Skip to main content

lunching at Arsalan

A trip to Kolkata would not be complete without a visit to Arsalan Restaurant, which serves Mughlai cuisine. Mughlai cuisine was developed when India was a Mughal empire (from the 1500s).  The cuisine had strong elements borrowed from Central Asia fused with Indian ingredients. 


Such fusion of cultures and flavours led to dishes such as chicken biryani. Previously, I've eaten this dish in Bahar Multicuisine Restaurant in Hyderabad and I found the Hyderabadi version to have a strong personality, intimidating almost, because of the combination of strong flavours. Naturally, I was very curious about the Bengali version; after all, the introduction made by Arindam and Matty before the dish arrived made the biryani sound delicious.

And indeed it was so yummy! I have to admit, though, that I still prefer the Hyderabadi chicken biryani. Having said that, I could say that the Arsalan version is the mellower cousin that still packs a good punch; not overwhelming but still memorable. It is definitely not a pushover to the Bahar version. Plus, I particularly liked the idea that I had to dig through all that yummy basmati rice to get to the chicken in Arsalan... but wait, there's more down there... a potato! 


As we wound down our lunch entrée, in came this delicious dessert called Firni. It was sweet and milky, with a touch of some spice, and served in earthenware. I couldn't get enough of this dessert because it reminded me of ice cream. Good luck, dear stomach... my lactose intolerance would surely act up after eating a serving of this.


So there I was, worried about my stomach after eating firni. Good thing that Arsalan provided a digestive called Mukhwas. It's composed of some aromatic seeds and sugar cubes. It had a fresh, almost minty taste. And it helped calm my stomach too. 


Wow! The food at Arsalan was great! I'd love to go back and eat there again someday. Find a reason to immerse more in Mughlai cuisine, right? Why not?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for dropping by!

Before moving on, please share your thoughts or comments about the post. :)

Thanks again!

Popular posts from this blog

10 things I learned while driving on Marcos Highway to Baguio City

I went on a day trip to the City of Pines, which was around a 700-km drive from my house. I drove  going up there and then from the city to Victoria, Tarlac. After that, my dad took over the driving duties. It was day trip with Tita Ising and Tito Sibing with us. Anyway, this trip was my first time to go to Baguio City with me behind the wheel. As everyone who drives up knows, there are three main routes to Baguio from the lowlands: Kennon Road, which ascends from Rosario, La Union. It was out of my options because it's too dangerous to use that road in the rainy season. The second route is via Naguilian Road, which makes my trip a lot longer because the beginning of the ascent is in Bauang, La Union (further north). The last route, and the one I took, was the Marcos Highway, now known as the Aspiras-Palispis Highway. This 47-km road starts from Agoo, La Union and is touted as the safest route among the three.  As I drove up and then down (on the same day; we were in Bagu
4 comments
Read more

How MALDI-TOF-MS makes mycobacterium diagnosis faster and more accurate

The laboratory I work in has plenty of instruments that help us characterise and identify microorganisms causing diseases in patients. One of my current projects is to validate an instrument called "matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometer" (MALDI-TOF-MS) in identifying members of the Mycobacterium  species. Many of these organisms are opportunistic, meaning they only cause illnesses in people whose immune systems are not strong enough to fight infections. Mycobacterium leprae  is known for causing leprosy, but we cannot grow this bacterium in culture media, so we cannot isolate it. Mycobacterium tuberculosis  complex, on the other hand, is a group of several species of Mycobacterium  that causes tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease that killed 1.6 million people in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death globally, second only to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Identifying the Mycobacterium species that has infected a patient is
Post a Comment
Read more

a crash course on traditional Filipino houses

On Dr Jose Rizal's birthday this year, I was back in historic Manila with Ate Bing, Ate Mary , and Manuel . But instead of visiting him, we opted to soak up on Philippine culture. Our first stop: the Cultural Center of the Philippines ' (CCP) Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino .  Aside from the musical instruments, I noticed the dioramas about Filipino homes. Filipinos living by the sea (the 'sea gypsies', Sama Dilaut or Badjao ) have boathouses; those who live in the mountains, like the Bagobos , have developed interconnected houses in the trees; Filipinos who live along the path of the strongest typhoon winds, such as the Ivatans , have developed houses of thick limestone walls; and people who live in calmer conditions used bamboo and nipa to construct their houses, like the lowlanders and the Agtas . Sama Dilaut 'lepa' and houses on stilts (in the background) Ivatan limestone house nipa hut Ifugao 'fale' Maranao '
Post a Comment
Read more