From that day onwards a major daily-framed front page got freedom, a grandmother’s old wooden comb, centuries old sword-for a minute, I make a mistake for someone’s house. But this is aces Punjab, which is a good meal restaurant by Rajan and Deepika Sethi of bright hospitality at Connaught Place of New Delhi.
As I roam, Rajan explains that this restaurant is a tribute to its ancestors who were born in East-division in Punjab. “My parents and grandparents grew up on the other side of Punjab -Rawalpindi and Chakwal. Therefore, I thought that let’s open a place that serves the food of undivided Punjab that many people have forgotten, ”he says.
space
IKK interiors of Punjab | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
IKK Punjab is designed to look like an army veteran house – Rajan’s grandfather was in the Indian Army. Checker floors and old-fashioned fans are throwing a one for their grandparents’ house. Dark mahogany chairs are contrary to Ratan sofa, the cabinet grows with a wooden ladder from books and artifacts with a wooden ladder that gives it a casual, living room-style touch. “We want to call it home and serve food in such a way that they are in a restaurant,” says Rajan.
On the first floor with a low-black light, an old army club feels at a time. Beautiful candle holders on the table lend a warm glow in the area. Only bar nibals and cocktails will be served on this floor when its owners will get a liquor license.
Untold stories
IKK food in Punjab | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Like space, stories cross the cuisine from the other side of Punjab and crosses for food, which is now in Pakistan. The man behind the show is Chef Naresh Kotwal. Some dishes have been passed over generations, some are obtained from handwritten notes, while others have been researched from books. Rajan says that he has a friend in Pakistan who directed him with food.
Therefore, it is no surprise that normal chicken tikkus and kebabs make way for those who make more interesting starts, such as Peshawari Charcy Tikka, which is a small shop in a small shop called Nisar Charsi Tikka in Mandi, Peshawar. Is. This mutton kebab with kidney fat wrapped with kidney fat was once prepared by a person named Nisar Khan – she is called ‘Charcy Tikke’ in Pakistan because stories used to go on, she used to be there Charas (Hash).
Dohar Kebab | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Then we are served two more delicious kebabs – Chapali and double kebabs. Extremely popular in Pakistan, ‘Chapali’, which means the palm, its name to soften and level it from the process of pressing the mutton in hand. The tomato served with it helps in cutting through heavy spices. The double kebabs are different from anything I do – it is a mutton looking for a chicken seik kebab. The juice from mutton flows into chicken, which keeps the kebab soft and soft. Doha means double, hence the name.
One of the stars here is Lahori Sajji, a full chicken performed on a rotisari with full spices. Sajji is a tribal dish from Balochistan, where potato and rice-filled chicken is cooked for the whole day and traditionally eaten as a-pot food. This version was prepared with hung curd. The chef bites it with a pair of scissors and serves it.
From the royal court
Goset Beliram | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For the main, I had a pile of dishes. The origin of Gosht Beliram, a succulent mutton curry detects his origin in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire in the 19th century. He was so impressed by his Khanma’s (chef’s) creation that he named the dish after his name.
Lahori Chikkad Chole (Chole), is a feature from Lahore where Chhole is cooked with just salt and ginger, perhaps as they were in village houses. It is served with a salad made of onion, cucumber and tomato and a light curd chutney, but I prefer dishes without any accompaniment because it then retains its original tastes. Then marden is a chicken cooked in milk and cashews, a recipe that detects its origin for Awadh.
Mati Chole | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
This side of Punjab has also not been forgotten. One of the appetizers comes from the streets of Amritsar – fenugreek chole, a delicious fleet fenugreek tangy with chol, onion, sev and pomegranate and is served with tamarind sauce. It is a favorite from Rajan’s childhood days when the remaining chol was erected on top of a fenugreek, eaten as a crunchy snack – I also liked it very much.
And some classics remain – the butter chicken is very high on menu and is one of the best versions of this dish I have eaten in the city. Thankfully, it is not really on the sweet side.
As I go through the beginning and main cuisine, I realize that food here is not just a meal – it is rebuilding a slices of history.
K-13 in the outer circle, Connaught Place; 3 pm and 7 pm to 11.30 pm; Food for two costs more than ₹ 2,500 taxes
Published – February 11, 2025 01:07 pm IST
