The minute you walk into the Navaratna restaurant at Le Royal Meridian, much before you’ve had the time to sink in the flamboyantly inviting ambiance, you are welcomed by an aroma of mixed spices that immediately wafts you to a comfortable place. With food from the Pakistani city of Peshawar, as part of an ongoing food festival, the restaurant is wrapped in a scent that makes you impatient to begin eating.
“When I visited Peshawar, I was inspired by the fresh produce and ingredients that they used to cook, the homemade spices and the exquisite tastes,” says associate executive chef M S Ghouri. “The kind of spices that are available there are very similar to the kind we get here in India, so I thought I must definitely bring it to Chennai.”
As a gleaming Red machli Khyber tikka (fish marinated with lemon juice, garlic, ginger, fennel seed paste and Peshawari red chillies) hits the table, chef Ghouri explains that the amount of spices used in the dishes has been significantly reduced when compared to the demands of authentic recipes. “In Peshawar, they can afford to eat hot and spicy food. Chennai is so much more humid, so we’ve reduced the level of spice and oiliness of the food,” he says.
Apart from the Charsi Noorjahani Murgh tikka, which is a dish of chicken morsels with poppy seeds leaves paste, yoghurt and spices, the use of a thick creamy yoghurt in the Ghanta Ghar murgh Afghani is an authentic use of ingredients and are must tries on the menu, as recommended by the chef. “I don’t know about the dishes being authentic, but I’ve replicated everything I’ve learnt from the people of Peshawar with a few minor changes, keeping many things in mind,” says chef Ghouri.
The options are aplenty for vegetarian foodies as well, right from the Lahori Hara Bhara Kebab (shallow-fried vegetable roundels stuffed with dry nuts and fruits), Bhuna aloo jeera, Palak lababdar (the spinach gravy that goes remarkably well with the Afghani naan that is generously topped with dry fruits and nuts) to the Chaman aur jimikand ki sheikh (yam and chickpeas).
A must try is the paneer aur jackfruit sath sath, suggest chef Ghouri, “Jackfruit and cottage cheese is quite an odd combination, but the dish has been selling like hot cakes!”
After a round of the crispy-layered warqui parathas and sizeable portions of the biryanis, if you feel indulging your sweet tooth a bit, the rich saffron-flavoured Afghan kulfi or Malpuva (fried sweetened pancake made with reduced milk) might be good options.
The food festival is on at Navaratna, Le Royal Meridian till September 23. For details, call 22314343.
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