Abir Chatterjee, who dropped in at Oudh 1590 to try the festival menu, picked up a handi of Shahi Paya Biryani. “I also liked the Gosht Bhuna Khichri. I have tasted a lot of biryani in Lucknow while shooting for Badshahi Angti. However, for me Calcutta biryani is the best,” said the suave sleuth.
If you are a biryani buff, you probably don’t need a reason to order a plateful. If you are not, then the reason why you must try some is that Oudh 1590, the period dining restaurant at 23/B Deshapriya Park West, is hosting The Great Awadhi Biryani Festival. The menu has nine varieties — each of them equally delicious and tempting.
Shikari Bater Biryani
Biryani owes a deep debt to the khansamas of Awadh or Oudh, as modern day Lucknow was known in the times of the sultans and nawabs. Hence, for this month-long festival the chefs from Oudh 1590 visited Lucknow, tried to locate the few who “supposedly had the secret recipes” and then recreated that taste in their kitchen.
Awadhi Palak Biryani
Ustad Sajjad Alam is one such man with a legacy from Aminabad in Lucknow, who has teamed up with the Oudh 1590 chefs for this endeavour.
Yakhni Gosht Biryani, Shahi Paya Biryani, Keema Biryani, Shikari Bater Biryani, Jheenga Kofta Biryani, Multani Kanthal Biryani and Awadhi Palak Biryani are some of the names that adorn the festival menu. “We have been researching the recipes of biryani for the past one year and this biryani festival is finally the gift we came up with for the people of Calcutta,” said Debaditya Chaudhury, partner, Oudh 1590.
Gosht Bhuna Khichri
“My favourite is the Yakhni Gosht Biryani. It is as exotic and innovative as it sounds. We have also inserted vegetarian options like Palak Biryani in the menu. We wanted to showcase the legacy of this rich cuisine and create this as an annual property,” said Shiladitya Chaudhury, the other partner at Oudh 1590. A meal for two from the festival menu will cost around Rs 1,000-plus.
Sibendu Das
pictures: Rashbehari Das
