Simply divine!

Lucknow’s famed delicacies are back in town, thanks to ITC Kakatiya, which is drawing good crowds to its restaurant K&K, where the Awadhi food festival the appropriately themed ‘Bade Miyan, Chhote Miyan’ is underway. The crème de la crème is kebab, Lucknow’s traditional dish.

The menu offers a rich variety of kebabs. Topping the list is Hara Kebab, a vegetarian dish that blends spinach and channa dal that is stuffed with cottage cheese, pan grilled in butter and served with a sprinkling of fenugreek and green peas. Hara bhara kebab makes for a perfect starter.

Although not light, Dudhiya kebab, a rich creamy cottage cheese, stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes, shallow fried and finished on dum, is a delicious vegetarian offering.

One should not miss out on Seekh Niloufar kebab that literally melts in the mouth. The mutton mince kebabs are a mix of puffed lotus seeds and lotus stem, flavoured with fresh herbs, mace and green cardamom, grilled on a skewer and sprinkled with aromatic kebab masala.

The refreshing Murgh Chandi Tikka ranks among the best because it is grilled in the tandoor before being finished on dum.

An interesting Sheek labab variation is Seekh Gilafi Dumpukht, which is as impressively suggestive as its name!

Minced chicken kebab laced with crisp juicy tomatoes and capsicum complemented with pungent green chillies and onions. Jhinge Ka Salan is a spicy dish with turmeric and fenugreek, flavoured yoghurt gravy finished on dum and served with naan. Another royal dish is Murgh Khushk Pardah that is made from tender chicken cooked with spices in the dum style with rich bread ‘parda’.

Dumpukht Gosht Biryani is distinct and light and certainly not oily or heavy. It is an unusual variation on biryani and ranks among one of the best that we have tasted with Boorani Raita. Dumpukht Tarkari Pulao, a veg-biriyani, cooked on dum in a subtly flavoured vegetable stock is yet another must-taste variety.

Last but not the least, were desserts Shahi Tukra Asal and Shahad-E-Jaam. The original recipe of the exotic dessert, shahi tukra, combines delicately reduced milk poured over crisp home-made bread sweetened with saffron syrup, garnished with silver leaf and pistachio. The latter is gulab jamun-filled with pistachios, almond and dipped in saffron honey syrup.

There is an art to the perfectly cooked kebab, one that retains its unique flavours and a succulent, juicy interior after making it past the fiery embrace of the tandoor.

Chef Nisar Waris- Master Chef ITC Maratha is cooking up a storm with Chef Amer Jamal, rendering an equally great job.

Well, head straight to the Awadh food fiesta with your friends and family and watch them lap up the truly nawabi style delicacies that befit the royal Lucknow traditions.

Venue: K&K, ITC Kakatiya
Timings: 7:30PM- 11:30PM Up to Oct 2nd