Punjabi food occupies a place of pride in Indian cuisine as it is enjoyed by most food lovers across India. The spice content, robust flavours and variety, contribute to its popularity. Although several restaurants in Mumbai offer Punjabi food, the real flavours are somehow missing. To commemorate Lohri, the harvest festival in Punjab, many five star hotels in Mumbai have organised a special Punjabi food festival, to give people an opportunity to sample authentic Punjabi delicacies this month.
Taj Wellington Mews has crafted a special menu to celebrate Punjabi food at Weli Deli. Executive Chef Shrutika Kohli has curated a special menu, offering paneer butter masala, their signature dal makhani and the popular sarson da saag with makke di roti. Digging into a spoonful of gajar ka halwa is bound to take you back to those good old winter days spent basking in the warmth of the sun. This festival is open for lunch and dinner and is on until the end of the month.
The Rivaayat series by The Oberoi Group, endeavours to revive traditional Indian cuisine, with the idea of popularising it and creating an awareness. Trident, Bandra Kurla, is currently presenting its next season of ‘Rivaayat’ starting with the Punjabi Rivaayat with Chef Sweety Singh, showcasing an array of authentic preparations from Punjab. Relish anaari murg de tikke, bhatti da meat, Amritsari aloo wadi, meat wale chawal, beetroot halwa, made with Chef’s secret recipes and a blend of spices. Do not miss the creamy kesar lassi served in a kulhad. Open for lunch and dinner, this festival is on at Maya until January 21.
Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, Powai is hosting the Sanjha Chulah Festival, inspired by the concept of a community kitchen, where Punjabi women typically cook food for the family using earthenware. Under the supervision of Chef Yunus Khan, Chef de cuisine at Nawab Saheb, the team of culinary experts have recreated this experience for gourmets in Mumbai to savour authentic Punjabi dishes such as sultani pasliyan, tandoori chicken, saag gosht, Amritsari macchi, baigan ka bharta. The festival is on until January 22.
Chef Amninder Sandhu of Masala Bay, Taj Lands End and Rajkumari Sarvesh Kaur are treating guests to a lavish feast recreated from Maharaja Bhupinder Singh’s kitchens, as part of the Royal Kitchens of Patiala festival. Rajkumari Sarvesh Kaur from the royal family brings with her the ‘Royal Recipes’ which the talented chefs have executed to perfection. Expect to enjoy mutton yakhni shorba, murg kibiti, shahi paratha, paani de haath di roti and halwa behzai. The festival is on for lunch and dinner until January 28.
So indulge in hearty Punjabi cuisine across various food festivals in Mumbai this month.
Written By
Food critic, features writer and columnist, Mini Ribeiro is a qualified Journalist, from IIMC New Delhi. She specialises in the Food & Beverage and Hospitality space. As an established food & beverage writer, Mini currently contributes to several leading English publications across the country – Asian Age, Hindustan Times, Sunday Financial Express, Hotelier India, Go Getter and Vistara inflight magazines and Rediff.com. She also has her own You Tube channel called Mini’s Food Fundas. Fond of cooking, Mini enjoys experimenting in the kitchen with various cuisines, with Indian regional food, being her favourite. She has recently started, a platform for home talent, called 'Flavours from Home', an initiative which aims to make women who are passionate about cooking, entrepreneurs.
