Copper Chimney launches a new Limited Edition Autograph Menu as a tribute to its founder Mr JK Kapur, featuring new dishes made with his secret recipes alongside the brand’s best-seller classics over the past 5 decades. Copper Chimney is owned by Charcoal Concepts, a platform for specialist Indian food and beverage, founded by K Hospitality Corp. The company has a clear vision to conceptualize, incubate, develop and grow leading brands for Indian food and beverage and has a presence across India, the Middle East and the UK.
1947 marked the year of the Partition. J.K. Kapur, a young guy travelling from Lahore to a newly independent India, was one of the thousands crossing the border from Pakistan to India carrying little with him but a few essentials and memories of the flavours he grew up with. One of the numerous foods from his childhood that stayed with him throughout his life was the flavour of his mother’s homemade “maa ki dal,” which was cooked overnight on a little homemade “Chula” burned with coal in the backyard of his house.
In order to recreate the food that was inspired by his heritage down to every last detail, Mr. J.K. Kapur assembled a team in 1972 with whom he shared the top-secret recipes that he had been painstakingly honing in his personal kitchen over the previous 25 years. When it came to ingredients, cooking methods, and flavours drawn from the cuisine of an undivided India, from Peshwar to Delhi, these Chefs he taught to be Masters, known as Ustads, internalised the secrets and mastered the skill of making no compromises.
Caption – Mr JK Kapur (right) with late Mr Dilip Kumar (centre) and Mr Prem Chaddha (left) at the launch of the first Copper Chimney, Bombay 1972
Caption – Chef Tari (far left), JK Kapur (second from left), Prem Chaddha (centre), Dilip Kumar (second from right), and Waheeda Rehman (far right) at the 1st Copper Chimney launch, Bombay 1972
First Copper Chimney
The first Copper Chimney was inaugurated by the legendary actor, the late Shri Dilip Kumar. It was the first restaurant in India to have a show kitchen where the diners could watch the iconic roomali rotis being tossed in the air by the Ustads.The restaurant in the ’70s was helmed by Chef Tari, the first female Chef in an era where female chefs were unheard off; she dished out some of the most memorable tandoori rotis to guests.
Copper Chimney introduced dishes to India such as the legendary Burrah Chops from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, the Iranian-inspired Chelo Kabab and the Smoked White Pepper Chicken Chop delicately flavoured with Baluchi spices. Copper Chimney’s unique version of the black dal, based on JK Kapur’s mother’s signature recipe was introduced and is known as the Dal Maharaja. The Multan-inspired Paneer Tikka, with Copper Chimney’s softest melt-in-your-mouth paneer, is unparalleled and par excellence in the country, and the signature Kadak Roomali, is another Copper Chimney original since 1972.
The New Limited Edition Autograph Menu – Nov 2022
A tribute to J.K Kapur, featuring new dishes made with his secret recipes alongside the brand’s best-seller classics over the past 5 decades.
The Autograph Menu features new dishes and best-seller classics over the decades capturing the food stories and fond memories of the flavours he grew up with. Each dish on the menu is a narrative of the rich culinary culture and legacy of an undivided India. The popular street food made on open pits by the local ‘kababchis’. The Mutton Kalia and the Parda Chicken Kabab are inspired by street kababs.
The Himalayan Gucchi Pulao in the Autograph menu features the exotic black morels or Gucchi from the foothills of Kashmir. This pulao was made and savoured on special occasions and was considered a dish prized for its distinct earthy and smoky flavour. The essence of Kashmir is also highlighted in the Subz Akhrot ki Seekh which is flavoured with crunchy walnuts and seasoned with authentic spices and a unique dip garnished with Kashmiri Chili Rogan.
The menu brings diversity with influences across the Undivided North of India. Blended with the local flair of the North West Frontier Province, the Raan Peshawari originates from the campfires for the warriors and tribes. Rubbed with Copper Chimney’s signature spices and steeped overnight, it is slowly roasted to perfection. The Autograph Menu also features the popular recipe from the streets of Peshawar, the Pashtuni Chicken Yakhni Pulao which has an aromatic effervescence of a signature Pathani spice mix and is garnished with afghani red berries.In remembrance of the local bread makers of Peshawar called ‘naanbais’, the Kabuli Naan is a Afghani-influenced bread with mildly sweet flavours and garnished with nuts and dried fruits.
Connecting past to the present, the Autograph Menu rekindles nostalgia with dishes that speak of the rich culinary era that was. The Palak Goolar Kofta covered with ‘Varq’ an edible silver leaf, is cooked in a luscious almond cashew gravy. The Royal Chicken Kofta is an inspiration by the Maharajas’ kitchens in the Punjab Province. The dhoda barfi that originated in 1912 as an energy food for local wrestlers of Undivided Punjab is featured as the Baked Dhoda – Copper Chimney’s version of a chewy, milk fudgy barfi served with a saffron sauce.
Last but not least, the tangy Kashmiri Soda gathers inspiration from the sodas sold by pushcart vendors in the by-lanes of Lahore!
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