CHENNAI: When there’s festivity all around, isn’t feasting the norm? So, when we heard about the Rajasthani and Gujarati food fest happening at E-Hotel, located within the premises of Express Avenue Mall, we took an unabashed decision – to rush to the hotel and treat ourselves to the food.
Balaji Satishkumar, executive chef of E-hotel, explains what the food fest is all about. “The food fest ends right on the day of Deepavali. It began on October 11. This is the time (between Dussehra and Deepavali) when people come out with their family and eat,” he says. And why did they choose delicacies from Rajasthan and Gujarat? “We had the same food fest last year around the same time and we wanted to continue this year too. This is the second time we are organising a Rajasthani and Gujarati food festival,” he says.
We are carried away by the irresistible aroma of food and go on to order dal ki shorba, a famous dish in both Rajasthan and Gujarat. “In the North and West, soup is referred to as shorba,” says Balaji. The pleasant piquant flavour of the spices-rich soup gives a pleasant start to our feast. We soon move on to relish makki ki roti with Rajasthani bindi. “Makki ki roti is famous in Rajasthan. People there don’t prefer rice like us South Indians,” Balaji says. So, while the deep-fried bindi tastes just as it should, the roti is soft and easy to tear.
The next on our plate is shahi gatte – a recipe which includes besan balls immersed in a mix of curd and besan. “Besan is one of the main ingredients in almost all Rajasthani dishes. And shahi gatte is a very famous delicacy,” Balaji says.
And finally, we taste the besan wali arbi – Arbi coated with besan, that’s deep fried and served along with yummy mint chutney.
“We shouldn’t cook arbi just like that. Or else there would be a sense of irritation in our mouths. We need to first boil it, peel off the skin and then grill it,” says Balaji. Our dinner session comes to a close with us savouring large Gujarati rasgullas immersed in sugar syrup, and kaju ki barfi.
The Rajasthani and Gujarati food festival is on at E-Hotel, Express Avenue Mall till October 22. Buffet dinner for one is priced `549 excluding taxes. There is a total of 14 main course dishes, two soups varieties, seven salads and 10 desserts (including ice creams). For more details, about the food fest call 044-28463333.