This year, to celebrate the harvest festival of Baisakhi – which is celebrated every Spring with pomp and grandeur all over North India – The Lodhi, New Delhi is pleased to bring its patrons time-honoured culinary splendours of Punjab by Chef Sweety Singh. Chef has curated a festive menu featuring his signature fare at Elan from April 11 to 20, 2022.
Popularly known as Chef Sweety Singh, Harjinder Singh has been whipping up Punjabi food since the age of 19. His father took to cooking as a profession early on and moved to Delhi from Amritsar to establish a food business in the 1950s. Chef Singh’s passion for food was fuelled at a young age by his father and he inherited his unique style of cooking. Years later, he continues the original family business and also runs his own catering business – all this without any formal training in cooking.
Chef Singh did his very first food fest was at a hotel in Chennai in 1998 and there’s been no looking back since then. He has been doing pop-ups at hotels across the country for the last three decades and has risen as the Ambassador of Punjabi cuisine. Considered as the mastermind behind the ‘Art of Spice’, he has been featured in the show ‘Rhodes Across India’ by Gary Rhodes on Discovery Channel and also in ‘Feeding Frenzy’ by NDTV Good Times and ‘Khaana Khazaana’.
Chef Singh’s cooking is wholesome and home-style, but never heavy – something that Punjabi cuisine is often stereotyped as. His cooking techniques go back to a time when conventional slow-cooking methods were the norm as they alone could impart the perfect balance of flavour to the dish. Being a puritan, Chef Sweety does not add populist touches to his food and believes in extracting swaad (umami) without using any cashew paste, full-cream or food colour for enhancing taste. He draws inspiration from the food of his ‘pind’ or the village he grew up in, as well as his travels and tastings from restaurants and dhabas across Punjab, all of which he masterfully injects into his creations.
In keeping with this philosophy, Chef Singh’s exclusive menu at Elan represents his passion for Northern flavours and comprises heirloom recipes that he has perfected over the years. Diners can expect classics like Tandoori Malai Broccoli, Ajwain Machi Tikka, Kandhari Murgh Tikka, Shahi Maa Di Dal, Dahi Wala Kathal Masala, Amritsari Meat Tari Wala, Homemade Chicken Curry and Beetroot Halwa, amongst others.
Commenting on this collaboration with Chef Singh, Mr. Rajesh Namby, General Manager – The Lodhi said, “It is a delight to have the celebrated Chef Sweety Singh at The Lodhi and we are excited about the pop-up he has curated. We have always taken immense pride in offering the best of dining experiences to our guests and we’re privileged to have Chef Sweety bring his expertise and passion for food to the heart of the city.”
Elaborating further on this association, Chef Sweety Singh said, “I have a culinary legacy passed on from my family and it is my pursuit to mirror that in its purest form and preserve our heritage. This time, I am honoured to showcase my food at one of India’s most prestigious hotels, The Lodhi.”
