Simple and scrumptious!

Simplicity is often associated with a lack of effort. Simplicity is almost always considered to be the first step towards something complex, which often better than the simple version. However, none of it applies to Garhwali cuisine, where simplicity is what makes foodies come back for it.

Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel's Garhwali fest is an example of what can be achieved when enough effort and heart is put into making something simple. Having given a brief sneak into their Garhwali food arsenal during the '10 States - 10 Chefs' programme, Sheraton has left no stone unturned to make sure every bite takes you on a magical journey into the mountains of Himachal, which is where the cuisine is from.

Sidharth Bharadwaj, Executive Chef, has meticulously curated the menu. "I have chosen the dishes from different regions of Garhwal. The place is divided into different areas like Kumaon Garhwal, Paudi Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, etc. So, I have picked a few things from Tehri and a few from Paudi so on and so forth and curated this menu."

Chef Sidharth informs that he has sourced all the produce for the festival from the region. "I have sourced all ingredients from Marriott Mussorie. This is the blooming season of the year. There is a lot of greenery around and at this time in May and June, the produce is abundant in the region."

"Trout is the only fish we get in the mountains. And Garhwali cuisine involves simple cooking and that applies to trout as well. We have also sourced trout from Garhwal," shares the chef while serving delightfully crunchy on outside and delicious on the inside fried version of the trout. 'Ghat ki Dal Tikki' is made from one of the most commonly used lentil in the region. The same is used to make dal, which was served with tangy 'aam ki chutney' creating an unforgettable combination only till the 'machi fry' (trout) made its way to the table.

Back that up with the fall-off-bone Mutton Bhunni, Ghar ki kukadi (chicken), aalu ki techwani coupled with Ghat dal ka parathas, potato-stuffed puris called Swala and you have every reason to loosen that belt and dig in for a feast.

Garhwali desserts, however, aren't everyone's cup of tea as the simplicity of the dishes makes it taste like 'temple' food. However, if you have enough of a sweet tooth, desserts like baal mithai, pan singori, jhangore ki kheer and meethi bhat await you.

To add to it, all of this food is healthy as Garhwali food uses organically available raw ingredients, primarily because obtaining anything else in the mountains is difficult. This cuisine somehow takes 'lack of things' and makes it into its most desirable quality. This delightfully minimal yet delicious Garhwali cuisine is available in probably it's the finest form on buffet at Sheraton's all-day diner Feast till May 25.