Tigers Experience - Mango Leather aka AAM PAPAD of Amritsar

Mango Leather as they would call it 

The Story of the AaM Papad .

Who found this products? How as it invented ? what mangoes to use? do they really crush the mango with their feet ? what chemical do thy use to ferment the mango pulp ? is it hygienic ? Who cares ... just eat and enjoy the street food of Amritsar .

Well this was a to do in my two days at Amritsar besides other things, while Daktar Sahaib the culinaire, the hottest foodie of Amritsar abandoned me fto see a patient my exploration stil continued with him on the phone , trust me the man was in the OT and he was giving instructions to me where to find this Aam Papad man . 

And me forwarding al the instructions to the driver who had al his relatives in Canada and i felt like a piece of shit infornt of him and his richness heheheheh. I kept telling rehdi wala aam papad lena hai and he kept insisting that i shud not buy from the street instead wanted me to visit a store next to my rehdi man . Guess commissions work . Let me tell you a strange finding unlike other cities where taxi wala s get commission from carpet and antique sellers for bringing in the tourist Amritsar cabbies get commission from getting or taking foodies to famous restaurants . Definition of a true foodie city . 

Anyway we did manage to find the world famous Ram Lubhaya Rehdi wala on Lawrence road infront of DAV school for girls ... a pleasant young man busy as hell with girls flaunting around him for the chatpata aam papad HIS WAY . He greets me with a perfect Punjabi 'Hello Jee' while attending to the customers , i stood quietly watched him and his team malign the aam papad and savor it with their generic masalas chutneys to make all the kiddos happy . 

Vikram the Studd 

Full display of his Aam Papad collection , a pleasure to the eye and to the hungry chapata pallette.. aparently he has 15 varieties or ways of serving his aam papad along with several other generic churan golis.

The Proud Man

Vikram the second generation of Lubhaya ram - they have been in business since 50 years . Like a true punjabi he asked me "Sir Jee tussi kithe rehnde ho ?" Sir where do you stay ? - he was looking for an international flavor i guess .. first i thot i shud say London but then i thot to my self probably this man would have relatives living in the queens palace by now so avoided and told him I stay In Ganda Singh Wala .. my village on Majitha Road  and Major Ganda Singh Wala was my Great Grand Father ... the man fell on my feet and wanted to be blessed .. i was like Bhai maine kya kar diya ? He then told me that his family stays on our land behind the haveli and he and his family owes our family everything they have today .. thanks to the generosity of my Grand father who gave the land to them as a good will .  

so now the story changes - he hands the redi to his workers pulls me aside and then says "Sir Jee Can i take a selfie with you" i almost died  hehehehehehehehe i almost fell down laughing .. but anyways to keep him happy i did pose . He wanted t show off to his friends that the landlords grandson was with him blah blah  ... 

Mango Leather

As per Vikram - they take out the pulp spread it and let it dry as simple as that but as per wiki they add some chemical to make it rubbery and thick and it acts like a drying agent. I beleive Vikrams side of the story and i love Aam Papad come what may .

His Collection of Aam Papads

So how does he do his magic ? How does he convert a regular aam papd to a special kick your fingers wala aam papad . Takes the black khata leather look alike aam papad .. hygienically on a plastic sheet .. presses it to make it a bit soft .. add his masalas , squeezes nimboo and then comes the magic chutney of pudina .. mashes al of the m together and hands it over to me ... the taste .. khata ,namkeen,mirchi,sticky .. fantastic . I asked him to pack the chutnye , he was wiling to but then it wudn have lasted the journey back home.

The End Product

I sampled almost all the product inthe Rehdi :)

The Gift Box for 350/-

So the take away gift bosx is nice packed so that the packets don't roll over etc . it has Aam Papad -4 ways - Meetha , Khata , Balls and strips , Plus Ram Ladoo, some churan and yes his magical masala.

I called him to confirm the pricing - he said i can give you a box from 50 to 1000 . Now that makes business sense . But i asked him if he would come to delhi and set up stall he said no way - the water of Dilli doesn't suit him and his product wil loose its charm.. and then the real thing " He wil not leave the rehdi position for anything".

Overall Tigers Experience - He is a Must Visit .. sample all on his Rehdi /stall .. ask him to make the aam papd mix for you .. pack loads of it to get back home . And by the way i asked him about the feet part - he  denied outright , infact he proved it to me that the aam papad was a fab product for digestion and it had amazing medicinal powers . I bought what he said came back home , fought with wife and now i have a bit everyday . Trying to reach the depth of how it was discovered wil keep you posted til then enjoy the chatapata Aam Papad from Amritsar .

Please to Note - He knows all the top food writers , Vinod Dua , Rocky Mayur , Marryyam , all the international dudes visiting Ambrasar like David etc etc .. be careful and don't bullshit him that you want to do a story on him .. heheheheeehe He will ask you which publication , which television channel and does not understand what a blogger is hehehehehe

His address is : Ram Lubhaya & Sons : Lawrence Road ,Peepal Ke Ped ke neeche ,Rehdi Near Girls College Amritsar . Thsts it . His name is Vikram. 

Thank You Aman Prahji ... U r great .

Tigers Experience - Select'Ed - Exquisite dinner

I was Select 'ED .

Dine like the GODS ... ‘coz you are SelectED

From the age of Maharajs & Khansamas to the food cooked by our Mothers we have always craved for a customized fare within our comfort zones. When SelectED Events & Dining (SelectED) was conceptualized, the ethos and vision of what SelectED would stand for were very clear in the minds of its founders. By pushing boundaries with innovative food & stylised presentation, SelectED aims to be the architect of a perfect tailor-made experience.

“Part of the passion is having the persistence and resilience to change both your art and the way you deliver it.”

This quote by the famous marketing guru Seth Godin, completely embodies the passion that SelectED and its team are working with.

The SelectED Setting - Perfect

My Wife was Impressed from the time she entered .. and you the fact of life .. If Wife Happy Everything else Happy :)  Sorry WE WERE SELECTED heheheheheh.

CEO, Marketing head and Chef are hell bent on taking just One Event Per Day, irrespective of the scale, lest they have a reason to not attend each and every event. They have no maximum or minimum nos. and ever since the launch event in the October of 2014, SelectED has curated events from a 15 person private sit-down dinner to a destination wedding for 1000 guests to a massive 3500 Gala Conference Dinner for Doctors at an entire stadium.

Ishaan Sarkar the CEO of SelectED emphatically states that when he started this venture he was pretty sure that he would not want this to be another “run of the mill” catering service and waste his or his employer’s time and finances. From the moment the team visits a prospective client, the innovation and the difference is noted by the client. They don’t believe in taking the menu to the client but the actual samples of food for tasting. He says his exact words to the client are, “Chai aapki peeyenge, par khaana aap humara khaiye!!!” (Tea we will drink at your place, but food you will have to have from ours.)

The Choices - Spoilt by them 

What a different level of Outdoor catering SelectED has taken the whole industry to, amazing . Perfection to the minutest details , a team of chefs trained abroad , the crockery , cutlery designed specially for them , the whole experience was so personified and impressive. 

The Crafted Menu for the Evening

SelectED events are Quality over Quantity. Rather than having a 10 km long buffet with countless dishes, they believe in customizing each dish for your guest at every event.

High time someone entered this arena of catering , people are aware , they are choosy , they are travelled , they know what they eat , they know what their guest wil appreciate so why not fil this gap .

Sarson Mousse with Makki Biscotti

Pureed Mustard foliage mousse with corn biscotti

“Why should everything be conventional, when by tweaking a little detail things can get so much more interesting”. Says Chef Gaurav 

Tandoori Atlantic Salmon, Basil Pesto

Aloo chokha/papaya relish

Ennai kathrikai with String Hoppers and Tamarind Salsa

Stuffed baby aubergines and sting hoppers teamed with tamarind salsa

look at the presentation so amazing hated spoiling it . The ordinary Ghar ka Baigan gets a beautiful face lift and a mix of tangyness ... outstanding vegetarian dish .

Quesadillas with Kadahi Sabzi Ratatouille

Mini cottage cheese steaks with stir fried vegetables in mild spices

Gucchi Khichadi with Nimona Fragrant Basmati Rice with Stuffed Pickled Salan

Raspberry sorbet in chocolate cup, ghewar Tiramisu & gulab jamun tart

Chef Gaurav Mathur

SelectED under the able guidance of the very competent Chef Gaurav Mathur has adopted innovative methods of cooking and presentation of food before it lands on the diner’s plate. He says the clientele today is aware, well travelled and adventurous. Always ready to experiment with cuisines their discerning palate keeps shifting from traditional to contemporary, from Desi to World cuisine and now with Fusion and Molecular gastronomy taking the culinary industry by storm the SelectED bridges these gaps and ever ready to satisfy this sophisticated yet oscillating clientele.

Creating Magic with Food is a passion for them and fusion-food is high on the agenda, the enterprising team of chefs have constantly experimented and still keeps at it, to bring to you an innovative range of dishes and menus to stimulate both the mind and the palate. Creations like Chicken Tikka Pies & Pav Bhaji Sliders not only tickle your taste buds but this visual work of art also encourages interaction among the guests. And talking about interaction, a completely new concept of Interactive Counters, where the Chef behind the live counter, personalizes and tweaks each helping as per the diner’s preferences making them feel like a VIP.

Was totally bowled over by the entire event , the presentation , the personification to  detail, the props , the presentation of food , the concept of deconstruction of simple dishes to keep the basic falvors intact , the freshness of the catch could be well witnessed , the labour , the passion behind each dish showed so evidently ... like i said they have taken Catering to another level.