22 June,2012 07:47 AM IST | | Anjali Jhangiani
To pay tribute to the diverse influences of India's culinary heritage, executive chef Hemant Mehta and his team at the Hyatt Regency decided to host a food festival with each day of the week dedicated to the food from a specific region.
The festival is a celebration of food from the different regions of India
Mondays are dedicated to south India with a spread that boasts of Murungakai Ulli Theeyal, the tomato-based drumstick curry from Kerala, Kozhi Gassi, the coconut-milk based chicken curry from Mangalore and Ada Pradamam from Malabar.
Tuesdays pay tribute to the cuisine of Maharashtra. So, diners can choose from Kolhapur's Mutton Pandhara Rassa, a rich mutton dish, to Mumbai's favourite street-food snack: Pao Bhaji, as well as Puran Poliu00a0(chapatis stuffed with a sweetened filling made with dal) and Besan ke Ladoos (sweets made with chickpea flour).
Punjab gets the nod mid-week with dishes including Dhingri Dolma, minced paneer with mushroom in onion-tomato-cashew-coconut gravy, Cha Gosht, a spicy mutton dish, Aloo Teheri, a delicious potato-and-rice preparation, and apple-flavoured jalebis.
Thursdays are dedicated to Rajasthani cuisine. So, there's the famous Dal-baati (dough balls served with a lentil curry), Gatte Ka Saag, chickpea dumplings in a tangy gravy, Lal Maas, a spicy mutton curry, and Ghewar, or sugar-soaked wheat flour cakes.
Fridays are for fish: Sarson Maach (fish cooked in a mustard-curry), and Elish Paturis, fish wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Bengali cuisine,
however, is not all about seafood, so there will be vegetable cutlets, and Mishti Doi, or sweetened curd served in traditional earthen pots called âbhands'.
Saturdays call for rich Gujarati cuisine, which includes Paneer Methi Papad, Patra Ni Macchi and Tamatar Lunji. "The focus is on dishes traditionally made in households, and not restaurants," says Mehta, adding, "My team has worked hard to bring the authentic flavours from across the country."
Till July 14
At The Café, Hyatt Regency Pune, Nagar Road.
Call 66451618
