It’s the Navratra Festival – Dish out the Indian Gluten Free Goodies!!

Navratra  is an Indian Festival lasting nine nights culminating in a feast on the tenth day . It is dedicated to the worship of the Goddess Durga or Shakti. During this period Her Nine forms are worshipped (hence the duration) Hindu folk in North, West & East India celebrate this in different ways, with the South generally celebrating only the grand festival on the tenth Day called Dusshhera. I guess that’s enough background on the festival. Go google it if you need more!

The pious and the devout were instructed by the scriptures to undertake a fast for the entire duration of the festival, and advised to consume just one meal a day (usually in the evening) after the “pooja and aarti” – consisting of just fruits and milk.

Over the years this “one meal a day” diktat seems to have undergone various mutations – as per the whims and fancies of the various custodians of the religion.  

A relatively popular belief is that the one meal that you consume at the end of each day – has to be made of ingredients which are of fruit, fruit extracts and milk only. The food also should not contain pungent ingredients like garlic, onions etc. That seems to be the origin of the now popular “Vrat Ka Khaana” (food for fasting) – though I like its literal translation better (fast food). Numerous restaurants have taken advantage of this – to offer a delectable array of dishes – all containing no cereal or cereal extracts. Pretty clever – isn’t it?

All the cereal based components in a usual Indian meal (Rice, Chappati’s etc) are replaced with pseudocereals like Amaranth (known as Rajgira), BuckWheat (Kuttu) & Samo Seeds / Samo Rice (Samak), Sago (Sabudana), Water Chestnut flour (Singhare ka Atta). Most importantly – Salt is a no-no during the fast, so sea salt is ingeniously substituted  with rock-salt (don’t ask me why that is permitted) – reach out for the Upanishads if you have the time!

While I won’t debate the veracity of such a fast – where one can indulge in such unusual but delicious fare, I would certainly take advantage of the fact that these dishes are made available for only two weeks, or thereabouts, in a whole year!! Navratra is twice a year. The Vasant (Spring) Navratra is usually in April each year, though the one in the Fall is usually considered the more important one.

At the end of the exhaustive narrative on Navratra and the evolution of the food consumed therein (probable, I might add – and according to “myopedia”), I arrive at what I really look forward to – The glorious “GLUTEN FREE” Indian food doled out by some of the Indian restaurants around town. 

The Hindus probably had no idea that this concept of gluten free food would develop into such a fad in the western world. To-date, I haven’t seen a single Indian outlet promoting this fare as such!! Tch tch – such waste of an opportunity to jump on the bandwagon. Just look at how popular gluten free Pizza’s are getting!   

Anyways… I decided to go for the Navratra Thali (platter) on offer from one of the popular vegetarian restaurants in town – Bikanervala, at their Karama outlet. Though situated on a back street in Karama, Bikanervala is extremely popular and can get very crowded in the evenings. After a recent renovation, the décor is quite agreeable for a relaxed and casual meal. We landed up there at around 9 pm and got seated with relative ease. There wasn't much of a crowd (probably since it was still the first day of The Navratra) – and most diners were clearly opting for the Navratra Thali.

It’s a self serve concept so we got our orders in quickly and waited for the buzzer handed to us – to go off! I guess I was hungrier than most people who were on an actual fast. It didn't take too long though.

The Thali refers to a complete Indian meal served on a single platter (the word literally usually means the deep plate in which the food is served) 

The Pooris (deep fried unleavened flat bread) were made of Kuttu ka Atta (buck wheat flour) and were fresh out of the pan – nice puffed dark grey brown pillows of taste. What I liked most about the pooris was that they were completely non oily! The oil was drained perfectly – usually the sign of a very good chef – since buck wheat flour has a tendency to absorb and retain oil.

The accompaniments included Paneer ki Subji   (Cottage cheese curry) , Aloo ki subji (potato curry) & Cucumber Raita (Yoghurt with cucumber) & Pethe ki subji (Ash Gourd curry). There were also a couple of homestyle potato chips thrown in.

The Paneer (cottage cheese) in the curry was soft and fresh, the gravy a little sweeter than what I would prefer, but it was that way keeping in mind the popularity of the festival amongst the Gujarati Community. It was a slightly sweeter version of the immensely popular Paneer Makhni. Three huge chunks of paneer in my serving were quite enough.

The Aloo ki Subji was staple. Nice and easy on the spice & nothing to find fault with. A preferred and popular choice with Pooris usually.

The unlikely star of the show was the no-so-usual Pethe ki Subji (Ash Gourd curry). A semi dry version tempered with whole red kashmiri chillies, it achieved the right balance between the sweetness & fruitiness of the Ash Gourd and the spices it was cooked in. I loved it,  both- with the pooris and some dunked into my khichdi as well. 

Well Khichdi is usually my favorite, and I can probably even pair it with the Thai dish - Pad Ga Prao Gai – and still love it.

So as you guessed, there was also Samak ki Khichdi (a sort of porridge made with Samo Seeds) – to mimic the usual “Rice Khichdi” that Indians love. A great act though – I admit, since it tasted very similar to the actual khichdi. Deeply Satiating in a way only a home cooked khichdi can be . The portion was too small though *grumpy face*

The obligatory dessert was in the form of the Bengali RasBhari – mini rossogollas – but not as soft. This probably was the only food on the platter which did not match up to the otherwise very high standard overall. It was as if it was thrown in as an afterthought. Not enough love in there.

All in all – a hugely satisfying meal after a day of fasting (for those who do) – I could fast all nine days if this was what was on offer at the end of the day. Period.

Bikanervala, also has a-la-carte options for those not too keen on the platter. Even some innovative “Chaat” dishes for the fasters, made of the “permitted” ingredients. Like Falahari Paneer Tikka, Singhara Atta Papri Chaat, the ubiquitous Sabudana Vada & even an Aloo Lachcha Tokri!. I’m sure going back for more of these Gluten free goodies while Navratri lasts!

Bikanervala has three locations in Dubai (Karama, Barsha & Ghusais) and one in Sharjah (Al Wahda Street)
They also have a nice range of Indian Sweets & confectionery.

AL Karama

AL Karama, Dubai UAE, 
P.O. Box 49615
Tel. : +971-4 –3968813


PS:  I did not carry my camera in all the rush to try the Thali (the mark of a greenhorn) I've borrowed the pictures from their Social Media sites. So picture Credits are Bikanervala and their photographer.

PPS: The picture of the platter in the promotion varies a bit from my experience and description. So I've just described my version of the platter.

Heavenly Kababs at the back of beyond (well almost...)

Here I was, standing at the kitchen door of the restaurant – almost badgering the servers for a couple of parathas….

Each one was taking around two minutes…and there was a backlog of close to 50 parathas I presume (considering the amount of time it had taken for my order) – from my position at the open kitchen door, i could see the cook was working feverishly at the upturned “kadai” or pan – which served as the griddle to churn out that “melting” flat bread called paratha.  

“Ek plate Lucknow Kabab aur Do paratha mein itna time kyun lag raha hai?” (subtitles below :P)– I was EXASPERATED!!

Later….much much later, when I emerged – fully satiated (or maybe still craving a bit) from the obscure little restaurant in Sharjah, I almost couldn’t believe that I had actually fought with the servers & barged into the kitchen to get my order delivered. Anyplace else – and I would’ve walked out and driven to the nearest yellow arches to satisfy my hunger pangs (yes, I am guilty….of being a fast food addict too – at times. Nothing like a McSpicy or a Whopper when the cravings set in – but I digress) Coming back…. as I was saying….it takes very little provocation for me to walk out of a place offering bad service. I am a strong believer in the Indian idiom “Atithi Devo Bhava” (subtitles below again). But there I was …willing to even assist the haggard chef’s assistants to help speed up my order. The reason was that I had tasted a teeny weeny bit of the kabab at a friend’s place a day earlier…..and was dumbstruck. Even when cold…the kabab felled me completely. I just had to be at the genesis of this wonder….and sooooon!

Al Afadhil Restaurant (or Lucknow Kabab- as it is usually known) is in an unpaved alley off Al Wahda Street in Sharjah. From the looks of the crowd, I was clearly the one who got to know of the party last. This place was clearly POPULAR! Families milled about at the entrance (paved with extremely slippery tiles, so I suggest wearing sensible shoes) waiting to be let in as soon as a table was available. So – I waited…..and waited….and waaaiiittted.

Finally unable to bear the long idle wait – I decided to walk in to see how soon I could expect to be seated., since the crowd was generally self regulating and I hadn’t seen a single member of staff in the 45 minutes that I I was outside. Horror of horrors – the inside too was packed with families milling about still waiting to be seated! Whoaaa! What was this? The diners were blissfully tucking into their grub whilst others were literally waiting by the table – silently goading them to finish quicker.

The place was nightmarishly understaffed clearly. There were a total of 4 servers catering to about 15 tables. Or trying too. They would disappear into the kitchen (at times simultaneously) and not emerge for at least the next 10-15 minutes. I suspect that their responsibilities included cooking as well!

As it turned out – I was in luck. There were two tables which were for two. One of them got empty soon enough and amongst the crowds waiting there wasn’t anyone who wanted a two seater. So I grabbed my chance. Content that I was finally going to get the stuff that I drove all that way for. It wasn’t to be that easy. A good 15 minutes passed – with me repeatedly standing – gesturing – calling and signaling to the waiters. Finally one clearly hassled guy stopped over and asked me what I wanted. I made the mistake of not asking him what was on offer – and instead uttered “menu”. There goes. 

Another 10 minute wait and I finally got a 1 page offering. I usually am impressed with One page menu's since it gives me the feeling that the chef is sticking to what he knows best. No riff-raff. Unfortunately my English teachers at school did not share my sentiments while grading my essays. So now you know who to blame for my verbosity!

Al Afadhil offers a very limited choice. 3 varieties of lamb kababs. 1 Chiken Tikka.  

We obviously immediately ordered what we were there for. The Lucknow Kabab and the Roomali Parathas. 

When the lucknow kabab finally made its grand appearance, it was an anti climax. Presentation clearly isn’t  their forte again. It looked like a simple mash of minced meat – shallow fried on a griddle. Don’t let looks fool you however. I tore off a piece of the heavenly paratha and dug in (you have to use your fingers here – getting cutlery might take another eternity). The kabab (I wonder if it can technically be called that) – was a melt in the mouth creation! Perfectly spiced, tender lamb mince was ground to a paste – with lentils, to give it this velvety & satisfying texture. Added to that the perfect spice mix and it was gently cooked using a griddle so that both sides of a patty were done to perfection. What comes onto your plate however, doesn’t resemble a patty. That’s because the meat is so tender, any movement to flip it is going to break it (which it does) so it’s a shapeless flat portion- perfectly cooked. (I’m drooling all over again). Its served with a tamarind “chutney” and raw onions on the side. Perfect accompaniments to a perfect meal! I can devour about a dozen of those “roomali parathas” (they are as light as chiffon) with that chutney alone.

The Chicken Tikka was good too, though not something you would drive an hour for. Grilled to perfection  (they obviously have a stickler manning the grill in the kitchen), and spiced as per your taste. 

The Shammi kababs seemed a not too distant cousin of the lucknow kababs. Ones who held their own in terms of their shape, as compared to the lucknow kabab.

Another stand-out was the unexpected vegetarian dish “aloo palak” – mildly spiced potatoes in a spinach base. Unlike the Palak in Palak Paneer at other restaurants, this one wasn't a paste but instead - home style finely chopped spinach.  This was a dish I’d cringe eating anyplace else. It was one of two vegetarian offerings, so I decided to give it a try, just as a test spin for a joint known for their meat. It emerged a winner. Try it. You’ll be surprised.





















And now finally it was time to order the  pièce de résistance - the "meethi Lassi". It came highly recommended by the regulars and i was specifically asked to order it at the end of the meal. Rightly so, since it was not so much a lassi as it was "Sweetened Cream Yoghurt". This guy obviously dunks in equal measures of yoghurt and cream with sinfully copious amounts of sugar to come up with a concoction which he serves in earthen mugs (called kulhad) - it brought back memories of Lucknow, Delhi, Jaipur and the likes. 

The lassi was divine to say the least, but its going to leave you wallowing in guilt for the next whole week. The kulhad comes perched precariously on a brass tea light holder which resembles one of those mughal era brass goblets. And with a spoon to scoop it out with. Whoever thought that you had to "eat" a lassi? 

All in all - that took care of our cravings for dessert!

Try avoiding the place on the weekends unless you don’t mind charging into the kitchen or waiting endlessly.

Subtitles:

“Ek plate Lucknow Kabab aur Do paratha mein itna time kyun lag raha hai?” – why is one plate of lucknow kabab and two parathas taking so long?

“Atithi Devo Bhava” – A Guest is like God


The Place:
Al Afadhil Restaurant
Tel: +971-6-5335351
On a side street off Al Wahda Road.

Directions:
Once you cross the Al Khan interchange on your way in from Dubai, take the first exit into the service lane on the right. Turn right again after Kitcherama. Al Afadhil is in the second building on the right on this unpaved street.