A culinary legacy at Varq will transport you to the royal era curated by Chef Arun Sundararaj, executive chef, Taj Mahal Hotel. By Devi Singh
Think of past heritage, and you can’t forget the memories and experiences of food. The gastronomic trails of the royalty, still very much fascinates us. The arduous journey of khansamas painstakingly putting exquisite preparations for the maharajas and the secrecy involved to keep those recipes safe is something we can only imagine. It’s this very fascination that brought us to Varq at Taj Mahal Hotel to demystify and relish some of the noble recipes.
Chef Sundararaj thought of coming up with a royal spread with special emphasis on four regal kitchens — Hyderabadi Nizami, Kashmiri Dogras, Mewars of Rajasthan and Travancore. On why he chose cuisines from these regions, chef told us, “The Kashmiri Dogras were known for their love for food and with its unique geographical location and influences from other countries, some of the most innovative flavors came from the Dogra royal household. The Mewars were selected for their rich culinary history and certain food elements which are still alive in modern day Rajasthani cuisine. The Nizami spread was added as I’ve had a personal connect with Hyderabad. I learnt a lot during my stay at Taj Falaknuma. The last one, was incorporated for being the rare royal kitchen to serve vegetarian fare.” Despite offering multiple royal cuisines chef’s favourite remains the Nizami. “I feel there is so much that their food has to offer in terms of innovation and flavours,” he said.
We embarked on the very princely piquant food journey with dahi ke kebab which looked like serious business with no-frills whatsoever and were spot on. Succulent, flavourful and not too overwhelming on the palate, we could feel the saffron and cardamom coming through. After this some more kebabs made our way, this time, pattode ke kebab and paneer gulnar kebab. Pattode was what scored high on the visual appeal with layers of spinach leaves spiralled with besan. Stuffed with green veggies, this one was melt in mouth delicacy with strong flavours and spices.Gulnar on the other hand was a mildly sweet tasting paneer cake filled with green khus marinated with beetroot paste giving it a nice colour.
Next up was broth made of drumstick leaves topped with curry leaves foam and powder of dried curry leaves. An interesting mix of sweet and spicy, it hit the throat with just the right kick of spices reminding us of the cozy comfort soups at home. Cheera ada curry, a mix of cashews and nuts with red spinach leaves strewn in and finished with fried raw banana slices in coconut oil. What looked like a dank patch of grass had a rather interesting take behind it. The chef explained to us that cheera or the spinach needs to be eaten with any crumbling on top, in this case, the crisp banana slices. Forget the looks, and it reminding us of the greener pastures, the curry tasted good paired with khichdi azam shahi, a very basic lentil and rice preparation with vegetables garnished with shavings of caramelised onions which added to the overall flavour of the dish.
After sampling the royal savouries it was time to taste the king’s sweet tooth. We had been waiting for this one with bated breath — a dessert made with garlic. And as we thought it didn’t ride too high on the pungent quotient. The broken wheat porridge and garlic kheer made with boiled garlic took its own course to hit the palate, like a gentle reminder that garlic is indeed very much there, hidden somewhere between the layers of nuts, sugar and milk.