Stone age

It comes as a surprise that chefs at Juhu’s Novotel Hotel have gone back to the stone age, at least when it comes to preparing their delicacies.

It comes as a surprise that chefs at Juhu’s Novotel Hotel have gone back to the stone age, at least when it comes to preparing their delicacies. In other words, what this translates is that presently most of the food at the ongoing Kebab-e-Pathar food festival which is on at the Bageecha restaurant is completely prepared on a stone that has been brought all the way from Andhra Pradesh.

Says Chef Bhairav Singh, who is the brains behind the festival, “Recipes prepared on the stone are completely different from the normal recipes. Each recipe prepared on the stone doesn’t have more than three to four ingredients. Non-vegetarian appetisers and a few vegetarian appetisers are prepared on the stone.”

HT Image

The stone that is used to prepare these dishes is very unique and is found under river water. Adds Singh, “This stone can absorb heat that is more that 400 degree Celsius. The best part is that it doesn’t break, no matter how much it’s heated. Also, while cooking, the heated stone releases minerals that mix with the spices on the meat and give the dishes its special flavor.” Singh has been using the ‘Andhra cooking stone’ for more than a decade to cook Indian delicacies.

For the festival, open air restaurant Bageecha has been refurbished and given a complete village look. Four tawa stations and two pathar (stone) stations have also been set up. Singh’s new specially-crafted menu for the festival includes Pathar ka Ghosh which is a famous dish in Hyderabad is prepared on the Pathar, Resham Ke Tukde (Chicken Kebab), Pathar Ke Pomfret (Marinated Pomfret) and Til ke Jhinge (Sesame Prawns).