A tasteful journey in undivided Punjab

The lavish spread at Spice Terrace had the choicest of dishes in vegetarian and nonvegetarian

Spice Terrace, the Indian Kitchen and Microbrewery at JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru recently brought together two culinary experts under one roof. Chef Sherry Malhotra, Celebrity Home Chef, and Chef Ishant Khanna, Chef De Cuisine, joined hands to bring foodies of Bengaluru an “undivided” food experience of Punjab.

What this meant was the spread had fare from both Punjab and Peshawar, instead of the typical paneer tikka/sarson ka saag/makki di roti that comes to mind when one thinks of Punjabi cuisine.

An amalgamation of the richness of cuisine from the region, corn, paneer, chhole, and saag nevertheless did find place on the menu.

Some of the signature dishes were non-vegetarian, featuring red meat and chicken in a variety of marinades and masala-laden preparations. One standout dish was tender orbs of paneer that sandwiched a prune chutney and then was roasted to perfection on each side. Many restaurants serve paneer, but only some understand that the texture is what makes a paneer dish a paneer dish.

Chef Sherry Malhotra told us that this was a dish favoured by Maharaja Ranjith Singh of the Sikh Empire from 18th century Punjab, who she says was an epicurean and insistent gourmand when it came to the food that was served in his kitchens.

Paneer, when overcooked, or not marinated enough, or when dumped straight from the fridge into a gravy that’s simmering on the stove, is the most criminally underserved ingredient, and overserved in restaurants. But this dish, in celebrating the age-old royalty, was also a delicious undertaking in celebrating this most versatile protein in vegetarian fare.

It had bite, it had texture, it had succulence, and with the delicately spiced prune chutney at the centre, became the heart of the meal for me. The buffet also attempted to infuse a sense of oneness in terms of celebrating Punjabi cuisine as a complete identity, and not as two factions divided by a geographical border. Desserts included mawa fruit rabri, and it went with the meal like milk and cream and sugar and fruit go together in any form.

All in all, a tasteful journey to undivided Punjab.