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Sanatkada Fest: Home-cooked delicacies take the centre stage!
The Lalmirch Keema prepared by educationist Noor Khan was a hit at the Sanatkada Festival, selling out in just 30 minutes. Other dishes also had many takers.
The Lalmirch Keema prepared by educationist Noor Khan had a long queue for an hour even before the Awadhi Home-cooked Festival started at the Sanatkada Festival on Sunday. It went off the shelf in just 30 minutes.
“It’s a labour of love of 36-40 hours. It’s a simple recipe which is available in our book Lucknowi Bawarchi Khane. I just add a little more emotion and love into it. I hope the 80 servings that I had are loved by the food lovers. 12kgs of keema and 6kgs of mirch with other ingredients, it all just vanished,” shared Khan, the former principal of Karamat Husain College.
Another stall by academician Sufia Kidwai that served Rasbhari Qeema and Raan Musallam, also witnessed a big queue, and both her items too were soon sold off. “I got 10 full rans (leg piece) and 5kgs of keema,” she says.
The Mutton Yakhni Pulao by Farzana Shahab too was picked up instantly by the food lovers. Murgh Zafrani, Gosht ki Nihari, Achaari Machhli, Sahi Tukda and Chane ki Daal ka Halwa all dished out by Anjum Hasan, Galawati Kebabs by Shamim Khan and Gosht ke Pasande by Saba Hasan had many takers.
The overcast sky and brief spell of rain on Sunday afternoon did not deter the foodies which also saw many outstation visitors.
Bidisha Tagore, a designer from Shanti Niketan, Kolkata had come with 10 friends for the festival. “This food festival was the moment we were wait-ing for. This is the first time I am here and loving delicacies, unfortunately I missed keema-mirch,” she says.
Vegetarian delicacies too were an instant hit. Suchi Govindrajan, working with a wildlife NGO in Bengaluru, says, “I came at 10 am to get the coupons and my friends were the second ones in queue to get the mirchi-keema and raan delicacies. It was great to see home chefs as the stars of the festival and this is something we miss in my city. Also connecting with artisans is something new to me. I am a vegetarian, so I tried Awadhi thali while rest of the gang is savouring non-veg delicacies.”
Sanatkada team member Nasreen says, “We had prepared some 2,000 food coupons and in minutes they were over. Some were star dishes, but the good thing is that every home cook has foodies drooling over as most of them are available only once a year.” A group of 20 home chefs took part in one of its kind festivals in the city.
