When Banarasi cuisine made it to the Ambani wedding

Varanasi known for its no-frills lifestyle is dramatically opposite when it comes to its food, which is rich and sumptuous. So right from the Baranasi street food to the mithais, these delicacies are every foodie’s delight. This Banarasi cuisine also found a prominent place in the recent much talked about Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant wedding. Well-known personalities from all walks of life relished the Banarasi delicacies served to the guests.
We served ten varieties of sweets during the wedding, which included malai gilori, laal peda, Banarasi laddu, malai burfi, tirangi burfi, khoya kesari burfi, kaju sangam, chandrakala, kheer kadam and anjeer khaskas
– Shikhar Yadav, CEO of Ksheer Sagar Pvt Ltd
Our chaat stall had all the Banarasi specialities like tamatar chaat, aloo-tikki, chana-kachori etc.Among the guests, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried our chaat and loved it
– Rakesh Kesari, co-owner of Kashi Chaat Bhandar
The unique taste of the Banarasi chaat comes from the method of cooking and the ingredients used. The aaloo base used in the tikkis is processed on the traditional coal furnace at a very slow heat.
— Rakesh Kesari, co-owner of Kashi Chaat Bhandar
‘Traditional methods are still used to make mithais’
What makes the Banarasi sweets special is the craftsmanship involved in making them. “Traditional methods are still used to make mithais. For example, instead of sourcing khoya, the main ingredient for many mithais, we make it at our own manufacturing units. We still use a slow process of cooking for the mithais. Even if we are using modern techniques to make khoya we ensure that it is done at a slow pace so that we get the right taste and quality. Varanasi has been blessed with some of the best raw materials in the entire region, yahan ki aab-o-hawa he khaas hai. Plus the quality of milk we procure is also very pure which make a lot of difference,” shares Shikhar Yadav.