HYDERABAD: Any meal that has delicacies that sound like a legacy from the royalty - Junglee Murgh, Gatte Ka Saag, Aloo Papad Achari, Char Dal Khimsar, Mangodi aur Mattar ka pulao etc. has to undoubtedly be from Royal Rajasthan. To go with the Holi festivities, Kitchens of India and Master Chef Anvir Singh are bringing the ‘Shekhawati & Marwari cuisine’ to Deccan Pavilion, ITC Kakatiya this week.
The ongoing food festival (on till March 24, for dinner, priced at 1999 AI) has lined up an amazing array of delicacies.
“The idea is to highlights unique, undiscovered, royal and forgotten aspects of the Indian culinary scape that are aptly held under the aegis of the ‘Kitchen of India’ series. Kitches of India is Responsible Luxury culinary initiative of ITC Hotels under which we have four banners – Unique Tastes, Royal Repast, Undiscovered legacies & Forgotten treasures,” says Chef Anvir who has curated the menu.
Among the highlights of the food festival are Jungli Murgh (a simple chicken cooked in ghee, red chili and salt) and Char Dal Khimsar (made using four types of dal – chana, masoor, moong and toor). “Jungli Murgh is a basic preparation as it was relished by the royalty after hunting and feasting on their catch. The staff used to carry the ingredients and cook by the fireside. Sometimes, simple is the best,” says the chef.
For Hyderabadis who are used to a lot of masaledar murgh with a dose of garam masala, this one comes as a pleasant surprise.
The dal, a delicious confluence of four kinds of dals, was viscous and ideal for both rotis and rice. Considering the arid landscape of Rajasthan, most of the dishes have a good measure of besan. The delicacies had a high visual appeal too. “We use resham patti mirchi for the pleasant flavour and hue,” says chef Shreya, who assists Chef Anvir. The festival ends Sunday.