The galawati was invented for a nawab, but it is now eaten by everyone in Lucknow who can stand in queue at Tunday’s 6 min read May 11, 2026 06:07 PM IST First published on: May 11, 2026 at 06:07 PM IST The seeds soak overnight. By morning, the pumpkin, watermelon, melon, and cucumber kernels — char magaz (four kernels) — have softened enough to grind into a pale, faintly sweet paste. The paste goes into yoghurt-marinated chicken, the gravy is finished with ghee and a whisper of kewra, and what comes out of the pot is not a Nawabi dish at all. Char Magaz ka Murga is a Kayastha Lucknowi dish born in the Hindu kitchens of the city, the kind of recipe a grandmother adjusts without writing down. It tastes like cream but isn’t. It is also the dish I am cooking this week, while I think about a list. I have been thinking about this dish for the last few days, since the Uttar Pradesh government released its list of 208 dishes for the One District, One Cuisine scheme; the Char Magaz ka Murga was not on it.…