Naushy Mirza’s Eid-Special Pop-Up Introduces Delhi To Old-World Lucknow Flavours

Following the holy month of Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated all around the world as a festival that highlights faith, purity, togetherness and peace. Popularly known as Meethi Eid, as compared to Eid Al-Adha or Bakra Eid, Eid ul-Fitr also means the coming of a great feast following a month of fasting. Muslims around the world and India cook up a storm of dishes, both sweet and savoury to mark the occasion. And while some dishes like Biryani, Haleem and Sewai have always captured the hearts of the masses, there are plenty of home-style Eid dishes that people aren’t aware of—and that’s precisely what Nausheen Tareen, more popularly known as Naushy Mirza, familiarises the world with through her recent pop-up at Shangri-La Eros New Delhi. 

Also Read: Eid-ul-Fitr 2025: Are Sewai, Haleem, Biryani Overhyped Or Essentials? Food Connoisseurs Weigh In

Capturing Memories, Recreating Generational Favourites 

“I’m not a trained chef,” she starts off with. “These are all recipes that have been passed down from my parnani, nani, mother and to me. I’m a public relations professional by background. By education I’m a biotechnologist. Currently, I’m on a break because I have a small baby. But I want to share these recipes with the world, because I don’t want them to die down with my family.” Apart from this pop-up, Naushy has also curated a few others at Delhi’s popular Rooh, and is planning another one at Chor Bizarre next month. 

When asked what inspired her to take up a culinary approach to sharing all about the food she grew up with, Naushy explains that it all stems from things she learned from her mother and the generations of women before her. “All my life, I’ve heard how amazing the food at my home is,” she quips. “I remember when Eid used to happen, I used to have so many friends, family and guests coming home and my mom used to single-handedly cook for all those people. So, this is food that is cooked from the heart.” Of course, not being a trained chef meant that Naushy was relatively new to the hustle of a commercial kitchen, but she says the team at Tamra supported her throughout. 

Coming to the food she ate during Eid, growing up, Naushy explains the concept of the feast. “If you talk about the Meethi Eid, which is Eid ul-Fitr, it basically symbolizes peace across families. So, we spend the day going from one home to other or people come to our house. And of course, at the centre of the celebrations is the Sheer Kurma,” she says. “After we come home from the Namaz in the morning, the first thing we all eat is the Sheer. After that, usually the lunch is Biryani, Korma and Kebabs. But some people also make Haleem. In my household, we don’t cook Haleem, but something called Khichda. There’s a lot of Dahi Vada, Chole, things on the snackier side. And definitely a lot of Sewai.” 

A number of these favourites are recreated at the Tamra pop-up. “Of course, there’s a lot more. This is not even half of what my family cooks on Eid or any other day. I think there’s a lot more to explore and people should expand their menus during Ramadan and Eid. And that’s also why I have kept my pop-up menu very different.” 

A Closer Look At Naushy’s Lucknowi Home-Style Menu 

“As I’ve mentioned, my family’s from Lucknow, so all this food is based on recipes passed down the generations and nothing is commercially available,” Naushy says. “These are dishes that I have grown up eating at home. Because it’s Lucknowi food, nothing is going to be overtly spicy. The dishes are perfectly tempered, you’ll find a lot of dum-style cooking, a lot of bhunas, and nothing is going to stand out in terms of masalas.”  

The feast starts of with Mutton Shami Kebab and Hara Bhara Kebab. “These are meant to be eaten with the Ajwain Pooriyan. This is a very unusual combination,” Naushy explains. “The funny story behind this is that when I was a child, this used to be my weekly lunch. There’d be Poori and Shami Kebab for lunch, and people at school would look forward to this lunch. So, the combination became a core memory for me. And when we were younger, we didn’t have too many places to go out and eat. We’d have family picnics at India Gate and we’d travel by trains, so we cooked food that wouldn’t get spoiled. So, Poori and Kebab used to be a family favourite.” 

These kebabs are followed by Lucknowi Chole and dahi Vada. Coming to the mains, there is of course a grand Mutton Yakhni Pulao made with big chunks of mutton. “Yakhni pulao is not supposed to be spicy, so I’ve kept a Lehsun Chutney, which adds a bit of a kick to the pulao, Naushy says. “And I’ve kept a Bathua Raita, because bathua is seasonal. To make this, you blanch the bathua with a little garlic, then you make a paste out of it, mix it with curd and a few spices, and then you put a tadka on top.” 

Then there are other unique and timeless classics like Mutton Pasanda, which is boneless chunks of mutton cooked in a gravy, and Hari Mirchi Keema, which is also not spicy, but perfectly tempered. “It is not spicy because we use the thick chillies in it, which add a zing but they’re not hot.” Naushy explains that she usually makes this dish with Karonda, a berry-sized fruit that is mostly available in winter months. “It’s very rarely available off-season now, so I added raw mangoes to the dish, because the dish uses a lot of onions, and if you don’t add something that balances the sweetness, then it won’t work. Dahi is not able to balance it, so you need that sour and tangy flavour from either Karonda or raw mangoes.” 

Then there’s a Chicken Korma, which is not like the Delhi-style one. “This is a very home-style korma, so it is bhuno-ed a lot,” Naushy explains. “Commercial kormas are very oily and not bhuno-ed, which is why I feel you can taste a lot of the individual spices in it that are not cooked out properly. But you won’t feel that with my korma. There’s no additional birista added to this one, the fried onions are cooked along with the meat.” 

These rich gravies are paired with Rogni Tikiya, an unusual kind of bread. “This is made across households in Lucknow, but it’s kind of dying down as a tradition,” Naushy shares. “I hardly know any other family that makes it any more. This is meant to be eaten with rich gravies, like a korma or pasanda. It’s made with whole flour atta, and is first slow-cooked on a tawa, then it is moved to a high flame open flame and cooked thoroughly.” 

For vegetarians, Naushy offers Shahi Paneer, but not the Delhi or Punjabi-style one. “It’s made like a stew with a lot of onion and tomatoes, it’s not overtly spicy, and it is cooked in dum-style.” Then there’s Shorbari Arbi, a unique colocasia root dish. “When I was a child, I used to love fish,” she says. “Usually, my mother used to make the fish version of this dish. But when the month of sawan happens, North Indians believe fish should not be eaten. So, my mother wouldn’t cook fish but I’d get after her life for this dish. So, then she’d cut arbi in a fish fillet form and she’d cook it in this rich, mustard-infused gravy and serve it to me. For the longest time, I used to eat it thinking it’s fish.” There’s also a Vegetable Yakhni Pulao, made in a way so vegetarians can also enjoy the flavours of a good yakhni.  

Also Read: Ahead Of Eid, Masterchef Mohammed Ashiq Shares Festive Recipes

Meethi Eid With Sheer Kurma And Qimami Sewai 

Meethi Eid calls for traditional classic desserts that include vermicelli, and Naushy makes sure the diners get just that. “For desserts, because it’s Eid, I’ve not made Shahi Tukda. Instead, there’s a Qimami Sewai and Sheer Kurma, which are Eid specials,” she explains. 

She also explains that there is a huge difference between commercially available vermicelli and the one that goes into Eid ki Sheer. “We don’t have that thick vermicelli. We have this rich, thin and very flaky sewai,” she explains. “It’s only available in Old Delhi, Lucknow and those older cities with specific areas. So, you have to specially get it for Eid ki Sheer. Even for this pop-up, the people at Shangri-La Eros Hotel had to get it especially from Old Delhi. I sent them pictures of what I specifically need, because I’m not going to compromise on the Sheer. If you are doing something for Eid, then everything has to be sourced right.” 

After partaking of the entire feast with her guided hand, one comes away with the feeling that Naushy Mirza’s Eid-special pop-up at Shangri-La Eros New Delhi is more than just a culinary showcase—it is a heartfelt tribute to the timeless flavours of Lucknow. Through this experience, she not only revives cherished family recipes but also invites diners to savour the warmth, authenticity, and deep-rooted traditions of an Eid feast, ensuring these forgotten flavours find a place on modern tables once again.