Royal Treat

The Awadhi cuisine is cooked with exotic spices and garnished with dry fruits — a symbol of prosperity and royalty. Elaborate dishes like kebabs,kormas,kaliya,nahari-kulchas,zarda,sheermal,roomali rotis and Nawabi parathas are the highlights of this cuisine. However,what have made this restaurant popular are the spacious kitchen and the dum style of cooking.

Inspired by the Mughlai cuisine,each Awadhi dish is painstakingly prepared with attention to detail. “For the Mutton Pucci Biryani,the yeakhi (juice) from the raw tender meat is removed,and cooked separately with malai (fresh cream),while the rice is soaked in milk and cooked separately with grounded spices and then layered in the deg (an Indian utensil with sloping sides and a narrow neck). Kewda and saffron are then added on top,and baked again,” says Mohammad Salim,the bawarchi at the Grand Nawabs,who uses a large surface covered with coal to cook the dishes. Not just the biryani,other main course items like the Chicken Lagan,Raan Musallam and the Paneer Begum Bahaar are also cooked on the furnace and then covered with a large sheet to make the meat very tender.

The starters at the Grand Nawabs are a must. But stick to mutton,we would say. The Kakori Kebab and the Mutton Galoti Kebab,almost melt in mouth. “That’s because they are cooked on coal for a long time,” says Salim. The Tunda Kebab and the Reshmi Kabab were not as enjoyable or as tender as them.

Every city in India is known for its street fare,and Lucknow specialises in Nawabi Parathas,which are served with Kakori Kebabs. Mohammad Gufran,the naanfus,brings his expertise to its kitchen by making these parathas on what is called an ulta tawa (an inverted tawa). “This is the most popular kind of roti in Lucknow. This can even be made at home,” he informs us. The Awadhi cuisine boasts of a wide variety of parathas and rotis.

The vegetarian selection at the Grand Nawab is just as delectable. The extensive vegetarian menu prepared by the maharaj Ajay Dixit consists of innovative dishes like Dal Pachmeel,a dish made from five kinds of dal,and Rajma Galoti Kabab which is the vegetarian version of galoti kababs. They were nicely done and go well with roomali rotis or even sheermal,saffron-flavoured rotis. However,a little less spice in the Vegetarian Tahari Pulao would have made it more delicious.

The elaborate Awadhi dining ritual does not end without its rich and lip-smacking desserts. Mujjafer,a sweet dish made from vermicelli and dry fruits,and Zaffrani Kheer,which is embellished with varq,a delicate shimmering of edible silver,are what gastronomes dream of.