A restaurant in Delhi, located in the outer circle of Rajiv Chowk or Connaught Place, is currently offering a specially-curated non-vegetarian thali - from starters to the dessert - with an array of 12 non-vegetarian dishes - and has named it the ‘Raavana’ Thali, reports IANS.
Veda, which otherwise is known for its scrumptious menu of Indian culinary specialties, has come up with the Raavana thali for a special purpose. "During Navratri, non-vegetarians cannot enjoy meat delicacies and we wanted to offer plenty of them on a single plate. It's a customised menu where one gets a taste of authentic Indian flavours," Veda owner Alok Aggarwal told IANS.
The menu has been given twists -- inspired by characters from the Hindu epic Ramayana.There is the Mandorari fish fry and the Kuber raan -- shredded leg of lamb marinated overnight and cooked in tandoor.
Then there is the Kumbakarna chicken -- chicken stuffed with keema roasted on a mild fire in a clay oven. Then comes the hot keema nan which blended perfectly with a lamb dish -- Narantaka mutton. There is also Atikaya chicken -- boneless chicken mixed in brown onion sauce and green cardamom to dig in with the nan.
There's also Surpanakha biryani -- an authentic dum-cooked mutton biryani full of flavour which goes well with Lanka fish masala prepared with rich spices, coconut and onion.
And to accompany these main course delicacies, there's Sumali papad -- fried small papad topped with keema; Maricha raita -- yoghurt garnished with keema and onion; Thataka salad -- roasted prawn mingled with cucumber and bell pepper with lime dressing.
For dessert: the Son Nagri barfi -- a "chicken" barfi dessert. According to Chef Mohd Nazeer, it took more than a month for him to come up with this one. "The dish came into existence after a lot of experimentation and hard work. There is no khoya in it; it is just made out of kaju paste and minced chicken.
In privileged sections of Hindu society, Ravana is widely considered to be a ‘demon’, with massive Dussehra celebrations ending on Vijayadashami with the effigy of Raavana being burnt down, in a celebration of ‘good’ winning over ‘evil’.
However, several adivasi communities across the country also worship Raavana, in defiance of the way Hinduism is practiced by privileged communities.