CHENNAI: A man in a checked shirt ruefully shakes his head as a server offers his more food. The server doesn’t take a no for an answer, however, and cajoles him along gently. He is then joined by another server, and together, they convince the man to take another heaping serving of the dal baati churma.
This typical sign of Rajasthani hospitality is what one can expect at the Khandani Rajdhani at Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery. To celebrate the king of fruits, the restaurant is hosting an Aamalicious menu.The newly renovated restaurant in Phoenix MarketCity was packed on Sunday. The quality of a Rajasthani thali is determined by three dishes — dal baati churma, kadhi and aamras. Mango was incorporated into many dishes of the thali.
According to corporate chef Hemaram Chaudhary, the dal baati churma is made with dried rasool mangoes imported from Mumbai. The menu, with 33 new dishes, changes every day. This Rajasthani staple is present every day. Creamy and crunchy, with a hint of sweetness from the mango, the dish is one of the three farsan (appetisers) available. The mango dal pakwan, made with raw mango, started off the meal with a burst of tanginess. The soft aam ki laungi with the firm khoba roti was a textural delight.
“We worked with the R&D team for many years on this menu. The other chefs and I used to prepare dishes and menus and discuss it with each other, the marketing team, and even our MD. This process went on until we finalised these dishes,” says Chaudhary, who has been cooking for over 30 years. The dal baati churma recipe is one passed on from his guru, he says, adding that he has the recipes of every dish memorised.
Timing and execution is another aspect to the thali-eating process. Servers swoop in with ladles of food exactly when you’re done with the first round. The four varieties of vegetable curries we were served — paneer maharani, arbi capsicum vatana, dum aloo Kashmiri and Jaiselmeri deshi channa — are overshadowed by the three varieties of dal — kairi surti dal, dal tadkewali and ratlami sev kadhi. The kadhi is the right amount of savoury, and can be paired with bread or chilkewali khichdi. The hidden star of this round was, however, the dal tadkewali.
“We have the same menus in all our branches all over the world. We do not alter the recipe, unless there is a shortage of a certain ingredient in the area. The festival is on until June 10, because mango season begins to draw to a close then, and we do not want to compromise on quality,” says Vinod Narayan, senior manager, sales and operation.
The expectations for the aamras was paramount. A server pours the lusciously thick orange puree into a silver katori. The chilled liquid is perfectly sweet and smooth, and made purely out of fresh mangoes, with no added spices. Adding to Team Dessert was a sinfully indulgent moong dal halwa, and a crispy mango jalebi with a thick rabdi that will make you say, “This is going to become an issue with my gym teacher.”
Priced at `750 per thali, the Aamalicious menu will be available for lunch (12.30 pm to 3.30 pm) and dinner (7 pm to 11 pm) till June 10.