The first thing you need to do before stepping into Fairfield By Marriott’s Kovai Kitchen is to forget all that you thought you knew about Hyderabadi food. The biriyani, the kebabs, the falooda— leave all your perceptions of Deccan cuisine at the door and let a true-bred Hyderabadi take you on an epicurean journey of rediscovering the flavours from his past. The result: you have a new found appreciation for food from the land of the Nizams and a menu that any foodie would drool over.
A graduate of IHM-Hyderabad, Executive Chef Soma Shekar Gedi’s best memories of biryani are associated with eating at the Bawarchi restaurant at the RTC Crossroads in Hyderabad—something that he recalls with much glee. “The true joy of an elaborate dish comes with the good memories that the taste brings with it,” shares the chef, as a scene from the animated movie Ratatouille, where antagonist Anton Ego tastes Remy’s ratatouille for the first time replays in our head.
Melting moments
The menu though extravagant, featuring a range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian soups and starters and mains, appears deceptively simple. After all, staple Nizami favourites are the framework within which every eatery works ahead of Eid. But the hours of preparation, cooking and knowing the perfect spice to meat or vegetable ratio is key. Consider the mutton haleem, a slow-cooked porridge of meat on the bones and lentils that traditionally takes a minimum of 12 hours to create. Though halving the cooking time by using boneless mutton, this warm bowl of comfort retains all of its flavour and texture.
Rice to the occasion
The Nizami Sigdi Kebabs (fish, chicken and beef) are the next option. Grilled over a live charcoal flame, the kebabs have a near perfect char, are juicy and an even pink and is served with a mint chutney and onion rings. However, the table favourite by unanimous decision is the fish kebab. We credit the decision to the depth of flavour that the hand ground mustard paste offers to the marinade. The Kachhe Ghosht Ka Biriyani speaks for itself. This unique Hyderabadi preparation is unlike other dum biryani offerings chef tells us. “The marinated raw meat is layered with semi-cooked rice and then placed on dum. This allows the juices from the meat to seep into the biryani, unlike the Pakka Ghosht Ka Biriyani.”
On a sweet note, the qubani ka meetha, double ka meetha and sheer khorma take this writer back to memories of her first Ramzan food trail in Hyderabad of savouring the best the street food from the old city. In conclusion, we concur with chef Soma’s inference, good food always brings back the best memories.
Also try
The Dalcha Ghosht, a slow-cooked stew, is made with mutton and channa and is best enjoyed with Lukmi.
MLA Pesarathu, a standard Hyderabadi street dish that is a green dosa with upma and finds its origins in the MLA Quarters in Hyderabad.
Nizam’s Khana at Fairfield by Marriott goes on until June 17. From 7 pm to 11 pm.