25 March,2013 01:05 AM IST | | Tanveer Bookwala
Having grown up around Sindhi friends and food, I can honestly tell you that the culinary experience is quite unique. So, when the Royal Sindh neon sign lights up next to the very popular Malvani Kalwan, it begs to be tried. The promise of homemade style Sindhi food was irresistible and we explored the promise - and came out satisfied and satiated.
Bhugga Mutton came up trumps
The only downer was that the place was very small and cramped. There was one waiter who wasn't exactly at the top of his game. While service was prompt, the waiter had to repeat our order a couple of times and our Raita was forgotten until reminded much later.
The Dahi Wala Chicken was of the melt-in-mouth variety
Sindhi cuisine, in most Sindhi households, consists of wheat-based flat-bread (phulkas) and rice accompanied by two dishes, one gravy and one dry - that is standard fare. So we tried and ordered the traditional favourites.
The Tuk Aloo (Rs 110) was done very well. The potatoes were fried to perfection with the correct amount of spices added to them. Each bite gave us a flavourful experience and the chat masala-ish tang, only added to it. Definitely, the starter of the evening!
Tuk Aloo was done perfectly, with the right spicing
Next, the Sindhi Kadi with Rice (Rs 130) was by far the tastiest curry we've had. This wasn't the kind of fancy frills, five-star formulation. This was home-style, sour, spicy and tangy - some of the flavours that blended well in this traditional preparation. All the vegetables (carrot cubes, cluster beans, potatoes) were used beautifully to complement each other in taste, colour and texture.
The Bhugga Mutton (Rs 180) was the winner of the evening. Most traditional Sindhis still prefer mutton to chicken or other kinds of meat. This was a traditional dish where mutton, onion and tomatoes were used.
Sindhi Kadhi had a homeliness to its flavours
The version we had was mixed up so well that the onion and tomatoes disappeared into a rich, textural ensemble and was flavourful to the very last bite. Worth a try, we say!
The Dahi Wala Chicken (R150), like the name suggests, is Chicken in Yoghurt. The combination of yoghurt, black pepper powder and fresh curry was melt-in-the-mouth good. Our only grouse was that the chicken could have been a little spicier.
Since the yoghurt was overpowering, the spicesu00a0didn't register. u00a0The Phulka with Ghee (Rs 15) and the Ajwain Paratha (Rs 25) were light (and not soaked in ghee) and went well with the gravy dishes.
