Heart-warming curries from the walled city and melt-in-your-mouth aromatic kebabs from the erstwhile Nawabi kitchens of Lucknow are up for grabs at an ongoing food festival here.
'Clash of Titans', the gourmet battle presently being fought between two master chefs Ved Prakash and Mirza Munnwar Baig, courtesy The Imperial, hopes to leave foodies in the city spoilt for choice with an array of historical delicacies -- all whipped up with a contemporary twist.
The spread incudes chakundar aur ramdana ki tokki (beet and quinoa patties), noorani champen (lamb chops), raan-e-Awadh (baby leg of lamb steeped in rum and marinade) for appetisers.
Three variants of biriyani, parda paneer (layered cottage cheese preparation in a mild spinach curry), raseelay kum-kum (stuffed tomatoes with mushrooms), mahi nazakat (fish tossed with dry fenugreek leaves, simmered in onion-tomato based gravy), jhinga masala (prawns tossed in onions, tomato, pepper and garlic), mutton korma and kadhai lobster make for an irresistible main course, rounded off with traditional sweet treats like rasmalai, shahi tukda and khoya jalebi among others.
The recipes being recreated for the event have been passed on to Chef Mirza and Chef Ved from their respective forefathers, the two culinary experts said.
While the forefathers of Chef Mirza, the fourth generation of Khansama from Lucknow, used to work with Nawabs of Awadh and their gharanas, Chef Ved's grandfather used to own an eatery in Old Dilli at the time of independence, famous for curries like Paya Shorba and Purani Dilli Ka Mutton Korma.
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"The concept of 'Clash of the Titans' takes you on a delectable culinary journey of Hindustan and revives the traditional recipes.
"The menus by the chefs revisit the legendary food aesthetics of Lucknow and Purani Dilli, passed on from generation to generation," Vijay Wanchoo, Senior Executive Vice President and General Manager, The Imperial, said.
The festival will continue till November 24.