It would be a serious amiss to talk about anything Punjabi without mentioning how rich and invigorating it is. Just like their spirit, music and lifestyle, Punjabi cuisine too is a celebration; a feast of the richness of ghee and butter, goodness of grains and abundance of flavour, that can make anybody a Punjabi-food aficionado.
The Punjabi Food Festival at Le Meridien is one spot where you can gorge on all your favourite Punjabi delicacies and explore unheard dishes from rustic Punjab.
Lending a rustic Punjabi ambience, the festival going on at Latest Recipe, the multi-cuisine restaurant at the hotel, has brought in the taste of the rural Punjab, including the recipes from the Pakistani areas.
No Punjabi meal can ever be complete without Lassi, the most-sought after thirst quencher among Malayalis. But what about Chabeel, the sweetened-scented drink - a appetizing combo of milk, water and syrup?
“We serve Chabeel along with Lassi as a welcome drink here. In Punjab, Chabeel is offered free to passerby’s every summer. One can get the drink at every Gurudwaras in Punjab,” says Jatinder Pal Singh, executive chef, Le Meridien, Kochi. The festival will run till March 30.
So moving on to starters, the fest offers an array of tasty kebabs that are ‘finger-licking’ good. The Machli Amritsari (the yummy fish kebab that can put any fish fingers to shame), Bhutte de kebab (made of corn), Lahori chappali kebab (minced beef), mushroom kebab and raw papaya chutney (despite using the raw papaya, the chutney is a sweet and jelly like) and all-time favourite chicken kebabs, are here to tantalize your taste buds.
“Dahi de Kebabs, the ones topped with curd, are the specialities of Punjab. We use curd for both veg and non-veg fares,” says the chef.
And, main course is an equally-appetising affair. Rotis constitute the authentic Punjabi meal. Multi grains are used to make rotis. “There are Makki ki Roti (corn flour roti) and wheat roti. Many a times rotis or paratas are stuffed with aloo(potatoes) and cauliflower(gobi). Sometime, onions and coriander leaves are layered on the bread,” said Singh.
The paratas can be gorged down with a variety of curries, including Dal Makhni and Sarson ka saag. No Punjabi fare is complete without these delicacies. Sarson Ka Saag, made of mustard and spices, is known as a labour of love and patience. And, the result is tasty too.
Dal Makhi, made of lentils, is one dish that every dhabas serve. And equally sumptuous are other curries, Aloo Wadiya (made of potatoes and lentil dumplings), Butter Chicken, saag meat (mutton and spinach), Moge Waala Kukkud (spicy chicken delicacy from Moge area in Punjab).
And, for those who seek vegetarian fares, there are chatpati arbi (tuber delicacy) and Pakodi ki Sabji (moong dal).
And to top up the feast with desserts, there are sweet and sugary panjiri (made from whole-wheat flour fried in sugar and ghee) which is high on nutrition, Chena Murki (cheese and sugar). The fest also serve the all-time favourite Gajar ka Halwa and milk pedas too.