Telangana Food Festival, Kangan at The Westin Mumbai Garden City.
Indian food is generally categorised on the basis of the region of their origin and popularity across the country, and Telangana cuisine is something that people are yet to discover and relish in other parts of the nation.
With primary ingredients like millet, red chilli, tamarind, tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and coconut; the flavours of Telugu food are unique and very different from the generalised South Indian cuisine.
Ahead of my trip to Hyderabad this month, I was lucky enough to experience authentic Telugu food at the on-going Telangana Food Festival at The Westin Mumbai Garden City where Chef Naidu from Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre guided me with insights into what to expect when it comes to food in Hyderabad.
A lot of fun conversations and good food were the highlights of our evening at Kangan, The Westin Mumbai Garden City.
Here is what we relished:
Appetisers:
Masala Gaare (INR 675++): Lentil, Green Chilli and Onion fritters, these were my personal favourite from the appetiser sampling platter. Our regular dal vada with green chilli and onions, these along with some green chutney and pickled onions were one of the three highlights of my meal!
Aratipandu Uttapam (INR 675++): A Hyderabadi rendition of the traditional banana pancakes, these came with a spicy peanut, chana dal, garlic and red chilli chutney to help counter the sweetness of the uttapam. Sadly, these were way too sweet for me and turned out to be my least liked dish of the evening.
Punugulu (INR 675++): Again, a Hyderabadi rendition of the moong dal bhajia’s that we usually make, these were smaller in size and had coriander and onions added to it.
Kothmir Tomato Charu (INR 475++): A Roasted tomato and coriander broth, this was yellow in colour and tasted a lot like rasam. Extremely delicious and filled with warmth, this was soothing on the inside, extremely feel good and truly the best part of our entire meal.
Mains:
Vegetable Kurma (INR 875++): An assortment of vegetables in a cashewnut gravy, strong on cloves, this dish was flavourful and best enjoyed with some ghee and rice.
Dabbalam (INR 875++): My first experience with a pumpkin gravy cooked in a tomato – tamarind gravy, this one was sour and sweet and oh so good; again, best enjoyed with ghee and rice.
Tomato Pappu (INR 850++): A tomato based dal, this again was a first for me and I truly fell in love. Yes, it had a strong tomato-sourness but it wasn’t very overpowering. Something that I would repeatedly go back for, I honestly did not know I would enjoy this dal so much!
The meal ended on such a brilliant note, that we decided to give the desserts a miss.
Filled with flavours unique and very new for me, this meal truly was an introductory lesson in Telangana/Tulu food for me and am sure there is a long, long journey filled with more wonderful dining experiences with this cuisine for me.
Note:
- The author was invited to review the restaurant and has given an unbiased opinion of her dining experience.
- All pictures are subject to a copyright and may be re used only after taking the necessary permissions.