Grandpa's recipes

When one goes out for a meal, one always looks for something different, something authentic.
Well, local restaurants are pleasing the taste buds of food lovers by incorporating family recipes and dishes in their menus, allowing the customer to not only taste authentic cuisines but also have a delightful meal. When Dario Dezio, owner of Darios restaurant, started looking at dishes to include in the menu, he was drawn to old family favourites.“We designed the menu with the idea of bringing Sicily to Pune. We have Peperonata, which was made by my grandfather, it comprises roast peppers and baked potatoes, with plucked olives and oregano.” Dezio says customers are fascinated when they discover new dishes. “People in Pune are fairly well-travelled and exposed to so many different cultures and types of food. So of course, the response is really good,” says he. Tejpal Singh Gandhi, owner of The Great Punjab restaurant says the idea is to provide home-cooked food that every customer craves for. “Nearly 40 to 50 per cent of our menu consists of homemade Punjabi dishes. We make our khada masalas from scratch. The dals are cooked overnight, the same way it was done in my grandfather’s time.” He tells us about some of the traditional dishes that his restaurant has on offer. “We have a dish called aloo wadi; half balls made from a mix of moong dal, chillies, turmeric fennel seeds and pepper, and cooked in a curry. We also serve Ajwain arbi and a snack called Crispy rumali which are popular with guests.”
Bringing family recipes helps to provide unique tastes and flavours to the customers. Murad Cursetji, proprietor of Zamu’s Place who has more than seven family recipes at his restaurant, says, “We do not compromise on the meat and the products that we use. We have also created an acquired taste that you don’t find elsewhere. Kid gosht, which is a mutton dish in cashew based gravy, is even more popular than the dhansak that we serve. We also have Sali Par Edu which is shredded potatoes with fried egg on top.” Frank Barretto, owner of Le Sarah Restaurant, has recipes that have been in his family for more than 25 years. “We keep these dishes as they are traditional Goan food and enjoyed by many. One dish is Rain chait fry, made with fish, Kashmiri chillies, vinegar and coconut.”
And, customers always come back for more. Amit Chordia, Proprietor of Mayur Restaurant tells us, “We have Undio, which is besan dumplings mixed with dahi. A favourite of the customers is Gatte ki sabzi which uses 17 to 20 different vegetables including wal papadi, suran and patra to name a few.” He says the guests always enquire about the dishes whenever they come in. Understandably so, since the recipes have an aura of mystery around them.
At the end of the day, few culinary experiences can better those that offer something new and different to the customer. If some restaurant owners are reproducing their grandparent’s favourites, that is obviously since they know that the Pune gourmet is on the lookout for different tastes whenever he goes out.
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