On a Sunday afternoon, I decided to have a sumptuous lunch. As I was at my native place, Chandigarh, I decided to have my lunch with my family at one of the most famous restaurants which have been in Chandigarh since forever, and it is none other than ‘Pal Dhaba’. As my whole family accompanied me, so it was a full-fledged meal. There are a few must-have dishes at this restaurant. Hence we ordered ‘Chicken Curry’, ‘Shahi Paneer’, ‘Aloo Gobi’, ‘Boondi Raita’, ‘Green Salad’ and ‘Tandoori Rotis’.
If you’ve ever been to this place, you would know that they serve amazing ‘Chicken Curry’. The curry is authentic and is spicy to the core. The gravy is neither thick and nor it is water-based. It has the right amount of spices and even the onion and tomato paste are very nicely mixed, and the consistency is up to the mark. Also though they serve chicken curry (with bone and boneless), one should always order for ‘Chicken Curry’ (with bone). On tasting, you would realise that the chicken is very tender as well as juicy.
Before being cooked, the chicken is marinated, and you can find the proper amalgamation of all the spices. Enjoy this tasty curry with tandoori roti or garlic naan. You can even relish this dish with rice. This dish seemed to be a combination of mutton rogan josh as the curry is quite like it. The curry is spicy, and you can taste all the essential spices in it. Although you won’t find any ‘khade masala’ (cardamom, cinnamon, mustard seeds, cumin, etc.) in the gravy, you can relish the dish without worrying that the spices would trouble you while eating.
For vegetarians, paneer is a delight. Even though there are many varieties of paneer available in this restaurant, still it is ‘Shahi Paneer’ that I love the most. As the name suggests, the gravy is a bit on the sweeter side. You won’t find the presence of tomatoes in the gravy, as it is more of cashew nut paste. The dish is prepared with tons of butter that make the dish quite rich. The paneer is very tender as it is not cooked or marinated in any spices. It’s an ideal dish for those who want paneer in rich and royal gravy. This dish has the right amount of paneer pieces. Hence you don’t have to worry that the plate won’t be enough for the family.
As winter has already knocked on the door, hence, it’s time for ‘Aloo Gobi’. It is prepared in a complete Punjabi style. Both the main ingredients (aloo and gobi) are fried before they are cooked. Due to this, aloo and gobi get very nicely integrated with the spices. The dish turned out to delicious. Both the aloo and gobi are cooked to the fullest, so the dish tasted amazing. To give a spicy feeling to the dish, aloo and gobi are cooked with green chillies and sliced onions. Once you have tasted the dish, it will feel like as if you’re eating aloo gobi prepared on the Tawa just like it is done at weddings. That makes this dish one of the favourites as well as a must-order.
If you want to have an authentic taste of tandoori roti, you must order it. The size of the rotis is excellent, and you won’t be disappointed. No lunch is complete unless you have a salad to go for it. Team these dishes with your favourite curd, in my case it was Boondi Raita, you can pick anything.
So, for the next lunch date with your family, try out ‘Pal Dhabha’ and order these signature dishes. Savour it with your family and get an authentic feel of Punjabi style lunch by finishing off your lunch by eating jaggery (goor). You would feel as if you have had your lunch at some authentic dhaba in Punjab.
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