Kolkata’s The Astor Hotel, famed for its kebabs and grills, is holding a Parantha and Kebabs festival at Kebab-E-Que to do away with the winter blues. Like every year there will be a huge array of delectable kebabs but what makes it special this time are the lip-smacking stuffed Paranthas that have been included in the menu.
“Unlike other years, this time the focus is more on paranthas. During winter, the whole of North India feasts on all kinds of paranthas stuffed with choicest of seasonal vegetables and meat. Hence we thought of serving a few varieties of parantha to go with your favourite kebabs,” says Aditya Das, executive chef of The Astor Hotel.
You order any of the stuffed Indian flat breads from the special menu and it will be accompanied by a small portion of Baigan Bharta, Dal-e-Astor, two pieces of kebab of your choice, garlic pickle, coriander chutney, hung curd and salad, making it quite wholesome for a lunch.
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We were served with Cheese and Palak ka Parantha, stuffed with the goodness of spinach and cheese. The flaky parantha was scrumptious and went well Zafrani Dahi ke Kebab. The Moong Dal and Hara Matar ka Parantha made with green grams, green peas and an assortment of roasted spices was fluffy and subdued in taste and was best had with the garlic chutney. The Mahim Gosht Keema parantha, filled with minced mutton cooked to perfection, was just the right one to have with the black daal makhni.
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We were still not over with the keema paranthas when we were served with a plateful of Murgh Chakori Kebabs and Mutton Seekh kebabs. The chicken kebabs were tender and absorbed all the spices well. The mutton kebabs were strikingly balanced in interplay of spices and were easy on your taste buds. The kebab platter was best complemented by Safed Anda Keema parantha. Made with crumbles of egg white, the texture of this particular bread was very different from the rest. Moist and soft the bland taste of the parantha balanced the spices in the kebabs perfectly.
The other parantha that’s highly recommended is the Dahi Kheera parantha. Made with cucumber and hung curd, the tangy cum astringent taste of the parantha paired with coriander chutney, would leave you craving for more.
We ended the fare with the signature chocolate mousse, which was gooey and you cannot just stop at one.
Price: Rs 345 + GST for one helping
Timings: Lunch and dinner, 12 pm -3.30 pm, 7 pm -11.30 pm. The festival will be on till January end.
@sharmidas