Lucknow – Land of Nawabs and Kebabs!

Hi, I am Dheeraj, a resident of Mumbai. I am 24 years old and a big time foodie. I am one of those who live to eat and not eat to live 😉

At the age of 24, when I finally decided to go on a solo trip, and guess where it was – LUCKNOW. So here I was, in the Land of Nawabs and Kebabs, to explore the foodie’s paradise, as they say it.

Lucknow is known for its Awadhi cuisine. It is believed that the Awadhi bawarchis (cooks) invented the art of cooking food over slow fire. They use this technique to prepare a range of dishes starting from rotis (indian breads), meats, curry dishes to their biryanis. The weather here was very chilly and I was super excited to try out the Awadhi cuisine.

My first stop was Idrees Biryani. Located in the busy by-lanes of Chowk, this place is always bustling with biryani lovers. I ordered the mutton korma paired with sheermal (a saffron flavoured flat bread, which has a hint of sweetness in it). The spicy korma and the sweet sheermal complimented each other really well. After that, it was time to try the legendary biryani. I ordered the mutton biryani. They do not serve biryani in the traditional way that we are so used to. The rice and the meat are served separately. Curry is served along with the meat. Having the first bite, I was in a state of complete bliss and satisfaction. I cannot possibly exaggerate how good it was. The rice was cooked to perfection with hints of saffron, cardamom and cloves. The meat was very succulent and enriches the experience more.

Note: This place certainly does not focus on any kind of cleanliness. So if you are a hygiene freak, this place ain’t for you.

In the evening, I headed back to Chowk, to try my hands on some street food and visit the local market. I stopped at a food cart to try the famous Kashmiri chai. A sweet and milky pink tea. It is a must-try in the freezing evenings of Lucknow. There was a wide range of accompaniments to choose from, consisting of a number of sweets, breads and baked goods. I went ahead with the shahi tukda and enjoyed my Kashmiri chai in a ‘kulhad’. I did not indulge in a lot of street food as I was saving some room for my next stop.

For my dinner, I headed towards the most iconic restaurant of Lucknow, a place which is on every foodie’s wish list. The more-than-100-year-old ‘Tunday Kebabi’ in Aminabad (The original joint is located at Chowk, but I did not go there as they only serve beef). This place is immensely famous for its “Galouti” kebabs, which literally translates to ‘melt-in-the-mouth kebabs’. The place got its name ‘Tunday’ after its one-armed owner, Haji Murad Ali, who made the softest kebabs with over 160 spices in it, a secret recipe which is passed onto family members only. I ordered the mutton kebabs with rumali roti and relished on the kebabs melting in my mouth with mint chutney and onions. I went on to order chicken shahi with parathas, which I would strongly recommend once you are done with the kebabs.

The next morning, I started my day with a heavy breakfast at Raheem’s. It is situated at Chowk, quite close to the original Tunday Kebabi. I ordered a very traditional breakfast of Luckow, the Kulcha Nihari. Mutton Nihari – a dish that is cooked for hours over a slow fire, this allows the meat to be cooked in its own fats for hours, giving it a really nice flavour, accompanied by other spices. It is garnished with finely chopped green chillies and coriander before being served. The Kulcha – an Indian bread, cooked in the tandoor with a hint of sweetness. It is cooked to perfection which allows it to be soft in the inside and a bit crispy at the outside. This is one of my favourite dish of all time. Having this at the breakfast just made my day.

On my way out of the Akbari gate, I found a guy selling a sweet dish called ‘makhan-malai’. The most interesting part about the dish is the process of its preparation. After the milk is cooked ( I don’t exactly know the way it is cooked but the process that follows is what I found very interesting) it is kept overnight, in an open area like the terrace or the courtyard of the house, where it soaks in the dew drops which makes it more fluffy and creamy. It is garnished with sliced dry fruits, saffron and vark (a layer of silver).

The food at Lucknow, cannot be described with just mere use of words. I truly understand now, why it is a foodie’s paradise. I can spend days there keeping myself busy with just exploring the food.
I couldn’t visit half the places due to a shortage of time, just a result of not planning it well 😛 but considering it was my first trip, it’s fine. I intend to complete my list very soon. More on that later!

Thank you for reading!