JOIN USWhen you get bored by the usual Butter Chicken and Shahi Paneer, you can shift your tastes slightly and try Awadhi cuisine at the newly opened Dum Affairs in South Extension II. Specially inviting for the ones inclined towards non-vegetarian food, it offers the original Awadhi cuisine with some exotic elements thrown in for good measure.
A calm ambience greets you with an open kitchen at the far end of the room, which makes things interesting. Presentations are beautiful and sure to please you. Priced slightly steep, a meal for two (without drinks) at Dum Affairs would cost about
Rs. 2,200. To start with, the appetizers. There is Chatpate Aloo, marinated with tamarind, honey, rock salt and asafoetida and cooked in a tandoor. This variation of potato is quite welcome. The Subz Ki Shaami is a street delicacy of Awadh and perfect for those vegetarians who have had enough paneer.
Then comes the amazingly delicious Galouti Kebab – a lamb dish, which completely melts in your mouth followed by Zard Gilafi Murgh, an chicken dish marinated with yoghurt and cream. For the sea food freaks, there is Jhinga Zaffrani (prawn), huge in size, marinated in yogurt again and absolutely delicious to eat.
For the main course, one has plenty to choose from. While potato and peas mix is quite a regular in many homes Aloo Matar ke Kofte is a new one and tastes delicious with the naan. Paneer ka Methidaar Qaliyan is not far behind with an exquisite twist to the paneer pieces – its inside filled with semi-powdered methi and cooked in methi-flavoured gravy of onion, cashewnut and yoghurt. Dum ka Murgh and Gosht Nihari are two dishes which are marinated long before they are actually cooked and the effort shows as they are compelling.
There is a special Jaituni Kulcha, filled with green and black olives and topped with olive oil which is sure to make you go wow.
The best part is the Biryani. Cooked traditionally, by heating the pot from all sides, the pot being sealed by a thick string of dough, there is Murgh Dum Biryani and Gucchi ki Biryani among other varieties. Especially exotic is Gucchi ki Biryani which is made of Gucchi or Morrels, and available for Rs. 450 per kg. It is served with cumin flavoured Burrani Raita.
With the spices just right and topped with saffron, caramelised onion (for Murgh Dum Biryani) and mace, the biryani is so desirable that you just can’t give it a miss.
The desserts are pretty much the usual affair except the Date and Pinenut dessert which is quite an invention and a taste that lingers for long after.
Chef Vikas Mudgal, is at the helm of affairs at Dum Affairs. He, along with industrialist Varun Suri, set up the restaurant this June.
“The Awadh cuisine came into existence when the Bada Imambara was being built in Lucknow. The food used to cook for hours on end and then was provided to the workers,” he informs us.
“The thing about this cuisine is that you can’t correct it once it goes wrong. So, you have to be on your toes always,” he adds. The restaurant is open from 12:30 to 2:45 pm and 7:30 to 11:45 pm.