While the world which used to celebrate the austerity of Navratri with food festivals was very different till 2019, 2020 precludes an entirely new Zeitgeist. In a year that has included all manner of hardship and trials, wherein basic businesses have been bereft of work, it seems a bit rich to ask people to participate in
the ritual frugality of nine days of minimal eating that is Navratri.
Yet that’s what some restaurants are doing. “Between working from home, taking care of my parents in-
law who live a few kilometres away, and doing actual home work, I don’t have the energy to prepare the
usual seasonal specialities so beloved of so many families, including my husband’s,” says Malini Shekhar*, who is happy that some restaurants are doing that work for her.
While the majority of restaurants in the NCR are not doing their usual Navratri spread, the few that are are banking heavily on home delivery. Punjab Grill has dished out a special Navratri Thali across the NCR; synonymous with the food of the royals, Punjab Grill promises to keep “all your misery at bay with this specially curated Navratri Menu.” The thali is nothing short of a three-course meal, starting off with a Koshimbir Salad and then proceeding on with appetisers like Sabudana Bhel puri and Shakarkandi ki Chaat.
The main course has Chironji ki Dal, Paneer Makhana, Rajgira ki Puri, to name a few among a long list of authentic delicacies that have been concocted keeping in mind the preferences of these holy nine days. The menu also boasts of Cheena Kheer and Doodhi ka Halwa to help you tackle those sweet pangs. If you are wondering why we have spent so much time riffing on one restaurant, it’s because Punjab Grill is one of the few actually marking the nine nights.
Others include Café Delhi Heights, Nukkad Bar and Café, and restaurants at the swish DLF Emporio and Chanakya Mall. Giving the traditional Navratri thali a delicious makeover, the chefs at Cafe ChaShi and MKT are presenting their unique curation of not one, but three different cuisines to treat your tastebuds – Oriental, Coastal and North Indian.
Savour the sumptuous delicacies of North India with their special Anar Raita, Kuttu Puri, Paneer Makhni, Sabudana Papad, Samak Matar Pudina Chawal; Cantonese Tong Sui Soup, Crispy Fried Lotus Stem, Tossed Asian Greens, Asparagus and Chestnut Dumplings, etc. for an Oriental joyride and Kadala Manga Salad, Arabi Nilgiri Fry, Paneer Moilee, Kuttu Masala Dosa, Pappali Halwa and much more for a Coastal culinary journey down south.
“Most people don’t step out of their house during Navratri in a normal year; do you really see people stepping out in 2020?” asks the restaurant manager of a popular Central Delhi restaurant, presumably rhetorically. Indeed, without naming names, it’s easy to see how, for many restaurants, devoting time to a sabudana tikki that most people won’t step out to even know about, never mind refuse to eat, isn’t a priority. Talk about the fast and the furious.