The first word we thought of when we heard “Rampur” is the Rampuri chaku! What was laid out before us at The Westin was, of course, something equally sharp, but in taste and flavour.
The ongoing Rampur Nawabi Food Festival at the Rajarhat star hotel is proof that we know little about this town in Uttar Pradesh which has a rich food tradition derived from both Mughlai and Awadhi cuisines.
Chef Suroor Khan — a masterchef from the Rampur gharana who also owns Heritage Hospitality in Rampur — has been visiting different hotels in India to curate menus and spread awareness about Rampuri cuisine, with his team of two other chefs. “Much of the flavour that our cuisine has comes from the use of dry spices or khada masala. We do not believe in using pre-made spice mixes, we prefer freshly ground spices such as peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, bay leaf, coriander and cumin. The yellow chilli is another ingredient specific to our cuisine,” said chef Khan.
What: Rampur Nawabi Food Festival
Where: Seasonal Tastes, The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat
On till: July 1
Timings: 7.30pm to 11pm
Meal for one: Rs 1,399-plus for buffet dinner
A menu staple at most weddings and celebrations, the Taar Qorma is a rich mutton gravy flavoured with freshly ground spices. Fried onions and yoghurt make up the base of this gravy, and the mildly hot yellow chilli adds flavour. Cooked over two to three hours, the gravy releases a layer of fat, known as the taar, which gives the dish its name.
What makes the Muradabadi Biryani different is the fact that the mutton is cooked in lots of yoghurt to attain a soft texture. The half-cooked meat and rice are flavoured using mutton stock and then left to cook together. “It is similar to the yakhni style of making biryani,” said chef Haji Bhoora.
Derived from chapli kebabs is the Kachche Gosht Ki Tikia, which has coarsely ground mutton flavoured with dry spices and then shallow-fried in ghee as mini patties. “Earlier, game meat, which is usually dry, would be used to make it. The mutton variant is equally tasty,” said chef Khan. Served with a mint and imli chutney, you wouldn’t be able to stop at one with these tikias.
A popular comfort food, the Urad Dal is mostly eaten with steamed rice. This combination of urad and moong dal cooked till thick, along with deep-fried onions, is simple yet full of robust flavours. Tastes equally good with tandoori roti.
(From top) Mirch Ka Halwa, boiled capsicum cooked with milk and khoya; Gulatthi, a coarsely ground rice pudding flavoured with saffron, and Gosht Ka Halwa, minced mutton cooked in milk, ghee and khoya along with moong dal. Who would’ve known that capsicum and mutton could actually be used in dessert?! #SweetSurprises
The men behind the Rampur food experience — chefs Suroor Khan (centre), Haji Bhoora (left) and Mohd. Salim. “Very little is known about Rampur, let alone Rampuri cuisine. Not just cooking, feeding with joy is also our tradition,” said the trio from Rampur.
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