary traditions and a tour of the local hawkers’ stalls is the quickest way of getting a feel of the local cuisine. Adds professor and historian Gurdev Singh: “Street food is influenced by local climate. A warm climate, like ours, makes culinary operations easier and produces more passers-by.” Whether that’s true or not, the fact is its earthy appeal, delicious taste and aroma, and the personal touch, put roadside eats streets ahead of other fare. People enjoy getting their hands dirty and watching the vendor prepare their snack-it’s an experience that can’t be matched by the spiffiest restaurant.

Gourd gets going

The torai is often a-victim of overpowering spices and is seldom appreciated for its original flavour. Doodhiya, nenua, ghee torai call it by any name, the poor gourd remains Cinderella untransformed by any fairy godmother’s magic touch. Immensely beneficial, it has a sweet taste if you don’t (unwisely, according to us) adulterate it with tomatoes, onions, Garam masala and what not.

The pilaf - presumably the root for pulav - is commonly acknowledged as a Central Asian contribution to global cuisine. Though references in Bhavprakashnighantu, an ancient ayurvedic text nail the lie. Palav was known to our ancestors as ‘rice cooked with meat and condiments’. The point is that even in times gone by the shakahari version was not found worth mentioning.

Times have changed and nowadays there are myriad avatar in this genre-peas; navaratan, jeera, gucchi and what not. All much to our regret mimic their meaty cousin. What the torai pulav attempts is to assert the ’superior’ simplicity of the dish. It is sufiana in temper, impressive in subtle play on the palate. Perhaps, a purist would frown upon the vegetarian pilaf but that does not detract from the sheer simplicity and pleasure of serving and having a well-made pilaf.

This torai pilaf is not only quick to make but ensures that the subtle flavour of the torai and delicate aroma of rice are preserved. Often accused of being bland, the torai is often a victim of overpowering spices and is seldom appreciated for its original flavour. This recipe however does justice to the gentle flavour of torai. We acknowledge our debt for introducing us to this beauty to friend from Allahabad.

            How to make TORAI PILAF
 

METHOD:

Peel the torai, wash and cut in small pieces. Pick and wash rice then soak for about half an hour. Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. When it reaches smoking points put in first the bay leaf, then the royal cumin seeds and when these begin to pop up, add the other spices. After about thirty seconds put in the sliced onions and stir-fry briskly for a minute, then add garlic ginger paste.

Stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Now put in the torai and stir well. Drain the rice and add the torai in the pan. Stir with a gentle touch ensuring that the grains of the rice don’t break. Add salt, cover and cook on medium flame till done. Add no water. The rice should absorb all the water yielded by the torai. If the moisture is still there place the pan on a hot tawa to ‘dry’ the dish on the dum. If you like it hot, then sprinkle ½ tsp of Garam masala on top and garnish with a couple of green chillies.

Makes a superbly simple yet deeply satisfying dish meal when you don’t feel like exerting. Resist the temptation to spice the green pulav with pickle or chutney. Let the gourd revel in stellar splendour.