It’s not just the timing that this food fest has got right but also the hue, flavour & taste of the delicacies it brings out of royal Rajasthan, says Meenakshi Rao
Rajasthani Food festival at Trident, Gurgaon (On till September 15)
After making endless entrees about the sad quality of food at so-called speciality restaurants that dot the city, it was a pleasant surprise to bite into everything authentic from the royal kitchens of Rajasthan at Trident’s Saffron.
The ongoing Rajasthani Food Festival (on till next Sunday) is, indeed, a big game affair here and, no, I am not talking just about the pricing. The spread is dazzling as is the quality of food, right from the trolleyed 10 aperitifs (try not to get waylaid by chhaach, aam panaa, rose sherbet, the thandai, khus, jalzeera) to an array of kebabs and main course splendours.
You may have had the varieties earlier but it’s the succulence and the quality of food that should draw you to Saffron this fortnight. Take the dahi makhane ke kebab as an example. All over Delhi and Gurgaon, and I am talking about most high-end restaurants which charge a bomb for appetizers, nobody gets the dahi kebabs right. Mostly they are sour and if the chef is conscious not to let them go on your platter so tangy, he douses it with sugar and makes them loose their delicacy any which way. At Saffron, though, these tantalising appetizers smashed into popped lotus seeds and delicately hued with saffron are just what the maharaj ordered for you.
And, they are just the start of the melting in the mouth experience the highlight of which goes to the pasanda kebab. Marinated overnight in raw papaya paste and blended with spices, the meat is almost soufflé soft.
The maharaj, who has emerged from a slew of royal kitchens of Rajasthan having worked his way up the chef ladder working relentlessly since age 14, is obviously an old hand at bringing in the authenticity. He keeps the flavours pretty distinct. The murg ka soweta (must-have) is smoked after a four-hour wrap of garlic, clove, ghee and the fiery Madana chillis. Unlike elsewhere, this murg comes in a bajra shorba (cooked extensively and separately before joining the chicken) and not the faster to do makki that is erroneously used. The taste tells you the difference.
The choorma that comes with the baatis is extra special too. Not overwhelmingly sweet as is mostly the case, this one is obviously crafted at leisure. “We do the extra bit by making the choorma out of the baatis soaked in ghee overnight and then fry the nuts in ghee and blend them with sakkar (jiggery) before mixing them up with the churned baati,” executive chef Sandeep Kalra explains.
Most set-pieces that come to your platter have cooked themselves up in overnight preparations and, of course, the laal maas is the signature dish. If the crimson colour and the aroma hasn’t already captured you, the juicy pieces with a very distinct flavour make you instantly partisan. Couple this up with Jodhpuri pulao and makki ki roti and you’ve had your slice of heaven.
The usual suspects are all there like daal, saangri, gatta andpaneer ka soola among many others, but as I said, this one is a big game show so bite into the meat guys. However, don’t forget the dessert, especially the ghewar malai though the paan ice cream which is not a part of the festival but a regular menu favourite at Saffron ends the show pretty well.
The chef’s Rajasthani thali should be the one to go for at lunch though dinner is essentially ala carte and comes with live music.
MURG KA SOWETA
Ingredients
Chicken
Whole baajra (millet) cooked with chicken stock
Whole spices: Bay leaf
Black cardamom
Green cardamom
Cinnamon stick
Clove
Turmeric powder
Coriander powder
Chopped green chilly,
coriander & ginger.
METHOD
Take desi ghee in a pan.
Put some chopped garlic, ginger & green chilies & sauté till it get brown in color.
Put all whole spices & powders and sauté it.
Add Baajra which is precooked in chicken stock.
Add onion tomato & sauté it,till the time its get brown.
Add yogurt & cook the gravy.
At the end add Chicken and cook it properly.
Finally, garnish with coriander.