LOKRANG  

Bhopal is a land of religion and culture. It celebrates the spirit of India through its varied Fairs and Festivals. These Fairs and Festivals are an integral part of the Indian heritage. They are celebrated in order to revive old Indian cultures which are on the verge of extinction. This attempt makes these festivals unique and attractive. Like Bombay has Kala Ghoda Festival, Bhopal celebrates the culture and diversity of the nation via Lokrang festival.  The Lokrang Samaroh is a cultural exposition organised by Madhya Pradesh Adivasi Lok Kala Academy. Taking place over five fun-packed days, sites across the city centre are filled with entertainment including drama, various dance forms, music, art, heritage and FOOD. Lokrang Festival is being held from last 20 years on the great & auspicious clarion of republic day. It’s usually held at Ravindra Bhavan open theatre but this time, it just got bigger and better. The location changed and it’s shifted to BHEL Dusshera Maidan.

Since each state in India has a background of its own, there are numerous heritage cultures in this country. Lokrang Samaroh, Bhopal, tries to speculate each of these. One gets to witness the rich display of life at Lokrang  in Bhopal. Tribal folk dances are performed, tribal arts are on display and Food from various regions are displayed for tasting.

India is a very diverse country with variety of distinct regional cuisine. There is no single standard and homogeneous Indian cuisine. Each region has their own regional cuisines based on the available seasonal produce, livestock, culture influence, and religious aspect. There are many shared meals but even those shared foods are usually prepared subtly different and have slightly different flavours.

Moving across various Food stalls and relishing the food from different regions at one place, here is what I had and what I recommend.

GUJARATI FOOD

Gujarati cuisine refers to the cuisine of Gujarat. It’s one of the oldest culinary treasures of India and is primarily vegetarian. It offers a wide variety of vegetarian dishes, each with its unique cooking style, different kinds of pickles, farsans, chutneys.

(i) Dhokla: It is made with a fermented batter derived from rice, split chickpeas and yogurt batter steamed till it’s like a soft fluffy pillow. Cooled, cut into squares pieces with mustard seeds and garnished with fresh coriander. It can be crumbed and served with accompaniments like assorted chutneys, fried green chillies. Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish, or as a snack. Good on taste and priced at INR 50/-.

(ii) Theplas: Theplas are an inherent part of Gujarat. A light spiced paratha, like Indian Flat bread, is prepared from wheat flour, fenugreek leaves and other Indian spices. The real secret of making this mouth watering dish is the a perfect balance of spices and the right texture of dough. Add to it the ginger garlic which adds aromatic flavour to the theplas. This is one of the must try dish at Lokrang. Price: INR 50/-.

(iii) Dabeli: Okay, let me tell you something over here you might have heard from Honey Singh. I had this misconception about one of his songs that he says,” Achko machko Dabeli, Achko machko Dabeli,” while it was gaaveli and not Dabeli. That song reminds me for my love for the heavenly and delicious Dabeli. You can claim it as ‘Problems with Food Lovers’ but what to do?? 😛

Dabeli or Double Roti is a snack food of India, originating in the Kutch region of Gujarat.  It’s a spicy dish with Boiled and mashed potatoes that are mixed with a dabeli masala and sandwiched between butter toasted pav topped with sweet tamarind date chutney, a spicy garlic and red chilli chutney, roasted peanuts, fresh pomegranate pearls, coriander, sev and peanuts! So many toppings  blend perfectly together to give you a bunch of flavours and textures in each bite. I absolutely loved the Dabeli over here but few things that were missing from the actual dabeli was the quantity of Sev and pomegranate. Otherwise, you are all set to have this relishing dish which I love the most.  Price: INR 50/-.

(iv) Pav Bhaji: Clueless about the fact that it’s supposed to be a Maharashtrian dish while it was being served at a Gujrati Cuisine stall but, I was hungry enough for my brain to not think about such matters and it was more interested in eating so yes, I tried out the Pav Bhaji as well.  This is a spicy blend of vegetables in tomato gravy served with pav that is cooked with butter. Priced at INR  80/- which seems a little over priced. Can Try!

BIHARI FOOD

Bihari cuisine is predominantly vegetarian because traditional Bihar society, influenced by Buddhist and Hindu. But, Biharis love Non Veg too and it’s hard to find a vegetarian Bihari. Apart from its varied attractions, the state is also known for its luscious cuisine, with sweets forming a major specialty. Things that you can look forward to explore at the Bihari Cuisine food stall are:

Litti Chokha:  This particular dish is the signature dish of Bihar and Biharis. If you have a Bihari friend, you must’ve tried Litti Chokha at least once in your life time. It is baked from wheat flour dough that is stuffed with a mixture of roasted gram flour, spices and lemon juice. And is served with chokha(sabzi). Chokha is baked and pulped vegetables mixed with spices and onion. This particular stall made a very different version of Chokha that was made up of mashed potatoes, peas, onions and tomatoes. Litti was baked properly but the Chokha was not the real chokha and was more like a bhaji that you eat it with roti. Priced at INR 70/- which wasn’t really worth spending on!

Desserts:  Priced at INR 15/- each.

Thekua: Thekua is one of the most important parts of ‘Chatt’ puja in Bihar. It’s a snack made from wheat flour, jaggery, moulded and deep fried in ghee.  I have tasted this earlier at one of my Bihari friend’s place, which was phenomenal while the one I tasted at this stall was very average.

Loung Lata: Now, this particular sweet was something I didn’t regret paying for. Loung Lata is basically Khoya stuffed maida parcels deep fried and dipped in sugar syrup. Very similar to the Gujiya that we make during Holi and Diwali.

Malpua: Malpua is one sweetmeat all Biharis swear by for every special event and festival. Its batter is made by mixing flour, milk, sugar and mashed bananas and is deep fried in such a way that the edges go all crispy while the center is all soft. For I am a big Malpua fan, and let me tell you this was the biggest disappointment of the evening that I had. You can see the picture for reference. A burnt Malpua was being served to everyone. I don’t know the fact that how on earth the stall owners get the audacity to sell such things when they know it’s over cooked and cannot be consumed. DO NOT TRY!

RAJASTHANI FOOD

From golden deserts, majestic forts to a rich cultural heritage, such is the land of warriors. Rajasthan has always been thrilling, from the bright colours to the sparkling desert sand. Food forms an essential component while describing any place and ask me how much I love Rajasthani cuisine.

 This was by far my favourite stall and here is what I had:

Dal Baati Churma Thali: The Rajasthanis specialise in serving sweet and savoury dishes in combinations that steal the heart and delight the taste buds. A platter of semi-sweet Churma, spicy Dal and deep-fried Baati, is one such traditional combination. It consists of baatis or flaky round breads baked over firewood. Baatis can be baked in a tandoor or an electric oven as well. But one thing common for baatis, irrespective of their cooking technique is that they are always served dipped in ghee accompanied with panch kuti dal and churma. The dal is cooked with ghee, the masalas in the dal are fried in ghee and more ghee is mixed into the dal before serving. Feeling like a king already? The surprise element in my Thaali was the gatte ki sabzi. A Rajasthani speciality, gatte ki sabzi, is gram flour dumplings flavoured with dry spices, steamed and then cooked in a yoghurt based gravy. This whole thali costed for INR 150/-.

Pyaaz ki Kachori: These kachoris probably originated in Jodhpur . They are crisp, flaky deep-fried kachoris stuffed with an onion filling. They’re eaten with sweet and spicy tamarind chutney. INR 40/- Go Try!

I was almost full by that time. But I could manage to take pictures of the things that you guys should try:

Dal Pakodi, Dahi Vada, Daal Cheela, Meethi Kachori and Halwa.

PUNJABI FOOD

If you want to have a meal that satiates your tummy, tickles your taste buds and stays in your memory for a long time, try Punjabi! Punjabi cuisine ranges from semi-spicy to spicy, and is almost always rich, with abundant use of ghee and butter.

Saag Makke Di Roti: Palak, bathua and sarso saag come together to create a sensation with hearty makke ki roti. Simple, savoury and full of rustic flavours. As mentioned above, I was almost full so I couldn’t eat much but, I sure tasted a few things and this was one of them. Not very authentic! Rather try out the Chana Bhatura if you don’t want to take too much of a risk.

More things to look forward to:

Aloo Tikki Chaat, Katori Chaat, Gajar Ka Halwa, Garam Dudh and Paan to end your meal.

Not to forget that I met the most amazing hosts at this particular stall who were very courteous and inviting. They made a special Paan for me which was a mix of Maghai and Banarasi Paan so I can call it a sweet paan. Well, Paan is an intoxicant, acts as an antiseptic, a digestive aid and a mouth freshener, especially after a heavy and spicy lunch or dinner and this was required after such a heavy meal. The paan had fennel seeds, tutti fruity, cardamon powder, jaiphal, cloves, cinnamon powder, Supari, dry coconut, camphor powder and gulkand. Appetizing!!

These guys made me wear the banarasi topi (cap) while making this paan for me and I was really pleased after a scrumptious meal  that I had at Lokrang.

 Go visit Lokrang and try out different cuisines if you are a food lover like me and do share your experience. I would love to hear them.

Till then, Happy Hogging!!

Connect with me Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSuperChatori

Twitter: @mudrakeswani

Instagram: @thesuperchatori

Snapchat: @mudrak

Zomato: @mudra