Of kebabs & biryani

Be it the ‘pakki’ or the ‘kacchi’,  many claim to know some ‘authentic’ ways of preparing the perfect biryani. But when it actually comes down to the real deal, very few live up to the expectations keeping the taste and aroma of the delicacy intact.In an effort to serve the denizens the authentic flavours of the much sought after Mughal dish, hotel Empires is organising a food festival titled ‘Mughal Darbar’. As soon as you enter the restaurant, you feel like having crossed a few time zones to be there. One can immediately get a faint fragrance in the air that one associates with typical Nawabi items like kebabs and biryani.The Awadhi Dum biryani, Hyderabadi Kachi biryani, Empires tiger and Patheri kebab have been specifically prepared for the food festival and they might not be available after the festival. “The Patheri kebab is a one of its kind in Bhubaneswar. The speciality being that it was prepared in stones, instead of the usual frying pans” informed the head chef Lalit Sathpathy. There was also the inclusion of some fusion with items like Shanghai kebab and schezwan kebab.Culinary expert Satyanarayan Mohapatra provided the necessary insight into the spices that go into the making of these delicacies. He explained how different spices act differently when treated differently. He spontaneously rubbed the spice mace in his hand and displayed how it smelled differently when powdered and different when intact. According to him, one can find the authentic blend of all these spices at the Mughal Darbar food festival.Spices are one of the essential ingredients of preparing any delicacy. For biryani, how a spice has been broken, powdered or pounded makes all the difference. Mohapatra provides consultation to Empires’ chefs once in a while on how to better the ways of preparation.The foodies interested in having a taste of authentic Nawabi dishes should pay this food festival a visit. Keeping aside all the technicalities of biryani preparations and the marination, one just feels heavenly when the basmati of the biriyani gently melts in the mouth, teasing all the taste buds at once. The food festival will continue till February 19.