Hyderabad: In a city that’s obsessed with meat dishes, the word pulao is often associated with the vegetarian side of menus (pulao is meat-based as well, in India and Central Asia especially). In fact, it’s a dish that Biryani lovers even use to berate those who eat veg Biryani, by calling it Pulao. The irony of that is not lost, but that’s another story.
But Simply South by Chef Chapalathi Rao, which reopened this year post the COVID-19 lockdown (second wave) might just change your mind about Pulao, especially if you love meat (ironic eh?!). In its latest offering called ‘7 Pulaos’, the exclusively South Indian cuisine restaurant has a delicious new addition.
I sat down with the famed chef Chalapathi Rao during this review, and was left impressed afterwards with the food. “Each of the Pulaos has one hero ingredient,” he told Siasat.com. Needless to say, I didn’t ask him who these secret heroes of these delicious dishes are. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, the chef’s latest offering certainly didn’t disappoint.
For this review, I tried four of the seven Pulaos: Chettinad Kodi Pulao, Kodi Fry Pulao, Prawn Pulao and Mamsam Pulao (mutton). The others are: Andhra Patnam Pualo (mixed vegetable), Pachi Mirchi Kodi Pulao (super spicy) and Kerala Fish Pulao. Skipped the Pachi Mirchi because I am 100 percent sure I’d end crying. So here goes:
1. Kodi Fry Pualo: Out of all the four options that I tried, I must say this was my personal favourite. I honestly was not expecting Pulao to be so delicious, but boy oh boy! What made this even more delectable was how soft the chicken was. You know it’s well marinated when it just breaks without any effort. All In all, 10/10 for this. Left me wanting for more.
2. Prawn Pulao: This dish comes topped with an omelette, and I pretty much ate most of it (goes very well with the dish). The prawns was also very well done. And that’s big coming from someone like me who usually runs far away from things like prawns (or even fish) Biryani. So if you like seafood, I can certainly suggest this.
What makes the ‘7 Pulaos’ menu great is that no matter what you choose (at least from whatever I tasted), it will be equally good. Just chose wisely depending on your palette.
3. Chettinad Kodi Pulao/Mamsam Pulao: The Chettinad option may be a little spicy if you aren’t used to it, but it was delicious nevertheless. As far as the Mamsam is concerned, the mutton was just perfect! After eating three other Pulaos (one of which was much spicier), it felt milder, but very flavourful. If you love only mutton, then go for this eyes closed.
I think by now some of you might be getting impatient just reading my review, so I’ll cut this short. There is also a veg option as well. The price ranges between 399-499 depending on which Pulao you order. If you aren’t a heavy eater, then each dish can easily serve two.
