Indian Festive Food Week to hit six U.S. locations in January

[Ed. note: This article was edited to reflect the last-minute date and location changes to the event.]

MyPref Indian Festive Food Week, a weeklong nationwide celebration of Indian cuisine, will run in two U.S. cities (New York City (and the greater Tri-State Area) and Chicago) from Jan. 12 to 19, and again from Jan. 24 to 31 in four other locations (Washington, D.C., California, Rhode Island and Texas).

The festivities will showcase the rich flavors of India’s mainstream and regional cuisines, such as Punjabi, Awadhi, Mughlai, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Bengali and Udupi.  Participating restaurants will feature this food in signature prix fixe menus, which will also include green and low-calorie options. Prices will vary by city, ranging from $15 to $40, excluding taxes and gratuities.

The names of participating restaurants, as well as menus and prices, will gradually roll out on the Indian Festive Food Week website at www.iffw.us.  The recently-announced New York list includes New York City restaurants Benares, Benares Tribeca, Bombay Palace, Bukhara Grill, Chola, Junoon, Kokum, Mint and Tulsi.  In the Tri-State Area, Akbar, Heritage of India, Mint and Dhoom will participate.

During the launch event on Nov. 22 at the Consulate General of India in New York, Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay spoke at length about the various traditions and functions of Indian cuisine, ranging from intellectual connoisseur pleasures to functional uses to its uses as comfort food.  A delicious variety of Indian food was served to the guests, including dishes such as aloo gobi mattar, chicken kali murch, dal makhni, gulab jamun and saag paneer.

In addition to dining, throughout Indian Festive Food Week various workshops and sessions with industry experts will create more awareness about Indian cuisine, and various regional methods and styles adopted for cooking.