A royal platter

Somya Abrol

You wouldn’t think twice before trusting a fourth-generation chef from Lucknow with your Awadhi food platter. Would you? When the chef responsible for Ambanis’ Awadhi fare at events bestows his specialty on your city, you’d better be mentally prepared for the guilt trip!

In Chandigarh briefly to put together the Awadhi food festival at Welcome Hotel Bella Vista, Sector 5, Panchkula, Chef Shareef — from ITC Maratha, Mumbai — doesn’t shy away from drawing comparisons between the royal cuisines of yesteryears and the perception of the royal cuisine today. “The royal food of Awadh was known for its richness back in the day. Today, it is only looked at as ‘heavy food’. So, since we make certain adjustments here and there – like using olive oil in place of ghee, reducing the amount of khoya used in gravies remarkably, using light vegetables like lauki (bottle-gourd) for vegetarian variants – the true authenticity of the cuisine is compromised; not lost,” says the chef, who also demonstrated the Galouti Kebab and the Dudhiya Kebab live for his guests.

Signature dishes being showcased as a part of the festival include Murg Chandi Tikka, Galouti Kabab, Khumb Khasta Seekh, Dudhiya Kebab, Mahi Qaliya, Gosht Ki Nehari, Qasar-e-Pukhtan and Guncha Wa Keema. For the sweet tooth, indulge in Kulfi Badshah Pasand, Shahi Tukra and Gulaab Ki Kheer.

(On at the hotel’s restaurant, Serenade Pavilion, till December 14)

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What’s cooking?

The Chef Sharif shares the recipe of Dudhiya Kebab.

Ingredients:

1 kg paneer

Half kg potatoes

50 gm desi ghee

2.5 gm shahi jeera

25 gm besan

125 gm tomato ketchup

25 gm red chilly powder

5 gm chaat masala

Salt to taste

50 gm cheese

200 gm bread crumbs

For marination:

5 gm ginger-garlic paste

5 gm white pepper powder

Method:

• Slice cottage cheese lengthwise to 5mm thickness and cut it with a round cutter of 2 mm diameter.

• Marinate these cottage cheese slices with ginger-garlic paste and white pepper powder

• For the stuffing, boil the potatoes and grate them. Keep aside.

• In a lagan, pour 80 gm desi ghee, then add shahi jeera, besan, salt, red chilly powder and sauté this mixture for 10 minutes, till it dries up.

• Allow it to cool, then add grated potatoes and mix well.

• Prepare a sandwich with two cottage cheese slices and 40 gm potato stuffing each. Coat it with bread crumbs.

• In a pan, pour some desi ghee and shallow fry the kebabs.

• Serve hot.