From the land of Nawabs

Restaurants specialising in Awadhi food are on a rise in Pune

The word 'Awadh' evokes images of a Nawab dressed in fine silk, puffing away on a hookah and entertaining guests with the choicest food and wine. While a Nawab's lifestyle may not be accessible to most, Puneites can now dine like Nawabs, with restaurants such as No. 9 Park, Kabab Hut and Kangan offering authentic Awadhi cuisine.

From melt-in-the-mouth kebabs to rich kormas and curries, the restaurants offer a mind-boggling list of options. Awadhi cuisine is famous for the sheer variety it offers and for its distinct flavours and aroma. Dishes are cooked slowly over charcoal, which allows the flavours to seep in and soften the vegetables or meat naturally.

"They say that the Nawab of Awadh was very spoilt and extremely fond of food. He did not even want to make the effort of chewing. So his cooksmade his food soft and tender. That is how Awadhi cuisine came about," says Rishi Kapoor, owner of No. 9 Park, which opened four months ago in Kalyani Nagar.

Chef Banshi Dhar at the Kabab Hut at Hotel Sun N Sand in Bund Garden, however, has a different tale to tell. "Nawabs were always entertaining British officers and because the officers were less accustomed to spicy food, Awadhi cuisine developed mild flavoured dishes too," he says.

At Kangan in Westin, Chef Shamsher Ahmed hosted an Awadhi food festival last month. Some of the offerings are now also on the regular menu, such as the Patili kebab, Galawati kebab and Kakori kebab. The Patili kebab comprises chicken mince balls served with a raw mango and mint chutney while the Kakori kebab is an Awadhi seekh kebab cooked on charcoal. The Galawati kebab, as the name suggests, is a mince meat kebab that melts in the mouth.

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