No Northern Indian menu would be complete without the latest food fad to hit India, ‘Chinjabi cuisine’. It’s a fusion of Chinese and Northern Indian flavours and it really does work.
My Indian roots from my father’s side come from Punjabi in Northern India. The Punjabis are a hearty bunch of people with an appetite to match. Their food is rich with plenty of cream and warming spices to protect them against the cold climate. In the 13th century the Moghuls came through the Himalayan Mountains, bringing with them new ingredients, including aromatic spices such as cardamoms and cinnamon bark, as well as cooking techniques. Some of these techniques were their own methods, but most were adopted from the Persians, who had a great influence on the Moghuls during their journey to India. So, I was keen to try out a new restaurant claiming to be faithful to its origins of authentic Northern Indian cuisine.
Just a short walk from the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre in West London is the recently opened Seasoning Restaurant and Lounge. It’s a family run business with the brightly lit surroundings having that fresh yet warm and inviting feel. The owners come from Northern India and I knew instantly that I was in for a treat when I was greeted at the door by their lovely aunty. I sat on one of their chic yet comfortable clear perspex chairs. It made a change from the stark and often dark contrasting decor of those traditional ‘Indian’ restaurants.
The Seasoning menu is well balanced with a dishes ranging from traditional Tandoori kebabs to exotic Mughlai curries. I was spoilt for choice with their starters and opted for one of my personal favourites Aloo Tikki – a lightly spiced minced potato patty stuffed with gram peas along with the Tilapia Fish Tikki roasted in a clay oven. I also sampled the succulent lamb chops that had a pleasant taste combined with the flavours of mint and cumin.
For the main course I decided on Baingan Bharta, a traditional vegetarian side dish made with smoked aubergines, tomatoes and ginger along with Saag Aloo - a spinach and potato dish created with baby leaf spinach. In India, this recipe would be cooked out of mustard leaves – Sarson ka Saag. And then I tasted Punjab’s infamous non-vegetarian dish of Murg Makhani – butter chicken made with cream and tomatoes. All the savoury dishes had a very distinctive taste which I couldn’t quite pinpoint until I was told that they were created by using their homemade garam masala (a mixture of hot spices) whose secret recipe the chef alone knows. The sauces were mopped up with light rotis (unleavened wholewheat breads) which complimented the rich flavours. The chefs and owners are also quite flexible with the dishes and if you’d rather have a light lentil curry instead of the heavier and richer black lentil dish of Daal Makhani, just ask.
No Northern Indian menu would be complete without including the latest food fad to hit India, ‘Chinjabi cuisine’. It’s a fusion of Chinese and Northern Indian flavours and it really does work. I tried the Chinese Chicken in a Black Bean Sauce that had that unique ‘desi tadka’ which means in Hindi an Indian seasoning. This particular dish was cooked with fresh green chillies accompanied by a bowl of Haka noodles with ginger.
All the puddings and desserts are made in their kitchens and I couldn’t leave without having a taste of their gorgeous Kaaju Barfi – cashew nut fudge, followed by their Kulfi – an Indian ice cream made with milk. All tasted aromatic and not too sweet. They were suitable for the western palate. However, if you wanted to try out a taste of what Indians actually eat, this is the closest you will get to authenticity in today’s India. Hardly any contemporary restaurants in India cook with ghee or clarified butter.
The average price of a three course meal is a reasonable £15 per head. The sizes of the dishes are extremely generous. A quality that is synonymous with the people of Punjab who are energetic and jovial with their outlook as well as with their food portions.
This is a little gem of a restaurant serving good, wholesome Northern Indian cuisine which I have to say is on a par with the cuisine that I have tasted in Delhi – the Tandoori capital of the world.