As part of the promotions of Fairfield by Marriott, Rajajinagar, a food
festival called Zaikedaar was recently announced at the hotel.
Also scheduled soon after the announcement was a cooking demonstration by chef Pankaj Bhadouria, the winner of the first season of ‘MasterChef India’, who launched her book ‘Chicken from my Kitchen’ on the occasion.
During the session, chef Pankaj and head chef Mahesh Padala shared their culinary secrets with the media, taking them through the nuances of cooking Indian food to providing tips for the kitchen.
From delicious murg badami kebabs to paneer pasanda, there was a sumptuous variety being prepared. Zaikedaar will feature some of the traditional delicacies like classic Punjabi butter chicken, Malabar fish curry, kadhai paneer, hariyali fish tikka, murg malai tikka, distinguished styles of biryani and more.
Completely at ease in the kitchen, even in a sari, chef Pankaj answered all the
questions with a practical approach.
From basic doubts to the complicated ones, she had a solution for everything! “I had a really great time. My interaction with chef Mahesh was lovely and we discussed recipes. I’ve been working on some special dishes for the food festival as well as for
my book. Some of the traditional Indian recipes are very high in calories and
one of the specialities of my personal style of cooking is the substitutes that I use to tone them down. Given the present generation’s need, I’ve even had to innovate and come up with dishes like chicken no butter masala which is still as tasty but made with hardly any oil,” said Pankaj after the event.
Speaking about the food in Bangalore, she said, “After Mumbai and old Delhi, I feel that the food available is here is the best. There are a good number of restaurants here and people from across the country and even different countries visit and look for authentic food from their place. All of which is found here. Chef Mahesh made me a ‘butter chicken’ in a South Indian style and it was divine! I also love the spices that one gets here simply because they’re so fragrant. I’d love to come back here more often.” The gastronomic feast will be available at the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant - Kava Grill and Lounge. The festival will take place till March 21 from 7 pm to 11 pm. For details, call 49470020.