The most discerning factor of Delhi's social fabric is it's multicultural population who have arrived from different parts of the world. From time immemorial it has been a melting pot of different cultures from the country and beyond.
Whether it is the Sindhis, who are said to have moved in from the Sindh province of Pakistan, the Baniyas, Punjabis or the Kayasth, each have left their imprint in its existence. Along with them came a huge bounty of their vibrant food culture but most of the cuisine remained confined within the community itself shrouded by the glistening popularity of few specific cuisines.
So today onwards we have embarked on a journey to go beyond the projected image of Delhi's food culture and explore the diverse food of the communities right at their homes because that is where they are served the best. In the first season we would be covering the culinary and cultural stories of five communities through one representative family unit.
Today's journey is about knowing the Sindhi food and culture. For this we are visiting the home of the Lalla Family in Patel Nagar, Delhi. Through this encounter we wish to understand their way of life and their traditional food habits. Sindhis are a socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province of modern-day Pakistan. After the 1947 partitioning of British India into India and Pakistan, a million Sindhi Hindus migrated to India.
The chief cook for the day was the lady of the house Rekha Lalla who is a passionate home chef and an environmental professional. Before getting into the cooking spree we gathered some stories about their settlement and their culture in general from Ashoke lalla ji.
Then headed to the well stocked kitchen that was a testimony to family's passion for food. And the next few hours inside it was a lesson on the traditional cooking techniques, processes and journey full of fun anecdotes and food memories.
Due to their enthusiastic presence we didn't realise how effortlessly the spread was conjured up. It was an elaborate vegetarian spread consisting of classics like mitho lolo, koki, sindhi curry, dal pakwan, buge chawal, seyun, singhar ki mithai etc.
Soon it was time to relish the meal. Each and every dish was light and distinctly flavoursome. Moreover the cuisine is all about contrast be it that of taste or texture. Their effortless interplay lends it a special charm. Again papad is an essential component of a Sindhi meal.
We extend our deep gratitude to the Lalla family for such warm hospitality that enthralled us with such amazing flavours and different anecdotes about the community in general.