Lucknow, the city of the Nawabs, gave India some of its most refined dishes. Awadhi cuisine is about slow cooking, delicate spicing and textures so soft they melt.
Kebabs
- Galouti kebab: finely minced meat with dozens of spices, so soft it was said to be created for a toothless nawab. Served with a small paratha or sheermal.
- Kakori kebab: a soft seekh kebab, named after a town near Lucknow.
- Shami kebab: made with meat and lentils.
- Vegetarian kebabs made with raw banana, jackfruit or lentils are increasingly popular.
Biryani
Awadhi biryani is usually made in the pukki style, with partly cooked meat and rice layered and finished on dum. It is milder and more fragrant than Hyderabadi biryani.
Breakfast and breads
- Nihari and kulcha: a slow-cooked meat stew eaten early in the morning in the old city.
- Sheermal: a slightly sweet saffron-flavoured flatbread.
- Kachori and jalebi for vegetarians.
Sweets and street food
- Makhan malai (also called malaiyyo in Varanasi): a cloud-like milk froth available only on winter mornings.
- Basket chaat: a crisp potato basket filled with chaat.
- Kulfi with falooda.
Where to go
- Aminabad and Chowk: the old city's food heart, best in the evening.
- Hazratganj: cafés and sweet shops in a colonial shopping street.
Combining food with heritage
Mornings at the Bara Imambara and its labyrinth, Rumi Darwaza and the British Residency; evenings for food. Shop for chikankari embroidery in between.
Tips
- Go with a local guide for the first evening.
- Winter (November to February) is the best season, when makhan malai is available.
See Food and culinary holidays and A food lover's guide to Hyderabad for another great Indian food city.
When to go
When to go
When to go
When to go