Food is ubiquitous in Aurangabad. Famous for its exquisite, centuries-old, rock-cut temples, sculptures and paintings of the UNESCO-endorsed Ellora and Ajanta Caves, the city is also a gastronomic haven. Mughlai? Check. Arabic? Check. Nizami/Marathwada? Check, check. Much of this culinary diversity has to do with the city’s syncretic culture.
Founded by the Abyssinian slave-turned-warrior Malik Ambar in 1610 as Khadki, and ruled subsequently by everyone from the Ahmadnagar Sultanate to Mughal Badshah Aurangazeb and the Nizams of Hyderabad, the regional gastronomic tapestry is a confluence of flavours.
Arguably the best places to sample local food is at street stalls and local markets. In Aurangabad, the go-to place is Buddi Galli, on the outskirts of the city in a district called Naralibag.
A twisty, labyrinthine road of street stalls and hole-in-the-wall eateries, it serves up delicious, cheap food. Push cart vendors sell everything from flavour-charged chicken shawarmas to spicy seekh kebabs smoldering on charcoals, perfuming the air with their irresistible aroma. Tikiya pav—spiced beef patties fried on a griddle and served inside pillowy soft pav—is a treat for the taste buds.
Khau Gali is another foodie destination for a deep dive into the city’s rich food history.
Think halwais deep frying gossamer gold puris to be served with hing-infused aloo sabzi and a piquant carrot pickle; bawarchis fussing over wafer-thin mandi roti in incandescent tandoors… Sellers of chaats, pakodas, vadas, and pani puri are all part of this cultural blast furnace with the atmosphere so thick it can be sliced with a knife.
Khaja sellers are a visual delight around Aurangabad’s historic gates—52 in number. The gargantuan fluffy pastry, like a big bhatura or paratha, but heavier and flaky is crafted from maida, ghee, sugar and khoa. Deep fried in a boiling wok of ghee, it is no diet food but certainly a pocket friendly snack at Rs 50 a pop.
Great Sagar Restaurant—located on VIP Road, near Bhadkal Gate—is a mecca for meat eaters. The no-frills eatery with its redoubtable three-decade-old legacy has an iconic following.
Opt for its legendary mutton biryani and you’ll soon figure out why every table when you walk in had ordered it. The dish comes in a gleaming copper handi brimming with yellow-white, saffron-flecked rice topped with half a hardboiled egg. Sides of a zesty salan and raita provide able support. A topping of crispy caramelised onions impart a hint of sweetness.
For those craving Aurangabadi favourites steeped in Marathwada flavours, a traditional thali at the freshly-minted Hyatt Place Airport Hotel’s Zing restaurant is the answer.
Amid the 10-odd dishes on a silver platter, the piece de resistance is of course the mutton naan qalia, Aurangabad’s revered masterpiece. With its provenance in Mughlai cuisine, the slow-cooked mutton stew features succulent meat pieces cooked for hours in a rich, aromatic gravy.
Don’t miss out on a quintessential Marathi breakfast at the hotel. The multilayered thalipeeth is a textural delight. Wash it all down with a jeera-infused chaas or a piping hot masala chai while reflecting on life’s sensual pleasures!
Mutton Naan Qalia recipe
by Chef Sujay S Mungikar, Head Chef, Hyatt Place Aurangabad
Ingredients:
• Mutton – 1 kg
• Onions – 2 medium (finely sliced)
• Yogurt- 1 cup (whisked)
• Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp
• Bilawe ki Chironji – 2 tbsp
• Desiccated coconut- 2 tbsp
• Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder – 1 to 1 1/2 tsp (depends on your taste)
• Cumin powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder- 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oilfor cooking
Method:
• Wash mutton and mix 1 finely sliced onion and set it aside. Dry roast coconut, poppy seedsand chironji and then grind them to form a smooth paste. Fry the 2 finely sliced onions till they are brown and then grind them to make a fine paste.
• Heat oil and add the meat mixed with onions and keep frying it. Add the ginger garlic paste. Once meat is seared, addthe powdered spices. Mix well and keep on frying by adding water. Now add enough water to cook and cover the lid. Let the mutton cook till it’s partly tender. Now add the whisked yogurt. Cook again for 10 minutes. Now add the coconut-poppy seeds, chironji, and brown onions paste. Add water and simmer for another 15 minutes. Rest and when the dish develops ‘taar’ or a film of oil on top, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or roti.