‘Zaika’: From the kitchens of Punjab

If you have long been planning to go for a food fiesta with family and friends but struggling with what cuisine to explore, then you can safely put your concerns at rest. When the idea of world cuisine sounds repetitive and you feel an urge to go back to the roots, why not opt for an authentic ‘desi’ menu, that too with a Punjabi tadka?
The food festival at 'Latitude' in Mosaic Hotel, Noida, is surely going to rejuvenate your taste buds with the traditional flavour it has long been craving for.
It’s not only Indian culture, customs and festivals that beam of vibrant colours, it is the food too that never disappoints in offering a band of colours on your plate.
“Zaika Punjab Da” as the Food and Beverages Manager, Kulvinder Singh puts it is not about introducing anything new on the platter but an attempt to revive a food culture slowly dying in the wake of world cuisine. Says he, “Every dish that you try here reinstates the standard form of Punjabi khana without experimenting much with masalas or spices. The Zaika or essence is not lost at the cost of innovation and exhibition.”
Commenting on the relevance of holding such a festival around this time, Executive Chef Vipul Mathur clarifies, “Winter is the most favourable season to enjoy Punjabi cuisine as this is the time when vegetables like sarson ka saag, gobhi, shalgam (turnip) are at its luscious best and therefore the taste is supreme.”
With Punjabi folk music playing in the background and multi-coloured scarves dangling from the roof hangings, for once you forget that you’re actually sitting in a plush fine-dine restaurant and not in a dhaba. The regional and ethnic quality of the fare adds to the overall rural charm.
The festival kicks off with a gigantic glass of ‘Chhach’ followed by fish fingers dressed in pudina chutney, Amritsari macchi, and chicken tikka and golgappas on a platter accompanied with vodka shot glasses filled with sweet and sour water.
For a sumptuous meal, gorge on the listed varieties that the main course offers:
Keema Kaleji
Tawa chicken
Pind De Kadhai Machli
Jhai Da Shahi Paneer
Phholgobhi Kalonji Tadka
Sarson Da Saag Te Ghoi
Round up the lavish meal with a dessert of your choice:
Gulab Jamun
Rasmalai
Moong Dal Halwa
Khoya Pista Burfi
This festival re-invents a Punjab in its homely avatar with a vivacious display of authentic cuisine served with simplicity and humble courtesies.
Where: Latitude, Mosaic Hotels, Sector-18, Noida
When: On till 3 December 2011
Timings: 7pm-11pm