Story and photos by Sharen Kaur
sharen.kaur@gmail.com
India, with a population of over one billion, has rich and varied culinary traditions, which can be generally divided into four regional cuisines, with Northern Indian food standing out distinctly from the rest.
One of the main differences between Northern Indian cuisine and Southern Indian food is the staple food itself. Wheat is the staple food of Northern India, and rice is the staple food in Southern India.
The Southern Indians consume more rice, vegetables and seafood and they use coconut for some of their dishes. Rice is often mixed with lentils to make idlis, dosas, and uttapams. The Southern Indian food also consists of lemon rice, biryani, tamarind rice, sambhar and rasam.
Northern Indian food is influenced by the Mughlai cuisine. It encompasses the culinary traditions of the various northern states, including Punjabi, Awadh, Kashmiri, Marwari, Rajasthani, Gharwal, and Pahari. In case you did not already know, Tandoori cuisine originates from the north.
The most essential elements when it comes to Northern Indian cuisine are the spices - turmeric, cumin, black and green cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, saffron, nutmeg, black and yellow mustard seeds, fennel, asafoetida, fenugreek, tamarind, curry leaves, sweet bay and mint - employing some of the most aromatic scent, especially during the cooking process. In addition to adding luscious flavours and attractive aromas, the spices are known for their food preservation and medicinal properties. Garam masala, a spice mixture comprising raw cardamom seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper is also commonly used in Northern Indian cooking.
Garam Masala mix
When it comes to breads, there are various types from chapattis, roti, naan, parantha and tandoori-style. Ghee, or clarified butter, is particularly important to the flavour of Northern Indian cuisine and is not only used in the cooking process but also spread across the many types of bread available. For instance a chapatti won't taste as good if no ghee is added to the dough or spread on the bread just before it is completely cooked.
In recent years in Malaysia several authentic Northern Indian restaurants have mushroomed, thanks to the overwhelming support and demand from the general public. While the Punjabis enjoy having simple meals like chapattis with dhal (lentil) and mixed vegetables, and perhaps even murgh masala (chicken), others are also favouring it. To a large extend Punjabi food has become so popular that it is high in demand.
To satisfy the growing needs for authentic Punjabi cuisine, four business people decided recently to open up a place called Restaurant Chappati.Com at Jalan Kemajuan in Petaling Jaya, an area which is vibrant and where there is a lot of action. The four include siblings Harmesh @ Harry and Sanjit, and their mother from Hasheel Sidhu, a company which has been in the entertainment industry for more than two decades, and Sunil Sachdev from Classic Floral Services, an event planner and decorator. Restaurant Chappati.Com may seem like a new kid on the block but the experience the founders have easily spans over 20 years combined.
Restaurant Chappati.Com is officially opening on February 13, 2013 and already there is so much hype about the place. Those who have not heard, the restaurant is going to open with a loud bang, with multi-cultural performances, a large line-up of VIPs (very important people), and most importantly, great food.
I was given the honour to do a food tasting recently to experience the cuisine and was truly amazed with what the place had to offer. I have done food tasting for 10 years and reviewed several Northern Indian restaurants in the Klang Valley but Chappati.Com was truly amazing and topped my list of perfect places to go to. What started as a simple food tasting turned out to be a great gastronomically affair for me and those in attendance, numbering around 50.
As a start, we were given hot onion bhajis, assorted vegetable pakora, dahi kebab, chicken 65 and mutton kebab which ended up with me, and others seated at my table wanting more. All these mouth-watering delicacies were served with spicy chutney that included a combination of garlic cloves, mint leaves, salt and green chillies. Onion bhajis are a delicious deep fry spicy snack usually eaten with raita or chutney. They are so crunchy and absolutely tasty when dipped into the spicy chutney while it is still hot.
Onion Bhaji
The assorted vegetable pakora featuring eggplant, potato, spinach and chilli fritter, is also another great dish to have while mingling with family and friends before your main meal.
Assorted Vegetable Pakora
A great way to have this is with mango lassi (a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink) and we had very good ones at Chappati.Com. Well I can't really say what was inside the mango lassi as it is all meant to be a secret ingredient. All that you need to know is that the mango lassi was refreshing, smooth, creamy, and absolutely heavenly. You also have to sample the Apple Juice and Orange Juice which are equally thirst quenching.
Mango Lassi
Refreshing Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Dahi Kebab was unique for me as I have never eaten it before at any Northern Indian restaurants in Malaysia. The first time I had it was during a recent trip to Mumbai where we were pampered to authentic Northern Indian cuisine at one of the finest restaurants in the town centre. This alone makes Chappati.Com a very special place to experience good food as you would get what you may not find out there, in true authentic style.
Dahi Kebab
According to the chef (Chappati.Com has a few chefs flown in from India), it is basically soft tasty vegetarian kebabs made from hung curd and cheese with the crunchiness of onions and the flavours of ginger and pepper. It is so good you just have to try it!
Chicken 65 is a spicy, deep-fried chicken dish that may be ordinary to most people as it is a very popular starter in all Non-Veg restaurants. The one served at Chappati.Com came very soft and juicy. Every mouth was flavourful! If you want to enjoy it further, have it while it is still hot and with a cup of masala chai (tea). At least that was how I enjoyed it!
Chicken 65
A starter that will surely tempt you to come back for more is the mutton kebab. You won't think twice before calling in for the kebabs when seated at your table. Mince mutton mixed with onions, garlic, chillies and spices form this delicious kebab and the side condiment is chutney. Have this with a glass of red wine and it will surely make your day. While it may sound strange to you I found the combination of the mutton kebab and the red wine to be amazing. If this is tempting you by now, read on.
Mutton Kebab
Chappati.Com serves not just authentic Northern Indian cuisine but fusion and western food as well and this is where it gets famous for its pastas and pizzas. Starting with the pizzas, we were served vegetarian flavours and they were all so good to the brim. The pizzas were cheesy, had great texture and reasonable ingredients. Well that is my humble opinion and it will be an amazing experience for you as it was for me.
Cheesy Vegetarian Pizza
The tomato basil penne pasta (pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces) is another excellent choice. Since I was so full all I could take was two or three spoons and each bite just exploded in my mouth with multiple flavours. To tell you the truth, the pasta dish was made to perfection. It was not salty and neither did it lack anything at all. It was so right in flavour!
Tomato Basil Penne Pasta
There were so many more dishes that we tried that evening like butter chicken, a variety of soups such as tomato, sweet corn and sweet and sour, as well as chicken bryani. There is so much to say about the soups and the bryani but i would like to say it all in one word - fabulous! You have to try them to know what I mean. Its an acquired taste for some.
Tomato Soup
Sweet Corn Soup
Sweet and Sour Soup
Butter Chicken
And the desserts here, are simply lip-smacking!
The tray of desserts
There was something that I noticed at Chappati.Com and that is the amount of ingredients, including spices that they add into each dish making them all so rich. It seems that they do not compromise on the use of spices in their cooking despite how expensive they are. That is good to know as it means there is great quality and care in the preparation of the food. Diners would find every cent they spend to be worth it.
In cooking, photography and flower decoration, there must be patience and passion. There must be a sense of joy in what you do as at the end of the day it is the customer who must and should benefit. While Hasheel Sidhu and Classic Floral Services in reality make sure that every event they organise lives a lasting impression, they do the same at Restaurant Chappati.Com. For them, every customer is part of Chappati.Com. Customers don’t just patronise the restaurant but they make it "the place" to be with their friends, families and business associates.
To conclude, there is nothing nobler or more admirable than when four people come together to establish a good marriage of Northern Indian cuisine.
Name: Restaurant Chappati.Com
Address: No9B, Jalan Kemajuan, Petaling Jaya
Opening Hours: Daily - 11am to 11pm
Contact: 012-3968450 / 016 3332385
Cards Accepted: AMEX, VISA, MASTERCARD
