Punjabi North Indian Cuisine at Paya Serai, Hilton PJ

images by Veronica Ng

Punjabi North Indian Cuisine at Paya Serai, Hilton PJ

Starting 7^th July till 20^th July 2008, Guest Chef Mohd Firoz Khan originally from Mumbai and now fresh off the plane after a cooking tour of Africa, United Kingdom and UAE will be holding court at Paya Serai where he will whip up delectable Moghul dishes which were strictly reserved for the pampered palates of emperors and maharajas of olde India.

Featuring both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian cuisine, Chef Firoz prepares a healthy rotating daily menu with emphasis on health by using less oil and sugar while promoting the use of yoghurt to impart a luxurious silky texture in his creations.

The various spices, some 12 to 15 of which are featured in every dish, ensures that his cuisine is bursting with flavours, and are famous for imparting medicinal properties while the yoghurt adds a touch of creaminess without being cloying.

For our review, we had Briyani rice, Mushroom Masala, Chicken Pashnda and Purwon Lashune washed down with piping hot spiced tea and Indian sweets and fresh local fruit for dessert.

The Briyani rice was aromatic with the presence of bay leaves and coloured and scented with saffron. I for one was glad that there were no raisins to detract from the taste, and Veronica, who was helping me with the photography, concurred with this as well.

The Mushroom dish featured a spinach base in a spicy mélange graced with black mushrooms. The mushrooms added a lovely crunchy element while absorbing the spices and flavours nicely.

The Chicken Pashnda is cooked in a claypot, which imparts an earthy flavour to the yoghurt based cream sauce. This dish is mild, not spicy, and is suitable for children.

The Purwon Lashune is a dish of fresh prawns cooked with spices in dry gravy and again featured the expensive ingredient saffron.

Our verdict after stuffing ourselves? Two thumbs up. Call +603 7955 9122 ext 4060 and go grab it before Chef Firoz returns home to indulge in his favourite pastime – playing cricket.