SARDAR'S MEAT SHOP

I don't often buy crockery, but when I do, I make my purchases fromAzad Market, which has a wholesale crockery section. Once upon a time,when I had friends who were in the marriageable age, I used to gothere quite often in search of tea sets, which, no doubt, were of nouse to my newly-wedded friends who would have preferred a set ofglasses. Now that I am in that in-between age – when friends are tooold to marry, and their children too young to wed -- I go to AzadMarket only when I am looking for an eatery.It's a big market, with tarpaulin wholesalers who also sell armydisposables. And because it's a sprawling area, food joints abound.This week, I went in search of Sardarji's meat shop. If you are goingthere from Filmistan, turn right at the Azad Market traffic light.Keep walking, and after about 200 metres you will find Sardarji's shopon your right. It's run by a father-and-son duo – called InderjitSingh and Kuldip SinghWhen I last went there, it was a small shop. Now it is pretty big, andhas a seating arrangement for those who wish to eat there. Sardarjiopens at 1 pm, and till 4 pm he serves meat pulao and mutton curry.Both are for Rs 130 a plate, and a half plate is for Rs 70. In theevenings, he sells all kinds of snacks – from tikkeys to fried liverand kidney.I went in the afternoon, so I packed some dinner from there. On thecounter in front of me were big cauldrons with pulao and mutton curry.Next to it was a tandoor which spewed out hot rotis. I asked for aplate of pulao, mutton curry, and four rotis.It's quite a popular place, and was brimming over with people. Some ofthe regular patrons are local shopkeepers – robust eaters who weredemolishing a mountain of rotis with their meat while I waited for my
order.I quite enjoyed my dinner. The mutton came in a rich gravy, thickenedwith masalas and keema. The pieces were nice and large, and the meathad been cooked to perfection – it was neither too hard, nor much toosoft. The gravy was rich with small liver pieces, and what I liked themost was the fact that it wasn't seeped in red chillies. Often, eatingout means I have to compensate with a spoonful of some kind of anantacid at home. Sardarji's meat, thankfully, was not red hot spicy.The pulao was pretty good as well, though it did leave an oil slickbehind. There was plenty of meat in the pulao, and the pieces againwere tender.All in all, I am glad I went there. The journey was tough – the marketis crowded, and you can't find an autorickshaw. It took me 45 minutesto get one. But the journey back home was nice – for I was envelopedby a wonderful aroma of mutton curry. I wish I'd got some packed formy auto-driver. I thought I heard him sniff every now and then.