Wondering where to get some delicious and mattha in Lucknow? Head to the Rumi Gate in Old Lucknow to have one of the best matthas in town.
Ahmad Hussain has been setting up his make shift mattha shop every morning at the same spot since the last 15 years. Picturesquely, he sits outside the Rumi Gate, right after offering his morning prayers and stays there till about noon. Popular in the area as the Matthawal with the van, owing to the fact that he sets up shop in his Omni, he has a wide patronage which includes office goers, businessman, rickshaw pullers and morning walkers.
Ahmad Hussain guarantees that nobody can make mattha the way he does, with such passion. He wakes up every morning at 2.30 a.m. to begin his culinary expedition and the only two days in the entire year when he takes a holiday is on the day of Holi and Moharram.
What is so special about his mattha, you wonder? Ahmad professes that he makes the mattha the same way that his grandmother made for him. His mattha is made out of khapa hua doodh, which is what gives the mattha its brownish pink tinge. Fresh milk brought from the village every day is left to simmer for over 10 hours. While the milk simmers away, Ahmad keeps a close watch and maintains the optimum temperature – too much heat can turn the milk into khoya and less heat won’t produce the desired effect. The simmered milk is then left to cool and curd is set out of it. The set curd is then hand churned, separating the cream from the liquid. The liquid makes the buttermilk whereas the cream makes the ghee.
Winter Timings: 6.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
Price: Rs. 10 for a glass and Rs. 40 for a litre for the Mattha.
Rs. 700/kg for the Ghee
Location: Outside Rumi Darwaza, Husainabad Trust Road, Old Lucknow
