Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH / Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :
- Restaurant : Dum Pukht
- Cuisine : North Indian
- Cost₹₹₹₹
- Address : ITC Windsor hotel, Vasanth Nagar, SEE MAP
The restaurant is shedding its colonial hangover by dropping “Jolly Nabobs” from its title and focussing on biryanis and kebabs.
Master Chef Ghulam Qureshi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
ITC Hotels’ Dum Pukht restaurant is an institution with a storied legacy. At ITC Windsor in Bengaluru, the restaurant was called Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs; for the past 25 years, it was known for its Anglo-Indian and colonial-era dishes. Think mulligatawny soup, pomegranate chops, and forest officer’s pulao. But now, with a menu curated by Master Chef Gulam M Qureshi, they are harking back to the brand’s Lucknowi roots. The restaurant is dropping “Jolly Nabobs” from its name and introducing some classic Awadhi dishes. Over a leisurely lunch, Qureshi treats me to the new menu, delighting me with tales of nawabs and begums.
Chef Qureshi is the seventh generation chef from his family. He is the son-in-law of the pioneering chef Imtiaz Qureshi, who was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions. The family has been cooking for the nawabs of Lucknow for 200 years. The chefs of Awadh invented the dum style of cooking and take great pride in their kebabs and biryanis.
The succulent Kakori kebabs
Our lunch begins with a selection of kebabs. The Kakori is, of course, legendary. Minced lamb, flavoured with cloves and cinnamon, are skewered and char grilled. Saffron completes the dish. The seekh nilofari kebabs are made of lotus stem and puffed lotus seeds. Spices like mace, green cardamom and herbs are used to add masala to the kebabs. We are also served the jumbo prawns cooked in the tandoor and then finished in a dum preparation. Flavoured with cheese and yoghurt, this dish is mild and delicate.
The highlight of the meal is the murgh khushk purdah. The main chicken dish is brought to the table in a platter that is topped with the baked pastry, then carved at the table by the team of chefs.
“My forefathers have been making this dish since the 1820s. The nawabs used to farm the poultry at home, because they were very particular about the quality. On the day of the feast, the chicken was marinated for five or six hours. It was then cooked in the dum with the purdah,” Qureshi shares.
Jaitoon ka tel or olive oil, imported from West Asia, makes the dish light and silky. Under the pastry, succulent pieces of chicken, along with chunks of onions, tomatoes and pineapples, are enveloped in a gravy, which has notes of mace and star anise. It pairs very well with the warqi parantha.
The specialty gucchi pulao
Try the gucchi pulao, made with morel mushrooms that are a delicacy from Kashmir. They are stuffed with cheese and cooked with basmati rice.
We end with shahi tukra and saffron rabri, topped with pistachios, almonds and a silver leaf. While the Anglo-Indian dishes may be missed, I won’t complain about the new direction taken by the restaurant because of the quality and authenticity of the dishes.
Cost for two ₹6,000. At ITC Windsor. For details, call 8061402610
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Food> Dining / by Anagha Maareesha / June 17th, 2024