Curating food festivals has always been a trend in the hotel industry but there are hardly few who do justice to it. In the last one year I have attended many but most of them lack the authenticity and research. The one I still remember was the Purvaiyaa Food Festival curated by seasoned blogger Maneesh Srivastava last year which connected instantly with the masses.
Recently when I was invited by Leela Ambience Gurugram to attend the Mughlai Food Festival named The Emperors Table by Chef Ashish Bhasin and his team I made sure that I don’t miss this one. Reason was the man behind the festival, Bhasin, whom I admire for his passion to revive the regional cuisines of the country.
Aptly titled The Emperors Table he is showcasing dishes from different eras of Mughal kings. It’s not easy to execute such a concept in its true essence as lots of research and hit-and-trials are necessary to replicate the true Mughal flavours from that period. Food sans chili can also be a synonym for his menu as most of the Mughal kings hardly had any hot spice in their food. As I went through the menu I was impressed by the minute detailing.
Menu opened from right as one is reading a Persian or an Arabic manuscript and each dish had a description sharing a piece of history about the Mughal Dastarkhwan. I started with Luleh Kebab a classic from Humayun’s Dastarkhwan. Imagine that the khansamas made this kebab in a tandoor just to impress the king.
It was one of the initial preparations done in tandoor where the seekh was later on wrapped in mint flavoured bread and served with fresh cucumber and pomegranate adding freshness to each bite. Yakhni kebab to follow was a delight for a meat eater like me. No overpowering spices keeping the meat flavour intact made me felt like a king for a minute.
Curries in the mains were worth a notice as most of them were subtle and had refreshing flavours and fragrance due to the use of dry fruits, plums, apricots, saffron and other nuts. Birahi Roti and Ananas ka Kulcha paired well with the curries and the Biranj-e-Amba (rice cooked with condensed milk and mango puree) was good enough to end the Mughal gastronomic journey on a sweeter note. Festival ends March 24, so please ensure you don’t miss the remake of Mughal- e-Azam.