The Flavours of Telangana..!

Kolkata Food Bloggers with Master Chef Sakala Sankara of the ITC Hotel

"Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. Its about sharing. Its about honesty. It's about identity".-Louise Fresco.

The quote above, in my opinion, couldn't be more truer than in connection to my experience with the 'Flavours of Telangana'; an exquisite cuisine from the state of Telangana in south India, presented by The ITC Sonar, Kolkata, at their Eden Pavilion, from 12th February to 21st February, 2016.

With Kolkata Food Bloggers it was indeed a pleasure to get the glimpse of the same.

The range of daily changing menu was intricately crafted by Master Chef Sakala Sankara himself who hails from the, now rechristened state of Telangana, and has developed mastery over the regional cuisine. 

Master Chef Sakala Sankara

I was surprised to see the variations in flavours and preparation of  so many dishes that was far beyond the conception of usual South India cuisine that we normally encounter in north Indian restaurants and sidewalks. Indeed I was blown over.

In the starters we were treated with 'Karjam Vepudu' or lamb liver spiced with onion and chilies. The touch of the curry leaves in it along with other spices was spectacular. It was devoured in no time and reordered again. 

Karjam Vedupu - Lamb Liver spiced with onion and chilies

In the main course the tangy spiced fish pulao or the 'Chapa Pulusu Pulao' was the first type of fish pulao I had had. Very beautiful balance of flavours. At first look it almost looked like a biryani. 

Chapa Pulusu Pulao

'Gongoora Mamsam' or Mutton cooked with Rossel Leaves was very soft, succulent and juicy with beautiful flavour of the rossel leaves. The mutton was slow cooked to perfection.

Gongoora Mamsam- mutton cooked with rossel leaves. 

The 'Royyala Vepudu' or Prawn tossed in thick Onion and tomato gravy was a treat to devour. It was not as spiced as it looked. 

Royyala Vepudu - Prawns tossed in thick onion and tomato gravy. 

'Vellulli Kodi' or Garlic flavoured Chicken was as distinct as the other two of its compatriots. Very beautifully balanced flavours and perfectly spiced. 

Vellulli Kodi - Garlic Flavoured Chicken

Ragi Sangati, ragi flour cooked with rice and napped with fresh ghee was an entirely new dish I had tried. Very soft and flavourful. 

Ragi Sangati - Ragi flour cooked with rice in ghee

Coupled with the blend of raitas like mix fruit raita, mint raita and vegetable raita, the Flavours of Telagana was indeed a very special treat to have been invited to by the ITC Sonar and we from the Kolkata Food Bloggers have absolutely enjoyed it to the hilt.

The Flavours of Telangana would be on till the 21st of February 2016 at the Eden Pavilion of ITC Sonar, Kolkata. 

Happy Telangana

Vishal Tupper             

New Menu launch at Pan Asian, ITC Sonar

Celebrated as India's finest East Asian Restaurant, Pan Asian introduced an award winning repertoire of culinary traditions from Across East and South East Asia to Kolkata.

Along with Team Kolkata Food Bloggers I was immensely looking forward to the invitation to the launch of the New menu at the ITC Sonar, Pan Asian Restaurant.

The East and South-East Asian Cuisine in the offer at the Pan Asian is generally an assortment of dishes from regions of China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines. The East Asian regions also brings flavours footprints from Mongolia, Macau, Korea and Tibet etc.

The East Asian Cuisine by large is very versatile in nature and generally tends to adopt the local flavours of the countries where the cuisine has traveled to. I was particularly looking forward to get the authentic flavours of the dishes from the regions that they were derived from and the chefs who were specially flown in for this very purpose, having tremendous expertise in the same, exhibited the true art and soul of the East Asian Cuisine.

Non-Vegetarian Starters

 The Non Vegetarian starters comprised of dishes like Lemongrass Fish (Stir fried fish essenced with lemongrass), Kushikastu (deep fried crumbed chicken skewers) and Yam moo (Traditional Thai pork salad). The lemongrass fish won the hearts of everyone as it displayed a perfect blend of flavours that represented a true Cuisine of South East Asian culture. 

The deep fried chicken crumbed skewers were very delicately put together with chunks of chicken spaced with bell peppers and onion wedges and perfectly deep fried in batter to form a light yet crisp coat.

The pork salad lean, soft and succulent meat was dressed with a sublime hint of chili dressing that gave the dish a beautiful mildly spiced salad outlook with fresh vegetables. 

  

Vegetarian Starters

The vegetarian starters consisted of Chongqing crispy fried lotus stem, Yam woon sen phak (glass noodles salad with vegetables) and Chao Shao qie zi (Stir fried eggplant in Chinese barbecue sauce). 

The deep fried lotus stem was certainly a very interesting dish. Little bit more strongly spiced it is traditionally derived from a colder parts of China where the exaggerated usage of spices is generally done to combat the harsh cold climate. The glass noodle salad sure did give a very different outlook to noodles as it is generally known around the world with its very attractive glass like look with the addition of fresh vegetables and light chili dressing. The stir fried eggplant was very crisp and light in texture.

  

Sumashi (Japanese Seafood Soup) was very dramatic having sea fish, prawn and squid. The sea food ingredients and the sea food broth was served differently. The soup was asked to be mixed to the bowl having the sea food ingredients, giving it a very dramatic experience.

The Main Course spread was as elaborate as the starters. 

Non-veg main course spread

The main course non-vegetarian dish consisted of steamed prawns and glass noodles, Muxu Chicken (stir fried slices of chicken with white fungus and cucumber), black pepper pork spare ribs and Nasi Goreng which is the Malaysian version of famous rice preparation with prawn, chicken and dried shrimp paste.

The black pepper pork spare ribs was very soft and had a beautiful presentation and a subtle pepper flavour that was not over powering. 

Vegetarian Main Course Spread

The Vegetarian main course had Stir fried pokchoy,mushrooms in soybean sauce,  Asparagus and garlic glazed bell peppers and Babycorn with spicy tomato, water chestnut and onions. 

Both the asparagus and the baby corn dishes wore a wonderful presentation of thinly sliced mix of bell peppers. The mushroom in soy bean sauce was again wonderful in presentation but the soy bean sauce was a bit more intense for my liking.  

Coconut Ice Cream

The icing on the cake was the dessert which was Ice cream Kati Sod which was homemade young coconut ice cream served in shells with coconut jelly. The extremely beautiful presentation was coupled with a very natural coconut ice cream with coconut jelly.   

  
The East and South East Asian New Menu Launch at the Pan Asian ITC Sonar was indeed one of the finest dining experience in the field of their respective regional cuisines. The true authenticity represented the ethnic character of the East Asian cuisine without the dilution of the evolved spices that usually comes with the local markets. This indeed makes Pan Asian the destination to relish the best of the combined East Asian Cuisines.

Hours- On weekends, Lunch- 12:30 PM to 2:45 PM.
            Through the week - Dinner 7 PM to 11:45 PM

Vishal 

Disclaimer: The views presented above are solely the unbiased perspective of the writer. The writer was invited for the launch of the event and was not paid monetarily or otherwise.  

A Nawabi Rendezvous with Grand Master Chef Imtiaz Qureshi

Chef Imtiaz Qureshi with his team

Kolkata Food Bloggers were invited by ITC, Sonar for an oppurtunity of a life time to meet the Grand Chef Imitiaz Qureshi and sample royal masterpieces crafted by him. Chef Imtiaz Qureshi belongs to a remarkable lineage of cooks in the royal court of Awadh where Dum Pukht originated about 200 years ago! 

When the chef arrived to our tables, we were collectively in a state of awe with the deep knowledge of the cuisine that he masters in. He explained us the meaning of 'Dum Pukht' where 'Dum' means 'to breathe in' and 'Pukht' means 'to cook'. He emphasizes on the age old importance of maintaining a clean kitchen before cooking. Dum Pukht uses a round heavy-bottomed vessel where food is tightly sealed and cooked over slow fire which intensifies the flavours of the food. 

  

 

While we waited for the enchanting five course to unfold we were served fruit juices of our choice along with beautifully rolled conical Papad served with some amazing chutneys. 

Our Nawabi treat began with Kababs and the first one to amaze us was the Raan-e-huzoor (baby lamb legs cooked on dum with thick date sauce, embellished with almonds and walnuts) The meat was super tender and the date sauce gave it a unique flavour. 

The sheermal served along with the Raan-e-huzoor made a delectable meal in itself.

Next to come was Jhinga Qureshi, a dish created by the chef where Jumbo prawns stuffed with dried apricots and cheese are covered with a layer of puff pastry giving it a unique presentation. 

Our next course comprised of Qorma, Qualiya and Salan where we were served Samudri Ratan which had crabmeat koftas in a raw mango and tamarind flavoured gravy. The gravy had delicate hints of fenugreek. 

Desi Murgh Ishtew was next where country chicken is braised over slow fire with onions, yoghurt and spices. Tender, juicy and flavourful, this dish is a winner. 

Koh-e-Awadh is the chef's specialty where a special kind of lamb meat is used and is cooked in dum in its own juices and marrow, finished with saffron. 

Dal Badami is something you will have never tasted before. Here urad dal is cooked with badam and is tempered with dill leaves. The chunks of badam that come in your mouth along with the dal makes a unique combination. 

The Naans presented with the above dishes were Naa-e-Bah Khummach, Muglai Parantha and Roomali roti. 

The Biryani served was named Dudhiya Biryani which the chef told is made in olive oil and is cooked on dum with milk. The biryani truly was very light and flavourful and had tender lamb morsels.  

The Biryani was served with a garlic flavoured Bhurani Raita.

The last and always my favourite course, for Meetha we were served the famous Shahi Tukda (saffron rabdi on syrup drenched bread) and Lab-e-Mashooq which was kulfi served on a sugar lace. 

We also had the company of whiskey expert Mr Sandeep Arora who broke myths about drinking and pairing whiskey with food. He represented a famous brand of scotch whiskey called Royal Salute 21YO. 

The royal Nawabi lunch was finished with the quintessential Paan. 

Dum Pukht, ITC offers a unique dining experience where each dish on the menu comes with its own story. Truly labelled as a 'Nawabi Dawat' (Royal Feast) this experience can be savoured till the 30th June, 2014.

The signature collection is available at the Eden Pavillion from 22nd June to 30th June, 2014 for dinner (7:30 to 11:45 pm) It is part of the dinner buffet and i priced at INR 1850 plus applicable taxes per guest. 

There is also a Royal Repast at Dum Pukht (Dinner only) from 22nd June onwards priced at INR 6500 plus applicable taxes per guest. 

Happy Nawabi Indulgence

Amrita