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7 min
21/11/2025
Lucknow, the city of Nawabs, is renowned for its grand havelis and royal cuisine, originating from the Awadhi kitchens. From the tunday kebabs to biryanis and slow-cooked kormas, Awadi cuisine is all about royalty, richness, and subtle flavours that melt in your mouth. This article looks at the history, culinary techniques, and the legacy of food that defines what royalty means. Dive deeper to know more.
Awadhi cuisine originated in the 18th century, when Lucknow became the seat of the Nawabs of Awadh. The Persian-influenced court culture brought with it not just poetry and music, but also an entirely new philosophy of dining. In this method, food was not hurried; it was orchestrated. Every dish was meant to appeal to all the senses, like aroma, appearance, texture, and taste. The kitchen, called the bawarchikhana, was a place where bawarchis (chefs) and rakabdars (specialised cooks) experimented with meats, spices, and slow-cooking techniques that transformed ordinary ingredients into extraordinary dishes.
The hallmark of Awadhi cuisine is the ‘dum’ method, which involves slow-cooking under sealed lids that let the ingredients mix and cook in their own steam. This technique preserves flavour, tenderness, and moisture, producing dishes that do not need elaborate sauces to impress.
This is what separates Awadhi cuisine from Mughlai cuisine; while the Mughal kitchens are known to use nuts and cream, the Awadhi kitchen is famous for its subtlety, which comes through the minimal use of spices, artful layering, and subtle aromas. Read this article to know more about Awadhi cuisine and its rise in the city of the Nawabs, Lucknow.
No mention of Lucknow’s food is complete without the story of Tunday Kebabs. Legend has it that in the court of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, there lived a toothless noble who longed for kebabs so soft that he could eat them without chewing. The Nawab announced a contest; whoever could make the softest kebabs would earn royal patronage.
This is when Haji Murad Ali entered the scene, a one-armed chef (hence Tunday, meaning one-armed), who perfected the recipe for Galouti Kebab, a spiced minced meat patty that quite literally melts in the mouth. The secret behind it was a blend of over 100 hand-ground spices, a dash of raw papaya for tenderness, and precise dum cooking. The recipe became a royal favourite, and Tunday Kebabs have been the pride of Lucknow ever since.
Even today, Tunday Kababi in Aminabad remains a culinary landmark. The queues are long, the recipe remains secret, and the kebabs, which are true to their legend, dissolve like silk on the tongue.
While kebabs may be the poster child, the Awadhi kitchen offers an entire spectrum of royal delights, like,
Unlike the fiery Hyderabadi version, Lucknowi Biryani is light, fragrant, and elegant. The rice and meat are cooked separately and then layered with saffron milk and rose water. Each grain of rice separates, and each bite has the flavour of all ingredients. The secret of this biryani is in the slow layering.
Nihari, a slow-cooked meat stew, was traditionally a breakfast dish for the Nawabs, simmered overnight until dawn. Similarly, Awadhi Korma is a fine balance of yoghurt, spices, and slow cooking, which is rich yet not overwhelming.
Awadhi breads deserve their own mention. Sheermal, a mildly sweet, saffron-flavoured bread, and Roomali Roti, so thin it folds like a handkerchief, are perfect for holding gravies and kebabs alike. Each bread is made to complement, not dominate, the meal, which also reflects the Nawabi culture and dining etiquette.
Awadhi food is not about excess, but about equilibrium. Every dish balances richness with restraint. Spices like cardamom, mace, and kewra water add aroma rather than aggression. The dishes are layered, and not mixed; ingredients are respected, and not overwhelmed. Similarly, the dum pukht technique, where food is cooked in sealed clay pots, is central to this balance. Meats, rice, and spices are allowed to cook slowly in their own juices, absorbing every ounce of flavour. The pot is sealed with dough, keeping steam and aroma locked in. When opened, the first waft becomes smoky, fragrant, and deeply comforting.
Today, Awadhi cuisine has expanded beyond palaces. If you walk through Lucknow’s Aminabad, Chowk, or Hazratganj, you will find kebab stalls, biryani joints, and sweet shops that carry forward centuries of tradition. Even contemporary chefs are reimagining Awadhi flavours by serving Galouti sliders, Korma risottos, and dum biryani parcels that mix heritage with innovation. In home kitchens, too, Awadhi-inspired dishes find their place during festivals and family feasts. Whether it is the shahi tukda dripping with rabri or seekh kebabs grilled over coals, the Nawabi imprint is unmistakable.
Lucknow is famously known as the City of Tehzeeb, a city of refined manners and cultured living. Its food mirrors that philosophy. Eating in Lucknow is not just about satisfying hunger but a ritual steeped in politeness, grace, and sharing. Hosts offer food with warmth, and guests praise it with eloquence. The smallest details, from how the biryani is served to how the kebabs are plated, echo an age-old sense of etiquette. To eat Awadhi food is to taste not just a recipe, but a way of life that says ‘Muskuraiye, Aap Lucknow Mein Hain’, meaning, smile as you are in Lucknow, which echoes the city’s warm welcome.
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