Royal dining: The lure of eating like the Maharajas (2024)

Nal Badiya, Amal Ka Saag, Bhutte Ka Kees, Chicken Sekwa, Keema Kofte ki Kadhi, Lal Mirch Paneer and Bambaison are not rustic local dishes, but the names of imperial delicacies that once spread their illustrious aroma in the kitchens of the royals of India.

Sadly for us, we hardly find these dishes on the menu of any Indian restaurant, where fine dining is all about Pasandas, Kebabs, Biryanis and Kormas. These, along with the Nans and the Shahi Daals form the crux of Indian cooking for us and the rest is sacrilege!

But sadly, in confining our tastes to the shrunken menu of most restaurants, we are secretly allowing the vast repertoire of authentic royal recipes to die a silent death. If you don’t know, Nal Badiya is a delectable dumpling made of colocasia (arbi) roots and cooked in aromatic spices, Bhutte ki Kees is a creamy concoction of crushed corn cooked in milk along with spices and Amal ka Saag is a Malwa delicacy made of tender poppy leaves.

Once a part of the thriving imperial kitchens, these royal dishes are secretly languishing in the sepia pages, stashed away in some forlorn library of once sprawling and now crumbling palaces.

In a recent initiative by Eat with India, close to 20 royals of India came together to lay their kitchens open for foodies to explore their titillating delicacies. I chanced to dine with the royals of Limdi and Jhabua and found their food and hospitality unforgettable. While the delicacies were made with desi ghee, the presentation was every bit regal.

Kunwar Shivraj Singh Limdi and Kunwarani Vijaya Singh Sirmaur, both cousins from the royal family of Madhya Pradesh are taking this praiseworthy initiative to let the world explore the vast ambry of their family recipes which use local and seasonal ingredients in an amazingly creative way.

Not just the royals, but a number of chefs and some hotels are taking steps to preserve royal recipes. Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi had a food festival around lost recipes where they recreated some forgotten royal culinary treats like Tujji Chiken and Lahabi Kebab (from the Wazwani cuisine), Saada Ash from the kitchen of the Nizams and Cheera Ada Curry from the royal house of Travancore.

In a first of its kind, Japyee Vasant Continental has laid down a table with exclusive royal menu, to give the customers a truly regal gourmet experience with foods that include several vanished delicacies from Mughal and British India along with some rare picks from the kitchens of the various Indian principalities in Rajasthan, Mewar, Gujarat, Kashmir, South-India and Central India. Among some unforgettable dishes that have made their way to this exclusive menu designed by Executive Chef Avinash Jha include, Chukki Mattar Kebab, an emerald hued, girdle fried green peas patties stuffed with dried fruit and cheese, Amritsari Sule Ka Paneer which are tender morsels of cottage cheese marinated with aromatic spices and chargrilled, Haji Nurah ki Nahri, Paneer Pyaz ki Subzee in which chunks of cheese are cooked in garlic infused tomato gravy and Sabz Noormahal Biryani wherein rice is cooked with veggies and wrapped in banana leaf and covered with dough and cooked directly on flame to give it an earthly flavour. A must-not-miss accompaniment with the dishes here is Saffron-Sandalwood Sherbet which captures the soul with its aroma and delicate taste.

Royal food will continue to hold its charm for us because they remind us of an era spangled with glory and glandeour and getting a chance to taste those delicacies that once ruled the regal kitchens is an opportunity no one would like to miss. But the need is save these recipes from languishing and to have them on our menues is an initiative that we all must support as much as for their taste as for the rich heritage they are a part of.