Raised their hands- Khalsa Parivar Restaurant

Raised the Hands- Khalsa Parivar Restaurant Mayapuri

An orgasm in ancient times was often referred to as “ the little death”. I just experienced the  little death. Not with an orgasm, but a gourmet experience extraordinaire at Mayapuri in West Central Delhi.

Rahul  Verma a well acclaimed food writer, based in Delhi is one of the leading respected one’s in my list.  He planted the seed in my head about the two Khalsa restaurants in Mayapuri. The story about the marinade for the Mutton Burra being garlic water and salt was unbelievable, in this age of over spiced and over marinated meats era. The effort is to camouflage the taste of the meat.

Wanted to desperately go there, went several times to Mayapuri in 2008 (few times), 2010 (few times) to buy, construct and repair my very robust Jeep MM 550, I have passed both the Khalsa restaurants and did not spot them to be the ones. I think they looked less dramatic than the one conjured in my head.

The opportunity was raked by Abhijeet when he visted  Khalsa and reminded me of its magnificience. On a very rainy Friday three of us set out in Mahindra Scorpio ( Sanjay Saini, Abhijeet Singh and Me).A  rainy and painful journey of over two hours. Cut To chase.

Enter Khalsa Parivar Restaurant, the choice is made a bottle of Teachers and three short glasses with ice, water and sodas are laid in a flash. We make our choices, mutton burra by the kilo, keema kaleji  and the dollops of gooey goodness, brain curry.

The whiskies disappear in a flash (like they arrived), we impatiently wait for the meat. The next table has 6-7 beaming faced  sikh  gentlemen (they look gentle and tacit after the copious consumption), Huge heap of bones and empty blue whisky bottles, show they are way ahead of us. I ask gently ask them what’s good here, they mention, exactly what we have ordered. We know we are in a good space.

The mutton arrives, simple uncomplicated, roasted, light flavor, basted with clarified butter, not sticky or oils, soft but firm evenly spread with fat. Goddamn Good, we were ready for more another ½  a kilo.

The Sikhs are regulars, they narrate a sort story, on their last visit, after six bottles of whisky the bar man and owners Raised their hands in exasperation and said no more. However, after tasting the heavenly morsels we, raised our hands to the almighty to say a Lo and Behold for this grace.

The next course arrives, Keema Kaleji ( minced meat and Liver) with Roomali Roti (fabric thin bread), wiped clean without a trace…… Superlative. The protein in the liver sift and succulent…. We know freshly cooked (as liver cooked and reheated gets tough and chewy)

Now the piece- de- resisitance the brain curry, fresh gooey and simple, not a compounded fist but a well cooked globules of goodness that gets swallowed like expensive caviar. Served, with fresh Tandoori Rotis. Whisky giving good company. We heaved in a gentle alchol and food comma we were magically beaming, whilst the neighbors were almost angelic close to their sixth bottle and sixth course/ smiling with beatific smile. Bas kar jee hun bas kar jee, of the Wadali brothers playing in the backround and in my head.