Surinsar Chicken, Jamwal Style

Yes, I coined the adage. And why not? On the banks of the picturesque Surinsar Lake, 42 kilometres from the city of Jammu, one Mr. Jamwal runs this tea shop. Recommended, however, for a simple meal of Chicken Curry served along with Basmati Rice.

Ask for Jamwal's tea shop as soon as you descend to this 100-house village. Separated from Jammu by a mountainous terrain, Surinsar Lake is of religious significance. Fishing and boat rides are prohibited as the fishes and amphibian life of the lake are worshipped as local deities.

Ideal for a day trip, this reticent town welcomes you with a waft of Mr. Jamwal's slow cooked jungle chicken. He takes special care to clean the meat, chop and grind the ingredients, use fresh garden produce and then all of it goes into a typical iron cauldron.

Firewood is used to cook the chicken in a more bonfire style. The smoked aroma permeates the dish as you sit by the make shift fire pit and catch local updates and spicy anecdotes, courtesy, once again Mr. Jamwal.

Though, he may be reluctant to serve rice, a little cajoling does the trick. I was famished when there was another flurry of activity. Table laid, with packaged drinking water for faint tummies and some fizzy cold beverage et al., it was time for lunch.
Aromatic rice, white and fluffy like cotton melted in the red, spicy chicken curry. Ask for a piece of lemon, and Mr. J will run to his kitchen garden and return with what you need, a juicy, tangy lemon. No spoons or forks for use, resort to your fingers to do the trick. Pour, mix, break and take the first morsel of rice mixed in chicken and curry.

The mouth breaks into a zillion sensations. The succulent chicken, the basic ingredients and masalas have blended to create perfect dish. The natural sweetness of fine Basmati Rice (Jammu is famous for this rice) marries into the sizzling red flavors. This is richness juxtaposed with the rustic.

Take your time to savor this delicious meal and watch, rare migratory birds fly to and from the small island like land present in the center of the Lake. Food at it’s best, relished amidst the serenity of nature. The fresh tomatoes, along with the green and red chillies, garlic cloves, freshly chopped onions and a couple of bay leaf strands have merged together to create a poem to satiate the tummy and soul alike.

As the Sun crosses to the West sky, I reluctantly leave the rickety chair, pay and thank the master cook for an unforgettable lunch and better memories. The cool Lake breeze bid adieu as I cheerfully return to the meandering mountain roads, a tale of spices already cooking in my head.