LPG crunch brings back woodfire cooking at hotel catering to MLAs in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: The LPG squeeze has brought back 'chulhas' at even such hotels as Hotel Holiday Home, or HHH, the official caterer to the Vidhan Sabha, and an entity under the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

The shift has not been without hassles, as the cooking staff contends with longer cooktime to maintain the same flavour.

According to a hotel employee, the cooks come at 7 am in the morning and start preparations, putting in firewood on a seven-metre-long chulha, which cooks four dishes at a given time.

"Traditional practices are more time-consuming, and take three hours more to prepare food for 600-700 people, including those eating lunch in Vidhan Sabha," Arun Dulta, who supervises the Kitchen in HHH, told PTI.

Chinese items have been the most conspicuous casualty of the gas crisis. They have been taken off the menu because they require high-flame cooking, and focus is now on Indian items like rajma, dal, Kadi, mushroom, dishes of paneer and vegetables, roti and rice, said another hotel staffer.

According to Dulta, the hotel has roped in around a dozen more cooks and helpers for the Budget Session of the Vidhan Sabha.

Meanwhile, cook Dhani Ram Sharma said the food cooked on chulha, also known as 'char' in the local dialect, has better flavour and taste because of slow processing.

"Compared to fast cooking gas stoves, food cooked on chulhas never causes gastric issues," he said.

The kitchen has been sourcing firewood from depots to sustain its operations.

Beli Ram, a member of the cooking staff, said they are pulling out all stops to ensure business is not hit.

So far, the legislators have sworn by the quality of the food cooked on woodfire.

"The flavour of food is better and healthier," has been the verdict.