Amritsar - The Palkhi Sahib procession

This post is written by HRH the Queen of Kutch.

This was our third visit to Amritsar in 4 years. A record of sorts as I don’t believe we have visited any other city as often, except of course for London.

With us on this trip was our high flying Doctor Businesswoman friend from London. Amritsar was cold. Proper cold. London cold. For the 2.5 days we were there, the temperature ranged between 3 degrees in the dead of the night to 8 degrees around noon. There was no sun to be seen at all for our entire stay and all of Amritsar played hide and seek behind a curtain of fog. Perfect weather for all the delicious Amritsar food we ate, but not really conducive to the 4.00am outing planned by Doctor Businesswoman.

While none of us are particularly religious, we have been to the Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple several times on each visit to Amritsar and marvelled at the calm, peace and tranquillity of the Temple complex. But on none of our previous visits have we been motivated enough to wake up for the 4.00am daily Palkhi Sahib procession. This time though with a little persuasion from the Doctor Businesswoman we decided we would wake at 3.30 and make our way to the Temple to witness the procession.

After an extremely pleasant evening that began with a few civilised drinks at the lovely Hyatt Lounge Bar and wound up at the superb Maakhan Dhabba we set our phone alarms for 3.30am and snuggled into bed. 3.30 came faster than it should and by five minutes before 4am, all three of us were assembled in the hotel lobby ready to venture out into the cold. The Hyatt where we were staying kindly provides a shuttle service to and from the temple for the daily morning ceremony and I believe on some days they need to arrange as many as three mini busses to ferry all the residents who want to witness the ceremony. On this cold winter’s day though, we were the only three people brave enough to venture out in the cold. Bundled up in our jackets and mufflers, we boarded the bus and set off in the foggy dark.

At the entrance to the Golden Temple we removed our shoes/boots and handed them over the volunteers before skittering across the cold marble onto the long rough coir mats. The little water trough you need to wash your feet in before you enter the temple was not as cold as I thought it would be and within a few moments we were at the top of the steps that lead down to the Harmandir Sahib.

That first moment we saw the beautifully lit temple shining like gold in the dark pre dawn light through the veils of fog will stay etched in my memory for a long long time. It was a breathtakingly beautiful sight. Oddly at that time, a few lines of Shakespeare sprang into my head....the barge she sat in like a burnished throne, burned on the water, the poop was beaten gold....Yes, these lines were used to describe Cleopatra as she sailed down the Nile in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, but something about the Harmandir Sahib shimmering on in the water brought these lines to my head. (I do hope I am not being blasphemous!!). The water in the Sarovar was still and clear and the lit temple was clearly reflected in its shimmering depths.

Descending the stairs we headed left to circumambulate the Harmandir Sahib and were silenced by a sense of absolute peace. There were a few people around, but the cold I believe had kept away all but the most devout and determined. By the time we reached the entrance to the Temple though, there were signs of life and activity.

Right across from the Harmandir Sahib is the Akal Takth. The Akal Takth which literally translates as ‘the throne of the timeless one’ is one of the five seats of power of the Sikh religion. Late every evening, the Holy book of the Sikhs, The Guru Granth Sahib is taken in a procession from the Harmandir Sahib to a special room in the Akal Takht where it is kept for the night. Early the next morning, there is a procession to bring the Book back from the Akal Takth to the Harmandir. This procession is called the Palkhi Sahib and it is believed to be a huge blessing to witness the procession or better still to offer your shoulder to carry the Palkhi (palanquin). Having said that, only men are allowed to offer their shoulder, so the Doctor Businesswoman and I had to be satisfied with bearing witness to the procession.

The Akal Takht

Again, since there were only a few dozen people around, we had no difficulty finding a good vantage point and stood behind the fencing watching all the preparations. Stonethrower went far forward to try and get some decent photographs. 

The Palkhi was first brought out and readied. Rose Water was liberally sprayed, Marigold Garlands arranged and the beautiful silk cushions were placed inside. Then the Palkhi was carried to the foot of the stairs from where the Guru Granth Sahib would emerge. Then at precisely 5am, the head priest of the Harimandir descended the stairs from the Akal Takth with the Guru Granth Sahib on a cushion on his head. It’s all very solemn and sober till suddenly the deep resonating sound of a Nagara drum and a trumpet fill the air and the Holy Book is placed in a the Palkhi and carried to the Harmandir. At this stage there was a fair amount of shoving and pushing as many worshippers jostle for the honour of carrying the Palkhi. If this is how it is on a day when there must have been no more that 50 people, I cannot begin to imagine how it is when the place is packed to capacity. Again, we were fortunate it was such a cold day as we had a clear view of the procession which passed less than a foot from where we were standing.

The procession solemnly moved across the plaza, through the Darshani Deorhi (main entrance), and along the causeway, stopping when it reached the main door of the Harimandir. The head priest then lifts the Guru Granth Sahib out of the Palkhi, places it on a silk cushion on his head and enters the holy shrine.

Procession done, we headed back to our Hotel and tucked our frozen toes back into bed to grab a few hours’ sleep.

A fabulous experience, not for the honour or the blessing of the procession but for the tranquillity and the magic of beautifully lit Harmandir burning upon the water....

Tarting it up

My cast of characters is every expanding.

A few days ago, HRH the Queen of Kutch’s mother i.e. the Queens Mother, proclaimed that she was having an intimate lunch party for 30 of her closest friends and relations.

The menu was predominantly Gujarati food. Nothing wrong with that. On offer was the delicious Rajwadi Daal or the classic Gujarati Daal which is sweet sour and spicy with Peanuts, Sambhariya which is a dry vegetable dish with a coconut based masala and Telia a fresh pickle once again with vegetables. Of course there were several other dishes too. It was a lavish meal.

Queens Mother requested us to make an appropriate dessert for this feast. This got us thinking. Knowing the target audience, dessert would ideally be an Indian one, but then again, Indian desserts are simply just boring, without texture, one dimensional and horribly sweet. More often than not desserts are bought out. But that was not an option. So we set about thinking.

Ultimately what we came up with was pretty cool, even if I say so myself. The brief was met and I believe the desserts were hugely appreciated. I must confess that though we did not taste the complete dessert, it would have been terribly sweet.

What we made were two tarts. We made the tart bases and lined them with Crème Patisserie or Pastry Cream. This is a sort of custard made with milk, egg and flour and is used as a base in several patisserie items. The Cream can be flavored as you want. So, in keeping with the theme we flavored the Crème Patisserie with Cardamom powder. In the first tart we used Gajar Ka Halwa. This was blended to make a smooth paste. The paste was piped into the tart base and topped with Gold Vark or Gold Leaf and garnished with flaked almonds. Job done.

The second tart had the base of Cardamom Crème Patisserie. On this base we placed mini Gulab Jamuns. To finally garnish the Tart we sprinkled sweet Boondi. Job done.

So there you have two beautiful tarts.

Gajar Ka Halwa Mousse with 24 Karat Gold

Gulab Jamun, Jalebi Caviar and Cardomom Cream 

Celini - Grand Hyatt Kalina Mumbai

Senior Mrs. Stonethrower decided to take us out for dinner. She said that we should eat at Celini the Italian restaurant at the Grand Hyatt at Kalina. We have eaten there quite a few times in the past and have always had good meals. For some reason, I had never written about it.

The Grand Hyatt has some really top notch restaurants. In my view, the Grand Hyatt at Kalina and the ITC Grand Maratha at Sahar have the some of best restaurants in Mumbai. The China House and Celini are excellent and you all know our fondness for the excellent Dum Pukth and Peshawri at the ITC Grand Maratha at Sahar. These four restaurants are by far the finest of their type in Mumbai.

A table was booked at the Celini and as is our wont, before dinner it was time to wet our whistles. The bar at the Grand Hyatt is fairly pathetic. Totally without any character and devoid of any sort of atmosphere, it is really quite sad. Its location is rather awkward too. It is slap bang in the middle of the lobby and you have to walk past it to go to other restaurants in the Hotel. Pretty grim place. I had my customary Kingfisher, the cheapest alcoholic drink on any menu anywhere. HRH The Queen of Kutch had Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky. A fairly decent whisky, but, frankly, undeserving of the accolade `Worlds Best Single Malt’. Senior Mrs. Stonethrower had hot water with Lime and Honey as she had an itchy throat. I must say that this request was fulfilled with considerable charm and class by the staff. A Tea cup, a kettle of hot water, a small jar of honey and a bowl of Lime cheeks was brought. Well done.

Once the drinking was done we walked across the corridor to the Celini reception only to find that there was no reservation on their system. The restaurant was empty, so getting a table was no problem; however, not finding the reservation was disturbing and could have led to some ugliness. Once we were settled we told the waiter that all of us ate everything except cucumber which Senior Mrs. Stonethrower is allergic to. That relaxed the waiter.

Bread, a tomato sauce of some sort, olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar were brought to the table. The bread and the olive oil were really good. The tomato sauce was full of `masala’ so was abandoned.

For starters we got a selection of non vegetarian Antipasto which is a Celini signature dish. You got a healthy portion of some really good starters. The green sauce was Arugula Pesto, quite nice. The Antipasto was polished off. The Chicken on the extreme left of the plate was rubbish. The rest of the starters were really good.

From left to right: Chicken with a Mushroom sauce; Parma Ham with Cantaloupe; Grilled Tenderloin with Tonnato Sauce and Marinated Onion [center top]; Marinated Smoked Salmon, braised Lettuce, Salmon Roe and Lemon Chive Cream [Center bottom]; Fried Prawns; Grilled Tuna Arugula Pesto.

Now it was time for our main courses. Senior Mrs. Stonethrower ordered Pan Seared Chicken Scaloppini with Egg and Parmesan Batter with a Lemon Caper Sauce. This was served with Root Vegetables. She loved her dish. The Chicken was moist and the Lemon Butter Sauce was just right.

HRH The Queen of Kutch ordered a Diavolo Pizza which has Salami and Kalamata Olives. You have heard of the phrase – her eyes were bigger than her stomach. Well the Pizza was packed, taken home reheated and had for lunch the next day. Even reheated it was excellent. This was a real Pizza and not that ghastly abomination of a Pizza served at Indigo Deli which is so crisp that it shatters when eating. This one has a thin crust and great texture.

I quite like Schnitzels. On the menu was Pork Milanese which is simply a Schnitzel, served with an Arugula Salad with some Cherry Tomato and Parmesan. Just right. A crisp coating on the Port Loin a tangy fresh tasting Arugula Salad and pieces of salty Parmesan. I was happy.

Senior Mrs. Stonethrower wanted to have some dessert. We could not bear ordering the Gujju favorite Tiramisu, so after some scanning of the Dessert Menu we agreed on a Hazelnut Crème Brule. Excellent. The sugar on the top was freshly caramelized so it shattered like it should. The Crème was as it should be, cold, creamy, very smooth and silky and, intensely flavored. A fine end to a fine meal.

If you do want to have a decent Italian meal please do eat at the Celini. Prices are high as they are at any five star hotel, but, trust me, the food here is good. I believe they have so sort of discount if you eat lunch on weekdays. Do visit their website. I do not know if the lunch menu is the same as the dinner menu. 

Well worth visiting.