Before borders: A festival that revisits undivided Punjab through food

Food festivals sometimes promise nostalgia. Rarely do they deliver it with this much sincerity. The Undivided Panjab festival at The New Punjab Club evokes the flavours of the region before borders fractured it.

Through kebabs and curries this festival reconstructs a shared culinary past

The meal begins gently. Almost all the starters arrive with a simple sprout salad, fresh, crunchy, and surprisingly necessary given the richness that follows.

We started with the Rang dhang kebab, hand-shaped lamb kebabs tossed with colourful onions and bell peppers. The mixture felt hearty and rustic, bound with gram flour and fat, with sautéed onions and garlic folded through the meat. A tamarind and walnut chutney brought a deep nutty richness that complemented the dense kebabs beautifully.

Next came the Chicken atishi seekh kebab, a vivid red preparation cooked over charcoal and served satay-style. The kebabs were very succulent, with a cream-based marinade that softened the spices into a mellow warmth rather than a sharp heat. Slightly oily, yes, but indulgence is almost part of the genre here.

Then came one of the highlights: the Chapli mutton kebab, a dish traditionally made by hand-chopping lamb and pounding it with spices before cooking it on a flat tawa; the kebab here retained that rustic identity. Whole coriander granules appeared here and there, bursting with sharp flavour, a little overwhelming in places but entirely in keeping with the dish’s rustic charm.

The Chicken gola kebab was another standout. Minced chicken, kneaded and pounded nearly 40 to 50 times to break down the muscle and fat, takes on an almost glutinous, melt-in-the-mouth texture. The marinade leans on distinctive notes of long pepper and stone flower, giving the kebab a deep, slightly mysterious warmth. Smoked over a sigdi and shaped into small cylinders, the result is astonishingly soft, so tender that the texture becomes the focal point, with the meat’s own flavour receding into the background.

Perhaps the richest preparation of the evening was the Malai tikka boti, a classic from the North-West Frontier region. Here, the indulgence begins even before the grill, the chicken is first gently poached in fat, setting the stage for its signature softness. It is then cooked in ghee, absorbing a marinade of cream, milk, hung yoghurt, cardamom powder and white pepper, with dried fenugreek leaves lending a quiet, earthy depth. A touch of lemon cuts through the richness just enough to keep it from tipping over. The result is intensely creamy, meaty and yielding, almost overwhelmingly rich without feeling heavy. The texture is lush and velvety, with a lingering, fragrant, sweetness.

The Bhuna tangdi chicken continued the indulgence, though with a more layered, smoky intensity. The chicken is first marinated with salt, pepper, hung yoghurt and a hint of red chilli powder before being cooked over charcoal, allowing it to pick up a distinct roasted flavour. It is then finished in a chaap-style masala gravy, where it cooks a second time, absorbing the spices more deeply. This double-cooking technique not only tenderises the meat but also builds complexity, the smokiness of the roast meeting the robustness of the gravy. The result is exceptionally soft chicken that carries both the char of the grill and the depth of the masala in every bite.

Vegetarian dishes held their ground too. The Paneer sandwich pasanda presented thin slices of paneer as bread with chutney and filling, resting in a tangy onion-based creamy gravy. Meanwhile, the Dhaba-style stuffed mushrooms leaned into earthy comfort, reimagined with a fine-dining sensibility. Two mushroom caps are sandwiched together with a stuffing of dry condensed milk, nuts, and a touch of cheese, then grilled in a tandoor until they hold their shape and take on a gentle smokiness. They are served atop a makhani-style gravy built from tomatoes and onions, finished with cardamom and a hint of butter. The result balances rustic depth with a certain polish, the richness of the filling offset by the warmth and familiarity of the gravy, while fried cashews and microgreens add both texture and flourish.

Meal for two: Rs 1,800. On till March 22. From 12 pm to 11 pm. At The New Punjab Club, Anna Nagar.

Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya

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