Punjab: The Congress party’s political fortunes may have seen ups and downs, but a crispy and tasty dish dedicated to its legacy in Hoshiarpur has only grown stronger with time. A beloved local delicacy ‘Congressi’ sold by the iconic pakora shop Pandit Bihari Pakora Wala has been ruling the palate of generations for over eight decades. Interestingly, the ‘Congressi’ pakora has no direct connection with the Congress party, but its name is inspired by the idea of unity that the party once symbolised. Jagmohan Sharma, the third generation owner of the family business, explains, “We don’t know if it was named by Panditji or the customers. But, all I know about it is that it was named Congressi because it had a variety of vegetables and spices and flavours all mixed together in one pakora. It was inspired by the Congress party, whose members were people from all religions, castes, states and languages.” Both the name and popularity stuck in the hearts of the people. Jagmohan, who joined the business soon after graduating from DAV College in 1999, says, “Our shop sells 25 other types of pakoras, and Congress pakoras are one of the biggest selling points. Whether our customers order anything or not, every order has Congress pakoras.”
The story of Congress pakoras is about 85-90 years old. Pandit Bihari Lal came with his elder brother Pandit Milkhi Ram from Lelehli village in Una – which was then a sub-division of Hoshiarpur district (now in Himachal Pradesh). The duo started selling pakoras in the Chowk Surjan area in the heart of Hoshiarpur. Wanting to innovate, they came up with a new style of pakora – a round ball-shaped fritter that contained almost every vegetable used in pakoras. It was prepared using a special mixture of gram flour and spices. The pakoras were served with two unique chutneys—one made of dried raw mango pulp, and the other a mix of onion and mint—deliberately omitting the commonly used tamarind. Even after so many years, the recipe has remained unchanged. Ingredients include brinjal, pumpkin, onion, cauliflower, spinach, green fenugreek leaves (or dried fenugreek if fresh fenugreek is not available), coriander leaves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and other spices. However, one ingredient has been deliberately excluded right from the start—potatoes. Despite being a staple in most pakora recipes, it was strictly prohibited in the Congress.
