Delhi Tourism's food festival: Spoilt for choice! Spice up your weekend with delicacies from Kashmir to Tokyo

NEW DELHI: From Mexican fajitas and Japanese yakitori chicken to Daulat ka Chaat and Kashmiri goshtaba and saffron kehwa, Delhi Tourism's food festival inaugurated on Friday promises to provide visitors a range of gastronomical pleasures.Apart from the various stalls providing state-specific cuisines, many hotels are also offering a range of cuisines, including Arabic and Turkish. The festival, which is being held at Dhyanchand Stadium, is scheduled to continue till March 12 and also has a series of concerts lined up for each evening.Be it a chicken shawarma and lamb doner kebab being offered by Alaturka or a shrimp tempura roll or spicy salmon roll prepared by Kofuku which offers Japanese and oriental cuisine, for the epicures, a wide range of cuisines is available.As the footfall gradually increased on the festival's first afternoon, several of those managing the various stalls assured food enthusiasts that an equal variety of vegetarian dishes were also available. Santosh Bhujel of Kofuku said, "We have a wide variety of vegetarian options as well, including rock corn tempura, crispy corn roll, asparagus tempura roll and even vegetarian ramen."Live counters with chefs preparing some palatable meals are another attraction of the festival. From international cuisines to live rollers at kulfi stalls, the food festival offers a plethora of options.Abhishek Pathak of Pride Plaza Hotel said, "We are promoting Arabic and Mexican food. For both the cuisines, there is a live kitchen and the chef will prepare food items in front of the guests."From Rajdhani offering a range of chaats, samosas and thalis to the much-famed Karim's from Old Delhi, the options are varied for visitors.Abdul Malik of Wazwan which offers Kashmiri cuisine said, "Our goshtaba has been named as the king of dishes in the world. While we have not brought all our dishes, we are offering whatever is different and unique. From rista, rogan josh to mutton kebabs, we have it all. The spices from Kashmir cannot be matched, especially their essence."Cookies, brownies, burgers, muffins and even gujiyas made by around 70 inmates of Tihar Jail are also on offer at the food festival.Those with a sweet tooth will not be disappointed at the food festival. From a range of kulfis, including stuffed and pulp ones, to "death by chocolate," blueberry cheesecake, mini macarons and tiramisu, visitors will have options to choose from a wide spread of dishes.