I had heard about Chef Mujeeb-ur-Rehman a lot and had missed a couple of food festivals curated by him earlier in Chennai. Chef Mujeeb is a descendant of Khansamas of the Wajid Ali Shah’s era and is apparently well versed with the nuances of awadhi and Lucknowi cooking styles having undergone four years of rigorous training under the guidance of the siblings of the Royal Khansamas of Nawabs. (He is incidentally the go to name for most of the top industrialists and films tars in India for catering to their private parties )
The Dining room, the all day diner at Park Hyatt Chennai is hosting a Lucknowi food festival for a week. I was fortunate enough to have a rare lighter day at my practice and zipped my way to Park Hyatt to sample very few dishes which will be part of the festival and have a chat with Chef Mujeeb.
I have documented the dishes with a brief description below.
STARTERS
Galawati Kebab : Soft shallow fried mutton kebab ground with special 'lucknowi' spices
Chowk ki Tikki : Crisp Potato patties stuffed with green peas, asafoetida and roasted cummin seeds
Chowk ki Tikki : Crisp Potato patties stuffed with green peas, asafoetida and roasted cummin seeds
Paneer Peeli Mirch Tikka : Soft Cottage cheese tikka with tellow chilly & mustard
Murgh Tikka Mirza Hasnu : Garlic flavoured cubes of chicken marinated overnight with mustard oil, lemon juice and aromatic spices
MAIN COURSE
Lagan ka Murgh : Chicken prepared in a special copper vessel called 'Lagaan' with cashewnuts and yoghurt.
Nawabi Paneer Korma
Assorted 'royal' breads
DESSERT
Chukander -E - Afroz : Absolutely delicious Beetroot Halwa :)
VERDICT
Another festival which was definitely worth the wait. The flavours were definitely very authentic. Having had a long chat with the chef I did understand a lot of the intricacies and nuances that went into the cuisine. The Potato in the 'Chowk ki Tikki' was hand grated by his team for instance. The spices were obviously carried by him and freshly ground and mixed. It becomes fairly obvious why Chef Mujeeb and his team are sought after all over the country for his particular speciality.
If you are looking to savour some authentic Lucknowi/Awadhi flavours, Park Hyatt has the festival on toll the 23rd of October.
Time: 12:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Venue: The Dining Room, Park Hyatt Chennai
Price: INR 1250 plus taxes for lunch and INR 1450 plus taxes for dinner
Style: Buffet
They do have a special Al a carte menu for guests who would not want to opt for the buffet.
Another festival which was definitely worth the wait. The flavours were definitely very authentic. Having had a long chat with the chef I did understand a lot of the intricacies and nuances that went into the cuisine. The Potato in the 'Chowk ki Tikki' was hand grated by his team for instance. The spices were obviously carried by him and freshly ground and mixed. It becomes fairly obvious why Chef Mujeeb and his team are sought after all over the country for his particular speciality.
If you are looking to savour some authentic Lucknowi/Awadhi flavours, Park Hyatt has the festival on toll the 23rd of October.
Time: 12:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Venue: The Dining Room, Park Hyatt Chennai
Price: INR 1250 plus taxes for lunch and INR 1450 plus taxes for dinner
Style: Buffet
They do have a special Al a carte menu for guests who would not want to opt for the buffet.
Chef Mujeeb-ur-Rehman
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