A food-soaked trip through the wonders of Amritsar
is the perfect way to begin a (hopefully!) travel-filled year believes Raul Dias,
who decided to embark on an edible pilgrimage to the veritable soul of Punjab
Pics courtesy: Lite Bite Foods
There it was, sitting quietly in the recesses of my
inbox, an invite that I dare not have said “no” to. An invite to come explore
the edible wonders of Amritsar on a two-day gastronomic trip—aptly named
‘Rangla Punjab’ or the Colours of Punjab—along a bunch of other food-obsessed
souls and with the chefs of one of India’s leading north Indian cuisine
restaurant chain—Punjab Grill taking care of us all through. With a focus on
the Punjabi early spring festival of Lohri, the trip held great promises of
chilly early mornings spent huddled around a fire, sipping soothing kullad chai while noshing on crisp garma-garam aloo de pronthe with lashings of white butter slathered generously
over it. Add to that the lure of a city like Amritsar with its wondrous street
food and the spellbinding beauty of the Golden Temple, I’d be a fool to refuse.
Day
I
So, one surprisingly warm morning saw me and 18 other foodies descend upon Amritsar ready to take on any of the challenges it had in store for us—edible or otherwise! And the food extravaganza began in the bus that picked us up from airport itself as we were presented with vodka-filled golgappas that served as a de facto welcome drink-cum-snack.
Our first stop, much to our delight, was not to be at our hotel, but at a place so special that only a handful are privy to its magic. Located a stone’s throw away from the Indo-Pak border, a mere 35 km away from Amritsar on the Amritsar-Lahore road, near the villages of Daoka and Dhanoa Kalan on the Wagah border, Pul Kanjari is one of the heritage sites built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, where he used to rest while travelling with his troops. During his reign, Pul Kanjari was an important trading center. Legend has it that the village was named after a pul (bridge) that was built by the king for a dancer named Moran who was part of the Kanjari caste. It is said that one day while crossing the canal one of her shoes fell into the water which troubled her a great deal and a bridge was constructed on her insistence.
As it stands today, this fortress still contains a bathing pool, a temple, a Gurudwara and a mosque which were the secular concern of the Maharaja. The village has a monument built in memory of the Jawans who lost their lives in the 1971 war with Pakistan. And it was at this historic site that we sat down to a sumptuous meal featuring a virtual smorgasbord of delicacies prepared on site in Punjab Grill’s very own food truck! With everything from the creamy tava bheja, Amritsari machchi, and mutton champ for starters to mains like bhuna ghosht, lal lobiya (black eyes beans) served with a divine harra cholliya pulao amped up with accompaniments like shikar da achaar (partridge pickle) and seb da murabba our repast was fit for royalty. But to top it all off, we were treated to our very own folk music performance by the queen of the haik (a way of throat singing) singer Gurmeet Bawa and her two daughters.
After all that indulgence, our hotel back in Amritsar beckoned us with promises of hot showers and warm beds. Housed in a 250-year-old Nanak Shahi haveli of Rai Bahadur Rattan Chand’s lineage, Ranjit’s Svaasa is the perfect introduction to full blown Punjabi hospitality, as we were welcomed with bhangra dancers bringing us into the stunning boutique hotel where each room is totally different from the other.
So, one surprisingly warm morning saw me and 18 other foodies descend upon Amritsar ready to take on any of the challenges it had in store for us—edible or otherwise! And the food extravaganza began in the bus that picked us up from airport itself as we were presented with vodka-filled golgappas that served as a de facto welcome drink-cum-snack.
Our first stop, much to our delight, was not to be at our hotel, but at a place so special that only a handful are privy to its magic. Located a stone’s throw away from the Indo-Pak border, a mere 35 km away from Amritsar on the Amritsar-Lahore road, near the villages of Daoka and Dhanoa Kalan on the Wagah border, Pul Kanjari is one of the heritage sites built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, where he used to rest while travelling with his troops. During his reign, Pul Kanjari was an important trading center. Legend has it that the village was named after a pul (bridge) that was built by the king for a dancer named Moran who was part of the Kanjari caste. It is said that one day while crossing the canal one of her shoes fell into the water which troubled her a great deal and a bridge was constructed on her insistence.
As it stands today, this fortress still contains a bathing pool, a temple, a Gurudwara and a mosque which were the secular concern of the Maharaja. The village has a monument built in memory of the Jawans who lost their lives in the 1971 war with Pakistan. And it was at this historic site that we sat down to a sumptuous meal featuring a virtual smorgasbord of delicacies prepared on site in Punjab Grill’s very own food truck! With everything from the creamy tava bheja, Amritsari machchi, and mutton champ for starters to mains like bhuna ghosht, lal lobiya (black eyes beans) served with a divine harra cholliya pulao amped up with accompaniments like shikar da achaar (partridge pickle) and seb da murabba our repast was fit for royalty. But to top it all off, we were treated to our very own folk music performance by the queen of the haik (a way of throat singing) singer Gurmeet Bawa and her two daughters.
After all that indulgence, our hotel back in Amritsar beckoned us with promises of hot showers and warm beds. Housed in a 250-year-old Nanak Shahi haveli of Rai Bahadur Rattan Chand’s lineage, Ranjit’s Svaasa is the perfect introduction to full blown Punjabi hospitality, as we were welcomed with bhangra dancers bringing us into the stunning boutique hotel where each room is totally different from the other.
Day
II
Up early at the ghastly hour of 4am, I made my way towards experiencing something I had only dreamt of thus far. Sitting gorgeous, shrouded in the early morning fog, the Sri Harmandir Sahib—or to use its more commonly known moniker, the Golden Temple—is a sight worth getting up that early for! With its glistening, almost ethereal gold-covered exterior, the main shrine located in the middle of a pristine pond was surprisingly easy to get into with no crowds at all, much to the relief of claustrophobia sufferers like myself! After paying obeisance and getting my kada prasad blessed, I sat for a few minutes in silence taking in the serenity that’s in such short supply in one’s daily grind…
Back in time for a quickie chole kulche breakfast at the hotel, I joined the others for the activity du jour—a visit to a typically Punjabi farmstay for lunch a la khet! Around three-hours away from Amritsar is the wonderfully quaint Punjabiyat farm that doubles up as a small resort. Welcomed with tall glasses of the creamiest lassi I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking, we then set off on giant tractors for a spin in the mustard-redolent fields.
Lunch this time was a rather different affair in that it was a proper sit down extravaganza highlighted by wonders like a welcome drink of kalli gajjar ki kanji a fermented black carrot and mustard coolant with dishes like sukka meat, makhan wala kukkad and pathe ki sabzi lovingly served to us by Punjab Grill’s very warm, hospitable team.
As a grand curtain call to our short, yet wonderful trip, the team had planned a Lohri extravaganza replete with a gidda performance and a huge bonfire into which we had to throw bits of the sesame candy called rewri, ghajak and popcorn of all things! A live grills counter dished out everything from liver, kidneys and other assorted offal along with the more ‘kosher’ (well, for me at least!) mutton seekhs, fish tikkas and the sublime tandoori gobi.
And just like that as the year’s longest night went about its business, leaving us satiated and content as we danced the past two days’ excesses away under a canopy of a million twinkling stars…
Up early at the ghastly hour of 4am, I made my way towards experiencing something I had only dreamt of thus far. Sitting gorgeous, shrouded in the early morning fog, the Sri Harmandir Sahib—or to use its more commonly known moniker, the Golden Temple—is a sight worth getting up that early for! With its glistening, almost ethereal gold-covered exterior, the main shrine located in the middle of a pristine pond was surprisingly easy to get into with no crowds at all, much to the relief of claustrophobia sufferers like myself! After paying obeisance and getting my kada prasad blessed, I sat for a few minutes in silence taking in the serenity that’s in such short supply in one’s daily grind…
Back in time for a quickie chole kulche breakfast at the hotel, I joined the others for the activity du jour—a visit to a typically Punjabi farmstay for lunch a la khet! Around three-hours away from Amritsar is the wonderfully quaint Punjabiyat farm that doubles up as a small resort. Welcomed with tall glasses of the creamiest lassi I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking, we then set off on giant tractors for a spin in the mustard-redolent fields.
Lunch this time was a rather different affair in that it was a proper sit down extravaganza highlighted by wonders like a welcome drink of kalli gajjar ki kanji a fermented black carrot and mustard coolant with dishes like sukka meat, makhan wala kukkad and pathe ki sabzi lovingly served to us by Punjab Grill’s very warm, hospitable team.
As a grand curtain call to our short, yet wonderful trip, the team had planned a Lohri extravaganza replete with a gidda performance and a huge bonfire into which we had to throw bits of the sesame candy called rewri, ghajak and popcorn of all things! A live grills counter dished out everything from liver, kidneys and other assorted offal along with the more ‘kosher’ (well, for me at least!) mutton seekhs, fish tikkas and the sublime tandoori gobi.
And just like that as the year’s longest night went about its business, leaving us satiated and content as we danced the past two days’ excesses away under a canopy of a million twinkling stars…
Amritsari Goodies to Take Back Home!
* Tonnes of yummy kada prasad from the Golden Temple
* Giant, spicy dal papads
* Dried gram flour vadis that can be made into a variety of preparations
* Sesame seed and jaggery redolent ghajak and rewri sweets
* Colourful jootis for both women and men
* Finely embroidered phulkari shawls for the ladies
* Tonnes of yummy kada prasad from the Golden Temple
* Giant, spicy dal papads
* Dried gram flour vadis that can be made into a variety of preparations
* Sesame seed and jaggery redolent ghajak and rewri sweets
* Colourful jootis for both women and men
* Finely embroidered phulkari shawls for the ladies
FACT
FILE
Getting
There
Amritsar is well-connected to Mumbai and to the rest of India by a network of air, rail and road travel options. Spice Jet operates a daily direct flight between Mumbai and Amritsar.
Amritsar is well-connected to Mumbai and to the rest of India by a network of air, rail and road travel options. Spice Jet operates a daily direct flight between Mumbai and Amritsar.
When
To Go
The winter months and particularly during the festival of Lohri which takes place in January every year is the perfect time to soak in the dappled winter sun of Amritsar.
The winter months and particularly during the festival of Lohri which takes place in January every year is the perfect time to soak in the dappled winter sun of Amritsar.
For
More Information Visit
* www.svaasa.com
* www.lbf.co.in
(A shorter, edited version of this article appeared in the 25th February 2017 issue of the Afternoon Despatch & Courier newspaper, India http://www.afternoondc.in/mumbai-mix/theres-always-amritsar/article_188979)
* www.svaasa.com
* www.lbf.co.in
(A shorter, edited version of this article appeared in the 25th February 2017 issue of the Afternoon Despatch & Courier newspaper, India http://www.afternoondc.in/mumbai-mix/theres-always-amritsar/article_188979)
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