As the warm summer temperatures continue, our search for decadent flavours and unique spreads remains unaltered. This week, we discovered a unique Awadhi food fest in the city called the Jashn-e-Awadh. Curated by and prepared under the expertise of Chef Basha, this food fest produced some lip-smacking deliciousness with a diversity in ingredients. We started with a serving of Gulab sherbet in a shiny brass glass. With the right tinge of sweetness, the drink was a perfect summer cooler.
A long wait for the dishes came next as we conversed over some papads and sherbet. The mouth-watering dishes on the menu arrived on our table in the form of a widespread thali, but first came the Kachori chaat. With a brilliant medley of flavours, we kicked off our culinary journey on the right track. The kachori came in the form of a round pastry that was broken to soak in the flavourful goodness of yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutneys.
Among the starters, for vegetarians, we suggest the Subzgalawti — a classic dish with a creamy melt-in-the-mouth texture. Adding to this, the Paneer alishan is also a decent choice from the menu. Although the blend of yoghurt and Kashmiri chilli marination stood out as we consumed the outer layers of the paneer, we did feel like the flavours hadn’t quite seeped into the paneer well.
However, the menu seemed to hit an upward curve almost immediately as we moved on to the non-vegetarian options. The Gosht boti kebab, Murgh ke gulabi parchey, Til wala jhinga were amazing for us, right in that order. The Gosht boti kebab’s use of kachri powder as its marination was a representation of the chef ’s attempt to stay true to the preparation of these dishes. Thanks to this ingredient, the tanginess of this mutton dish stayed intact, while the yoghurt introduced a familiar sourness producing a riot for the tastebuds. We moved on to the wide range of bowls containing dals and gravy dishes on our thalis.
With the Sheermal, we dipped into the thicker gravies like Baingan bharta nawabi, which maintained its smokey identity with a kick of piquancy, and the Mughlai dal hara moong. Thanks to the richness of the ghee, the tangy flavours of the sautéed tomato and onion seemed to be further elevated. The Murgh qorma taj salam was best paired with the roomali roti. With a more soupy texture, this was a highlight of the main course. Next, Gosht nalli aur champ ke pulao really raised the bar. The dum-cooked lamb was delicious as it captured the essence of the spices well. Bites from the kebab assortment while relishing the rice hit the spot for us. As we moved on to the sinful desserts, there were two that fell under the top ranks of our must-try category. The Shahi tukra and Badam anjeer ka halwa need to be relished to come full circle with this menu. The former’s crunchy texture with an unbelievably creamy and malai-laden rabri was probably one of the best we have tried in the city recently. The anjeer ka halwa produced a unique texture for our tastebuds with its dried fig softness meeting the crunchy texture of the almonds.
Our verdict? This menu was a decadent discovery for us and we were happy to have visited for an all-round Awadhi celebration.
Thali for one: Veg: Rs. 2,113; Non-veg: Rs. 2,513.
At Hilton Chennai, Guindy.
On till May 5, 7 pm to 11 pm.
