The table is set at Kesar Bagh
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Some dishes require reverence. And that is what the Kakori kebab and sheermal get at Kesar Bagh. As I cut pieces of the delicate lamb kebab and pop them into my mouth, time stands still, the music fades and all I feel is the kind of joy that only an impeccable dish can bring out. Then, I tear into the saffron-rich, mildly sweet sheermal and it is time to write a paean to this classic combination. While the size of the Kakori is intimidatingly long, it is effortlessly polished off in under three minutes.Kesar Bagh is the new poster kid in Goa’s bustling F&B scene. Started by Chef Azaan Qureshi, it serves Awadhi cuisine. Azaan comes from the lineage of Padma Shri awardee Chef Imtiaz Qureshi who is known to have started Bukhara in 1978 and Dum Pukht in 1988 at ITC Maurya, Delhi, the latter along with Chef Ghulam Qureshi (Azaan’s father). Azaan learnt the finer nuances of this cuisine from his grandfather and father and was also associated with ITC hotels for 15 years, before starting his first flagship property in Goa in April this year.His new outpost draws inspiration from Lucknow’s Qaiser Bagh, a palace complex built by Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh. “In Awadhi cuisine, it’s not just the masalas but the dum technique that is special. It makes even less spices seem more complex in the longer process,” explains Azaan, adding, “The kebabs melt in your mouth. The Kakori has been perfected over 30-50 years using a technique called galawat, where we use raw papaya that has an enzyme which tenderises meat.”
