From melt-in-mouth aloo paranthas with butter to flavoursome chole bhature and Amritsari kulcha, the gastronomical delight of Punjabi cuisine is known across the world. While there’s hardly a doubt over how Punjabis, especially the Sikh community, have made Punjabi cuisine a global identity, here’s a Sikh family in the pink city Jaipur, with its roots in Amritsar, which is now making waves for its delectable Rajasthani kachoris and lassi. Enter the lanes of the crowded Nehru Bazaar in Jaipur and ask locals about the shop serving the best piping hot kachoris and here comes the instant reply: “Sardar Ji Lassi Kachori Wale, shop number 31.” The shop, with an insignia of a turbaned Sikh man with twirled moustaches on its display board, is buzzing with customers. Sitting at the counter, Amarjeet Singh alias Tony, in his thirties, is busy taking orders for what this 'Sardar ji’s shop' is well known in Jaipur — their khasta hing dal kachori. The dal kachori in Rajasthan is synonymous with breakfast, like aloo paranthas or Amritsari kulcha, are in Punjab, and is the most popular street food delicacy across Rajasthan. Not just hing dal kachori, but this eatery run by Sikhs in Jaipur is also known for its pyaaz kachori, rabdi milk rose and Patiala lassi. Niranjan Singh, 58, whose father Sahib Singh had started this small eatery way back in 1964, says that though their ancestors hailed from Amritsar, they later shifted to Ganganagar of Rajasthan in search of better opportunities and later to Jaipur. “My grandfather Jiwat Singh had shifted from Amritsar to Ganganagar. Later my father Sahib Singh opened this small eatery cum tea shop in Jaipur. My father died in 1991 but the taste of his kachoris and customised recipe continues to live on. We are selling nearly 1,000 kachoris daily, 80 per cent of which is hing dal, our speciality. We are also exporting them to the US, Canada, UK, Dubai and other countries,” says Niranjan, whose son Amarjeet mostly sits at the shop. So what makes Sardar ji’s hing dal kachori so unique? “It’s the taste of the masala filled inside the kachori. A specific quantity of each masala has to go for a particular number of kachoris. Each masala packet is packed in that quantity as per our traditional recipe and handed over to the cooks,” says Niranjan. Hing (the Indian name for the spice asafoetida) - one of the main ingredients of the kachori- is also sourced from a trader in Amritsar who in turn imports it from Afghanistan, one of the largest producers of the best-quality hing in the world. “The hing produced in Kabul has a strong aroma and taste which is of the highest quality. We only use the hing imported from Afghanistan via Amritsar in our kachoris,” says Niranjan Singh. “To make 500 kachoris, we use 5 kg of urad and moong dal along with 20-25 grams of hing,” he adds. “Living in Rajasthan for decades, we have developed strong and deep ties with the local Hindu and Marwari community here. Like Punjabis savour paranthas and kulchas for breakfast, the day begins with kachoris and jalebi here. They respect us a lot, and we have never faced any issues here due to our turban,” says Niranjan. “In our homes, we still make paranthas, but kachoris have also become a part of our culture,” he adds. Seeing a shop with the name having 'Sardar ji', many tourists ask for paranthas and choley bhaturey, but soon they realise that it’s not a Punjabi dhaba. “Seeing a Sikh man inside the shop, they often demand Punjabi food such as paranthas but I request them to try kachori once. They rarely go back without having more than one,” he says, smiling.
