Enjoy rich Indian cuisine at Indus Restaurant

T-Mag Wednesday 24/January/2018 17:44 PM
By: Times News Service
Enjoy rich Indian cuisine at Indus Restaurant

I t was a bright and chilly afternoon as we walked inside Indus with immense expectations having heard lots about this place.

We were there to try the new menu prepared by celebrity Chef Shaikh Arif Ahmed. Chef Arif, who was the pioneer during the launch of Indus, is back after a brief hiatus owing to his undying love for the restaurant since its beginning.

To begin with, we were served Virgin Amrudtini, a guava drink with roasted cumin and rock salt. It was refreshing and kind of set the mood for the rich food that was to follow.

We started with Paneer Taipatai where fine layers of cottage cheese are stuffed with mixed vegetables, pomegranate seeds, dry nuts, fresh herbs and garnished with pomegranate sauce on top which enhanced the dish.

It was followed by Phattar ka Gosht, a Hyderabadi style sliced mutton dish marinated with Indian spices and cooked over a stone. Murgh Malai Parche, chicken flavoured with cardamom, cheese and cream and topped with bell pepper and finished in a tandoor was very succulent and was oozing with cream.
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We also had Stuffed Barbeque Prawn, where prawns are marinated with BBQ sauce, and stuffed with bell pepper, cheese, cashew nuts and then grilled. The tiger prawns were huge and delicious.

Zafrani Lobster, as the name suggests, is lobster marinated with saffron and cooked in tandoor. You can get the taste of saffron in every bite that you take. Hamour Patrani, which is very similar to patrani machi, a Parsi delicacy where fish is coated with coconut and mint chutney and wrapped in banana leaf and cooked in the tandoor.

Mushroom Gahlawat were butter mushrooms sautéed with a delicious blend of spices and made into patties and served on a roti. The starters were so filling that it would have eclipsed the main course but fortunately it couldn’t as the food connoisseur in us looked forward to the royal treat.
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The main course started with Indus’ signature dish Raan e Ulfat. It is baby lamb leg marinated with saffron, rose petals, and cooked in ghee. The lamb was cooked so well that one could see every strand of the meat. Palak Gosht followed where tiny mutton cubes were sautéed with chopped spinach and sizzled with garlic. If you do not have a palate for spinach like me, don’t make the mistake of skipping this dish. It’s delicious to the core.

We also had Murgh Delhi Qorma where chicken is blended with homemade Qorma spices and cooked in rich and dry nut gravy. Methi Murgh, chicken is cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves and sautéed with a delicious brown gravy, was rich, creamy and had subtle flavours. These were served with Bagara Rice, that is seasoned basmati rice with Indian spices and cooked on dum. Rose Petal Paratha was something new I had tasted where you could get the aroma of the rose petal in each bite. We ended our meal with green apple jalebi where slices of green apple were batter fried and soaked in a saffron sugar syrup was a novel concept. It was truly a feast of tradition and spices that won’t set your system on fire, but at the same time pamper your senses.
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That’s not all. Ardent biryani lovers can have a real treat by attending the Indus Biryani Khazana Festival. Indulge in a variety of non-vegetarian and vegetarian biryani from across India. From Awadhi Biryani, Shajahani Biryani, and Gosht Bhori Biryani to vegetarian biryanis like Qubooli Biryani, Kathal Ki Biryani, and Narangi Biryani, enjoy a variety of flavours. The festival is on from January 25-31.

Location:First Floor, Opera Galleria, Royal Opera House Muscat
Open from: 12-3:30; 6:30-11:30pm
+968 2202 2888 (https://www.rohmuscat.org.om/en/opera-galleria/mall-map)

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