A timeless culinary legend, Dum Pukht, is glittering ANEW!

Regale in the splendor and opulence of Asia’s finest 15^th restaurant, awarded by Miele (guide to Asia's best restaurants)

Feel like a royalty as you step into the magnificent new Dum Pukht at ITC Maratha. The setting recreates the era of Nawabs and Rajas lending a stately feel of luxury and leisure to augment your dining experience. The ceremonial dining spread laden with the finest repertoire of delicacies will be now relished in an ambience resplendent with Mughal pomp.

Lifting the unique Awadhi cuisine to extraordinary heights is the décor, inspired by a paradisiacal garden. Instilled with hints of Persian refinement, indigenously embroidered table cloth and intricate wood work, the interiors are reminiscent of an era marked by rich traditions of art and culture.  Shimmering gold patina of fish-scale mirrored ‘chinikhanas’ adorn the walls of the restaurant while glass ‘Shamadans’ stand sentinel on the floor.  A feeling of timelessness is rendered by the marbled floor with the effect of a rivulet flowing across and the tranquil waves are reflected on the mirrored ceiling.

As the seal of the ‘degh’ is broken and the lid taken off, the fragrance of this royal repast fills the air while the crystal chandelier resonate a mosaic of diverse culture and reigns. Time is of essence in the preparation of all epicurean wonders at Dum Pukht. Cooked for hours or ‘itmenan se’ over a low flame, what emerges is a soft medley of flavours revealing themselves to the palate with gentle subtlety.

What could be more redolent of regal indulgence than a cuisine perfected in the royal kitchens of the Nawab of Awadh. Stoked by the slow fire of chinar wood, dishes are prepared releasing in its wake a delicate intermingling of subtle flavours and aromas of exotic spices.  With the restaurant aglow in the light accentuated through mirrors, central to the décor theme, the food is presented in an epic ambience. 

The intricate details of the interior celebrate many influences present when Dum cuisine originated- the Persian arch, the floral motif of Awadh, the decorative furniture and the Mughal passion for inlay. We take you back into the yester years that evoked grandeur, poise and style.

This is why Dum Pukht serves not just a cuisine, but an experience that goes beyond mere satisfaction of appetite to the realm of sensuality: an evocative presentation of aromas, flavours and textures that pay tribute to an appreciation of the finer things in life to become A Grand Cuisine.

‘Daastaan-e-Dum Pukht’

The ancient tradition of ‘dum’ cooking came to its own in 18th Century Awadh. His kingdom in the grip of famine, Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah, initiated a food for work programme employing thousands in the construction of the exquisite Bara Imambara. Large cauldrons were filled with rice, meat, vegetables and spices, and then sealed to make a simple, one-dish meal that was available to workers, day and night. Then, one day, the Nawab caught a whiff of the aromas emanating from a cauldron and the royal kitchen was ordered to serve the dish.

Refined to please the royal palate, ‘dum’ cooking gradually spread to other Indian courts, Hyderabad, Kashmir, Bhopal... in each the maestros who supervised the kitchen added their own distinctive magic.