Two Pakistani food festivals kick off in Bombay today

The master chefs from Lahore’s Avari Hotel are here with Pakistan’s robust flavours for a 10-day food festival at Andheri’s ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton’s The Peshwa Pavilion. At the other end of the city, chefs Wakeel Ahmed and Azam Hussain Bhatti (of Pakistan International Airlines) have brought yet another native food fest, at Marine Plaza’s Bayview restaurant,Marive Drive.

At the Peshwa Pavilion, there will be specialities from across Baluchistan, Sind and North-West Frontier Province. There will be a Sajji-style barbecue (where the entire lamb is roasted on the skewer) from Baluchistan, Bunda Pala (where the whole fish is marinated and baked for long hours) from Sind, and lamb kebabs, simply cooked with minimal spices, from the NWFP. Heard of Chappali Kebab? It’s a deep fried keema kebab, flattened like a slipper. There is a substantial vegetarian menu as well. ‘‘Mumbai, we believe, has many vegetarians,’’ says Khan, excited that fresh mushrooms and asparagus are readily available here…