The day I visit Bukhara, winter has decided to finally call it a day. In the canvas of the spotless spring sky, gladioli and petunias have waltzed around with a paint brush. The Northwest Frontier cuisine restaurant of ITC Maurya, arguably one of the highest grossing restaurants in the capital, is draped in a fabric of voices. It is lunch hour, and despite missing the frenzied dinner crowd that swirls around the restaurant like fine calligraphy, Bukhara is packed. Stray foreign guests of the hotel can be seen scanning the fabled wooden menu board hung outside the glass doors, a miniature copy of which will be handed out if they choose to dine inside. At night, the same giant menu board helps waiting diners make advance choices from an ocean of kebab, tikka and tandoor-charred goodies, before they are ushered to their tables.
Chef JP Singh, the man behind the storied restaurant
Well, patience is key, for a keepsake culinary experience. As Bukhara celebrates 45 years, chef JP Singh, the man behind the storied restaurant, reminds me that even now, the window for reservations in the evening is just 30 minutes, from 7pm to 7.30 pm. Unassuming and gracious, the bespectacled chef, who has just returned from foreign shores, supervising the opening of new outposts of ITC restaurants, is also quite forthright with facts: “We have never shut down Bukhara for the public, even when US presidents were having their meals here.” There has also never been a private party in the restaurant’s 45 years of existence. Every single night, the average turnout is anything between 415 and 500. A big highlight of the celebration, (from March 30 till April 7) will be 45 hours of non-stop service, starting from midnight of April 5. Special surprises are also planned for diners on the celebration dates. “There will be the once-in-a-lifetime option of having your breakfast in Bukhara,” said chef Singh, with a chuckle.
Simmer and sizzle
The black lentil affair has spawned a forest of facsimile recipes on the internet
No one is in doubt of the status enjoyed by the Dal Bukhara. Diners are given to exultant rhapsodising when describing its mousse-like texture. Today the black lentil affair has spawned a forest of facsimile recipes on the internet. Unpolished and un-coloured urad dal is used while fat is kept to a bare minimum. The specifications are both strict and precise. Only whole grains of urad of a standard size and just six per cent dairy go into the cooking of this dal. “Many new chefs joining the Bukhara kitchen will only have this dal and bread for a whole month. Even executives with short lunch times are blissfully content with this staple,” discloses chef Singh, underlining the devotion this simple dish attracts.
Dal Bukhara also encourages a unique practice among the staff of ITC Maurya. Owing to its prolonged cooking time on the glowing charcoal, any staff passing by the kitchen at the dead of night has to give the silken mixture a stir before going on their way.
For each kebab variety, there’s a different spice mix, while the marinade quantity changes depending on seasons. Above, the Sikhandari Raan
Despite kebab being the cornerstone of Delhi dining, Bukhara’s meat and vegetables, incinerated to an amber shade and bathed in a mist of warm spices, stand out. The restaurant does its own craft butchery, employs its own skewering and grilling techniques as well as hand pounds its masalas. ‘Tandoori Jhinga,’ fist-size chargrilled prawns (between 80g and 100g) that are soft as down pillows compete with ‘Barrah Kabab,’ hunks of lamb leg and chops that sing of the fire and embers. For each kebab variety, there’s a different spice mix, while the marinade quantity changes depending on seasons.
Tandoori Jhinga — fist-size chargrilled prawns that are soft as down pillows
According to chef Singh, this complicated acrobatics of technique and craft create an alchemy of flavours: “Various parts of the same meat cook differently. For ‘Murgh Malai Kabab’ chicken thigh pieces are placed lower down on the skewer than breasts depending on how much heat is needed to mellow them,” explains chef Singh, who assures us that tandoori kebabs at the restaurant are healthy, with butter used only for basting meats and allowed to drip down. “Only lean meat is used for our kebabs,” he adds.
Breaking bread
Daintily placed on a perch and covering almost the entire table surface, the Naan Bukhara is tailormade for big appetites
The Naan Bukhara is a culinary sleight of hand. A flying canopy of dough, flecked with blisters, it comes to your table in a flamboyant showcase of craftsmanship. Daintily placed on a perch and covering almost the entire table surface, the Naan Bukhara is tailormade for big appetites. Feeding five to six people, the giant bread is made with 1.3 kg of dough. Bringing it to a diner’s table is like a holy ritual. “Once servers remove plates from your table to make a clearing for the bread, other diners who hadn’t ordered the Naan Bukhara before will want it too. A photograph with it is like a memento,” guffaws chef Singh, who admits to selling around 20-25 of these enormous swaggering breads per day.
Who’s who on the guest list
But beyond the delectable fare, Bukhara is a place where memories are made, where moments of culinary delight are shared amongst friends and family. It is a place where world leaders and dignitaries come together to savour the flavours of India.
Former US President Bill Clinton at Bukhara
It is true that no restaurant in India rivals the starry line-up of diners at Bukhara. Visiting global leaders make it mandatory to dine here, even if they are staying in other luxury properties in Delhi. Right from Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Colin Powell to David Cameron, Tony Blair and Theresa May, the restaurant’s dining roster has been packed with heavyweights of international politics. On one occasion, Clinton, known for his trademark swagger and charm, got up from his table and dashed straight to the kitchen to catch the behind-the-scenes action. On another outing, the F&B officer in President Clinton’s team presented chef Singh with the Presidential Seal Medallion while watching him work the tandoor with his team.
As Bukhara celebrates 45 remarkable years of sizzling success, let us raise a toast to an iconic institution that has stood the test of time and will continue to keep the flames burning bright for years to come.
