Feature
Now discover the forgotten, delectable Rampur cuisine
A mention of Rampur may remind you of the famous Rampuri chhuri — the switchblade Bollywood villains of a certain vintage proudly flaunted. But a taste of this Uttar Pradesh town’s cuisine will leave millennials quite surprised.
Of late, many hotels have started to showcase this delectable cuisine and one such ongoing fiesta is “Dine Like Royals” at K3, JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, from March 16 to March 26.
For non-vegetarians, the cuisine is a delight all the way. But vegetarians won’t go hungry either.
Whisked, stirred, pounded and cooked by a team of third-generation cooks from the royal kitchens of the Nawabs of Rampur and chefs at the hotel, the mouth-watering traditional Rampur delicacies are characterised by the use of dry spices, or “khada masala” (black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon or cassia bark, mace, black and green cardamom pods, bay leaf, cumin and coriander), which lend the dishes a unique flavour.
Chef Suroor, who is among the team of “magicians” cooking up the delicacies at the restaurant, told: “The cuisine was unheard of earlier — or very few knew about it — as the nawabs at the time did not want the food that they enjoyed to be had by all and become common.
“They wanted it to remain unique… for their palettes only. People came to know about the wonders of the cuisine when they found documented recipes in the library of Rampur.”
Munch on the kachche gosht ki tikia (minced mutton tikka) and the fish anjeer tikka (fish and fig tika) while sipping on the Rampuri punch — a summer cocktail comprising Rampuri spices, and a strong shot of vodka. The combination will prepare you for the rich and heavy main course dish — tar qorma.
The word tar (wire) has been given as the consistency of the curry is like that of a wire when you slide out the spoon from the dish. Not too soft, nor too chewy, the mutton which had soaked in the flavourful spices was cooked perfectly and was not even as spicy as it looked.
“The speciality of the spices is that all of them are hand-pounded. None of them comes from the market,” Chef Suroor explained.
I would highly recommend the fish and fig tikka as it was a lovely amalgamation of fig with the spices and was melt-in-the-mouth soft. The taste of fig is not so strong if that is what you fear. Don’t forget to try it with the garlic-yellow chilli dip.
The yellow chilli is specific to Rampur and is hotter than the green chili that you get in the market. However, it is not as hot as the “bhut jolokia” found in the northeast Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.
The keema aloo dish is dry and looks like minced soya bean, but like they say, “Never judge a book by its cover” — it was delicious and I could not help but lap it up with a sheer maal roti which is very different from its usual Mughlai-style preparation.
In the vegetarian section, the rich and heavy paneer shorma and the brinjal dish should be tried out even if you’re partial to the non-vegetarian menu.
For dessert, go for gulatthi (a cousin of kheer and phirni) and adrak ka halwa — a sweet made of minced ginger. It warms up the stomach a bit, so the chef said it’s a perfect winter delight.
The price tag for the menu may seem overpriced to some, but for those who like to experiment with their taste-buds, it’s a must-try.
FAQs
Where: K3 at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocit, Asset Area 4, Hospitality District, Delhi Aerocity, New Delhi 110037
When: Lunch: 12.30 pm to 3 pm; Dinner: 7 pm to 11 pm
Cost: Lunch: Rs 2,550 plus taxes, Dinner: Rs 3,350 plus taxes; both include the mocktail and cocktail menu
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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