I'm here in Lucknow, a.k.a "The city of Nawabs", a.k.a "The Constantinople of the East" and after visiting Chota Imambara (picture 1), the majestic shrine of the 3rd Nawab of Avadh, I set out to find some of Lucknow's famous and unique mithais (sweets / desserts).
Mithai plays an extremely important role in Indian culture and the cuisine - every birthday, every wedding, every new job, every new child, every celebration is incomplete without a pack of rich, colourful and sugary goodness. Every region of India have their own special mithai which they are known for. Today, however, I got to try some mithai you don't find in every sweet shop.
Ram Asrey Mithai (Hazratganj, Lucknow) - "Khushiyon ki mithai"
Category: Desserts/Sweets
Nostril Flaring (Hygiene issues): None
Personal Rating: 3/5 overall, 5/5 character/originality
Ram Asrey is a sweet shop which has been operating since the 1800s and is one of Lucknow's most popular. It was a very professional sweet shop with the necessary measures in place to keep the food free of contamination (e.g. all food covered, use of gloves etc). However, at 3pm it seemed as if they did not have a very comprehensive range of sweets. It could be that many products sold out during the day. Nevertheless, the ones which were available proved to be a unique range which I had not seen before.
Malai Paan
Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Picture 2 shows Ram Asrey's signiture product - Malai Paan. Malai is tickened (solidified) milk when it is boiled for a long period of time. Inside the malai "leaf" was a mixture of nuts and syrup. It was an interesting mithai and surprisingly tasty.
Santra ke Halwa
Picture 3 shows you another special preparation which I had never seen before. A halwa (cooked and mashed sweet) made from Orange (santra) peel. Similar to orange marmalade (but far thicker and more rich due to the ghee), this is quite unusual as Indian mithai are generally not made from fruit. If kept cool it would be somewhat refreshing on warm days.
Lal Peda
Peda is a popular and common mithai originating from this state of Uttar Pradesh (according to locals and Wikipedia) - usually bright yellow (from kesar i.e. saffron) or creamy milk. Picture 4, however, shows Ram Asrey's lal (Red) peda which is slightly more coarse and not as creamy as its yellow and white siblings. I personally prefer the kesar peda, however those who like mithai which are not too sweet wil enjoy the lal peda.
Overall, Ram Asrey has a range of mithai which may not be found in most sweet shops. On their gift packaging it has their slogan - Khushiyon ki mithai (Desserts of/for Happiness). Quite appropriate because these unique mithais seem to make you smile as you know you're having something special.
Shree Lassi
Category: Drink
Nostril Flaring: None identified
Personal Rating: #1 Lassi
My cousin took me to this place to have "one of the best lassi's in town" and I was not disappointed. Lassi, for those who don't know, is basically a yoghurt-based milkshake which comes in sweet and savoury versions. While there are different flavours, my favourite is a plain sweet one. Picture 5 shows what I received - a full glass of delicious and refreshing lassi with some pieces of malai on top. Instead of a straw, the shop keeper gave me a spoon so I could finish the malai. Im no lassi expert, but this was definitely the best one I've had.
I also had their Gulab Jamun and it was equally as spectacular. Those who know my taste will agree that I am particularly critical of Gulab Jamuns as they are my favourite mithai. I take my Gulab Jamuns seriously. Unfortunately, I was too caught up in the moment and was unable to take a picture of it.
Shree Lassi is a local favourite which you must try when visiting Lucknow.
Hope you enjoyed this introduction to Lucknowi cuisine. Next time I'll be telling you about what Lucknow is really famous for. Let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions so far. Until next time...
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