Yet again my love for good food pushed me to travel all the way to Surajkund to taste the food prepared by Chef Arif Khan at Vivanta by Taj. Chef Arif has come up with an Afghanistan food festival comprising handpicked traditional dishes. When I asked Chef Arif from where he learned, he replied, “I have learned under Ustad Kallan of Matia Mahal, Jama Masjid.” His reply took me by surprise as I rate Ustad Kallan very highly.
At least I have enjoyed Ustad Kallan’s recipes since my childhood. Chef Arif’s background seemed interesting and I asked how he decided to join a five star. He said he was hired by Chef Hemant Oberoi in 1987 to join Taj Mumbai.
Having been selected by the master indicates that Chef Arif was good at his work. Without further delay I asked the chef to start my gastronomical journey. First to arrive was a big bowl of soup named Soup e Zu. It was a vegetarian soup but of a very different texture. It was full of flavours. He used wheat grains as the base which gave the soup a body and a sticky texture. The mildly seasoned soup proved the perfect start.
For starters, the chef served kabab-e-Bakhtiyari which is basically a seekh made flat as the locals do at road side joints. Beautifully presented with saffron rice, kababs were made to perfection with very mild spices which did not overpower the flavour of the meat.
The good thing about Afghan cuisine is that it is neither very spicy nor bland. Next to follow was one of my favourites from the Eastern region, the famous chapli kabab. Again, the kabab was made to perfection; I enjoyed eating it with my hands as I love to see the juices oozing out once the kabab is pressed.
Though they were sufficiently filling, I moved to the main course dishes to taste the chef’s master dishes. Mutton sabdeg, murgh tora bora and Afghani pulao were dishes worth a try. Especially the sabdeg, where the meat balls are cooked overnight and paired with turnips. The chef replaced the turnips with carrots and yet the dish tasted as the original.
Afghani Pulao also had its own subtle flavour, slightly sweet with almond flakes; the saffron gave it a nice aroma. Done with food, rice zarda was good enough to satisfy my cravings for dessert.
(Meal for two: Rs. 4000 plus taxes. The festival ends 30th October)
