A Culinary Trip Across India Lands at Kangan
From Champaran mutton and Kashmiri gucchi pulao to Dal Pakwan and Goan-inspired Bhetki (fish), the Comorin popup at Kangan in The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace brings together flavours from across India for a two-night culinary experience.
There is something particularly appealing about discovering India through food, especially when the journey moves beyond the dishes one already knows. Kangan takes diners through different regions and culinary traditions, with each course offering a glimpse into the ingredients, techniques and food stories associated with a particular part of the country.
Chef Anuj Bhalla
Chef Anuj Bhalla, Head Chef at Comorin, has approached the menu with the idea of showcasing speciality dishes from different states, while giving each of them his own interpretation. The meal begins with Dahi Batata Puri with Masala Kachalu, a familiar chaat given a sharper twist with wasabi. The combination brings together sweet curd and the heat of wasabi, making for an unexpected opening to the meal.
The menu then moves to Kairi Ragi Ambli curry leaf crumble, a dish inspired by a preparation from the borders of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Traditionally, Ambli is made as a drink, but here it has been transformed into a curd-based preparation with ragi chips and boiled ragi porridge and salted peanuts. The idea, Bhalla explains, is to mix everything together and enjoy it almost like a smoothie a la healthy breakfast bowl.
Malai Paneer Rara
For the non-vegetarian course, there is Haleem with crispy fried onions, which I was told by my food companions, was the standout dish. Coming to Hyderabad with haleem is, as Bhalla acknowledges, a bold choice, but the intention was not to compete with the city’s established versions. Instead, the preparation is milder, less greasy and more restrained.
Haleem Bakarkhani and crispy onion
The regional journey continues with Arbi Galawat, where smoked arbi replaces meat, making the dish accessible to vegetarians without taking away the character of a galawat. It comes with strawberry chilli chutney, purple potato while a Kashmiri bread flavoured with saffron, ghee and sesame accompanies the course.
Then comes Dal Pakwan, Jalapeno & Red onion Kachumber, a Sindhi breakfast speciality, built around chana dal, onion, jalapeno and crispy lentils. It is one of those dishes where the pleasure lies in how the elements come together, with the crunchy pakwan and the fresh toppings balancing the dal.
No journey through Indian food would be complete without India’s favourite evening snack, Pao Bhaji and the menu includes a Bombay-style version with caramelised onion pav. Bhalla describes it as more finished and buttery than the street-side versions, while still retaining the familiarity of the dish.
The main course moves towards Bihar with Champaran mutton, a dish traditionally cooked overnight in an earthen pot sealed with dough and placed over coal. The preparation here attempts to retain the character of the original, while presenting it in a restaurant setting. It is served with sattu paratha, garlic, yam chutney and saffron raita.
The menu then travels further East and West with Bhetki, using a Goan chilli and coconut marination with tamarind, jaggery and coconut. For vegetarians, Malai Paneer Rara offers an interpretation of keema using soya keema and chenna (think salted rosogolla), accompanied by chilli mint Laccha paratha.
What makes the food popup experience at Kangan interesting is not simply the number of regions represented, but the way the dishes allow diners to move between familiar and unfamiliar flavours. There is the comfort of pao bhaji and dal pakwan, alongside preparations such as Ragi Ambli and Arbi Galawat that may be less familiar to many diners.
Kangan
Set within Kangan’s warm and elegant dining space at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, the menu gets room to breathe. The setting complements the food without overpowering it, making the experience feel like a leisurely exploration rather than a hurried tasting.
Kevin Rodrigues, Head of Wines at EHV International
The food at the Comorin popup at Kangan is paired beautifully with the wine. The pairings are designed to complement the food without overpowering its flavours. The menu lends itself particularly well to lighter, aromatic whites and rosés that can balance the spice, acidity and richness of Indian dishes, while fuller-bodied reds work well with richer preparations and grilled meats. “The idea is less about rigid rules and more about finding wines that allow the complexity of the food to come through, with each pairing adding another layer to the dining experience,” says Kevin Rodrigues, Head of Wines at EHV International, who has designed the wine pairing programme.
For Hyderabad diners, it is an opportunity to step away from the expected and spend an evening travelling through different parts of India without leaving the city.
