All in good taste

Written by Aryan Trivedi

In the middle of the madness of the Sector 15 market in Chandigarh, a cooking table in a relatively quiet corner near the post office is eye-catching, as is the cooking equipment placed neatly on the table. ‘Eat Healthy, Think Healthy’, Amit Powar points to the specialty of his food stall, which pops up every morning and evening to a crowd of students, office-goers, shoppers and residents of the area. In a market that is synonymous with momos, noodles and spring rolls, Powar is breaking away from tradition and serving select snacky dishes from Maharashtra and South India. The menu is small — poha, upma, appe, idli and vada sambhar, and shrikhand, but the flavours are authentic and a refreshing change for the Punjabi palate, with the prices starting at Rs 30 and a generous portion size adding to the value.

“I have my roots in Pune and I was offered a marketing job in Chandigarh. I accepted the job and worked tirelessly, but decided to give it up after three years to follow my passion and dream of cooking. Being a Maharashtrian, I had enough knowledge about the local food and cuisine and felt people from Chandigarh would be open to tasting and trying something different and light. I then decided to take a plunge and started small and smart. I am absolutely surprised and delighted with the response of the people,” shares Powar, who says he learned cooking from his mother, and then travelled across the country to explore and learn other Indian cuisines.

“I always wanted to work for myself and in Chandigarh, which is a beautiful and accepting city, I got the right break. This market attracts people across sections and regions, who want to experiment with new food. I cook with authentic ingredients, using no plastic for serving and packing and in just a few months, I have made so many new friends,” says Powar.

As for the ingredients for the cuisines, Powar says that while everything is available here, he gets special masalas whenever he travels back home and also likes to pound his masalas fresh, which adds to the flavour of the dishes. Over time, apart from the snacks, Powar strives to add new dishes to the menu and experiment with combinations. “His food tastes like ghar ka khana. I relish every dish that this stall has. Apart from the cleanliness, he serves food with so much love and care that it reminds me of home,” says Ramandeep Singh, a hostel student at Panjab University, who comes often to try Powar’s food.