HYDERABAD: How does walking down the lanes of Delhi’s Chandini Chowk and savouring the most delectable Shakarkandi ki chaat while staying within reach of Charminar’s Patthar Boti sound? Well, it might seem like a distant best-of-both-worlds dream where you are straddling the essence of two different palates, but to make this gastronomical get-together a reality, just walk into Kangan, the speciality Peshawari and Hyderabadi restaurant at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace.
Their Charminar aur Chandni Chowk food festival is ready to serve luscious food from our very own Charminar and mouth-watering chaat from Chandini Chowk. And to top it off, authentic Dilli 6 desserts. A culinary exploration indeed.
While Kesari dahi bhalla papdi, Delhi 6 dahi golgappa and Moradabadi dal are reminiscent of the beautifully chaotic lanes of Chandni Chowk; dishes like Gosht ka dalcha, Bagara chawal and Methi magaz will feel just like home. At least that’s what we felt as we savoured the dishes at the food festival, which will go on till November 28.
Helping us understand the flavours better, Chef Prem Kumar Pogakula, Executive Chef at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, explains how the festival brings together the meats of Charminar with the chaat of Chandini Chowk, offering a union like no other. “Chandni Chowk chaats are the starters and then there are local Hyderabadi meats like bheja and gurda kapura,” he highlights.
The chef believes that people who are from Hyderabad very rarely get to savour authentic Hyderabadi food and end up eating the staple that the city is always associated with — biryani. This is why they connected with a master chef from the city, who has been whipping up authentic local dishes for a very long time now, to offer bonafide Hyderabadi dishes.
“We consciously did not include biryani in the menu as it is available all over the city anyway,” says the chef. The menu itself is not very elaborate, as he puts it, but offers select, dishes which resonate both with the palate and the heart.