Best that west can offer

Novotel Hyderabad Airport’s Square restaurant hosts a food festival titled ‘Best of the West’, which showcases the rich and diverse cuisines from the western states of India. Over the years, these regions have exchanged flavours and evolved in their recipes and yet have remained so distinctively unique.

The promotion is on during dinner buffet where the mélange of flavours – the spiciness of Maharashtrian food; the richness of Rajasthani dishes and the goodness of Gujarati delicacies make it a gastronomical treat.

Before you begin your meal the traditional welcome drinks like thandai (saffron flavoured milk with dry nuts) or chaach (spiced yoghurt based cooler) are highly recommended.

The starters on the menu include – Fish Koliwada (Deep fried marinated fish), this Maharashtrian dish has a tangy taste, is well marinated and on the crispier side; Hariyali Murgh Tikka (chicken marinated with mint & coriander and cooked in clay oven) just melts in the mouth and Handvo, as the name suggests is a Gujarati dish which is a spiced baked cake made of rice and lentil. The buffet also has live counters which serve pav bhaji, kheema pav and vegetable thepla rolls.

The earthy khichdi and kadi on the mains is as Western Indian as it can get. The Memoni mutton biryani, which is prepared with lamb, a little food colouring, potatoes and tomatoes tantalises your palate for more. The potato in the dish is a whole new biryani experience for Hyderabadis.

The other must tries on the buffet are Ratnagiri fish curry and Paneer Kolhapuri. The Ratnagiri fish curry is a Maharashtrian styled fish curry flavoured with kokum and Paneer Kolhapuri is a spicy preparation of cottage cheese with coconut and chilli paste.. Relish these Maharashtrian dishes with bajare ki roti.

The other delicacies on the buffet are Saoji chicken curry (Maharashtra’s traditional Nagpur dish made of coconut, poppy seeds & Indian spices); Subz Jaipuri (Jaipuri style of mix vegetable curry with onion & tomatoes); Gatte Ki subzi (Rajasthani dish made of gram flour dumplings in yoghurt base gravy); Turiya patra (Dry preparation of Ridge gourd in Gujarati style); Bharli Vangi (Maharashtrian style of stuffed eggplant with coconut & peanuts); Undhiyu (Gujarati preparation of mixed vegetables) and Dal dhokli (Gujarati Lentil stew with wheat flour dumpling).

Have these tasty dishes with Methi thepla, Missi roti, Ragi roti and Singada ki roti and it will make you keep asking for more. And for the people with a sweet tooth, the traditional desserts of the western India like Malpua, Puran Poli, Murmure Ka laddu, Makhan wada, Rajgir ka laddu, Bombay halwa and Till ka laddu will take the buffet experience to another level. The food promotion is on till September 11 at The Square.