HYDERABAD:In the imposing ‘Ritz Carlton-Bangalore’, as you enter their restaurant ‘Riwaz’, you can sense the impeccable “tehzeeb” of the staff; the Awadhi aromas from the open kitchen hint that you might be in a noble palace of Lucknow; the prominent ‘Spice Corner’ catches your eye where a large a number of Indian spices are classily displayed adding to the elegant ambience. Once you settle down and open the menu, you travel back in time – to the times of Lucknowi nawabs and their highly refined epicurean tastes, which resulted in a culinary art that defines a distinctive culture.
I sat looking around, appreciating the décor and sinking in the setting when the Chef de Cuisine materialised to enlighten me on the premise of their much sought-after restaurant, “Riwaz”. It seems their guests prefer North Indian cuisine, especially Awadhi cuisine, which was born in the lavish kitchens of the wealthy nawabs and Lucknow is the proud inheritor of this legacy. Greatly influenced by the Mughal cooking techniques, Awadhi cuisine bears similarities to those of Central Asia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad. The dum pukht (the art of cooking over a slow fire) invented by the bawarchis (chefs) and rakabdars (royal cooks) of Awadh has become synonymous with Lucknow today.
The cuisine has a large repertoire that calls for a variety of rich ingredients and spices. Kebabs are their forte: grilled on a chulah and sometimes in a skillet as opposed to grilled in a tandoor. Treading the same path, “Riwaz” gets its spices exclusively from Lucknow to use in their signature dishes like Bhatti ka Murg, Galouti Kebab, Awadhi Seek, Dum Khorma, Akbari Paneer etc.
Meanwhile, the Kebab plate arrived with a few gems like Lahori Jhinga (jumbo prawns in a homemade spice mix marinade, chargrilled), Subz Badam ki Shikampuri (seasonal vegetable cake crusted with almond, “pan-fried”, Palak ki Shammi (spiced spinach patties, with a core of herbed hung yoghurt, “pan seared”), Afghani Boti Kebab (succulent pieces of lamb marinated with coriander, chilli, cinnamon and ginger).
The Galouti or Galawati (melt in the mouth) kebab made a special entry. I was told 120 spices (readymade) go into this prime creation: when Emperor Aurangzeb put his father Shah Jahan in the prison, he called the khansama and instructed him to make very soft and fine kebabs for his father as he had no teeth left to chew. Thus the Galouti kebab was born, which is super soft, the finely ground meat just melts in the mouth.
“Bhatti ka Murg” is another signature dish of theirs: simplified and converted to “Bhatti Kebab”. Though originally made with a whole chicken, now it is a single piece kebab - boneless.“Nali Nihari” – Slow cooked Lamb shanks with onion, chilli, yoghurt, mint, coriander and the chef’s special nihari masala, it was delicious to the core. Nihari is cooked slowly overnight, which results in extremely tender morsels of meat, including the flavourful bone marrow.
I often tend to compare Biryanis across India as I hail from Hyderabad where the best biryanis are found. But the Awadhi Biryani didn’t disappoint: known as “pukka” Biryani here the rice and meat are cooked separately and then layered. My feast concluded with Badam halwa and kulfi!
I was told that for their upcoming food festival “Royal Afghan”, they would be introducing exotic dishes like “Balochi Raan” – whole lamb leg cooked on the floor of the tandoor (minus the sand). Looking forward to it!! The next morning as I fondly recollected the previous night’s nawabi feast, I was ensconced in a “Jaali Embrace”. Please don’t get me wrong: it is one of the treatments, so suggestively named. Here you are in the lap of luxury, surrounded by decadent indulgence – I was thoroughly spoilt by all the pampering at the spa.
The 90 Minutes of Jaali is a four-handed treatment of synchronised Abhyanga that restores energy, physical and emotional equilibrium and releases tension. Coffee oil is recommended for Jaali for a local experience. Alternatively, ‘Inner Peace’ or ‘Relax Oil’ is used for the massage, which helps to relax, de-stress and induces sleep. Customised to address an individual’s health concerns, a detailed consultation prior to the treatment is part of the journey wherein the therapist enquires about the guest’s health issues and observes the areas that need to be taken care of during the treatment.
I shed all my worldly worries like missing deadlines and discount sales; sipped a ginger honey tea tucked into a cosy bed under the canopy until I was called for my session. Achui from Manipur started with a welcome foot ritual, later Mercy from Nagaland joined: using warm oil and hot volcanic stone for the massage with long, sweeping movements, they opened the blocked energy channels and the newly released energy in me gushed like warm blood. They also used a wooden stick to work on feet to activate pressure points, some passive stretches to make stiff muscles flexible, focussing mainly on the crucial chakras. I drifted into sleep. My blissful journey ended with one therapist massaging my head while the other gently rubbed my feet: hot sauna and shower followed. Fully rejuvenated, I emerged like a begum freshly bathed in milk, honey and rose petals (I truly felt like one!).
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)