Cookoff with BURRP @ Kava, Fairfield Marriott, Rajajinagar

As the name suggests, this was primarily a cooking event with a lot of activity thrown in. Held at the Fairfield by Marriott, Rajajinagar and organized by Buurp, it focussed primarily on Hyderabadi Cuisine from India’s youngest state-Telangana. As I walked in to Kava, I was delighted to notice the entrance to the restaurant decorated with bright colours and arches imitating the historic Charminar and depicting the aristocratic appeal of the Nawabs. I was greeted by the team of experienced chefs and Buurp management including Vaishali and Chandrashekhar. The Head Chef explained to us the various dishes that emphasized the Nawabi Cuisine and what it took to prepare some of them. We were also to try our hands with the signature dishes namely Tawe Ki Macchi, Patthar Ke Gosht and Brain Fry Parantha.

We were divided into 3 teams and each were assigned a dish to cook. I do not eat brain, but this was the first time I was cooking one. We sat down to taste the dishes that were under consideration, and I tasted Mutton Brain for the first time. After a while, we proceeded to our respective cooking area and started prepping up for the dishes assigned to us.

I was a riot with the Brain and the entire process of frying it with oil and condiments to make a Keema out of it. Once the desired texture was achieved, we stuffed the contents into the Parantha prepared earlier. Once ready the dishes were plated and displayed next to the one cooked by the other teams- Patthar Ki Gosht and Red Snapper respectively. It was fun to have cooked up a dish, hitherto unexplored by me.

We then sat down to enjoy the elaborate Buffet Spread which comprised of 6 types of Biryanis to start with. The appetisers comprised of Kakori Kebab, Patthar Ki Gosht, Shikampuri Kebab and Tawe Ki Macchi. The quintessential Haleem, the signature dish during Ramadan was cooked to perfection. The Mains comprised of Fish Begun Bahar, Nalli Nihari, Tatte Ka Gosht and Andey Ke Khageena to name a few. The 6 varieties of Biryani included Chicken Dum, Mutton Nawabi, Ande Ka Dum, Nawabi Veg and Aloo Ki Biryani to name a few. The Dessert section was elaborate with the Double Ka Meetha taking the jewel in the crown.

The Hyderabadi Food Festival ran from May 21st through May 31st only for dinner. For those who have missed it, the Marriott authorities have plans to bring it back after the holy month of Ramadan. This event was one of a kind and undoubtedly the most entertaining.