We host a festival of family recipes and cuisine(s) from old Delhi at the Claridges Surajkund
By Anoothi Vishal
Despite being the political, art and indeed cuisine capital of the country, Delhi suffers from an image problem: “The city has no culture,” is a refrain that you may have heard often.
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Tags: City Shots, Curries, Delhi Family, Delicous, Dilli, Family Recipes, Flavours, High Contrast, Human Habitat, Image Problem, Kayastha, Kebabs, Melting Pot, Misrepresentation, Old Delhi, Political Art, Purana Quila, Regional Cooking, Shahjahanabad, Sheer Size, Stares, Surajkund, Unrivalled Experience, Vishal 
Comments OffBy Anoothi Vishal
Stunned to discover a south-Indian repertoire of kebabs
You’d associate it with the Brihadeshwara temple, the magnificent Chola prayer-in-rock to Shiva, with Bharat Natyam, with the opulence of its gold-foiled embellished art work, with even sambhar (believed to have originated here after king Sambhoji substituted the Konkani kokum with tamarind in the daal)… but kebabs?
Posted in Destinations Tags: Biryanis, Brass Chandeliers, Brihadeshwara Temple, Daal, Delicacies, Delicious Meat, Dorra, Executive Chef, Kebab, Kebabs, Kokum, Maratha Kings, Old Delhi, Opulence, Peninsular India, Roasts, Sheraton Park, Tamarind, Tanjore Paintings, Vishal, World Charm Comments OffPurana Villa promises to serve heritage cuisines from all over the country. Do you really get these?
Frankly, I had no plans of writing a review for this one. After all, what can you say about what essentially is—or should be—strictly a “neighbourhood Indian restaurant”?
Posted in Anoothi's Ratings Tags: Affability, Blinkers, Caterer, Cuisines, Free Masons, Hot Team, Indian Recipes, Jor Bagh, Kebab, Kebabs, Kitchen Hands, Masonic Lodges, Onion Garlic, Punjabi, Quail, Quail Recipes, Raj, Secret Ceremonies, Spin Doctors, Times Of India Comments OffFor all its old world charm and etiquette, Lucknow is not on the tourist map of the country. But if you get a chance, do plan a visit to this charming and laid-back city that has emerged from its old worldliness to a rather nouveau centre of political might, where symbols of dalit supremacy and resurgence have all but obliterated a unique culture of Hindu Muslim synthesis.
Posted in Destinations, Heritage Tags: Aminabad, Chaudhuri, India Indian, Indian Classical Music, Islamic Culture, Kakori, Kebabs, Kulfi, Mail, Marination, Miniature Painting, Mughal Empire, Mughal Kings, Muslim Culture, Nawabs, Overnight Mail, Percussion Instrument, Period Of Decline, Regional Governors, Sports Stadium, Stunning Examples, Urdu Poetry, Visiting India Comments OffFirst things first: The best kebabs — and biryani, many of us would argue—are to be found in Delhi. If you owe allegiance to Lucknow, Kolkata or Hyderabad, you will, of course, sit up in protest at this statement. The cities are, after all, known for their culinary excellence as much as for their “cultured” ways.
Posted in Cuisines, Restaurants Tags: Aminabad, Babu, Chowk, Court Culture, Culinary Excellence, Descendents, Exotica, Five Stars, Food Capital, Food Critics, Independent India, India Toda, Kalra, Kebabs, Mannerisms, Masala, Melting Pot, Muslim Cultures, Shami, Urban Legends 2 Comments »Historian Salma Husain’s book brings back the past with its extensive research into Mughal kitchens and the food habits and recipes of the emperors:
Husain is known in India as the original “kebab lady”—having researched into the beginnings of the kebabs and traced their history back, not to the muslim rule in India, but further back to Rig Vedic times of the early Aryans, who would conduct elaborate horse sacrifices and such and pieces of meat would be roasted for a meal.
Bukhara is India’s most famous restaurant, launched by chef Imtiaz Qureshi almost 30 years ago. As a boy in Lucknow, famous for its Mughal culture and etiquette, Qureshi trained as a young boy under his uncle in one of the small kebabs and curry restaurants, found in crowded markets and by the roads.
Posted in Chefs Tags: Ambitious Project, Best Restaurants, Bukhara, Cuisines Of India, Delhi India, Earthenware Pot, Food Capital, Full Flavor, Hotel Chains, Hotel In Mumbai, Hotel Kitchens, Kebabs, Largest Hotel, Master Chef, Mughal Culture, Muslim Cultures, North West Frontier, Qureshi, Royal Families, Sheraton Group 2 Comments »
