Eat like a Maharaja

In 2010 writer Neha Prasada and photographer Ashima Narain were approached for a coffee table book on palaces kings and their food traditions In September that year they started researching for the first chapter of the book ldquoWe travelled to the various states of India and met the royal families spoke to their staff people who knew them and lingered around their premise while they had their meals rested in the gardens or hosted lavish dinner partiesrdquo says Prasada who also dug into library books by ancient travellers and their vivid firsthand accounts Esra Jah and her daughter Shekyar Jah against the backdrop of the famous 101seat dining room at the Falaknuma Palace Bapji is the head of the Rathore clan He often invites his clansmen over for a traditional meal to discuss the affairs of the state pics courtesy roli books ldquoWe decided to feature 10 states including Hyderabad Awadh Rajasthan Tripura Jammu and Kashmir These were selected on the basis of their popularity in hosting long tables and style of hospitality We relished all the recipes that have been mentioned in this bookrdquo says Prasada However it was not so easy to get the old cooks of Mahmudabad to divulge the family recipes ldquoI actually had to ask the family to put in a word and request the old family cooks to share them And in Rampur they didnrsquot have any measurements Whenever I asked them for the quantity of the ingredients they would say zara sa a little bitrdquo says Prasada adding that the royal families no longer eat heavy meals on a daily basis ldquoToday even they are health consciousrdquo she laughs u00a0 This pound 30000 dinner service in silver gilt was ordered from Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in 1921 for the visit of Edward Prince of Wales to Patiala Made by Baccarat in 1877 and bought by the Baroda royal family this decanter set has four engraved decanters fitted on the howdah atop the elephant and 12 tumblers supported by the harness The royal families eagerly opened their doors to the writerphotographer duo and Priya Kapoor editor of the book Narain tells us over the phone ldquoOur first visit was to Patiala and the warm hospitality of Raja Randhir Singh was overwhelming In the beginning they were quite conscious about having us around taking notes and pictures while they went about with their daily chores But soon they were used to itrdquo u00a0 while in Patiala Narain was surprised at how little the royal family ate ldquoThe food is so heavy that you can eat only little of it The erstwhile Rajarsquos wife Rani Vinita Singh told me that when they wanted to go on a diet they had to call for food from outside No ghar ka khana for themrdquo Narain recalls She adds that during this project she realised that royal families are not all about pomp and show ldquoI wanted to show the human side of royalty A lot has been already written on the food traditions of the royals but this one is a behind the scenes lookrdquo says Narain who was in awe of the Mahmudabad quila in the state of Awadh u00a0 The tribal roots of the Tripura royals are evident in the use of animal skins and horns that adorn their palaces ldquoIt is a living fortress and you actually have people living within the confines of the gates They even have a zenana where women were seen giggling laughing and sharing jokesrdquo says Narain who was bowled over by Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khanrsquos dusty libraries filled with books on poetry current affairs and history ldquoThe Rajarsquos son Ali Khan Mahmudabad took us around the palace giving us minute details of the architecture and history We were never bored during this project as something or the other was happening all the timerdquo concludes Narainu00a0 Nadru Deepfried lotus stem chips ingredients 6 lotus stems kamal kakri washed dried sliced 1 cup refined flour maida frac12 tsp salt frac12 tsp red chilli powder frac12 tsp black cumin seeds shah jeera Refined oil for deep frying Method OslashMix all the ingredients except the lotus stems and oil for frying Keep aside OslashHeat the oil in a wok kadhai coat the lotus stem chips in the above mixture and deep fry till golden bown OslashRemove and drain the excess oil on absorbent kitchen towels Serve hot Matar Latpatta Tomatoflavoured green peas ingredients 250 g green peas 2 tbsp ghee 1 finely chopped onion 3 g red chilli powder frac14 tsp turmeric powder 12 tsp coriander powder 18 g ginger paste 25 g garlic paste Salt to taste 2 red tomatoes grated Method OslashHeat the ghee in a pan add the onion and sauteacute till brown Add little water along with the red chilli powder turmeric powder coriander powder ginger paste garlic paste and salt stir fry OslashAdd the tomatoes and fry till the oil rises to the surface OslashAdd the peas OslashAdd 23 tbsp hot water and cook on low heat till the peas are done OslashRemove and serve Tomatoflavoured green peas centre Aakha Raan Slow cooked leg of lamb ingredients 2 legs of baby lamb 1 cup ghee 15 g garam masala 15 g cumin seeds 15 g coriander seeds 6 whole red chillies 2 cups of sliced onions 20 g ginger paste 50 g garlic paste 6 tbsp rum 100 g carrots 50 g yoghurt Salt to taste Aakha RaanSlow cooked leg of lamb Method OslashHeat the ghee in a wok and add the whole garam masala cumin seeds coriander seeds and whole red chillies sauteacute for a few seconds Add the onions and cook till light brown OslashNow add the ginger and garlic pastes sauteacute for a few more minutes OslashAdd the legs of lamb and sear for sometime Add the lamb stock rum and carrots slow cook the lamb leg for an hour OslashAdd the yoghurt and cook for 30 minutes more OslashAdjust the seasoning Serve garnished with green coriander u00a0