A Lighter and Healthier Variation of Lucknawi Cuisine at Jashn-E-Awadh Festival at Radisson Blu Pashchim Vihar

Where - IndyakiRadisson Blu, Paschim ViharDate: 24th July- 2nd AugustTime: 7: 00 P.M - Midnight Address: Plot No. D, Outer Ring Road, District Centre, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi, Delhi 110063Phone:011 4639 9999
We generally associate Lucknawi food with oil, fat and red meat. Of course it is delicious but we can have it only in limited quantity, otherwise our stomach goes for a toss. Dr. Izzat Husain is here to change that. A Unani doctor by profession, Dr. Husain not only uses healthier oils in his food like Olive Oil and Desi Ghee but also infuses Unani herbs to add medicinal value to it.
I did not feel heavy after having a large variety of delicacies prepared by him.After having a good chat with him I came to realize that Dr. Hussain, who himself is a descendant of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, never cooked commercially. He is a cooking enthusiast and likes to cook at home. The entire menu, served as a buffet, at the Jashn-E-Awadh festival at Indyaki, Radisson Blu Pashchim Vihar under guidence of Dr. Izzat Hussain taken care of not only non vegetarians but vegetarians tooThe welcome drink Sharbat-e-zaffran was a really sweet saffron infused milk. It had visible saffron threads of which the flavor was very prominent. In starters we tried Izzati Kebab which was Dr. Husain’s Unani version of the Mutton Galouti Kebab. It was perfect melt in the mouth and just like the real stuff you get in the finest eateries of Lucknow. There was a vegetarian version of the kebab as well and it was hard to tell that it didn’t contain meat as it’s texture was really good. Sheeshmahal Tilli Machhli was basically fried fish somewhat similar to Fish Amritsari. It was really crispy and the spices made it hot and tangy. I really loved it. Sheeshmahal Gobhi was also batter fried and had similar spices.   The non vegetarian main course consisted of mutton, chicken a fish dishes. Malai Boti had a very good roghani flavor but the pieces used were small, boneless and a bit fibrous. The chicken dish Lagan Murgh was a variation of Korma and was brilliant. Definitely one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever tasted. It wasn’t too spicy and I loved every bite of it. Vegetarian offerings included Paneer and Chhole which, prepared Awadhi style, tasted really different than what we get in Delhi eateries. We also tried the Chefs special Izzat ki Roti which he prepared using multigrain Aata but still managed to retain the softness.Coming to the Biryani, it was a little different from what we usually get in Lucknow, probably because it was not so heavy. Apart from the mutton and chicken variations I was delighted to see Kathal biryani, which is so typical of Lucknawi Kayastha cuisine. All the Biryanis had a very mild flavour, down to even last grain of rice, which is a sign that they were prepared very skilfully.Shahi Tukda was a bit too sweet for my liking but I loved Nimboo Ka Halwa. The taste of Suji gelled beautifully with lemon. Dr. Husain is very particular about his ingredients and never uses anything unless there is a logic behind it. Lucknawi cuisine in itself is a treasure and a gem like Dr. Husain coupled with the sheer genius of Dr. Chopra is something no one can afford to miss. The Jashn-E-Awadh festival is on till 2^nd August 2015 and is a pure delight to the tastebuds.