After Amritsar and Old Delhi, the Grand Trunk culinary journey festival explored the holy city, bringing home a rare menu. Ankita Jain reports
If you ask anyone about the cuisine of Banaras, there is every chance that you may draw a blank. More than food, it reckons with Indian mysticism and Hindu life at its rawest. But ever wondered what a Banarsi babu would have had for lunch before biting into a flavoursome Banarsi paanIJ Well, the guessing can end at the Grand Trunk culinary journey food festival organised at The leela Ambience.
The festival gave the relatively less illustrious cuisine its moment under the sun. Milk, cream and an array of grams walk in to find their place in the food of the region, high on chaat and kachoris. The meal was flagged off with thandai served in clay pots named purvas. It had aggressive saffron and pista robbing the rose syrup of its due. Khasta matar chaat could very well have been a meal in itself. Boiled and mashed peas spread out on kachori garnished with tamarind and mint chutney, giving every layer a new texture. The other chaat, tamaatar ki chaat made with pure tomato puree, lacked the authentic banarsi taste.
The main spread included kachori, jalebi served with assorted gravy. Kachori made with moong dal powder was tender working well with any curry whereas the combination of jalebi gave it a new dimension. Subji ki tahari was a paean to simplicity. Even without the army of spices to a typical biryani, the tahari seemed perfect. Aloo dum Banarasi teased the palate with the tang of tamarind. The potatoes stuffed with khoya and gravy lined with tamarind and dry dates, lent their respective characteristics. The nimona with peas gravy dotted with moong dal dumplings was pleasant.
Chef Ashwani Kumar Singh informed that he used pure ghee as the medium of cooking but judiciously. The use of yellow chillies saved the food from being hot. Among desserts, kheer mohan bowled us over giving rasgulla a run for its money. What was missing was kamal gatte ka halwa, a special from the land of lotuses and a banarsi paan to carry home the taste of Banaras. There might have not been a celebrity dish on the menu but the spread gave the feel of a perfect home food. For those smelling for something different the festival is on till tomorrow.