In Aurangabad, try the ‘qaliya’ and the ‘kantakky’

For a city known for its rich Mughal history, the food scene is varied, fascinating and at the same time innovative

- Joanna Lobo

'Naan-qaliya'; and (right) 'tikiya pav'.

(PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOANNA LOBO)

When in Aurangabad, visit Ajanta and Ellora.

On my first visit to the city, now officially called Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, I did just that. But, over the course of a long weekend, I discovered that there is much to do in this city that was once Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s stronghold, and much of it has to do with food.

Take the naan qaliya, the city’s most famous dish. A rich buff/mutton gravy cooked in a large cauldron and a turmeric-singed naan combine to create this unique dish. It owes its origins to royal khansamas, who created this dish with limited resources to feed a literal army. In present-day Aurangabad, no Muslim wedding is complete without it.

I have my first taste of naan qaliya at the legendary Abdul Jabbar Khaliya House. A popular spot, I spy people lining up through the evening, with bucket-sized containers and tubs to carry the gravy home. In one half of the space, the staff are doling out the gravy into bags and vessels and in the other, dough is being rolled out and slapped into tandoors. It costs ₹120 a plate, ₹12 for naan.

It is food drama at its finest, but minus the manicured touches and curated movements. It’s a story I found across Aurangabad: good food with flair.

Aurangabad owes its history to the Ethiopian-born Malik Ambar, who rose from being a slave to the prime minister of Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan region around the early 1600s. He founded the city, calling it Khirki/Khadki and made it his capital. When Aurangzeb conquered the region, he renamed it Aurangabad and made it the capital of the Deccan.