Amritsar's 'Kesar Da Dhaba', almost a century-old food outlet, is keeping alive the essence of traditional 'Punjabi Tarka'. The aroma of the 12-hours of simmering 'mah ki dal' to serve with 'lachha parantha' or 'butter naan' is a speciality that has made this traditional Punjabi kitchen a landmark.
Here, around 25 cooks prepare 23 Punjabi delicacies thrice a day. What makes this so unique is that the owners themselves prepare these delicacies to keep the flavour.
It was in 1916 that, Lal Kesar Mal established this outlet. At that time, 'parantha' and 'mah ki dal' were the only preparations available.
For generations, Lal's family has reserved this decades-old flavour of Punjab. "Our tradition of cooking started from village Shekhupura, now in Pakistan. Our elders hit upon a business recipe and installed tandoor there. During that time, some senior Congress leaders including Lala Lajpat Rai used to visit the dhaba," said Vijay Kumar, the owner.
Indira Gandhi and Giani Zail Singh were among the distinguished guests who visited the dhaba.
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