Dhaba

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“Dhaba”, the word has got different meaning for different folks. To some it’s the place where a person stops to satisfy his or her hunger on an endless highways and for some it’s a place to gorges on butter laced Paratha , dal makhani and indian national dish butter chicken just to satisfy his taste buds.

If we look at the word Dhaba, it is believed to come from tiffin box or the Dabba as it is called by most of the folks in north India.

It all started from PunjabPunjabi’s have always been known for their bravery, lavish life styles and their love for good food. It is often said that where ever a Punjabi goes, his food follows; the G.T. Road was the first to experience this amazing phenomenon. As

many Punjabis took to the wheel of the truck and ventured into the transportation trade, an immediate need to feed and provide shelter to these drivers plying trucks and buses on the highway was felt. The first dhabas came into being on the fields and farms that touched the highway. They created basic open kitchens with

clay ovens and brass utensils; lanterns for light and hand fans for the summer heat were available as electrical connections were a rarity back then; hand pumps to quench the thirst, wash clothes, trucks and bathe were additional perks that attracted the weary travelers. These open eateries served close to home food with no frills attached. The menus evolved with time. Delicacies and specialties were developed. Picture this, the All India Radio’s AM station playing great music, the tandoor walas hands clapping periodically; the clatter of skewers heard intermittently and the hungry travelers feasting and relaxing on the charpoys…these scenes are still a common sight along our highways; such post cards from a vibrant Punjab have fascinated all and sundry and made the dhaba eating a very in thing.

Today a diverse range of dhabas with a touch of local flavour, dot the map of India from Kashmir to Chennai and Mizoram to Kutch.

What makes a dhaba a roaring success; the food, the economies of scale, the coolness associated with it. What is the deep impact of these food joints as they leave a social imprint on their immediate society?First of all, it is definitely the food that makes a dhaba special and popular. For instance cruising along the NH1 one could choose from various famous dhabas; some boast of offering the best masala teas. This is our own desi version of tea. A mixture of fresh milk, generous amount of sugar and tea leaves all brewed with a hint of cinnamon, ginger etc to provide flavors that can reminds you of India no matter where ever you are. Our own masala chai, now adores the five star menu too.Other dhabas that can break your journey would be the vegetarians’ haven as they set forth a grand menu; indulging chanaa bhaturas for breakfast; the divine tadka daal with liberal dosage of ghee; the crisp tandoori rotis and succulent paneer preparations. The non-vegetarians trot along the length and breadth of the highways in search of tender juicy kebabs and the best tandoori chicken which has become the mascot of a Punjabi kitchen. With their mutton and chicken offerings some dhabas have scripted a tale of rags to riches. It is all a matter of striking the right cord with the taste buds of the customer.As dhabas gained popularity, a subtle cultural revolution occurred. Dhabas and their side effects have a deep connect with all of us. Affluence reached the sidelines of our highways courtesy these improvised eateries. Governments sat up and took notice and launched into a program to create tourism nodes along the roads, these were equipped with rooms and all amenities for night stays and offered safe parking and good food. Some of these projects are a roaring success story. The recent up gradation of fuel pumps into swanky outlets with toilets, convenient stores and fast food joints all within the same premises things are changing rapidly. Multinational fast food giants recognized the spending potential of the affluent Punjabi and came in by the dozen to set up shop.

The dhabas were never to be left behind. The challenge has been well countered by upgrading to air-conditioned halls; new found awareness and concern for hygiene; and today dhabas offer food, entertainment zones for children, book shops. They even delight and bemuse the tourists with a glimpse of the lost heritage and culture with theme based dhabas that have elaborate displays that provide a museum like feel to the visitor. Live music and dance, cultural activities, camel rides, fortune tellers, Ferris wheels, name the selling gimmick in the book and it is being tried by the dhabas to woo customers.))We did a survey asking some simple questions about what people really looking for, when they go to eat at Dhaba.

Taste does matterIt was good food, which tops the chart. It’s simply the hot fresh food, which bring back the people to Dhabas. Just the basic tasty food and people are willing to forget ambience service.Are you willing to pay more if Hygienic condition of your Dhaba improves?

As we are getting more and more conscious about Hygienic so that is one area where Dhaba are lacking behind as per our survey. People are ready to pay from 10-20% more in case Hygienic condition of their Dhabas improve.

Kind of Food preferred by Patrons

Is Paratha main attraction at Dhaba?75% People agree that Dhaba menu are full of varieties and everybody has something available, which he or she likes, but still almost all people agreed that it’s the good old Parathas, which make Dhabas so inviting.

Overall rating above average – Not bad!Overall despite all odd on an average all respondent have rated their favortite dhaba more than average.

Our own favorite Dhaba - Laxman Da dhaba The Dhabas in and around IIFT are one amongst the most popular food joints among south Delhi studentsThe most famous amongst the lot is the Dhaba- Popularly known as "Laxman ka Dhaba", which is chiefly famous for its delicious and heavy parathas It's located in the heart of the Qutub Institutional area of Delhi right opposite to the Indian Institute of Foreign trade and one can see groups of students from various institutes thronging the place.

People love it for the whole gamut of paranthas , maggi or a cup of tea – to name a few items from the menu list.OriginIt was set around 17-20 years back. Currently it is jointly owned by a group of young boys from areas like North East and U.P who, work hard day in and out to satisfy the taste buds of the budding young professionals.AmbienceTo begin with, a comment on the ambience of the Laxman Dhaba, which like most others includes buzzing flies, grime and an envelope of fumes surrounding it.The eating area is limited to a few plastic tables and chairs. The rest is open sky with a canopy of trees and the charred interiors of the tandoor, a huge clay stove filled with charcoal to roast the meat or prepare the rotis adds to the charm of the place.

The energy surrounding itOne must see the time around 1 PM or 5 PM when one can see hoards of students coming in and going out and relaxing at the joint. It is the meeting point for students from the surrounding B schools – Fore, IMI, IIFT and many more which makes the atmosphere quite electric and vibrant.

RevenueAs asked from “Vishnu” – the young lad from Dhaba , the average daily sale could be anywhere around Rs 4000-Rs 6000.During the vacation of the colleges – in June/July the sale dips down. But that doesn’t lower their spirits as they have a customer base from the non-student backgrounds as well who just stroll down to the place to have a bite.PopularityThe popularity of the joint can be gauged from the no. of blogs and pages created on social networking sites like Facebook and Pagalguy to name amongst a few which has hordes of people “liking” the place and commenting upon the same.

The Dhaba now have a celebrity endorsement too in it’s name in the form of a banner hung right infront on the brick wall of the joint of Famous Bollywood star – Ranbir Kapoor visiting the place to promote one of his films.

Favorite among all iiftian our own Laxman Da Dhaba. Survey findings are clearly telling its popularity. Many respondents are regular at this dhaba and most respondent have at least heard about it if not visited it.

Laxman da Dhaba speciality

The menu of this Dhaba starts by “We Believe in Quality Service”.

The simple vegetarian meal served could be Paratha of different kinds depending on the type of vegetable stuffing one wishes to have – the Aloo Parathas (Potato parathas) which are mashed

potatoes stuffed between flat bread made out of kneaded Atta (wheat flour) is the most popular.  Parathas, with cooked mashed and spiced vegetables as stuffing such as Gobi (Cauliflower) are also popular for breakfast with yoghurt or curds or tea. Vegetarian meal – for lunch or dinner – consists of Chana (Horse gram) masala.(mixture), Channa Pindi, vegetables and lentils, Sarson Ka Saag, Palak Paneer, Barwan Karela and Subz Korma, Rajma (kidney beans) or Kadhi (curd curry).

One major attraction of this Dhaba is Non-vegetarian Paranthas. Chicken Paranthas, Keema Parantha, Egg Paranthas etc. The Keema Paranathas have been loved by the Bollywood Star Ranbeer Kapoor also. We can see youngsters from different parts of the city coming to this Dhaba for Non Veg Paranthas. There Special Family mix parantha is speciality in Paranthas with size big enough to serve 2-3 people.This is confirm by our survey also. No matter what varieties Dhaba servies Parathas are always numero uno choice of cutomer.

Punjabi food without Dals would be incomplete and therefore Sukhi Dal, Dhuli Urad Dal, Dal Makhni, and Rajmah Masala complement every meal. The Dals are made of whole pulses like Black Gram, Green Gram and Bengal Gram. They are cooked on a slow fire, often simmered for hours till they turn creamy and then are flavoured with spices and rounded off with malai (cream) to get a rich finish.

Paneer (cottage cheese – a low fat item) dishes are a must in a vegetarian menu. Several delectable items are made out of the Paneer, the bland derivative of milk, innovatively cooked as the Kadai Paneer and Makhani Paneer. It is cooked with every kind of vegetable, the popular dishes of such variety are Palak Paneer or Saag Paneer (pureed creamed spinach with homemade cheese cubes), Mutter Paneer, etc.

Naan and Paratha (fried bread layered with cooked, mashed and spiced vegetables, fried on pan), rotis made of maize flour (Makke-di-Roti), Chappatis made out of

the flour of maize and Rumali Rotis (multilayered bread) are typical Punjabi breads. Khasta Roti, Methi Paratha and Lasooni (Garlic) Nan are also popular.

The simplest of the Punjabi meal served in a Dhaba could be “Tandoorias” or Rotis or Phulkas with Dal and/or

Raita (Raita is spiced yogurt with vegetables) and Muthi-Piaz (onions split open by smashing them with a fist).The menu will not just get finshed here. Other different cuisines are also available in this dhaba in wide range. The Chinese one includes chowmein, Chinese Rolls, soups etc. Famous amongst all of us – Maggi is also served here with special taste added to it.This Dhaba does not just end up here with its effort to satisfy its customers. They provide free home delivery service to their customers within a range of 4 kms and that too on just a bicycle. The doorstep service is famous amongst IIFT hostel students. They do not have to be worried if there are hungry during late night. Also they even provide the service for private parties like kitty parties and the birthday Parties.

OH YAARA…. AE LAXMAN DA DHABA HEGA…………….!!!!

LOCATION: There is nothing quite like telling young Delhiites what the city used to be like 30 years ago. People hanging out near Qutub Institutional Area those days with friends had no place beyond IIT and JNU but a wild jungle. Vasant Kunj was still to come up and stepping beyond the campus of either of the two

institutes was literally like going into the wilderness. The dhaba is right next to the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. The Dhaba, is bang opposite the wall of the Katwaria Sarai cremation ground! Be that as it may, it is a great place for paranthas.BLOGS and FACEBOOK PAGE: The Laxman dhaba has a facebook page created by its own lovers with many likes added to it. Many people share there pleasant experiences on it. Students have shared their love by posting the feedbacks or by writing blogs on sites like hindu.com, pagalguy.com. People have also expressed their liking by tweeting on the twitter also

Superstars even love it Accompanied by Ranbir's trainer Pradeep, and producer Hiren Gandhi, the team made a quick stopover at Laxman Fast Food at the Qutub Institutional Area road late into the night and dug into a dozen keema and anda paranthas, at a place discovered by Pradeep during his college days in Delhi.

The DHABA at IIFT has gained immense popularity, thanks to the student’s community surrounding this hangout of Fun & Laughter. It traces its origins way back 2 decades when the Qutab Institutional area was getting developed and the culture of eating roadside like in highways was gaining popularity in cities also.

With students particularly it has always been a case of less money & DHABA’s have come to a great rescue by offering delicious Indian food, particularly at mouth-watering adding to their popularity manifold. At IIFT also, DHABA’s have been of huge support to the students not just at IIFT but to the students at FORE & IMI also. They remain open till late in the night making it all the more convenient for students studying and hanging out at night to venture there and have their tummy full with delicious food. Yes It’s cool to eat at Dhaba!

We also tried finding if there is anything else besides tasty food which brings peope back to Dhaba

and the answer is 60% people feels it cool to eat at Dhaba. No wonder lot of food blog, food article and Dhabas visited by celebrities have made them a cool place to eat. The second reason was that people love to reminisce, they just want to remember good old day from their student life and try to visit the same place, which they used to visit earlier.

Coming back to Dhaba culture in larger perspective the evolution of highway eating is fascinating and so is the social footprint. Scores of dhabas have become nodal points for prostitution that goes on to be the main cause for the spread of the HIV virus and AIDS. Often the spread has been attributed to truck drivers and national level programs have been put in place to fight the HIV and AIDS menace. Most of these programs with active NGO participation are targeting the dhabas where the truck drivers are put through awareness and counseling sessions. The very reason that dhabas mushroom at will makes data collection and a structured approach difficult.Another negative impact of the dhabas is child labour as quite often children from poor village families drop out from schools and serve in a dhaba. Washing dishes and serving tables for a measly sum, these school dropouts defeat the dream of an educated India that can propel us to greater things in the future. Again counsel and stricter action against the defaulting owners is being put into practice and we hear of raids on some infamous dhabas through media coverage.A highway drive by night is a different experience all together. Brightly lit with 100w bulbs, fancy blinkers and neon signs, the dhabas are all dressed to party and invite you into the wee hours of the night. Equally well lit are the liquor shops and drinking places. Strategically placed next to the dhabas, a marriage of convenience affords the luxury of sitting and drinking while piping hot food is served. Though warning signs all along the highway advice against drinking and driving, but are often not heeded and terrible accidents occur. Apart from this a growing challenge of drug pedaling has come up before the law enforcing agencies. The dhabas are again in the firing line as such transactions occur at dhabas, some selling them openly when demanded.

Despite the ill effects and the flip side, a majority adores the dhaba experience. It is a foodie’s delight and a story of a wonderful culinary triumph that is written everyday along the great highways of our nation. A thriving economy, complete with a variety of offerings in food, hygiene standards and parking space; the Indian dhaba food experience is one to be savored with delight for this shudh swadeshi flavour bears a Made in India stamp all over.