Almost 14 years ago, his guru would tie bricks to his wrist so that Harangad Singh could increase stamina to play the tabla for long hours. Singh pushed himself day and night to outperform all his peers. But his dream was short-lived.
His father wanted him to get a “real job” and earn a stable living. So Singh eloped from his hometown in Chandigarh and eventually found another calling: food. He began working at Taj Bangalore before stopping at Jaipur’s Hotel Park Plaza. This time, he would give it up for nobody. As he launches his new menu at Pra Pra Prank, a restaurant of which he is the Corporate Chef, Singh tells us how in addition to physical stamina once taught to him by his teacher, mental bandwidth is what he has learnt over the years.
It’s not just food that he lays in front of us. It’s his personality that brings together his life experiences and imagination. He has drawn greatly from nostalgia. Like the Prank Allo Tikki Chaat that he has re-imagined into a soup. As a child, he got punished on numerous occasions for getting sick by overeating it. Tapping into that memory he has reinterpreted the dish as a cold soup. It has a thin consistency and tastes exactly like a chaat from the streets with lots of coriander and spices mixed with curd. There is a potato cutlet (tikki) drifting in the centre. “Take a bite of the tikki and dip it into the soup and slurp it up.”
Another delicious reminder of his growing up years is Meat Martban. He takes his references from the older women of the house who would set mango pickle in large earthen pots. Those pots were then placed under the sun for maturation. Using the same process Singh makes his hearty mutton curry. The flavours are beautifully reminiscent of those times and the meat is succulent and rich just like homemade pickles.The new menu exemplifies progressiveness in Indian cuisine. “There is experimentation but not over experimentation in the menu. Modern food doesn’t have to be complicated food,” says Singh.
The chef who has learnt everything on the job was never good at academics. He was constantly facing flak for not achieving enough. It punctured his confidence and brought down his faith. He had to rebuild himself and become mentally resilient.
In his menu too, he has achieved a balance between inventiveness by making the dishes attractive such as Spicy Mushroom Dumpling with Butter Garlic Sauce, Chicken Curry Dumpling, and Tarachand Paneer Bhurji Bao. While the first one is a basket of gorgeous purple parcels made with red cabbage extract, the chicken alternative comes with a gelatinous gravy. The paneer dish is prepared live in front of you on a sizzling plate. “Each of these has evolved from their original form but none lose their identity. The menu takes you on a little ride off the beaten track into a new world born out of the one you loved and cherished,” says Singh.
Pra Pra Prank: 24, Ground Floor, Cyber Hub, Gurgaon