Luckow, the ‘the land of nawabs', wows with its intense Mughal history, which is still alive in its present-day culture, especially food. Lucknawi cuisine is all things rich and royal. The nawabs of Lucknow were known to like an extravagant food spread and this practice has been passed down generations and is offered in the form of Awadhi cuisine. Awadhi food is revered all across the country and you don't really have to travel all the way to Lucknow to savour it. Lucknawi Dastarkhan, the Awadhi food festival, under way at Mahagun Sarovar Portico, Vaishali, Ghaziabad, gives you the opportunity to try the luxurious Awadhi food straight from Lucknow.
Bringing the essence of rich and traditional food of Lucknow, the festival offers unique treats of Awadhi cuisine, which include non-veg classics like Murgh Shahi Shorba, Yakhni Kalimirch Shorba, Machali Chana Salad, Kutrey Murg Ki Chaat and vegetarian dishes such as Pilli Mirch Ka Paneer Tikka, Rampuri Kofta Curry, Arbi Ka Salan, Dum Ke Khumb to name a few. The lavish buffet spread has something to offer for everyone.
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Galouti Kebab
Zaika-e-Lucknow: Our Journey At The Festival
We warmed up our taste buds with Lucknawi Tokri Chaat - A basket enveloping a myriad of flavours from sev and papdi to potatoes and pomegranate paired with sweet and sour chutney.
Another legendary Lucknawi food – Galouti Kebab – followed. Both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions of galouti kebab with sweet roti tasted great with their richness and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
After tucking into a lush plate of galouti, Fish and Apple Salad didn't excite us much. Crispy fish chunks would have lifted up the dish, instead they were soggy and unappetising. Yakhni Kalimirch Shorba brought us an instant relief. It was thick, luscious and filled our hearts with its warmth.
The main meals buffet spread was rather extensive with some signature Lucknawi dishes working up our appetite. Rampuri Kofta Curry, Murg Begum Bahar and Bilayati Subzi complemented naan and Aloo Tamatar Ka Pulao perfectly.
For the desserts, we dug into Kheer Mohan, which tasted like a regular rasgulla – nothing special about it. Mirch Ka Halwa was a unique dessert and is worth a try. Gulabi Kheer with fragrant rose petals is a must-try.
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Desserts
Although, we were desperately waiting to see the classic tundey kebab and nalli nihari, we still enjoyed gorging on the Lucknawi specialties from the spread. The Lucknawi food festival is on till September 19, 2019; so those of you who haven't been there yet, still have a chance to explore it.
What: Lucknawi Dastarkhan: Awadi Food Festival
Where: Tangerine, Mahagun Sarovar Portico Suites, Vaishali, Ghazibad
When: September 13 – September 22, 2019
Cost: INR 799
About Neha GroverLove for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee.