The beginning of Ramadan brings with it a promise of a hearty iftar. For the Hyderabadis who traditionally break the fast with their friends and family, Kebabs & Kurries at ITC Kakatiya has started a lip-smacking spread of Marag, kebabs and desserts like Sheer Kurma. Our sampling session begins with a few sips of refreshing tender coconut water and roasted papad. “No feast in this part of the town begins without Marag,” says junior sous chef Kunal Bapna who put together the Hyderabadi specialities. The lamb broth with a distinct aroma of cumin is comforting to the hilt. We learn that the Silbattey Ki Shammi, that is presented to us next, is made by grinding the meat on mortar and pestle, for which the chefs wake up at wee hours of the morning.
Noticing that we were getting rather impatient to try the Haleem, the chef hurried up to get us two varieties of it — the traditional one with minced lamb and the one prepared with soya nuggets. The first one with lamb cooked overnight with lentils and broken what served fresh out of the oven with a generous dose of mint, chopped green chilli and fried onion went down pretty well with us, far better than the soya variety. For the main course, we are served with various Indian breads — garlic naan and roti. “Be generous with the ghee as it enhances the taste,” says the chef as he serves us the Dum Ka Murgh. The slow-cooked chicken marinated with garam masala was the best part of the curated feast. The chicken cooked with locally-sourced spices and the absolutely aromatic gravy had us going for a few more helpings until the Tursh-E-Paneer arrived.
The cottage cheese stuffed with a mixture of pomegranate, spring onion, cheese and shimmered in a flavourful tomato gravy with dried apricots was slightly sweet and decadent but we liked it nevertheless. We recommend that you try the Gucchi Pulao — subtly fragrant basmati rice and Himalayan morel mushrooms stuffed with cheese, shahi jeera dum. We finished our meal with the lightly sweetened Sheer Khurma, a dessert cooked with vermicelli once cherished by the Nawabs of Hyderabad. We couldn’t have asked for a more royal finale!
Price for two: Rs 2,000 ++.
paulami@newindianexpress.com
@ Paulami309