Papa knows best

Panchorsquos mascot made his debut even before the restaurant Papa Pancho da Dhaba was launched at Pali Naka In 1992 he appeared on a tee at a Juhu boutique named Wild n Wacky run by the eateryrsquos founders Mamta Sekhri and her late sister Poonam SoniDal makhanildquoIn a fun conversation with my dear friend Prahlad Kakkar we spoke about how anywhere in the world people greeted each other as Oye Pancho Itrsquos a cuss word that is more of a friendly greetingrdquo says Sekhri They roped in veteran animator late Ram Mohan to create the caricature and Kakkar wrote the copy According to the adman it is a perfect blend of Khushwant Singh Jiggs Kalra and himself The tees had many avatars Pancho on a hammock saying lsquoEgg Legg Pegg Te Panchorsquo Another had Pancho in the gym with the words lsquoMacho Panchorsquo ldquoWe sold them at our store and distributed them to family and friends They were hot sellersrdquo recalls SekhriIn 2000 the sisters opened a chaat cafeacute within the store which led to the idea of starting a dhaba that served homestyle Punjabi cuisine ldquoWe got a space in Bandra and Kakkar became our official ambassadorrdquo says Sekhri Today the restaurant turns 20 years and has gone from a small neighbourhood joint to a household name Since its inception it has attracted Punjabis craving for homecooked food and is known for its dal makhani rajma chawal baingan bharta bhuna gosht sarson da saag tandoori chicken and papdi chaatMamta Sekhri and Priyanka SonildquoMost of our staff has been with us since day one Our first chef Dilip Mandal was a housekeeping staff at our Juhu chaat cafeacute He still runs the team along with chef Sanjib Kar who joined them a decade agordquo informs Sekhri In 2012 after Poonamrsquos demise Sonirsquos daughter Priyanka Soni Kochhar came onboardOver the years the restaurant kept the theme alive by organising Baisakhi celebrations fairs gol gappe and lassi drinking competitions ldquoFrom Punjabis who are missing their home food to healthconscious gymmers looking for their tandoori protein fix we had loyal customers who ate with us at least twice a weekrdquo says Kochhar ldquoWe ensured our food was not heavy on cream or Mughlaistyle We rotated specials and we followed the policy that if a dish was over it was over we would not rehash anything to serve it Our thali platter which included a wholesome serving of dal sabzi starters and phulkas was a hit We did offbeat dishes that otherwise didnrsquot make it to restaurant menus such as stuffed karela and bhindi and pichki arbirdquo says SekhriKochhar recalls a couple that met at the eatery and when they decided to move abroad to marry they requested to buy one of the kansa thali sets from the cafeacute ldquoWe got them a set made for free as a wedding giftrdquo says Kochhar Another time we served an actor who ate over 16 phulkas in our unlimited thali ldquoOur chef told us we possibly could not afford to serve so many and we later revised the thali to a limited versionrdquo recalls SekhriThe pandemic has changed their approach With dineins closed the restaurant has embraced the delivery model ldquoWe fed migrant workers struggling to get back to their hometowns and till date our boys deliver meals to pockets we have identified around Bandra When dinein opens we are waiting to serve customers again Until then we continue to cook our food with loverdquo says KochharBhuna GoshtIngredientsgtgt15 kg mutton 1 kg boneless and 500 gm mutton curry cutgtgt2 capsicums largegtgt2 tomatoes smallgtgt15 kg oniongtgt15 cups oilgtgt15 tbsp garlic crushedgtgt2 tbsp garlic pastegtgt3 tbsp red chilli pastegtgt15 tbsp dhaniya powdergtgt1 tbsp jeera powdergtgt1 tbsp chaat masalagtgt5 green chillies choppedgtgt2 tbsp buttergtgt1 tbsp akha garam masalagtgt2 tbsp saltMethodHeat oil in a pan and sauteacute garam masala Add onions capsicum mutton and all the dry masalas Add three litres of water and boilmix it in the cooker Separate the mutton and the mixture Grind the mixture to a fine paste Add oil ginger garlic paste and sauteacute till it turns brown Add mutton and mixture and cook for 10 minutes Add butter Garnish with sliced ginger and coriander before servingMaa ki dal is the deal breakerWhen we call adman Prahlad Kakkar he takes us on a laughter ride down memory lane ldquoSome local cops were alerted that the name was questionable So I told them it was a Mexican Punjabi restaurant The food was inspired by a Punjabi from Mexico We have parathas they have tortillas We have rajma they have refried beans and while we have bhangra they have nachosrdquo he laughs adding ldquoOur mascot was Sancho Paacutencho Notice the accent on the Paacute to give the name its ringrdquo he informs When they launched they were tight on their advertising budget ldquoWe got 300 kulhad handis and sent around 300 servings of maa ki dal around the neighbourhood with a handwritten note A dhaba lives and dies by the cheapest and most common dish on the menu the dal Come visit us if you like our dalrdquo