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Will
Chola-Kulcha Survive Fast-Food Onslaught
AMRITSAR:
The deftness and skill of cooking technique is seen nowhere better perhaps
than in the dhabas - small streetside restaurants - of Amritsar ...
And the Amritsari kulcha is a mouth-watering draw, among regulars and
outsiders alike.
From kneading
of the raw flour, to preparation of a special recipe filling - spices,
potatoes or paneer or even vegetable - and laying out the ready-to-cook
product, every detail matters.
"Flour
is used for kulcha preparation. Each kulcha is made up of six layers
after the raw `pancake' has been folded six times. Each layer is kept
distinct by using dry flour. Then it is cut and a filling is put in
each layer," said Avtar Singh, a restaurant owner. Yes it was here that
the drum-like depths of the tandoor, the traditional oven now used in
Indian cooking worldwide, originated. The filled, flavoured, cooked
kulchas are now treated further. Make'em as rich you like with butter.
And above all do it the traditional Amritsari way... 'Chhola' and a
range of flavoured sauces provide that ideal accompaniment, a taste
found nowhere else.
"The 'chhola' is really tasty. So is the kulcha. This shop in particular
is famous for Amritsar's chhola-kulcha. I can challenge you that this
taste and flavour can't be found anywhere else in the country," said
a customer.
At most dhabas in the city, for most of the people of Amritsar, `chhola-kulcha'
comprises everyday's morning breakfast, as regular as the morning walk
to the milkman. You'll find these eateries, big and small, at almost
every street corner around the town, some better known than others.
And quite a hit they are too, the traditional Punjabi way.
July 24, 2002
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