Rajasthani flavours to tickle palates

ROYAL TASTE

Rajasthan is known for its royalty and so is its food. This royalty is the theme of the ongoing food festival ‘Royal Food Festival’ at 21 Gun Salute Restaurant in Gurgaon.

The royalty is evident the moment you enter the restaurant with a vintage car stationed to welcome the guests. The interiors give the royal feeling of Rajasthan and so does the food.

The menu for the festival comprises of more than 21 dishes including starters, main course and desserts.

Raja Banaras ki Pasand mocktail is a sure shot try. The (paan) betel flavoured drink takes like Banarsi paan with flavours of gulukand and betel leaf. It also has dominant flavours of paan masala and loads of crushed ice. The drink is toppled with soda and lemonade in equal proportion.

The drink leads way to starters. The most interesting among the starters is moong dal ke kabab which dissolve in the mouth leaving the taste buds craving for more. Chef Kishor Rastogi reveals the secret recipe of these vegetarian kebabs. He shares, “Moong dal is first boiled and then mixed with spices. The mixture is sauteed in ghee before frying them to get perfect kebabs.”

The main course has a range of interesting Rajasthani dishes like Nangori Korma and Be Dil Murg for the non-vegetarians. The latter consists of rose and saffron flavours, which makes it different from a typical chicken dish. Nagori Korma is cooked in Rajasthani way by marinating the mutton in curd and then adding sauteed onion and spices while it simmers in a gravy.

Chandak Banerjee, owner of a construction company and a customer at the restaurant, says, “I like Nagori Korma here as it is not too hot and has the right amount of spices. Also, the mutton is very juicy and is cooked as per the Indian taste.”

The vegetarians must try Lahsooni Paneer, a special dish of Gwalior, which has become an instant hit during the food festival. Customer Durjay Puri, an IT businessman says, “The flavour of garlic and pepper in paneer blends well with the dish and gives it a perfect taste.

Also, the amount of gravy is not more or less but absolutely right.” The vegetarians can also binge on Dam Aaloo Kashmiri, which is cooked to perfection and is soft even at the centre.

The chef reveals that the potatoes are shallow fried till their water content vanishes and then simmered in the gravy which makes them soak flavours of all the spices.

The dessert has Zafrani Fruit Kheer served in a stem glass. The kheer is rich in saffron but fails to match up to its main course dishes as it lacks exact amount of sweetness.
The ‘Royal Food Festival’ is on till March15, 2012.