Flavours of the past

Experience traditional Mughlai cuisine with Osama Jalali

18 Nov, 2015 by Priyadarshini Nandy

Multi-tasking must be in his DNA, as Osama Jalali can wax eloquent about food, and keep an eye on how much you are eating, or rather not eating.

In the city, with his mother Nazish Jalali, for a promotion that takes diners through the kitchens of old Delhi, Jalali says that when he set out researching on the food, he found plenty of dishes that literally had no recipes. “A few of the dishes were recreated using memories,” he says, referring to the most curious gosht halwa. A dessert made with lamb, it is indeed difficult to figure out that the beautifully flavoured halwa is entirely made of meat (and milk, sugar, and cardamom, among other things).

Ladling a generous portion of gosht nihari into a bowl, he says, “Try this with the sheermal,” as we talked about me staring at a big bowl of beef nihari at the breakfast table in Karachi. Something like that would never feature in my everyday life.

“These dishes that you are eating are how we make at home. I have not done anything to the recipes. The idea behind this or any other promotion that we do is to bring back old and forgotten recipes. Most of the dishes on this particular menu are from the traditional homes of old Delhi.”

The menu features dishes such as the shami kabab, seekh kabab, kacche keeme ki tikiya, dahi phulki, kathal ki galouti, mewa kabab to begin with. “There is quite a bit of vegetarian food in the Mughlai cuisine, unlike what is normally believed. And then we figured out that Aurangzeb used to be vegetarian, and his cooks had come up with quite a few vegetarian dishes for him,” Jalali adds. “We would really like to reintroduce the old cuisines of India to the younger generations.”

Incidentally, his mother, Nazish, is equally responsible, if not more, in putting together such an elaborate menu every time they do a pop-up or a promotion. Word has it that she has been at the hotel kitchen sharp at 7 am, readying the dishes for the buffet.

Priced at Rs.1,450 plus taxes, the Purani Dilli Ki Dawat is on at The Oberoi Bengaluru till November 24th (for lunch and dinner).

Follow her @priyanandyblr

Written By

Priyadarshini Nandy
Independent Journalist

Priyadarshini is an independent journalist from Bengaluru whose life pretty much revolves around food, good music, literature, and cinema. She’s worked with different publications over the past 10 years, and has written about travel, theatre, films, books, music, food and lots of food! She’s travelled wherever her feet and budget would allow, discovering cultures through local palates and social behaviour, and in an ideal world would probably resort to using food and music to resolve any dispute.

Recent Searches

Now in 100+ cities in India and Dubai

Popular Cities

All Cities

Flavours of the past

Experience traditional Mughlai cuisine with Osama Jalali

Written By

Recent Food Trends

Other Related Food Trends | All About Food in Bengaluru

Restaurant Spotlight: Dil-E-Mughlai, A Gastronomic Haven To Experience The Magic Of Authentic Mughlai & Indian Cuisine In Bhubaneswar

By Vishal Tewatia

Tête-À-Tea With Sachin Pabreja: An Insightful Conversation With Mr. Aivaz Asif, The New Generation Successor Of The Heritage Restaurant Chain – Karim’s (Estd. 1913)

By Sachin Pabreja

Celebrate Her: Top 13 Dining Destinations For A Fabulous Women’s Day Celebration In Bangalore

By Charu Gupta

Bangalore’s Top 7 Restaurants To Enjoy Chinese New Year Feast And Celebrate The Year Of The Dragon

By Prerna Sah

Restaurant Spotlight: Karigari, An Elegant Dining Treasure Trove Offering Delectable Indian Culinary Indulgences With A Global Flair In Delhi NCR

By Kritika Tandon

Valentine’s Special: Bengaluru's 7 Most Instagrammable Restaurants For A Blooming Rose Day Celebration

By Tanu Seth

Featured Locations in this Trend

Top Collections in Delhi NCR | See All

Popular Locations for Restaurants in Bengaluru

Popular Cuisines in Bengaluru Restaurants| See All

Top Restaurants in Bengaluru | See All

Get the EazyDiner App

Success

Enter your email id

Now in 100+ cities in India and Dubai

Popular Cities

All Cities

Flavours of the past

Experience traditional Mughlai cuisine with Osama Jalali

Written By

Recent Food Trends

Other Related Food Trends | All About Food in Bengaluru

Restaurant Spotlight: Dil-E-Mughlai, A Gastronomic Haven To Experience The Magic Of Authentic Mughlai & Indian Cuisine In Bhubaneswar

By Vishal Tewatia

Tête-À-Tea With Sachin Pabreja: An Insightful Conversation With Mr. Aivaz Asif, The New Generation Successor Of The Heritage Restaurant Chain – Karim’s (Estd. 1913)

By Sachin Pabreja

Celebrate Her: Top 13 Dining Destinations For A Fabulous Women’s Day Celebration In Bangalore

By Charu Gupta

Bangalore’s Top 7 Restaurants To Enjoy Chinese New Year Feast And Celebrate The Year Of The Dragon

By Prerna Sah

Restaurant Spotlight: Karigari, An Elegant Dining Treasure Trove Offering Delectable Indian Culinary Indulgences With A Global Flair In Delhi NCR

By Kritika Tandon

Valentine’s Special: Bengaluru's 7 Most Instagrammable Restaurants For A Blooming Rose Day Celebration

By Tanu Seth

Featured Locations in this Trend

Top Collections in Delhi NCR | See All

Popular Locations for Restaurants in Bengaluru

Popular Cuisines in Bengaluru Restaurants| See All

Top Restaurants in Bengaluru | See All

Get the EazyDiner App