Restaurant review: Burst of flavours

Punjab is a culinary treasure.

Much like its people, its food too is full of life, rich, warm, hearty and earthy, with loads of butter. What also makes it special is that both its non-vegetarian and vegetarian fares are equally delightful. And it changes with seasons too. Winter, in Punjab, brings with it a burst of new flavours which are carefully picked to keep the body warm while also not compromising on the taste. While winter doesn’t quite ring a bell to us in Chennai, you can get a taste of what winter cuisine in Punjab is like at Punjab Grill as the restaurant is offering foodies a special winter menu till mid February. We were treated to the same recently, and trust us, this one’s not to be missed.

We started our meal with kaali gajar (black carrot) kaanji. The dark-purple hued drink was light and quite refreshing.

The chef tells me that kaali gajar is known to give your health an extra boost because of the presence of certain antioxidants and aids in digestion. We then binged on moongheriyan mooli chutney naal. A popular street dish, the lentil fritters dipped in raddish and mint chutney were quite tasty. Next in line was jail road kharodey.

The overnight simmered mutton trotters accentuated with saffron were tender, juicy and full of flavour. If you thought Punjabi non-veg food was all about meat, think again. Being the land of five rivers, freshwater fish is consumed widely by many households.

We were treated to Ambarsari macchi de pakode — river sole dipped in gram flour batter, and deep fried to a gold finish, were crunchy and made for the perfect appetiser.

However, it was the main course that was the best part of the meal. The bajre di khichdi made of rice and pearl millet, served with ghee and black lime pickle, was comfort food at its best. My favourite, however, were sarson da saag and methi murgh. A traditional Punjabi dish, saag means green and sarso is mustard. Along with a steaming hot makki roti and a dollop of butter, this curry was lip-smacking.

I licked it off my fingers. Methi murgh (fenugreek chicken) meanwhile was aromatic and perfectly cooked. The chefs also aced kunna meat. The mutton curry with an earthy scent and texture cooked in a clay pot for over eight hours is a true labour of love.

We washed down all those heavy flavours with a bowl of gur di kheer (jaggery kheer).

It was a delightful finish to what was a heartwarming meal.