Author: Five Colors Of Travel

The state of Haryana, situated in the northern part of India is a beautiful and agriculturally thriving state. The cuisine of the people here also nourishes their agricultural background and their bond to the soil. The state is famous for its rural dhabas, and most notably, the sundry offerings of parathas available there. However, these are not the only dishes that contribute to the food culture of the state. Every aspect, from the filling dal to the rustic bajre ki roti, from the sweet course of choorma, to the dish of sarson ka saag, plays an essential part in defining the basic composition of Haryanvi cuisine.(Dhaba and Paratha)

This culinary trip has much scope for roadside eateries known as dhabas, where food or the comfort of home cooked meals is enjoyed by people traveling or dwelling at that place. In this post, we will focus on appreciating the food culture of Haryana that extends beyond the popularity of the parathas.

The Dhaba Culture: A Reflection of Rural Haryana

While dhabas in Haryana symbolize the region’s food culture of being simple, wholesome, and grounded within the earth. These simple eat-all-places are found on the national highways and in the interiors, and serve the purpose of rest and refreshment for truck drivers, agricultural workers, and families on a journey. In recent years, however, these roadside diners have transformed into a national obsession for people of all classes and all walks of life.

However, it is the truthfulness of a Haryanvi dhaba that matters the most. The cuisin and serving of food is pertinent to farming ancestory of this area, with everything from the gardens to the dishes being completely edible, and without dependence on processing. The styles of cooking are usually the clay oven or a wooden fire stove which takes a lot of time, and the food has its own taste and flavor. Very often, the setting is relaxed, with kinships of woolen-hair woven mats lying in the clean air, and eating is done at leisure since the surroundings are rural and peaceful.

The Adaptable Paratha: One of the Basic Food Items in Haryana

However, even the most basic conversations with regard to the Haryanvi cuisine region can never be considered complete unless the simple is appreciated first. The paratha or a ‘flatbread’ is a commonly available bed in many homes and dhabas and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Prepared with whole wheat, the bread as parathas maybe edible without stuffing or stuffing anything spicy like potatoes – aloo, cabbage – gobhi or cheese – paneer may be presents or for internal use.

What is unique about the parathas dhaba style is their humongous size and excessive use of ghee. The parathas made at home are far much smaller called friendly sizes whereas dhaba parathas are very large, thick a lot ghee spread on them making them taste quite buttery. Most of them come with, raita green cull garlic chutney, chili hot pickle and a huge lump of country butter going together very sure filling and Delicious food for the day.

The Accompaniments: Dal, Bajre ki Roti and Sarson ka Saag

While such parathas delight the customers, especially the patrons of the dhaba style restaurants, dikkar are indeed accompanying elements, vegetables, grains and meat dishes that are part of these thalis, and reveal the agrarian character of Haryana in general.

1. Dal (Lentils)

Dal is yet another simple but highly filling dish which is common in almost all Indian households including Haryana. Prepared using lentils like moong dal or urad dal, the dish is generally flavoured with mustard, cumin and garlic and cooked into a thick paste. The hot soup of dal is generally served when ghee or clarified butter is generously thrown in along with other delicacies like bajre ki roti or parathas. In most of the dhabas the dal is cooked in clay pots which lends a smoky taste to the dal that is otherwise impossible to make at home.

2. Bajre ki Roti (Millet Flatbread)

Made with bajra, or pearl millet, bajre ki roti enjoys ubiquitous popularity as a staple food in the Indian state of Haryana. This stone-ground flatbread is chewy, devoid of any gluten and flavor wise, can be best described as earthy. It is common to find this dish served with a generous proportion of ghee or cream and enjoyed with sarson ka saag or dal. Making bajre ki roti is back breaking work because the simple act of rolling out the dough and slapping it on a hot surface requires considerable physical exertion and skill, but the payoff is a thick nutritious flatbread that stands up well to the heavy spicing characteristic of Haryanvi cuisine.

 3. Sarson ka Saag (Mustard Greens)

In winter, mustard foliage, or sarson ka saag along the borders of the Haryana gets prominent in the total food intake base. The dish is healthy and wholesome and consists of slow cooked mustard leaves and spinach with gingers, garlics, green chili pestis added for spice. The paste of the greens is prepared till soft and creamy and a piece of butter is placed on top of the dish. Sarson ka saag has traditionally been enjoyed with bajre ki roti or makki ki roti (corn flour based flatbread) making this dish wholesome and very filling.

Churma: The Sweet Finale

To sum up, there is no traditional Haryanvi meal that does not conclude with sweet dishes, and in this context, comes in the choorma. Choorma is an uncomplicated but satisfying dish made of crushed wheat bread with sugar or jaggery and butter. The preparation is quite rustic, as the bread is hand crushed and sweeteners are added and then the ghee is poured in to give the dessert a rough juicy melt in the mouth feel. Other times, cardamom and dried fruits are complimented with it to make it tastier.

Choorma is made as a dessert and features in the meal that includes dal and bajre ki roti, therefore, rendering the latter meals well balanced and complete. Diners are particularly full and satisfied with the pleasing assortment of both sweet and savory dishes, more so at a dhaba whereby choorma comes in handy as an ideal finish to a heavy meal.

The Underlying Essence of the Dhaba Experience beyond the Food

What makes a dhaba experience truly different is the ambience. These roadside joints act as a respite from the throes of existence, where meals are enjoyed at an unhurried pace, and the chat never seems to dry up. The proximity of the people who manage these dhabas is an added advantage of the system. Quite often, the busines owners are the ones who do the cooking and serving, thus making sure every customer is treated as one of their own.

Inside a dhaba, there is a certain witchcraft underlined with the word community. People on the move, agriculture and urban dwellers, all come together owing to their common appreciation of great food and exquisite experiences. The food is eaten from thalis made of metal and the environment, be it beneath a tree or in an open veranda, follows the people and the culture of that place.

The Heritage of Simple, Satisfying Meals

The dhaba and paratha culture in Haryana represents the state’s agriculture-based history as well as the fondness its people have for wholesome meals. Every delicacy, from the rich stuffed parathas to the rustic bajre ki roti, the comforting bowls of dal with sarson ka saag, or even the rich choorma fills one with warmth and comfort, thanks to the land, the produce, and the chef.

However, the most lavishly designed eating houses may come and go, the dhabas from Haryana will always remain for their brand of simple but insatiably delicious home-made food. Going to a dhaba cannot be all about filling one’s stomach. It is something that connects you to a certain way of living, that appreciates people, their customs, and the spirit of having people over for dinner. If you are only transiting through the state or are a resident looking for a palms-up choreography of unique flavors, a dhaba offers a sliver of the essence of Haryana with the subduing of all hunger pangs one paratha and bajre ki roti at a time.