Awadhi and Mughlai dishes from the Rampur Kitchen reminds of the royal, traditional flavours, says Karan Bhardwaj
One of the many reasons the city of Rampur is known for, is its Mughlai and Awadhi dishes. The region may have lost its glory over the last six decades but it continues to be a favourite destination for the foodies. That’s probably the reason why recently-opened Rampur Kitchen became an instant hit with the Delhi janta. located at the Community Center of New Friends Colony, the restaurant offers authentic food from Rampur.
We were welcomed by the fresh aroma of Awadhi food, courtesy a large kitchen next to the entrance. Umaid Khan, one of the brother-owners of the restaurant greeted us. Getting into the food business was not an obvious choice for the Khan brothers, we were told. Umaid is an IT professional for last 17 years and was based in Middle East for more than a decade. However, he decided to come back last year and food was the only thing he could think of. “We are a fairly-known and respected family in Rampur. Mughlai and Awadhi food are in our blood. We are grown with these aromas, discussions and recipes. So it was natural to get into the business,” said Umaid.
The restaurant is not a high-end, luxury dining space. Khan brothers shared that they wanted to keep the place simple.The place is inclined towards Awadhi food. “Mughlai food is slightly stronger on spices and is more rigid than Awadhi. We serve subtle Awadhi food. Basically, spices and aroma are the factors which make us distinct. legends say khana chutkiyo me pakta hain… but what they actually mean is that it is pinch of ingredients that makes all the difference,” he said, adding that some chefs are from Rampur.
In variety of kebabs, which are regularly served, we liked gulawati and shami kebabs the most. The non-veg kebab section comprises kakori, gulawati, chicken seekh and chapli.
In grills, you can pick paneer subzani tikka. In the main course, Rampuri taar qorma stands out. “Even in Rampur, no function is complete without it. That’s the first dish served with big-sized rotis,” said Umaid.
Rampur Kitchen’s USP lies in its authentic food. As we dined nearly midnight, the place was packed. “What makes us distinct is our cooking style. In Mughlai food, tomatoes are not used in gravies except for tomato gosht. However, most of the popular city restaurants make this blasphemous error. We serve onion gravies,” he said.
In another six to eight weeks, Khans plan to extend the menu. “There will be more additions like chane ki dal gosht, udad gosht, palak gosht and much more,” he said.