Let Chef Manzilat Fatima’s Royal Khandani Awadhi food festival at this luxury hotel take you on a majestic culinary ride

Along with the air-conditioned ambiance the smokey, char-grilled aroma of Biryani being prepared inside the kitchens of Novotel’s Ministry of Kebabs wafted out the moment we went inside. For someone who has a knack of smelling out good Biryani along with other delicious Awadhi delicacies, the Royal Khandani Awadhi food festival by Chef Manzilat Fatima at Novotel Kolkata is a must visit. The four-day pop-up will feature handpicked recipes by the Chef passed on to her from her own kitchens and family traditions and they are bound to impress you just the way the spice laden, yet not too heavy set course wowed us over.

Here’s what we absolutely recommend you to try from this set-course meal.

To settle down from the horrifying scorching heat we found solace by drinking the Gondhoraj, lemongrass and mint mojito. The cold, fizzy refreshing drink cooled us down and made us catch up on the wonderful ambiance of the Ministry of Kebabs at Novotel. With dimly lit surroundings along with soul-stirring live music the stage was set for the grand entry of the Kolkata-Awadhi food. A quick mention by Chef Manzilat in the beginning which needs to be noted is that the recipes were handed down to her through her family kitchens and may not be exactly what Awadhi cuisine is made up of. And of course, there is a touch of Kolkata’s famous potatoes!

We kicked off the food with Paneer Handi Kebab. Usually this is made for non-veg items but keeping in mind the requirements of vegetarians, this was specially prepared. Paneer cubes marinated in spiced yogurt and coocked in the traditional handi for a clay-pot flavour, it was spicy and chewy. The use of traditional whole spices like peppercorns or jeera added the zing to the dish. For every non-vegetarian, the same was replicated as Chatpata fish handi kebab where the paneer was exchanged with fresh Kolkata Betki.

The next lot of starters included Kachkela Galauti. With a crispy outer layer and a smooth velvety inside mash, it was the same as a traditional galauti kebab, only in the veg form with the very Bengali raw banana twist. Circular discs of Soya Shami Kebab were pan seared with authentic shami masala. These protein heavy bites were stuffed with mint and coriander pieces which burst open a refreshing flavour once we took the first bite.

The major highlight of the starter course, according to us, was the Gulnar Jhinga Seekh. Smokey charcoal –grilled prawns with succulent flesh made us reach out for quite a few pieces. The Lucknowi Kakori Kebab made of minced meat, aromatic spices, saffron and charcoal grilled was devoured instantly with Ulta Tawa Paratha which were soft and crispy on the sides.

The main course was what kept us waiting and as they say that with patience comes the best, similarly with our wait came the Ramzaan Haleem and Kolkata Awadhi Gosht Biryani with Potato. While Haleem is usually available during the festive month, Chef Manzilat recreated it specially for the guests for her ongoing pop-up so that one would not miss out on this crowd favourite. Topped with pungent ginger juliennes, spicy green chopped green chillies and the sweetness of caramelised onions, the rich velvety gravy with chunky melt-in-the-mouth meat pieces made us grew fond of it very quickly. Saving the best for the last was the Biryani. The mutton pieces instantly detached from the bones as we held it and the flavourful yet light-on-the stomach long grained Biryani rice was a portkey to a royal Awadhi dining table. Of course, the big chunks of Potato brought us back from Awadh to the luxurious city-hotel in Kolkata.

Don’t forget to wrap up the meal with desserts like Shahi Badami Kheer, Jalebi Rabri, Shahi Tukra and Shahi Kesar Halwa.

Availability: May 22-24 (dinner at Ministry of Kebabs– 7 pm onwards) / May 25 (special lunch at The Square- 12:30 pm – 4 pm)

Price Rs 1999+ onwards