Awadhi food has always been a favourite of mine. Although there are dime a dozen Awadhi restaurants all over Delhi NCR, but one restaurant stands head and shoulders above the rest, cranking out a delectable series of Kebabs and Curries for decades now: the Dum Pukht at ITC Maurya. Although I have heard multiple stories from food writers, friends and even my parents, but both of us never had an opportunity to enjoy the food here. So a few days ago, when an opportunity arose, we were definitely not going to miss out.
The restaurant in itself takes you back to the Awadhi courts with Persian arches mingled with floral motifs and zardozi embroidered furniture. There is also a domination of deep sapphire blue tiles all over the place along with silver service plates that complete the royal attire. The menu is easily divided into Kebabs, Curries, Breads and Desserts and is quite easy to navigate.
We dig into the scrumptious Kakori Kebab, Made famous right here at Dum Pukht, a quintessential ITC product. The Kakori Kebab is so soft and melt in your mouth that it literally melts on your tongue, so much so that it can literally break while serving. The menu also features two other Kebabs that you must try out: the Mahi Dariya and the Murg Chandi Tikka along with a slew of vegetarian Kebabs including the Seekh Nilofari which uses lotus stem to put in an interesting mix of flavours.
Although there are quite a few curries to choose from, we suggest the usual Nehari but also the Rezala which is something that impressed me quite a bit with a curry made out of yoghurt and almonds. Along with this, there is a Murg Handi Qorma that’s delectable to the last bit along with an Aloo Kofta Salan and Guchchi Subz-e-Zar that you must try out. Combine it with a series of Indian breads that are quite difficult to find elsewhere: the Khamiri Roti, the Taftaan, the Tara Naan and the Naan e Bah Khumaach. There’s also the classic Awadhi Biryani to try out before digging into the desserts.
The desserts were definitely going to be my favourite and they did not disappoint at all. From the Shahi Tukda to the Gulab ki Kheer and the Khwaan-E-Shirini which is a platter consisting of a Pista Phirnee, Zafraani Taar Halwa and other. Now that we have told you about our favourites at Dum Pukht, do let us know about your favourites from the restaurant in the comments below.
Awadhi food has been our favourite for quite some time now but finding a place that delivers dedicated Awadhi food home instead of the Mughlai mish-mash is quite difficult. So, we recently found out a food delivery in South Delhi that serves out some delectable Awadhi Kebabs and curries. The Kakori Grill at the GK 2 Saigal Market is where we went to order out some of our favourites.
We definitely recommend the sumptuous Kakori Kebab which literally melts in your mouth leaving behind a distinct taste of nutmeg on the palate followed by the flat Chapli Kebab which has a good hint of spice and flavour. But one of our favourites in the menu is the Mutton Burra Kebabs which have an intensive flavour of smoke and spice on top of the flavour of the meat.
