#blahvsfood: Kikli in Delhi may just be the best regional Indian food you will eat anywhere in the country.

Kikli is a landmark restaurant, a place that I believe will take Punjabi cuisine global as a distinct culinary tradition. 

From the moment you walk in, you enter a riotous celebration of Punjab in all its colour, warmth and vibrancy. A dhol player, a video wall showing a journey through Punjabi food, jars full of Punjabi pickles and chutneys and bakes and cookies, a shower of petals… it literally takes five seconds to realise this is going to be an experience like no other. 

This feeling is only heightened when you walk into the stunning courtyard in a heritage building in the heart of Connaught Place. Warm colours, architecture that leaves the trees in place, an open kitchen that feels like the rooms of an old home, a bar that transports you to another era, Punjabi motifs on the floors and the walls.. this is another design masterpiece by Ariane Thakore Ginwala.

Aadu salad 

The moment I started with the Aadu Salad, I realised this isn’t Punjabi food as I know it or as it is popularly understood. Inspired by the fruit carts of Punjab, it was a peach,melon and apricot salad with falsa dressing. 

Bajra papdi

Satpura chaat

I then had a bajra papdi with topped with tart plum, spiced aloo and Dahi that took the complex jugalbandi of textures and flavours in a papdi chaat to another level. But if that was impressive, the Satpura Chaat was like the apogee of chaat making. A 7 layered pastry chaat served over Choley and khatti meethi aloo di laungi and bohat vada and imli di chutney, this dish reminded me that I’ve still not found anything in any cuisine that balances temperature, texture and a multitude of flavours in as joyful a manner as a great Indian chaat. 

Chapli kebab

Chef Amnidner’s Chapli Kebab, seared crisp on the Sarbloh (wrought iron) tawa, was topped with marrow, adding refinement to the rustic frontier flavours. There was an outstanding Tawa Kaleji, thinly sliced liver, seared and wrapped in caul fat, then served over liver pate with ber. 

Bun kabab

This was the recurrent theme throughout the meal. Taking a rustic, rooted dish and adding small, subtle elements that elevated them and contextualised them in a global fine dining context. The liver pate in the kaleji. The frothy egg that enveloped the shammi kebab in her bun kebab, or even the brioche like bread itself. 

Mushki roti and katlama

The mains came with two unique breads, neither of which I had ever had before. A naturally fermented Mushki roti, soft and perfect for soaking up flavour. And a Katlama, a lesser known Punjabi bread smeared with spiced beans mix, anardana and Urad dal, slightly reminiscent of the Kashmiri Katlam but with enough flavour to be eaten by itself.

That being said, a Katlam is best eaten with Choley so it’s a good thing that Chef Amninder’s choley, cooked slowly on a low flame in a “hara” (the brass or copper Punjabi cooking pot that’s meant for fire cooking) may be the greatest choley you’ll ever have in your life. It was so good, it even outshone the tender, flavour packed Kadai Mutton, a dish that is beating heart of Kilkli, cooked and served in sarbloh kadai. 

Malka masoor ki dal, rarrah chaap pulao

There was also a Malka Masoor ki Dal, which may be one of the best dals I’ve ever had. Slow cooked in a deg, over the hara, finished with house made white butter, but with its heaviness lifted by a sharp, tangy, herbaceous chutney swirl. And finally I ate a Rarrah Chaap Pulao, a fragrant pulao of minced meat and juicy mutton chops, served with Baingan Raita. 

Jabeli

Of course, when I say finally, there’s always space for dessert. Inspired by a 150 year old jalebi shop in Chandni Chowk, the jabeli is gigantic, but every cross section is fat and juicy and retains its crunch. The creamy guava kulfi had the sweet-tart punch of guava and was poured back into a guava shell sprinkled with fruit salt, creating a chatpata sweet marvel. And the orange kulfi reminded me of the joy I felt when eating Chef Amninder’s Nagpur orange sphere in Palaash.  

This is restaurant that I believe can and should go global. Whether it’s Toronto or Dubai, London or New York, I have no doubt that it will be a tremendous success, not just with the Punjabi or Indian diaspora but with a wider global audience. It has technique. It has flavour. It has heritage. And most importantly, it has soul. 

I know I’m a hater when it comes to awards and rankings. But eating at Kikli and Palash over the last month makes me feel my hate is justified. There’s a list of India’s best chefs that has Chef Amninder ranked around twentieth place.

But what makes a great chef? Is it just the sheer brilliance of a meal? Is it creativity? Is it technique? Is it depth of knowledge and the ability to master traditions and heritage? Is it commercial success? Whatever the criteria, Chef Amninder nails it again and again. 

Kikli may just be the best regional Indian food you will eat anywhere in the country.

Palaash is one of the two most extraordinary dining experiences in the country. 

Bawri is a commercial juggernaut that’s expanding nationally. 

Barber and Pals has the best bar food I’ve ever eaten. 

Whether you put her in the transient Goa market or in the heart of Mumbai’s commercial district, whether she’s in the middle of the jungle or in the centre of Delhi’s power and pomp, Chef Amninder finds success whatever she does.

And she does all this while being entirely self made and based out of Pune and breaking all the supposed industry rules about geography and gender and PR. 

And she does it with laughter and warmth and with a team that she moulds and invests in like her own family and that respect and love her like you would a parent. 

This woman is a culinary superstar, an inspiration and a role model, and India is bloody lucky to have her come into her own and kick some ass! 

I ate:

• Chapli Kebab

• Aadu Salad 

• Plum Bajra Papdi

• Tawa Kaleji

• Bun Kebab 

• Chapta Mutton Chaap 

• Satpura Chaat 

• Kadai Mutton

• Mushki Roti 

• Choley 

• Katlama 

• Malka Masoor ki Dal

• Rarrah Chaap Pulao 

• Baingan Raita

• Jabeli

• Guava Kulfi

• Orange Kulfi