A delectable Navratra meal at Zambar, Cyber Hub

September 29, 2014
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Navratra, the holy festival of the Indians is celebrated
throughout India with pomp and delight as people ask for blessings from the Goddess
Durga. Navratri, literally interpreted as ‘nine nights’ is the most celebrated
Hindu festival devoted to Goddess Durga symbolizing purity and power or
‘shakti‘. The  festival combines
ritualistic puja and fasting and is accompanied by resplendent celebrations for
nine consecutive days and nights.

Each year, as the festival approaches twice, the changing
seasons gives the palette and the stomach rest while bestowing purity of the
soul.Food devoid with onion, garlic and spices are consumed while
some prefer to abstain the nine fasts and stay on fruits, water, milk and eat
the prasadam only once a day.
As the city gears up for celebrations, there is magic in the
air that brings sanctity to the soul. Restaurants across the city offer
humungous varieties of food made without onions or garlic and served in a
homely tradition in a hospitable manner.
Enter the coastal restaurant, Zambar. Located at its prime
in the ground floor of the buzzing Cyber Hub, this coastal restaurant is one of
a kind. The ambiance of Zambar reflects serenity. The smiling and hospitable staff
welcome us with folded hands.
As I look around, posters of South Indian blockbuster movies
look very enchanting. A typical flavor of Madras is reflected in the ambiance
of Zambar. The guests on arrival are served rasam,
a popular south Indian warm delicacy made with pulses and tamarind.
We had come to try the Navratra Thali at Zambar.Our wait
finally ended as the thali came on
time.  An assorted platter of a variety
of vegetables made with tomatoes looked scrumptious. Vegetables like Tilangana Aaloo, Avial, Tangy potato curry,
papaya curry, paneer masala curry, sabudana payasam is served with pooris made with kuttu aata.
The vegetables had a slight hint of Madras cuisine, but went
very well according to the Navratra custom. Each dish was different from the
other, but tasted delicious. It was a surprise to discover food devoid of
onions and garlic would taste so divine.
The manager also offered us appam, a flour based roti, which
is made with coconut and rice. We had a coastal dish called hyderababi mirch ka
saalan with it. The flavored dish is quite popular in Hyderabad, It is made by
deep frying chillies, slitting them and filling them with roasted peanuts. The
dish is savoured in a peanut rich gravy.
Zambar is well known for its desserts. An assorted platter
of four different desserts was served that has coconut ladoos, mysore pak,
litchi payassam and rawa kheer. The desserts were all perfected in mild sugar
and tasted good.

We closed the meal with a nice warm filter coffee, the
favorite beverage of South and thanked the manager for the hearty meal and warm
hospitality.

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