The food festival at Chanakya BNR Hotel. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, Dec. 21: “We want people to develop a taste for Hyderabadi food. We are optimistic a lot of people will come to enjoy the food,” said Samir, one of the chefs who has been flown in from Hotel Taj, Hyderabad, for the Hyderabadi food festival being held at the Chanakya BNR Hotel at Station Road.

With him is Chef Chote Lal, who shares Samir’s optimism, and going by the number of people who turned up today, they have reason to feel so.

“After this, we plan to organise more such festivals in the city,” said Sudhir Kumar, the resident manager of the hotel, as visitors continued to troop in and settle under the colourful canopies.

The 15-day food festival which began today is being welcomed by food lovers for the opportunity it brings to taste authentic Hyderabadi food.

“We have got the real taste of biryani which we hardly find in the city restaurants and hotels. We had heard of it from friends but it’s the first time we got the taste of it,” said Meeta Kapoor, who had come with her husband.

On display on the buffet dinner table were at least 20-25 types of dishes. Along with three varieties of biryani —Chicken, Dumpukht and Hyderabadi biryani — there was paneer nellore in Andhra style, Gobhi Ki Nazzakat with stuffing of paneer, potato, cashwenuts and raisins, paneer seek kebab and chicken minced kebabs.

Dessert included shahi tukda, sheer korma (bread in saffron flavour) qubani ka mitha (apricot sweet).