From the palaces of India

Guests at the The Ritz-Carlton will be in for a palatial treat as the hotel’s Indian speciality restaurant Riwaz is offering royal Indian delights all this month. Chef Ramandeep has recreated the culinary magic from the legendary palaces of Kashmir, Patiala, Jaipur and Agra that have pleased the palates of kings and emperors from these hallowed lineages.

Foodies can relish various delicacies from the land of Jammu and Kashmir till October 12. 
This includes appetisers like kabargaah (fried lamb chops flavoured with fennel and ginger powder), kokkur kebab (pan-fried chicken galettes flavoured with cardamom) and tale gade (pan seared fish marinated in yogurt and green chilies). Even the vegetarians will not be disappointed as they can opt for nadir kebab (lotus stem galettes flavoured with black cardamom) and paneer aur jimikand ki shammi.

The soups — yakhani shorba, which is a lamb broth and palak matter ka shorba — are accompanied with the unique lamb-stuffed kulcha and spinach kulcha respectively. “The idea is to enjoy the vegetarian bread with the vegetarian soup and non-vegetarian bread with the non-vegetarian soup,” explains chef Anupam Banerjee, executive chef, The Ritz-Carlton.

For the main course, one can go for the traditional roganjosh and murgh dhaniwal korma. Nadroo gadh, which is fish cooked with lotus stems in pungent sour curry, is another must-try.

The other lamb specialities here are gushtaba’ and shabdeg. Vegetarians can opt for darashahi chaman and methi chaman, both of which are paneer-based; Kashmiri dum subji and rajma.

 “The Punjabi rajma is more rich compared to the Kashmiri rajma,” notes Anupam.
These gravies are perfect with the syun pulao (made of lamb) and khumbi pulao (consisting of mushrooms) and even the Indian breads sheermal, bakarkhani and roth. You can end the meal on a sweet note with kong firin, which is a rice pudding with saffron, raisins and almonds; sivayon ki kheer and gulab jamun.

Says Ramandeep Kukreja, Chef de Cuisine at Riwaz, “The month of October is filled with celebrations and festivities and is also special for us as we celebrate our first anniversary, end of the month. Since Riwaz is our Indian speciality restaurant, we decided to take the guest experience to another level by bringing royal cuisine from four palaces of India namely Kashmir, Jaipur, Agra and Patiala. We want our guests to dine like royalty and experience the cuisine that has pleased the palates of kings and emperors from these hallowed lineages.”

Food-lovers can enjoy the dishes from Kashmir till October 12. The three weeks that follow will feature the specialties of Jaipur, Agra and Patiala respectively. This culinary journey can be experienced at Riwaz, The Ritz-Carlton, 99, Residency Road. For details, call 49148000.