A festive mood was palpable at the newly introduced Litti Meets Chokha — a food festival celebrating the timeless culinary traditions of the Magadh region at Novotel Hyderabad Airport’s Food Exchange even before we stepped in. A beautifully decorated live counter adorned with festive buntings welcomed us, serving refreshing glasses of Sattu ka Sharbat garnished with finely chopped onions, green chillies and a dash of lemon.
Sipping on the drink that tantalised our tastebuds with a melange of flavours, we took a leisurely glimpse of the dishes being served at the food festival. Bustling live counters serving Litti Chokha, hot jalebis, a boiling pot of Champaran Mutton and a host of desserts got us excited for the meal. We also discovered a whole array of mains, with nearly seven varieties of vegetarian curries and rice based dishes local to the states of Bihar and Jharkhand.
Settling into a quaint corner of the bustling restaurant, we quickly dug into a hearty portion of the Darbhanga Chicken Tikka that stood out with subtly spiced flavours marinated into supremely succulent pieces of chicken. A portion of delightfully crispy Dhuska came next, the mildly flavoured potato mash stuffed inside deep fried pockets of chickpeas made it an interesting snack to nibble on, on a rainy evening.
Next, we were served the star dish of the festival — Litti served with brinjal, potato and tomato based Chokhas. Sattu stuffed littis cooked atop a charcoal fire paired well with the smokey chokhas, each with raw and unique flavours, highlighting the taste of their main ingredients. The rustic, simple flavours of the chokhas made them enjoyable, with the tomato variant standing out the most.
For mains, we started off with a portion of the Champaran Mutton served with Sattu Parathas. The mutton curry had a distinctive tanginess, pairing well with the flour mixture stuffed parathas. Jharkhandi Pulao and Bihar style Khichdi stood out, making them ideal comfort food during the monsoon. “Pulses and meat are used in equal measure in the Magadh cuisine, like Sattu taking centre stage in the Sharbats, Parathas and Littis. Local vegetables like Parwal are also used for making several dishes including dessert,”says Chef Ganesh Gangoni, executive sous chef at Food Exchange.
Dessert was an indulgent affair, with options like Parwal ki Mithai and Til Chikki alongside steaming hot Jalebis. We dug into the Parwal ki Mithai first; the khoya based filling making it an enjoyable sweet meat. Til Chikki stood out, with sesame seeds balancing the sweetness of the jaggery and ghee perfectly.
Rs 5,500++ for two. Until August 5. Saturdays, 7 pm onwards.
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