A Sindhi family enjoying Dal Pakwan at their house in Indore on Sunday |
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Amid coronavirus outbreak, Sindhi community found a way to cheer up as the community celebrated World Dal Pakwan Day on April 11 by preparing the delectable dish at home on Sunday.
Sindhi cuisine has quite a few vegetarian delicacies such as kadhi chawal, sai bhaji, koki, and bhee. But one of their most popular dishes is Dal Pakwan, a preparation where yellow dal is savoured with a deep-fried crispy flatbread, delicious chutneys and chopped onions.
Dal Pakwaan is preferred mostly as a breakfast dish especially on the weekends. The lentil used is Bengal gram and spices are used minimum to cook the dish.
Ensuring that other community members can also enjoy the traditional dish, some homemakers ran a campaign providing the same on order as Sunday treats. “The day was started to promote Sindhi cuisine and to make new generation of society aware of cuisine,” Meena Hinduja, a community member, said. She added that the day is annually celebrated on April 11, which comes around Sindhi New Year - Cheti Chand. This year, Cheti Chand will be celebrated on April 13.
“After 40 days of Chaaliho, the followers of Jhulelal celebrate the occasion as Thanks Giving Day, that is, New Year day as Cheti Chand,” said community member Shankar Kishan. On Cheti Chand, Baharana Sahib is taken to a nearby river or lake and offerings are made in form of donations to underprivileged people.
Dal Pakwan Day is celebrated with fervour in cities including Indore, Bhopal, Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Surat etc. “Usually, we get the authentic taste and delicious flavours of Sindhi cuisine in Sindhi colony, but now that the colony is in a containment area and lockdown is in force, we have no choice,” Arjun Ramnani, a college student, said. He lives in residential campus of a private college and often visits the colony to get in touch with heritage food.
“Luckily, some women and some stall owners were willing to send delicious Dal Pakwan home. It made my day. Also, it was a great start for all of us at the campus,” Ramnani said.
