Tarinder Jeet Singh, 68, Hyderabad.

My wife Guddi and I are professed foodies. As Punjabis in Kolkata, where food has become a way of life, getting into the fast food business was something waiting to happen.

After an adventurous culinary journey, Guddi and I are now thrilled to serve up the most delicious kathi kebabs, shawarma and many other lip-smacking items from our food truck, Parathawallas and Grills, in Hyderabad. Guddi is especially pleased that her recipes and food ideas have caught on with young Hyderabadis. She is in and out of the truck, nattering on in Bengali to Sujoy, our young chef who looks after the Bengali food being served. Some young people stop to tell us how good the food is and nothing could make us happier!

By qualification, I studied ceramic engineering from Kolkata University and worked in that line for nearly 20 years before winding up and relocating to Hyderabad. I had developed asthma and doctors said the dust in my work environment had damaged my lungs. I had visited Hyderabad for work and fell in love with the city. So, in 2000, we moved to Hyderabad, lock stock and smoking chulah! Within six months, we set up a Punjabi food outlet called Sardarji in Yousufguda.

While I supervised the kitchen, making sure it was well-stocked and clean, Guddi trained the cooks and looked after the menu. We did well but had to wind up in 2007 owing to some legal issues. I tried a short foray into mining and lapsed into a ‘retired life’ for three years. Then, in 2013, Guddi’s sister and her husband came to settle in Hyderabad after a stint in the US and shook us out of our somnolence. They have always loved our food and convinced us to start a food truck. And that’s how Parathawallas and Grills came into being.

Obviously, the items on call were limited. We agreed on three to four varieties of parathas, kathi kebabs, shawarma, sandwiches and a few other snacks. Combining Punjabi and Bong food sensitivities thus delivered an interesting menu—on one hand, the famous kathi rolls of the Nizams with spicy chicken keema stuffed in a maida roti with salad; on the other, gobi paratha, keema paratha or aloo paratha served with fresh homemade dahi and pickles!

We had all the permissions in place and our menu ready by May 2013. First, we parked at Srinagar Colony and business was just picking up when someone raised objections to our being there. So we moved to Filmnagar. It turned out to be ideal. There are no neighbours, no competition and plenty of customers. And guess what? Our regular customers from Srinagar Colony have found our new location and come back to us!

As we have added some Chinese and Indian dishes to our menu, we have to make some preparations at home, like the base curry for the Indian dishes and some dumplings and noodles for the Chinese offerings. Otherwise, for the shawarma, kathi rolls and the parathas, everything is done out in the open.

All the food is freshly served, which is a huge draw. We take great pains to supervise everything and ensure good hygiene. Fresh ingredients are used every day. We take no shortcuts. Guddi, her sister and I take turns in the kitchen while my brother-in-law is our PR man. He talks to the customers, solicits their opinions and asks them whether our food lives up to their expectations. All in all, it’s a family affair.

In future, we hope to give our franchise to younger people. We are getting on in years and cannot do as much as we could even five years ago. That said. I would like to be remembered for our food, especially our parathas!

—As told to Shyamola Khanna

Photograph by Shyamola Khanna
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
October 2016