At restaurants, we definitely get to taste chef-cooked Awadhi food, bu getting to eat food how they cook at their homes in Lucknow, sitting at home, is rare. And to grab a taste of that, we visited Kava at Fairfield by Marriott when home chef Gul Ali is running a pop-up, Jashn-E-Awadh till May 23.
Gul has always loved cooking. She would take the onus of cooking big meals at get-togethers and functions. But it was only after her marriage that she settled in Gurgaon and pursued it professionally. "Even though this is held at a hotel, we have kept the menu unchanged, only then people will get to taste the authentic, homestyle Awadhi flavours. And I made sure to carry Lazzat-e-Taam, a.k.a potli ka masala to Kolkata, without which Lucknowi food is incomplete," she added.
We chose to start our gustatory trail straightaway with the kebabs- the Mushroom galawti kebab and shammi kebab. Before this, every time we have tasted a galawti or a shammi kebab, it has either an oily residue or an oily residue. This had none. We didn't even need a roti or paratha to gulp it down. Also, we loved the crunch in the shammi kebabs from the onion slices. The Gosht yakhni shorba on our list next...warm, fatty and peppery, it was oh so comforting even when the temperature outside is 40 degrees.
As mentioned, the curries were definitely the stars, and the most interesting part is that even though they looked rich and creamy, they were so light on the palate. We paired the Ghutwa murgh, a favourite of Lucknow occasions, and mutton korma with a layered, flaky Wargi paratha. The very slightly sweet paratha, cut through the rich, savoury gravy of the ghutwa brilliantly. The korma, boasting fall-off-the-bone muton chunks would taste great with steamed rice too.
But our favourite from the mains was a Mahi nimona, a non-vegetarian version of the hearty Awadhi pea stew. The flaky white fish was so fresh and tasted brilliant when cooked in the matar gravy. For us, the weak spot was the Prawn biryani. Though light and flavourful, it was a little high on the smell of cinnamon and cardamom, which we personally don't like. But if you dont mind them, this is a fresh new break from the Kolkata biryani.
We took the best decision of our day the moment we filled our bowls with the ghee-laden sheer khurma. In a semi runny consistency (we like it this way) with a subtle sweetness, it tasted so delicate that we are short of words as we write about it now!
Price for 1: INR 1649++
On till May 23, 7 pm onwards.
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