Relishing food that is served in a thali has by far been the most traditional experience of Indian cuisine. Having food with the essence of flavours, make the dishes even better has always added another vibe to the meal. While we explore different cuisines in the city, thalis have by far been the most satisfying option of food that one could crave for. Most recently, Kanak at Trident Hyderabad hosted a Telugu Thali Food Festival, exclusively curated by chef Meera.
While we waited patiently for the food to be served, the chef, with a broad smile on her face, welcomed us by introducing herself and her food. Each dish served in the thali had a story to be told, and as she served us the food, she also explained to us all about the specialty of the thali. “The cuisine that is served is basically the dishes of Andhra and Telangana regions. I am from Vijayawada and now settled in Hyderabad. I wanted people to experience the real and authentic flavours of Telugu cuisine, which is usually underrated. The fact that this food has the richest flavours makes it the most craved cuisine,” she blissfully explained.
Starting off with Kodi Vepudu and Fish fry, which was surely one of the best starters, did create a vibe at Kanak, followed by Stuffed Mirchi Bajji and Vada, another set of combinations, served with Allam Chutney.
Moving on, the chef enthusiastically placed the thalis on the table, which had both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. “All the dishes that are served are the most relished ones in the Telugu states. I am usually fond of home style cooking, and I made sure that every dish makes you get nostalgic about the flavours and gives you the real taste of every dish. The Chicken Pulao, Jeera Rice, Prawn Fry, Pulusu, Pappu, Rasam and plain rice that should be eaten with ghee, podi and of course, some fried mirchi and papad, completes the thali. We also have Poori, which can be eaten with Mutton or Chicken Curry. For vegetarians, we have Gutti Vankaya, Aratikaya to go with the thali,” she informs.
While we were enjoying the meal, the chef also explained what fascinates her about cooking, and she says, “It is the joy of serving food that makes me cook. I love cooking and invite my friends over for dinners. They all loved the way I served food and so they asked me to do something about it. Slowly, I started hosting food pop-ups and became an expert in both the Telugu states food style. It makes me happy to give the best of flavours to the people and put the cuisine on the map.”
As we were satisfied to have the thali, soon we were served Bobbatlu and Junnu for the dessert and indeed, it was a great finish to the most wholesome meal.