The Parathas of Murthal

Food is the soul of a place. That's my theory and, even though modern science offers no proof, I stand by it.

This blog is about those Alu Ke ParaNthe that everyone from NOrth India vouches for - Bhai, NOrth ke paraNthe kabhi khayiyo!

Having heard one too many such endorsements of the Great Alu Ka Paratha of North India , I finally decided to take matters into my own hand. So, I booked myself a trip to New Delhi, landed up at cousin Toby's place, and challenged him to hit me with the best that NOrth has to offer.

The following day, he drove me to a place call Murthal which boasts of Dhabas the size of a Big Bazaar. Notwithstanding the fact that the Dhaba , was one of the biggest, the temperature was almost 400 degrees and we waited for over 45 mins to find a table, we could not find a place to stand , much less sit. The table we had vultured over - an act where one shamelessly hangs around the table till the people seated would finish their food and leave - was taken away from us by an equally shameless uncle who used his wife to snipe away a chair and then his kids to gobble up the entire table. Uncouth @###@#$. So we left that place and started to drive back, mouthing gaalis and wondering why there was a Domino's pizza , big as a Big Bazaar, there.

Amidst such confusion and disappointment, we saw a small dhaba beside the road. It was an isolated and neglected piece of property which advertised that it had AC rooms. But frankly, it was the shaded pan shop and the empty parking space which made us stop.

And I am glad we did.

The dhaba was, as a dhaba should be. It had an air of impermanence, like you would pass by it, and NOT drive 100 kms to eat there. That's how a dhaba should feel! Its not a tourist place. It's not even a place where you would spend more than an hour! But it should be a respite for the weary traveler.

It should give you a jug of water and a leisurely view of the highway so that you can wash your face and stretch a bit. You should be able to swing your arms, shed off the enclosures of a vehicle and view the highway with the condescending eye of a landlord. As you perform such rituals, the dhaba lad should wait to take your order when you feel like ordering. We did all that and then grazed over the menu. My cousin's suggestion of Veg Noodles was met with an expression as enthusiastic as one for recreational enema. I chose to ignore this brief lapse of sanity, decided to stick with the basics and ordered the Alu aur Pyaaz Paratha.

A brief wait of about 10 mins, brought in the hot parathas with dollops of butter sizzling on top of them. This was the sight I have been waiting for, my entire life !

I have had heard too many tales of how the paratha would be dipped in butter, or how, it would have a layer of desi makkhan (home made butter) or how..... bhai, kabhi asli parathe khayiyo ! . And now, this was my tryst with this legendary dish from the North of India. The asli NOrth ka ParaNtha was before my eyes. It was splayed carelessly, but lovingly, on top of a plain, stainless steel thaali . No bone china plates here. The butter was white and unsalted. The quantity would make calory-counters abandon the numeric system. It was TOO MUCH. It was TOO SINFUL. And it was what God had in mind when He described heaven.

I had three of these parathas (laden with proportionate amount of butter) and yet I did not feel bloated or heavy. That's the acid test of good food! You feel GOOD after eating them. As a matter of fact, I had a glass of lassi and an hour later, polished off half a plate of non-veg platter, 3 mugs of beer and half a liter of soft-drinks. And, I was able to take an hour long Metro ride back to my cousin's place afterwards.

That night, when I stretched out on my bed, I had the wonderful realization that I had stricken off one wish from my bucket-list. The paraNthas of North India, deserves to be on my list of "MUST EAT" and would rank it among the top 10 PERCENT. One word of advise: stick to the original dhabas by the roadside, and you would be able to enjoy the food leisurely, as you watch trucks whiz by on the highway. Bon Apetit!