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Renowned for her traditional cooking techniques and open-fire cooking, Chef Amninder Sandhu is a celebrated Indian chef. With her latest venture, Palaash, which is not just a culinary venture but a commitment to uplifting people from neighbouring villages and creating a sustainable dining experience, the chef introduced Chandigarh to her modern Indian cooking style.
With the menu inspired by fresh, seasonal produce, the chef and her all-women team at Palaash graced Corby’s at Hyatt Centric, Chandigarh, for a two-day pop-up, i.e. on the 28th and 29th of March 2025. With open-fire cooking and organic, locally sourced ingredients, the tasting menu was an inspiration from the chef’s roots, travels, and regional heritage. Read on to get an exclusive scoop on Chef Amninder Sandhu’s pop-up in the Tricity.
Open-Fire Cooking And Traditional Indian Cuisine
Chef Amninder Sandhu, who has dedicated her career to traditional Indian cooking, shares her take on open-fire cooking, “The way ingredients break down in an open fire is very different from what happens on a gas stove. It's not that everything tastes smoky, but it lends a little hint of smokiness in the end, which brings the whole dish together. Even a simple dish like baingan ka bharta with phulka done on an open fire will taste absolutely different than when it’s prepared on gas.”
“Spread wide in a 12-foot forest, Palaash is something very different from my other ventures like Bawri in Goa and Bombay. Everything is on an open fire, and whatever we use in our menu, we grow on our property as it’s hard to search for ingredients there. We’ve also tied up with a few local farmers in our vicinity, and we buy certain ingredients from them,” the chef elaborates.
Palaash And Chef Amninder Sandhu’s All-Women Team At Hyatt Centric, Chandigarh
“Palaash is located next to Tipai Wildlife Sanctuary, and that whole region is known for the higher farmer suicide rate. It’s a poor neighbourhood, and the whole idea behind opening Palaash at Tipai was to uplift the local community. So, 80% of our workforce comes from the village, including everyone from butlers, housekeeping, reception, and so on,” the chef notes.
Talking about the women who run the kitchen at Palaash, Amninder Sandhu says, “These ladies have been cooking for their families for about 20-25 years and used to prepare 400 chapatis every day. And even without any professional training, the chapatis had the same thickness and perfectly round shape. I saw that even the aloo paratha that they made for breakfast had the perfect stuffing and wouldn’t really get it at any fancy hotel. Plus, with whatever little I was teaching them, they were very consistent with it. That’s why I thought I should give them a chance and train them at Palaash and see how far we can go.”
“To keep the diners entertained, we make sure to plate our traditionally prepared dishes with a contemporary touch. We work on the serveware and garnishes, and I’m training the ladies to make complex blends, working with different textures to blend the older Indian techniques and new-age plating,” she further adds.
Expressing a heartfelt gratitude to Chef Amninder Sandhu and the Palaash Team in Chandigarh, Mr Sohaib Kidwai, General Manager, Hyatt Centric Chandigarh, says, “At Hyatt Centric Chandigarh, we are dedicated to curating unique and enriching experiences for our guests. Hosting Chef Amninder Sandhu and her team was an exciting opportunity to showcase culinary excellence that seamlessly blends tradition with innovation.”
A Closer Look Into The 7-Course Meal
With a Punjabi background, brought up in Northeastern India, and setting up Palaash in Maharashtra, Chef Amninder has picked the best of all regional cuisines. The tasting menu for the pop-up featured a 7-course meal with hyper-local flavours picked from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and some parts of Andhra Pradesh.
1st Course
The first course featured a sweet and tangy Ambadi chaat. “The Maharashtrian leaf, Ambadi, is grown a lot on our property. So, taking that, we’ve made a chaat with charred pineapple granita, aerated yoghurt, and tamarind,” Chef Sandhu elaborates.
2nd Course
For the second course, the Palaash team had prepared a deconstructed dabeli. With all the right textures, from a spicy potato mixture, a soft side of bread, and the crunchy shengadana, it was a treat for all foodies. Diving into the ingredients, Amninder Sandhu says, “Making our deconstructed version of the popular street food, we use pomegranate jelly, spiced peanuts, potato mush, and potato chips.”
3rd Course
As for non-vegetarians, the 3rd course featured a slow-cooked raan, bhakri, and laal theccha. Replacing the raan, the vegetarian version had arbi. “The millet jowar is grown a lot at our location because of the scarcity of water. So, we made a jowar bhakri with raan topped with cabbage, and you eat it like a taco,” the chef adds. Then was a filling plate featuring sooji bater and paratha, served with charred onion.
4th Course
For a quick palette cleanser before the star dish of the show, the fourth course was a gendaphool sorbet topped with fresh flower petals.
5th Course
“If there was a dish called ‘me on a plate,’ it would be this,” Chef Amninder Sandhu says while introducing the fifth course. The northeastern dish featured bamboo smoked mutton (or phanaas for vegetarians). It is served with Indrayani rice wrapped in Kashiphal patta. The dish was served with tiny potatoes called Gotti aloo and mustard green chutney made with Indian olives
6th Course
“Back at our property, we make Kala Jamun. So, kala jamun soaked in Mahua and served with a side of pistachio ice cream would be the first dessert Palaash would bring to the table,” says Amninder Sandhu.
7th Course
The guests had starry eyes at the second and final dessert, which featured two tiny bites. They were served with a kulhad filled with thandai dipped paan.
