By Sahil Makkar, IANS
New Delhi : From chikan to the kitchen, the allure of Pakistan never fails to capture. As is evident from the long queues outside Pakistani stalls at the Trade Fair here with Indians stocking up on spices just as they buy the famed embroidered fabric for their wardrobes.
The aroma of Pakistani quorma and Sindhi biryani is wafting all the way across the border to the India International Trade Fair (IITF), which started Thursday and goes on till Nov 27. The tagline, ‘The Original Pakistani Meal Express For India’, aims to attract and it does.
Food lovers, including college students, are jostling with one another to buy Pakistani spices at the stalls in the SAARC pavilion at Pragati Maidan. Of the 63 Pakistani counters, the two selling the Pakistani condiments are perhaps the most popular.
Chicken tikka, tandoori masala, fish masala, Sindhi biryani, quorma masala… you name it and you can get it; a bite of authentic Pakistani cuisine right in your kitchen.
That it is not otherwise available makes them a must buy for many.
“Quorma or chicken tikka cooked in Pakistani spices are mouth-watering. You can’t stop eating,” said Preeti Arora, assistant general manager with Oriental Bank of Commerce.
“I have come all the way to buy the spices as they are genuine. I always purchase them in bulk,” Arora told IANS, while picking up at least 10 packets for Rs.25 each.
Ranjana Ladi, a housewife who lives in Safdarjung Enclave, said: “These Pakistani masalas, especially the chicken curry and quorma meat curry, make your food delicious.”
“In fact, I have stopped using the Indian spices,” she added as she stuffed a bag with all kinds of packets and vowed to come back with her friends.
Parul Bibra, an employee of the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, who has just recently got married, said her husband just loves the stuff.
“We were dining out at a relative and they had cooked chicken and mutton in a Pakistani masala. My husband just loved it. My relative revealed the secret of the recipes, and so here we are. I am buying curry masala and am planning a small party at our Saket house – with the sole purpose of serving food cooked in Pakistani spices,” she said excitedly.
But what is it that makes these spices from brands such as National Foods Limited and Shaan tick?
Junaid Afridi, representative of National Foods Limited that has been catering to taste buds for the last 35 years, has the answer.
“Our Pakistani masalas are hotter than the Indian ones. They are not completely ground. We deliberately leave some uncrushed ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper as they add great taste to food.
“The reason people buy it here is for its authenticity. They can taste Pakistani cuisine sitting right here in India,” he said.
Those who don’t know how to cook need not despair. The manufacturers have come out with a small recipe book appropriately titled ‘Friendship through Food’.
Travel between the two countries continues to be difficult, and a meal at a Pakistani restaurant or a Pakistani home is a distant dream for most Indians. But the IITF and a taste of Pakistan is just a bus ride away – for Delhiites anyway.