Travelling by train is such a pleasing experience for many. It offers quality time to spend, takes you away from your daily chaos, and lets you enjoy what your heart loves, whether it’s listening to music, watching series, scrolling social media posts or exploring India’s rich culinary heritage. You can order varieties of food on train and enjoy its delectable taste.
Awadh is a region of Northern India comprising the northeastern area of Uttar-Pradesh, including cities such as Lucknow, Faizabad, Ayodhya etc. It represents the exquisite legacy of the food heritage of Awadh, also known as Awadhi Food or Nawabi cuisine.
Awadhi Food: An Overview
Awadhi cuisines are royal foods prepared during the rule of Lucknow Nawabs in the 18th century. Its cooking pattern is greatly influenced by Persian culinary culture. The food preparation includes cooking on a slow flame (called, dum cooking style), using spices like cardamom, saffron, and others. The delectable flavours of cuisine comprise both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Awadhi cuisine is known for its taste, flavour, and cooking style. You must try to tantalise your taste buds while travelling.
List of Delectable Awadhi Food to Enjoy on Your Train Trip
Here, we have listed some of the well-known Awadhi dishes you can try during a train journey.
Awadhi Biryani
Biryani surely is a wholesome meal. You must have various varieties, but the Awadhi aromatic Biryani offers a distinct taste as it gets prepared with minimum spices, unlike Hyderabadi Biryani and cooked with an exclusive dum cooking style. To cook the Awadhi Biryani, chefs first cook rice and meat separately and afterwards seal pack the Biryani in a vessel and cook for hours on low flame to offer you the original flavour of meats, vegetables and rice.
Also Read- 15 Best Biryani Dishes to Enjoy While Travelling on Train
Lucknowi Kebabs
Kebab is an integral part of Awadhi cuisine. The scrumptious dish is grilled on Chula or sometimes in a skillet; called Chula Kabab. Kakori Kebabs, Galawat ke Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti Kebabs, Patili-ke-Kebabs, Ghutwa Kebabs and Seekh Kebabs are some of the popular Awadhi Kebabs varieties. You must relish during your journey. If you are looking for vegetarian Awadhi cuisine options, then you can try Lucknowi kebabs of katahal, arbi, matar and rajma.
Zarda
Without a dessert, none of the meals can be completed. Zarda is an Awadhi-style sweet rice dish cooked in water with saffron and cardamom until it gets soft and fluffy. Afterwards, in Zarda sugar gets added and flavoured with nuts such as almonds, cashews, raisins, and coconut.
Korma
Korma, or call it Korma or Qorma, the rich, creamy dish offers a mouth-watering food companion for you to pair with Naan, bread, or chapati. It can be of varieties of the type including mutton korma, chicken korma, and veg korma. Veg Korma usually gets prepared with a blend of spices, veggies and yoghurt.
Rumali Roti
Rumali roti is an Indian flatbread, gift from Awadhi, Mughalai, and Punjabi food cultures. It is also known as Manda, Lamboo roti, and dosti roti, prepared with all-purpose flour. You can pair it with Awadhi Korma, Nilhari, or any Mughlai dish.
Warqi Parathas
Warqi Paratha is a flaky and folded Paratha with many layers. It is prepared with all-purpose flour, ghee, milk, sugar, and salt. You can pair it with Nilhari, spicy chhole, matar aloo sabji or curry-based veggies. The Warqi Paratha is a flatbread like Lachha Paratha; however, it’s cooked differently.
Firani
Firani, also known as Phirni, is a delectable dessert. It gets prepared by cooking rice, milk, sugar, and nuts on a low flame until it reaches a thick consistency. Before serving the sweet dish, Firani saffron, cardamom powder, and rose water gets added to enhance its aromatic flavours. Unlike kheer, Firani is cooked on a low flame to achieve its luxurious creaminess.
Nihari
Meat-based stew, cooked on slow flame with mutton or chicken, is an authentic Lucknow-style dish flavoured with black pepper. Its texture and flavour are so appetising that even if your tummy is full, your hunger will revamp by seeing it.
Top Halt for You to Enjoy Authentic Awadhi Food on Train
Lucknow Junction NER, LJN
Lucknow is a food junction for foodies. While travelling, if your train halts in Lucknow, you must try some of the epic tastes of Awadhi food. Major trains such as Swarn Shatabdi Express, Chitrakoot Express, and Pushpak Express stop at Lucknow Junction. The Junction station is one of the main stations of the Nawabo ka Shahar.
Available Restaurant for online food orders at Lucknow Junction
- Balaji Bhojnalaya, Lucknow Junction NER, LJN
Lucknow Charbagh NR, LKO
Lucknow Charbagh railway station is one of the busiest railway stations in India. It handles over 250 trains daily and connects the major line of Sitapur, Barabanki, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Unnao, and Hardoi to Lucknow. Major trains such as Dehradun Janta Express, Himgiri Express, Virangana Laxmibai Express, Ganga Gomti Express etc., halt at the station. If you are travelling through this train, pre-book your meal and add flavours to your journey.
Available Restaurant for online food orders at Lucknow Charbagh
- Madhuban Restaurant, Lucknow Charbagh NR, LKO
- Gopi Restaurant, Lucknow Charbagh NR, LKO
Ayodhya Cantt, AYC
Ayodhya, the land of lord Rama, is one of the sacred Hindu places. If you travel through this station, get some vegetarian Awadhi food and dessert to enjoy your journey. Numerous trains, such as Ganga Sutlej, Doon Express, Gomati Nagar express, Manwar Sangam express etc.
Available Restaurant for online food orders at Ayodhya
- Awadh Spice Restaurant, Ayodhya Cantt, AYC
The flavour of Awadhi cuisine is a wholesome treat to the tastebuds with a wide range of varieties; You can order on train.
What is the Difference Between Awadhi and Mughlai Cuisine?
Awadhi and Mughlai are both traditional Northern Indian cuisines, but they differ in their origin, ingredients, and cooking techniques. Here are some differences between Awadhi and Mughlai cuisines:
- Awadhi cuisine belongs to the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, India, that flourished during the rule of Nabab in the 18th century. In contrast, Mughlai cuisine originated in the Mughal Empire during the 16th century.
- Awadhi cuisine uses balanced spices to enhance the ingredients’ natural flavours. On the other hand, Mughlai cuisine uses a wide range of spices to create bold and complex flavours.
- Awadhi culinary recipe generally follows the dum cooking style, while Mughalai dishes get cooked in Tandoor.
Despite these differences, both styles of food taste epic. Whether you crave your Biryani or Korma, try the Awadhi style.
How can I Get Awadhi Food on the Train?
E-catering services, RailRestro lets you order delicious Awadhi food in train. To order food, you can follow these steps:
- Visit the RailRestro website and its app, enter your train ticket’s 10-digit PNR number, or select to order with train number.
- Choose your preferred hunger halt that suits your travel plan.
- Select Awadhi dishes for your lunch, dinner or breakfast.
- Proceed with food orders by paying the bill and completing the order process.
If you are unwilling to order through a website or train food app, you can order your food on WhatsApp with a two-way interactive communication process with an intelligent chatbot. RailRestro Whatsapp number 8102888999 allows you to order food in simple steps.
Read “Order Your Train Travel Food on Whatsapp” to learn more about RailRestro’s new online WhatsApp food order services.