Lucknow: of food and ruins

End of December, I Spent three exciting days at Lucknow with my sis and had such a rush of adrenalin doing simple things, as they used to be done during our growing years. Saw old, forgotten landmarks and spent a great afternoon at The Residency ruins. The cannon and bullet marks on the face of the buildings, the remnants of the red burnt brick buildings, etched the 1857 scenario before my eyes, as if I had been there in flesh and blood during the  heat and dust of that terrible summer of 1857! Buying some nibblies to munch on the lawns of the Residency proved wasteful, as the alert caretakers did not allow any eatables to be taken inside. Swacch Bharat campaign? Whatever may have been the motivation, I was impressed with the way the Residency is able to stand on its doddering feet! The Museum set up inside, was disappointing, as it has a very poor representation of history and even poorer art work! Some day, maybe the real art of Awadh will be rediscovered and restored, to be put up for public display, recapturing the lost grandeur that it obviously had back then! Kaiser Bagh baradari and Imambaras continue to fascinate, but just a drive-past had to suffice as there wasn't that much time available at our disposal.

What is Lucknow without its fine Awadhi cuisine? So beginning with Makkhan  malai after the morning walk,topped with Bun-Makkhan and chai from Sharma ji at Hazrat Gunj, Galauti  kebabs from Dastarkhan for lunch, Chaat at Royal Cafe for tea,  the high point of the day was the absolutely stunning variety of steaming hot halwas at Moti Mahal, again in Hazratgunj! Chhuarey and coconut ka halwa was my favourite, while some others in the family freaked out on Badaam ka Halwa! 

The mornings were lazy! Several cups of tea later and urging each other to get ready for the day-" pehley aap, pehley aap" -in true Lucknowi tradition, the clan would only be ready well past noon! The extremely competent cook at home, who had already treated us to deliciously flavoured mattar ke paranthe to accompany Samosas and jalebis for breakfast, was ready with Awadhi Biryani for lunch, with chicken korma! And obviously saying "no" is never an option in the Awadhi Tahzeeb! Not that I wanted to, but considering....... I  don't think I have eaten so much food in so short a period, as during this short break! 

I am sure we gained a couple of kgs of weight while sampling the delights of Lucknow! And guess what, being the peak of winters with temperatures at 8 degrees Celsius, there was no temptation to go shopping for chikankari textiles, so all the indulgences were restricted to gastronomical types. While the offspring left after the break, complaining of bulging waist lines,  I for one, am so ready for another trip to Lucknow. Ameenabad/Kaiserbagh kulfi beckons. And so does chikankari!