The director of Fireball Restaurant displays Mughlai preparations. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, July 4: The city is going gaga over Mughlai food.

Rich traditional delicacies are the popular pick among food lovers. City-based restaurants and hotels are receiving a whopping response for Mughlai dishes like tandoori chicken, seekh and boti kebab and tandoori fish.

The Mughals were known for their style and splendour. And their food habits were no different. They consumed very rich food and thus reduced the number of meals during the day.

This is why Mughlai recipes are rich in fat, carbohydrates and proteins and are made in rich sauces and aromatic spices.

Poonam Anand, one of the regulars at city restaurants, who relishes Mughlai food, suggested the weekend menu at Hotel Arya and Quality Inn.

“The kebabs and tikkas are worth a try. The craze for Mughlai food has increased in the city for sure. The aromatic spices and richness of Mughlai food is unmatched,” Anand said.

Recently, Fireball Restaurant of the capital included a variety of kebabs like chicken tikka white, chicken kathi, chicken shahzadi and fish kalmi kebabs in its menu.

Abdul Hanif, a chef at Hotel Capitol Hill, said: “At Yellow Sapphire, the restaurant that specialises in Mughlai food, top orders include chicken Afghani, which is prepared in rich gravy. Ingredients used in its preparation are kaju paste, coconut, milk, dried fruits and nuts to make it rich and spicy. Mughlai cuisine has some other interesting dishes like kormas, pasandas and biryanis.”

Hanif pointed out that food lovers enjoy Mughlai dishes because the city climate is good for consuming the rich cuisine.

“Besides, the delicacies are priced nominally. Dishes at Yellow Sapphire start from Rs 150,” he added.

Meanwhile, the chef of Hotel Arya, B. Pallai from Orissa who specialises in Mughlai dishes, said guests at the hotel love ordering chicken reshmi kebab and chicken malai kebab.

“There is also a great demand for mutton boti kebab and seekh kebabs,” Pallai said.

“Mughlai dishes are prepared in the tandoor, which is an earthen oven used for making kebabs. Pieces of meat marinated are dressed in spices and skewered over a coal tandoor,” the chef explained.

Arun Chawla, the owner of Fireball Restaurant, said there is a huge demand for Mughlai dishes.

“This is why we added the cuisine to our menu. Recently, we introduced chicken tikka kebab and chicken kali mirch,” Chawla said.

He added that for preparing the new Mughlai dishes, they have invited chefs from Delhi and Bihar, who have 20 years of experience and have worked in the country’s best hotels.

Chef Neeraj Thakur of Delhi, who is working at Fireball Restaurant, was surprised to see customers demand kebabs frequently.

“I was under the impression that people in Ranchi do not go out dining very often. But the demand of this particular cuisine is so high that our work load has increased,” Thakur added.