“Guler Kabab is my family recipe, and this is what my parents used to make together in the kitchen. It has a surprise stuffing element that is a little sweet and spicy, which usually people don’t expect in a kabab. I learned this recipe from my mother, and I always ensure to serve it to my diners. It gives me extra brownie points. It is a home recipe and something that you won’t find otherwise in anyone else’s house.”

— Chef Sadaf Hussain

How did it all start? Share your culinary journey with us.

As a kid, I was always interested in eating food, and eventually I started taking an interest in how the dishes are cooked, what the process is, and what ingredients go into making a dish. I always saw cooking as magic; few people go in to make a wonderful dish. This all made me interested in cooking. I, along with a friend, used to run a pop-up café in Delhi, Bread and Better, at our homes, but eventually, in 2016, I got selected for MasterChef India, and the show further gave fuel to the fire and I started cooking professionally.

What are your earliest memories of the kitchens you worked in?

It has to be cooking at my home and seeing the ladies of the house chop, grind, and prepare a lovely meal. I would always sit in the kitchen or outside and observe the cooking process. Mother would also give me some cutting and chopping tasks to do. I remember making roti in the kitchen using a steel box lid so that I could make a perfectly round roti.

A dish your patrons or guests love

At the GT Road, guests are loving Guler Kabab, Daal Kabab, Mutton Burrah, Shahi Qorma, and Miya Ji ki Daal.

If food could talk, which dish on your menu would have the most interesting story to tell?

Guler Kabab is my family recipe, and this is what my parents used to make together in the kitchen. It has a surprise stuffing element that is a little sweet and spicy, which usually people don’t expect in a kabab. I learned this recipe from my mother, and I always ensure to serve it to my diners. It gives me extra brownie points. It is a home recipe and something that you won't find otherwise in anyone else’s house.

Can you share a wacky kitchen mishap or memorable culinary disaster that you turned into a hilarious learning experience?

As a kid, I remember cooking vegetable manchuria, and by mistake, I added washing soda instead of baking soda to the dish. My mother kept washing soda in the kitchen; usually you don’t do that. Both the sodas were in a similar steel box, so I did not know. My mother said soda was in the kitchen. I was 11 when I made this “ultimate detox” dish. I still laugh at this experience.

Can you describe a bizarre food trend or fad that you've observed or experienced throughout your culinary career?

A couple of years ago, we saw a fad of using charcoal in everything. We had black ice cream, dosa, meat, coffee, and other dishes. It was a bizarre fad for me. I just wished it would die down, and it did. When you do something with concept and vision, it flies, but when you copy someone because the market is responding to someone’s vision, you die. Copying something does not yield great results in the long run.

What is so unique about the Mandi se mez tak food festival?

It is my ode and respect to the great ruler, Sher Shah Suri. My ancestor's home is in Sasaram, Bihar, where Sher Shah is also buried. His tomb, or as we called it, “Sher Shah ka Rauza,” was our go-to place for a picnic. It is one of the most beautiful and magnificent structures I have seen. His vision of the GT Road helped so many traders and travellers from Kabul to Bengal. We don’t talk about him so often, and through this special menu, I want to bring back his stories and bring him back into the light so that people can dig deeper into him and learn more about this glorious warrior who ruled for 5 years but brought many revolutionary policies and structures. From Sarais to huge trees on the street you see, to dhaba culture, land paper from farmers, and so on.

What inspired you to collaborate with GT Road?

I personally enjoy working with people who have a vision for the products they serve and are unique. The GT Road is not just a run-of-the mill kind of restaurant serving the food that everyone is serving. They may have a similar dish, but everything has a story to tell. From the ambience to the aura, the music, the décor, the food, and everything you see add to the dining experience. I like such places. I like the fact that Rajan Sethi and his team provide not just food but an experience.

The GT Road Restaurant also draws it's inspiration from Sher Shah Suri's monumental GT Road which is a 2600 km road connecting the vibrant cities from Kabul to Chittagong passing through iconic places like Delhi, Amritsar, Varanasi, Patna, Kolkata and beyond.