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No matter how much we detest it, there are days when our mind, body and soul align and nudge us to draw energy from the simplest thing around, i.e., the sattvic diet. For me, it happened last Monday. And the stars might have planned it; I was directed to Mahamudra, Isha Life's fine-dining restaurant. A calmness dawned upon my whole body when I stepped in, and I felt an instant energy shift. Located at Road Number 27, Venkatagiri, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, this earthy eatery serves nutritious vegetarian food in its purest form.
The menu itself speaks of how it has been curated, taking the essence of Ayurveda. For example, the Aarogya Dhaara includes three Indian soups, which is news for many of us about their existence. Likewise, Liquid engineering has Groundnut Milk Kanji, Sukku Thengaapaal, Sanjeevini Kanji and Kambu Kanji. These beverages justify their category.
There is also an impressive collection of Indian snacks, Annam and Godhumai Arogkyam. Don't forget to try hot beverages, including caffeine-free chai and coffee.
Giving everything else a miss I opted for one platter from Thali Meals. This segment ideally has three options, Mahamudra Wheat Thali, Mahamudra Rice Thali and Set Menu. Since I reached a bit late, I was left to choose broken wheat thali. It begins with refreshing buttermilk and then is followed by Murungaikkai Soup, a mildly spiced (black pepper) concoction made with freshly pureed tender moringa or drumsticks.
Murungaikkai Soup
Then arrived the huge brass thali layered with banana leaf and decorated with as many as 14 dishes. All of them are purely satvik. There are two variants of salads: cucumber and carrot, one tiny dal vada, kanji, raitha, yam curry, Akki roti, dalia pulao, dalia bisi bele, curd bath (all made with broken wheat), and pappad. The pointed gourd curry served here is famous, and I realised why. Thogayal chutney added that needed zing. I savoured it as a dish.
But what caught my attention the most was the Wild Rice Kheer. This slightly runny and mildly sweet kheer gets a natural purplish hue due to the use of wild black rice. A close reference would be a blackcurrant dessert. I inquired about it, and the friendly staff described that it is made of wild rice, which was once forbidden to the common man and served only to the Royalty. I read the menu, and its description mentioned that this was brought to India by the Chettinad community. And Mahamudra offers this incredible kheer prepared from authentically sourced purplish black rice with an exotic fragrance and taste. I helped myself with a second serving.
Wild rice kheer
And as I finished my lunch, I walked out a lot healed and in peace with myself.
This surreal place is a tranquil green cover in Jubilee Hills that features a restaurant, a yoga studio, and an ethnic artisan shop. It is congruent with the doctrine of Indian yogi and mystic, Jaggi Sadhguru Vasudev.
