Tastes of the unexpected

Mother's cooking. Is there anything more potent in generating memories than that simple thought?

We all know smell and taste can provoke a rush of nostalgia; combine that with the dishes, however humble that were cooked by someone special, and a powerful effect ensues.

My mother cooked a lot, although I have fond memories as much of the Pot Noodles I was allowed to have on sick days as of the fancy Christmas lunch.

The chef at the Al Murooj Rotana's northern Indian restaurant, Zaika, has equally fond memories of home cooking, and for the next week, he'll be sharing them with anyone looking for some down-home eatin', Punjabi-style.

Refined and charming

That's not to say you'll feel like you're in someone's kitchen; as charming as that experience can be, Zaika is a refined and elegant restaurant, with tasteful silk decorations and staff with the right balance of eagerness, knowledge and discretion.

Our waiter, Iqbal, was a case in point. We gave him a free hand in choosing our dishes for the evening - he made some
brilliant choices - and then he appeared only at the right moment throughout the evening, and not a second too soon.

Iqbal got us started with a selection of appetisers which satisfied every craving - crunchy, sweet, spicy, fishy and meaty.

Top of the list were the aloo tikkis, golden disks of deep-fried mashed potato, topped off with a drizzle of tangy sweet
tamarind, yoghurt and a shower of onion, coriander and green chilli.

This, said sous chef Amrish Kumar, who was on had to explain the dishes, was classic Punjabi street food, found on every reputable roundabout in the area. At once crispy and creamy but never stodgy, these were highlight of the meal.

More street-side classics came in the form of juicy, marinated chicken legs baked in the tandoor (clay oven). Punjab is,
apparently, well known for its dhabas, or truckstop eateries, although they're popular with everyone these days for their
traditional take on fast food.

Finally, the dish you'd be unlikely to find at a truckstop, but an absolute winner, was the red mustard prawns. Mustard is a
key flavouring of cooking in the region, and although the flavour wasn't obvious, the tender prawns had a spicy, smoky
flavour we couldn't get enough of.

Gravy training

But it was time for the famous Punjabi gravy-based main courses - the dish recommended by Iqbal was a chicken tikka (marinated roasted chicken) in a creamy tomato gravy. It was rich, lightly spiced and perfect for mopping up with sweet, crisp-chewy pieces of makke di roti, the Punjabi tandoor-baked corn bread.

As Amrish told it, back home, the abundant, slightly sour local tomatoes are placed in a pot and left to slowly bubble on a
low heat (preferably on a tandoor) overnight. In the morning, the tomatoes happen to be ready around the time the milkman stops by, and it just seems natural to slop in a little of the cream (another ingredient so abundant in the region, which is poetically titled "the land of milk and honey").

Where's the mustard?

A black lentil dal and onion dumplings in yoghurt sauce rounded off the meal, which was eaten with a variety of breads, the traditional accompaniment in the wheat-based north.

The only downside was realising, later, that we hadn't received the expected sarson ka saag - one of Punjab's key dishes, a stew of mustard greens particularly favoured at this time of year. It's part of the reason the festival is being held at the moment, when the green vegetables of the region are abundant.

Bringing it all home, literally, was dessert. Unknowingly, I plumped for the rao ki kheer - described on the menu as "rice
pudding with sugar cane juice". I'm a fan of my childhood staple dessert, creamy white rice pudding, although the English version is usually sweetened with jam, sugar cane juice seemed like a viable alternative.

I have to confess, in all honesty, that I was not a fan of the cold, greenish-brown bowlful that I received, but I consider
that to be my failing. Rao ki kheer has an aquired flavour, bittersweet yet sour. The staff seemed surprised that I was not a fan, and coerced me into eating it with a little yoghurt, which did improve it slightly for me. I know Amrish telephoned his mother to get the exact recipe, so the rao ki kheer - like everything else on the menu at Zaika - really is authentically
north Indian. If you're looking for a new direction in dessert, give it a try.

Zaika's real strength lies in this authenticity - the fact that all of the dishes have a story behind them, whether it's the
special mountain potatoes ("less sweet," said Amrish) used for the aloo tikki or that essential phone call to mum back home for a cherished childhood recipe. The Punjabi specialities are available until November 30, and I hope to make it back in time to finally sample those mysterious mustard leaves.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Take the golf buggy from the front of the Al Murooj, off Defence Roundabout, Dubai.
Seating: 200.
Dress Code: Smart.
Decor: Dark wood, silks and sitars.
Open: 12pm to 3pm; 7pm to 11pm.
Must have: Red mustard tandoori prawns, aloo tiki, chicken tikka masala.