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From the table of nawaabs

Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

A Royal repast At The Residency

The Hyderabadi Food Festival at The Residency on Avanashi Road has something for everyone. There’s the bawli handi for vegetarians. If you like something spicier there’s the adventurous subzi banjara biriy ani, which goes well with the tangy mirchi ka salan. For non-vegetarians, the mahi mirchi daar is a must try, but before we go any further lets talk about the desserts.

The desserts make the whole gig work. The badam halwa, floating in ghee is a rich, chocolate brown feast fit for kings. This is a recipe of ‘Sweet Master’ Ram Pukar Singh. The secret ingredients are saffron and the almond oil, which comes out while cooking. The sweetness isn’t overpowering and, though it’s very heavy, you can’t stop with just a bowl. The halwa, and everything else here, goes wonderfully with fresh cream.

Kheer annasagar is a complete dessert success. It’s something like ras malai, but lighter. It’s fluid without being watery and, the sweetness isn’t overbearing. The kubani ka meetha is a delightfully Hyderabadi wonder of dried apricots stewed in sugar syrup. A combination of it with lazeez rabadi and cream is heavenly. It’s garnished with thin slivers of almonds. Junior Sous Chef Mohammed Zashimuddin shows how slivers are done with a short razor-sharp knife.

Zashimuddin and Executive Chef S. Ashok Kumar are the brains behind this festival. Cookery began at home in Giridih, Jharkhand where Zashimuddin learnt the basics from his mother. His story is rather romantic. He ran away at the age of seven and worked under Naaveena Ustad at The Golden Shiraz, Kolkata. Nine years later, the blind Ustad gave him the Daawat-e-Awadh, a cookbook in Arabic, which inspires Zashimuddin’s work to this day.

The pickles, based in mustard oil, bear his mark. Do try the papaya murrabba, which are pickled slivers of barely ripe papaya. The red chilly pickle works excellently to spice up the biriyanis. The murgh sofiyani biriyani is a delectable combination of potato and chicken. The non-vegetarian biriyanis aren’t spicy and are best enjoyed with achari tangdi, which is a mildly spicy gravy with chicken legs.

The prima donna biriyani is the green subzi banjara biriyani. This experimental mix, spiced with coriander, mint and green chillies, should be had with mirchi ka salan, a peanut and sesame based paste, with tamarind added for zing.

Paya here is highly recommended. This broth is roasted mutton leg bone cooked in its stock with a bag of herbs. The herbs leave their distinct essence without overbearing the meaty flavour. The most striking of the main course is the mahi mirchi daar. It is seer fish spiced with chilly paste, vinegar and capsicum. This red crisp fish has the delicate sweetness of tomato. And, to round up, the bawli handi once again. Mushrooms, carrots, cauliflowers, potatoes, peas and beans are tossed up in gravy of cashew, spiced with a fiery onion and tomato paste. This gem has various textures covered in superb gravy. Every vegetable holds on to its character. Wash it all down with pachak nuskha, which is jaljeera with dashes of coriander, chilly and raw mango pastes.

For details and reservation, call: 0422-2241414

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