North Indian Chef's Tantalising Treats - Indian Dishes for November 2013

KUALA LUMPUR: CHEF Sabuddin Sekh, who hails from Kolkata, India,  has used his ethnicity to bring about an unforgettable dining experience at the Taman Sari Brasserie in Hotel Istana, a hotel near Jalan Alor.

In conjunction with the Festival of Lights, the restaurant is preparing more than 50 North Indian dishes for three menus that will be rotated, until Nov 30 at our hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Guests at our hotel in KL Malaysia will be treated to a range of appetisers, soups, main courses and mouthwatering desserts.
Start off with six types of Indian bread, namely masala kulcha, garlic naan, butter naan, plain naan, coriander naan and black sesame naan.

These will be served hot upon each diner's request, to maintain the freshness and softness of the bread.

"We bake the naan the traditional way, using charcoal tandoor," said Sabuddin.

Meanwhile, the crunchy Kolkata fried prawns, eggplant bhaji and spinach pokoras will have one marveling at how they are comparatively less oily despite being deep fried.

Sabuddin said the trick was to coat with chick pea flour so that excess oil would not be absorbed during the cooking process.

To go with the main course, there are three types of rice, namely Kolkata plain briyani (Basmati spiced rice), Kolkata gosht briyani (Basmati spiced rice with lamb) and Kolkata murgh briyani (Basmati spiced rice with chicken).

The briyani goes well with murgh do piaza (chicken with fresh tomatoes and onion in cream curry gravy), machli sarso ka salam (marinated fish with mustard seed), jhinga aloo wala (prawn with potato) and kekada methi masala (crab with fenugreek leaves in tangy curry).

Sabuddin, who has been with Hotel Istana for five years, especially recommends the bhuna gosht, a mutton curry with a slight peppery taste. He said this was one of the most time-consuming dishes he had ever prepared and definitely one of the best foods among Kuala lumpur hotel offers.

"Once the meat is in the pot, it must be stirred constantly for about an hour to make the meat very tender," he said. Seafood lovers must not miss the jhinga aloo wala, which is cooked with India-made products, garam masala and mughlai attar oil. This bright orangey-red-coloured meal is tempting to look at and enjoyable to eat as the prawns are shelled.

As for dessert, diners will be spoilt for choice as well, with such offerings as gulab jamun, laddu, mix fruit kesari, barbousa, carrot halwa and rasgulla, the very famous Kolkata sweet treat. These confections will surely complete the patrons' joyful Deepavali celebration at our 5 star hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

For details, call 03-2141 9988 ext 3667.