CHENNAI : A wise man once said: Everything nice and tasty comes with a silver spoon. True to these words, the Hilton hotel is organising a one-of-it’s kind Food Fiesta for all the foodies in the city. In this two week-long fest, seven chefs will present signature dishes from seven different states. On the first day, the hotel celebrated Uttar Pradesh. Attendants wearing the traditional UP attire greeted and guided me to the dinning room. A map of the state was neatly outlined on a plate with turmeric and red chilli powder, signifying the theme and the cuisine for the day.
The chef for the day was Manish, executive chef, Raintree Hilton Hotel, Agra, and an expert in UP cuisine. Trusting his experience and passion for cooking, I decided to go with his choice of the Nawabi menu. While explaining the menu, the chef shares that some of the recipes were taught to him by his grandmother. Within a few minutes, a sweet and sour buttermilk was served in a tall glass, and I prepared myself for a grand lunch. We then graduated to the vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters.
Chapli kebab, rava machhi, and dahi ke kebab were my personal favourites. “Nawabs led a lazy and lethargic life. So, they ensured that their food was mild, and smooth, but rich. Spices like ginger, chironji, coriander, crushed pepper and nuts like cashew, walnut and pistachios form the basis of Nawabi cuisine,” explained Manish.
The main course was unusual. I had never tried this combination of sweet paratha and flavoured rice from Agra. The paratha was unique in texture and taste, which when dipped into the curry absorbed the mild flavours like saffron, almond and cardamom making the combo delicious.
Chef Manish enjoys making dishes which have fillings. One of his most innovative recipes is paneer dum anar, where paneer is stuffed with fresh pomegranate and clove. This, Manish says, gives a rich and sophisticated flavour to the dish. Other side dishes at the lunch included murgh rizata, Agra ki nihari and makhmali raan.
The meal reached a crescendo when I was served paan pitha and keli ki kheer. The mild gulkand and supari flavour from the pitha melted in my mouth and I drifted into food coma. “This is the signature dish of Agra. It’s surprising how the different flavours in this dish can entice a foodie,” he said.