KATHMANDU: The Soaltee Crowne Plaza Kathmandu is presenting the ‘Uttar Dakshin Food Festival’ at Kakori Restaurant for the third time. And it is a celebration of Indian cuisine covering delectable dishes from the northern to southern regions of India. With an elaborate special menu of food and drink items delivering the authentic Indian style and flavours, the festival is a culinary delight.

“We have put up the Uttar Dakshin Food Festival to cover the whole gamut of India from the northern to southern parts, and the flavours are very different,” General Manager of the Hotel Upaul Majumdar shared during the inauguration of the festival. Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae inaugurated the festival on August 14. The festival, which started on August 15, will continue for two weeks, every day.

The a la carte menu ranges from beverages, starters, main course to desserts while covering cuisines from Kashmir, Punjab, Chandrigarh, Uttrakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the north, to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh in

the south.

As per Executive Chef Yuba Raj Pokhrel, “We can feel the whole of India from north to south” through the varieties of dishes offered at the festival. “We have selected selective food items for the Northern menu, while we have full meal sets for the South Indian menu — from starters to desserts as well as drinks,” he shared.

Paranthas, varieties of daals, fish and seafood items along with mouthwatering Nihari Gosht (lamb curry tempered with mustard oil), Aalo Methi Pudhina Sangam (baby potatoes tempered with fenugreek, mint and roasted spices) and Murgh Nawabi (tender pieces of chicken cooked in rich cashew and roasted onion gravy) to name a few — the North Indian cuisine is spicy and tantalising.

More than meet the eyes, the flavourful but balanced South Indian dishes are vibrant and scrumptious. Tomato Rice, Curd Rice, Kerala Parantha, Attu Kari Melagu Fry (mutton chunks smoked dry with black pepper and spices), Vembanandan Konju Masala (fresh water prawns cooked in mild coconut broth), there are many South Indian dishes to choose from.

Sharing more about the South Indian food, Chef Pokhrel said, “North Indian and South Indian food are different from one another. More herbs are used in the South Indian food like curry leaves, coconut and souring agents like tamarind in their dishes. These make the food tasty as well as healthy. And food are prepared through fermentation technique like dosa.”

After a great gastronomic experience, you have a wide range of sweets, namely Gulab Jamun, Peetha, Parippu Pradaman, Rewdi and Kulfi among others to end your meal on a rather sweet note.