Gurgaon boasts of so many cuisines from all over India and abroad but it still lacks a good Rajasthani place. This void is filled, albeit through catering, by two ladies (Abhilasha Jain & Babita Choudhary) who provide excellent vegetarian Marwari food from home. However, I still missed good Lal Maas.
In pursuit of my desire for a good Lal Maas in Gurgaon, I raised a query on the same in Gurgaon Food Freak. In response, Abhilasha Jain tagged another friend of hers, Smita Sabharwal. Smita, though a Punjabi, has been born and brought up in Rajasthan and caters to Biryani and Lal Maas amongst other things under an interesting name, ‘From My Kitchen’.
Without wasting any more time, I called her. Talking to her gave me a lot of confidence. She uses authentic Mathania Jodhpuri Lal Mirch in her preparation of Lal Maas and specializes only in Biryani, Korma and Lal Maas. However, for Lal Maas, her minimum order is three plates priced competitively at Rs. 300 per plate that has 4 pcs. of mutton. Sensing my passion, she kindly agreed to serve only 1 plate (given that I am the only non-vegetarian in my family) provided that someone else would happen to order in which case, my order would be clubbed with theirs. As it so turned out, it was my lucky day because she ended up with two spare pcs. from the bulk order she was preparing that day which she offered to send for tasting.
My search for good Lal Maas ended here! The meat pieces were chunky and moist, ginger-garlic tasted fresh and the gravy was red not only in color but the flavors were fiery too. Most people mellow down the fiery authentic flavors of this dish to appeal to most but thankfully, not Smita. This dish is certainly not for the faint hearted but I loved every bite of it. From the cut of mutton to the fleshiness, aroma, texture and flavors, I finally got to taste the real thing in Gurgaon. I will definitely soon try the biryani too and post my experience.
Rating: (out of 5)
Food: 4.5 | Ambiance: NA | Service: NA | Overall: 4.5
Special Notes: Please order 1 day in advance. Minimum 3 plates order for Lal Maas and 1 handi that serves four people for chicken and mutton Biryani.
Address: Sector 57, Gurgaon | Tel: 9871901629
