Around Town: How a ‘fish Koliwada’ sparked Mini Punjab, Mumbai’s catering giant that has served Dev Anand and Devendra Fadnavis

“We will share the profits equally,” he said. Bahadur agreed.

A year later, Bahadur suggested adding a fish fry recipe he was familiar with. He called it fish koliwada, perhaps in a nod to the neighbourhood that had given him a second chance.

“Back in those days, we used to get very high-quality fish. Rawas was the most popular. People wouldn’t buy jhinga even for free,” said Karnail, who was four when the family moved to Mumbai and 10 when he began helping at the shop, first cleaning tables laid outside before making his way into the kitchen. They began with rawas, selling it at Rs 4 per kg. Pomfret Koliwada followed as demand grew; prawn Koliwada was added 15 years later. Everything was cooked on a koyle ki bhatti.

The recipe, Karnail said, took time to perfect. Once it did, it became a runaway success.

“We would see queues so long that people waited two hours for their order, and they didn’t mind. We started at 5.30 pm and by 9.30 pm, we would be sold out.” The eatery drew film stars such as Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Dara Singh. “My father was simple and honest. He was never chasing money, just enough to look after his family,” Karnail said.

That attitude applied to everyone equally. Once, when wrestler Sardar Singh Randhawa arrived to buy 2 kg of fish Koliwada, Bahadur asked him to stand in the queue, and he obliged.

Interestingly, the name ‘Mini Punjab’ came much later, in the early 1980s. It was named after Karnail’s daughter, Mini. He recalls how Balasaheb Thackeray, addressing a gathering in the neighbourhood, once turned towards the eatery and called it ‘Mini Punjab’ because it was filled with men in turbans. The name stayed.

In 1991, the family opened a restaurant in Bandra, followed by Powai in 2008 and later outlets in Bhiwandi, Malad, Thane and Vashi. But the real turning point, they say, came through catering, a vertical they entered in the early 1980s.

Expansion into catering

“There was a South Indian karigar (artisan, here skilled cook) called Tambi, who reached out to me and said that we should start catering. It seemed like the right thing to do, so we rented a small shop, paid a Rs 5,000 deposit, and started it. We got an order for 1000 people in Matunga. There, a Sindhi from Ulhasnagar placed an order for 1,200 people,” he said.

“We quoted him Rs 13 per plate, and prepared everything, packed it in a truck and went to Ulhasnagar. A decorator there proposed a partnership, saying it would be his decor and our food, and so we dominated the scene between 1983 and 1989,” he added, adding that back in those days, “only rich people would keep dinner at weddings. Others kept only snacks”.

Although they serve over hundreds of dishes at their restaurants, ‘fish koliwada’, their first offering, continues to be the best seller (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee).

By the time they opened in Bandra in 1991, per-plate rates had risen to Rs 24, and catering orders from the neighbourhood followed quickly. Karnail claims they introduced pani puri at Mumbai weddings. “Before we entered Bandra, one caterer had a monopoly. He served three sabjis, dal, roti, rice and sweets. We added variety and created our own space,” he said.

Around three decades ago, he took his team to Punjab to refine their chole and kulche. “Today, we make it better than anybody here,” he added with pride.

Catering who’s who

Over the years, Mini Punjab has catered for some of Mumbai and Maharashtra’s biggest events, from political weddings to party gatherings and other government events. Karnail said they catered for Arun Gawli’s daughter Geeta’s wedding, for the families of Pratap Sarnaik and Chhagan Bhujbal, and for sessions at Vidhan Bhawan.

They also catered at events linked to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and recalled an old Congress event in Beed attended by Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“Years later, when Sonia Gandhi came to Mumbai, she remembered our food and asked for it. We packed a thali and sent it,” said Karnail.

Harmeet Singh, who, along with his brother Parvinder, represents the third generation, said they have catered across political parties. Last year, they handled an event in Chondi marking the 300th birth anniversary of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, attended by leaders including CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, and former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

Karnail Singh says that over the years, Mini Punjab has catered some of Mumbai and Maharashtra’s biggest events, from political weddings to party gatherings and Vidhan Sabha sessions (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee).

“There were zero Punjabi items on the menu,” he said, adding that they brought in women from rural Maharashtra to prepare regional dishes such as aamti, vangi bharit, gavar and bhakri. In December, they catered a Reliance event in Ghansoli attended by 70,000 people.

When asked whether they can refuse clients, especially high-profile or controversial ones, the father-son duo smiles. “We make it happen,” they said. “Once, we shut two restaurants to manage a last-minute catering order.”

Golden period and plan ahead

When asked about their golden period, Harmeet said it was between 2000 and 2018. “Demonetisation affected large-scale celebrations, and before the industry could fully recover, the pandemic hit. Weddings haven’t been as big as they used to be,” he said.

Going forward, the family plans to expand catering overseas, something they already do occasionally, and is also exploring the possibility of restaurants beyond Mumbai.