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Sethi Da Dhaba


When a cousin of mine posted the following video on a WhatsApp group, my first impulse was to locate the Punjabi restaurant presented in it, merely because I love Punjabi cuisine. One of the foods I missed in the last ten years – that is, after Maggie and I left Delhi – is tandoori roti with chicken tikka masala.


My first association with Punjabi food – if that can be called so – is the Patiala peg that I was served when I was in Shillong. A friend who wanted to see me inebriated too quickly for his own reasons told me that he was going to pour me a Patiala peg. I was familiar with the largeness of Punjabi kurta-pyjamas. Later Maggie would teach me about the enormous size of Patiala pants for ladies, which a friend of mine nicknamed Elephant’s trousers. 

When Maggie and I settled down in Delhi, we came across many Punjabi people including students, and the first thing we noticed was the largeness of their hearts. Yes, there’s something big about everything that is Punjabi, even the heart. Their gurudwaras (temples) offer free food (langar) to anyone who wants, irrespective of religion, caste, and other such absurdities.

I remember Maggie and I being shocked on seeing the amount of chicken served to us at a Punjabi dhaba in Chandigarh, back in 2010 when we returning from a trip to Shimla. I reminded the waiter that we had ordered only one plate. “This is one plate,” he told us with a smile. After we finished our lunch of tandoori roti with one plate of butter chicken, half of that one plate remained unconsumed. Such is Punjabi largeness, in short.

Chole-bhature, another Punjabi food, was also a favourite of mine for a long time. That was a rather economic lunch, especially when I was in Shillong. But Shillong restaurants didn’t know how to prepare the bhatures. Later, Delhi taught me that bhatures didn’t have to be greasy as Shillong served them.

I miss all these dishes now. In the towns around my village in Kerala where I now live, there isn’t any Punjabi restaurant. There isn’t even a genuine North Indian eatery. That’s why when I saw the above video on WhatsApp, my mouth watered. Kochi, where Sethi da Dhaba is situated, is not too far from my home. The 50 km distance is not a deterrent for me; but Kochi’s traffic snarls are. My yearning palate may one day choose to tolerate the city’s unsavoury traffic.

PS. This post is part of #BlogchatterFoodFest

 

Comments

  1. The Tatwa GirlJune 9, 2025 at 11:01 AM

    That's one lovely post about Dilwalon ki Delhi. I'm right now in Delhi and it makes me feel good about the place inspite of pollution, traffic and many other things. Tandoori roti/ naan and chicken tikka masala is a heaven in a plate. Do update your experience after you visit theis dhaba.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 9, 2025 at 11:06 AM

      Delhi may be the most polluted city in the world but it has exquisite eateries.

      Delete
  2. magiceyeJune 9, 2025 at 11:29 AM

    Look forward to your visit/review of the restaurant/food.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 9, 2025 at 1:47 PM

      Let me plan a trip, by bus as a former student suggested.

      Delete
  3. Yamini MacLeanJune 9, 2025 at 1:54 PM

    Hari Om
    arey babri, bhai, now you've teased us, you must make that visit!!! For me it would be aloo paratha, paneer saag and definitely a lassi! YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. ObsessivemomJune 9, 2025 at 7:24 PM

    It's so good to hear good things about Delhi. That was the first city I stepped out to when I left my hometown and I continue to have fond memories. You're so right when you say everything about the Punjabi's is large. One glass of their lassi is lunch for me and their tandoori paranthas are a family meal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 9, 2025 at 8:47 PM

      One glass of their lassi... Yes, I've experienced that too.

      Delete
  5. rupam sarmaJune 9, 2025 at 9:24 PM

    Great to hear about Sethi da Dhaba , excited for your review. Glad to hear your Punjabi foods experiences. Chole-bhature, Kulcha, Paratha always favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Liz A.June 10, 2025 at 1:56 AM

    Too bad you have to go so far for the food you miss. Perhaps you can entice someone to open a restaurant to you closer by.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 10, 2025 at 9:16 AM

      Yes, that's a good idea. Maybe, I can ask one of my former students who are in the industry to open a branch here.

      Delete

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