Gourmet grub from a bygone era

Royal Bombay Yacht Club When I was invited to visit the Royal Bombay Yacht Club RBYC it was an offer hard to resist Last week on a hot and humid Tuesday I walked into the 168yearold club which follows a naval tradition and was once meant for senior British civil servants and British armed forces officersA Cook brushes egg yolk on steak and kidney pie so that it gets a golden brown crust after baking PicsBipin Kokate Rumour has it that Mr Lipton of Lipton Tea Company was refused membership because of his trader status This allwhites club saw its first Indian members in mid 50s The British built such clubs as a stopover after work and for a few hours of bonhomie with their male friends before they went home to their wives and childrenA table set with silverware in British style at Royal Bombay Yacht ClubThe menu was created to cater to the British who found it hard to adapt to the Indian cuisine ldquoThis gave rise to BritishIndian cuisine a blend of Indian and British food For example the Mulligatawny soup has rice and lentils or the mutton ball curry are all inspired from the two cuisinesrdquo Ardhendu Bose the President of the RBYC explainedThe recipes too are 100 years old handed down to the present cooks through word of mouth ldquoThe wives of the members taught the dishes to the cooks lsquoKedgeriersquo was an adaptation of the Khichdi Bose added Interestingly caramel custard is often referred to a lsquodak bungalowrsquo pudding mdash mainly because the khansamas at the old Dak Bungalows during the Raj days made it to perfection mdash again taught to them by the British Memsahibs The set menuFrom the set menu I chose the Almond Soup Mushroom Casserole and Mix Veg Pie for mains and the Hot Ginger Pudding with Custard Sauce for dessert ldquoTime doesnrsquot matter here You cannot hurry the order as everything is prepared freshrdquo Neel Dalal the vice president of RBYC said as he showed me around the bar which is made with knick knacks of ship parts While there are barrels to sit on the steering wheel make for tablesWhile the food was being prepared we dug into Sesame Toast Angels on Horse Back prawns covered in bacon and deviled eggs which are topped with a meltinthemouth cheesy mousse Sitting in the armchair which is probably a century old I was careful not to leave a scratch as I placed my hand on its arm rest carefully We moved to one of the dining tables as the serve informed us that our food was ready The Almond Soup was creamy nutty and had the right amount of butter to enliven the palate The mushrooms were sauteacuteed in a tangy sauce and this combination with rice was flavourful The pie had a crumbly cover and vegetables cooked in an excellent pepper sauce A fellow nonvegetarianturnedvegetarian announced that it was as good as the mutton version While I was bursting at the seams the Hot Ginger Cake with Custard Sauce made the thought of going back to work unbearable I was tempted to take a nap at the Siesta Room filled with Easy Chairs to put your feet up and nap This time travel had left me with a beautiful glimpse of an older Bombay much slower in paceSteak and Kidney Pie Ingredientsgtgt 2 kidneysgtgt100 gm beef undercutsgtgt 1 inch of leekgtgt4 gm mustardgtgt250 g flour gtgt1 tbsp demiglaze powder gtgt1 glass of red wine gtgt55 gm butter gtgt1 stick celerygtgt20 gm margerinegtgtBlack pepper and salt to tasteChicken rouladeIngredientsgtgt1 chicken breast gtgt 25 g boneless chicken gtgt250 g mushroom cubed gtgt250 g leek cubedgtgt2 egg yolksgtgt Brown sauce as mentioned in steak and kidney pie recipe gtgt4 g mustard gtgt50 g butter gtgtSalt pepper to tasteMethodgtgtBeat the chicken breast and flatten it out Keep asidegtgtIn a pan add butter salt pepper mustard and sauteacute the leek mushroom and boneless chicken till the consistency is dry Keep asidegtgtSpread the above mixture on the flattened chicken breast and roll it upgtgtGlaze with a layer of egg yolk and make at 185 degC gtgtServe with brown sauceDhansak Wednesdays at Ripon ClubBeads of sweat dotted my brow as I dodged groups of working professionals tourists and revellers on MG Road at Fountain I stopped at NM Wadia Building under an old board that reads lsquoRipon Club 3rd and 4th floorrsquo The lift ancientlooking and rickety stopped on the third floor and for the next hour time came to a halt In the long hall were easy chairs and sofas covered in brown leather with dark polished legs walls decorated with book shelves and tables and chairs set for lunch ldquoThis place has been like this since I first became a member 50 years agordquo my host told me Left Shernaz and Tehmtan Dumasia of K Caterers Right Lunch hour at Ripon Club The Ripon Club was founded by Sir Phirozeshah Mervanji Mehta along with Jamshedji Tata and Sir Dinshaw Manackjee Petit after he was not allowed to use the main entrance of the Byculla Club during the British rule ldquoThus he decided to open Ripon Club for the Parsis The club was named after his close acquaintance Lord Ripon British Governor General who was allowed to visit he club only as a guestrdquo said Chairman of Ripon Club Xerxes DasturMutton Dhansak buffet PicsPhorum DalalWhile they serve a set menu for its members every day Wednesday is Dhansak Day at this 130yearold club that has never had a nonParsi member For the past eight years Tehmtan Dumasia and his wife Shernaz of K Caterers run the kitchen here and their Dhansak has earned the title of the lsquobest dhansak in Mumbairsquo The Mutton meatballs the daal and saak is placed in big serving pans and is served unlimited Vegetarian was provided on request which is a rare order I was told Dumasia shares the recipe of his famous DhansakDumasia also takes party orders Call 9820085528DhansakIngredientsgtgt500 gm tur daalgtgt1 cup fried pumpkingtgt2 onions choppedgtgt1 cup methi leavesgtgt2 tbsp tamarind concentrate gtgt2 tbsp coriander leavesgtgt2 tbsp chopped mintOne can add chicken or mutton to the dhansak as per preference For wet masalagtgt2 inch cinnamon stickgtgt4 cardamom podsgtgt5 clovesgtgt2 tsp cumin seedsgtgt10 black peppercornsgtgt1 tbsp coriander seedsgtgt8 dried red chilliesgtgt1 tbsp chopped ginger gtgt8 cloves garlicgtgt1 cup fresh coriander leaves For dry masalagtgt3 cardamom podsgtgt3 clovesgtgt1 tbsp cumin seedsgtgt2 red chillies gtgt2 tbsp methi leaves gtgt1 tsp tumeric powder gtgtBlack pepper powdered to taste gtgt1 tsp Pudinagtgt 2 tsp dhansak masala gtgt1 Dhana jeeru powder For the ricegtgt500 gm boiled rice gtgt1 tsp Sugar gtgtSalt to taste gtgt2 tej patta gtgtfrac12 tsp jeeragtgtfrac12 tsp pepper corn MethodgtgtWash the dal mix all the ingredients for the dal and the dry ingredients gtgtAdd two cups of water and boil for 30 minutes gtgtCool for 10 minutes and puree in a blender gtgtPrepare the wet masala by roasting the ingredients except the pepper corn in a pan for three to four minutes stir constantly so it does not burngtgtRemove and grind in mixer and some water to the paste add to the dalgtgtTo make the brown rice caramalise the sugar with onions and jeera gtgtAdd washed rice with tej patta and pepper corns and salt to taste Stir for five minutes along with a cup of water and cook Serve with fried onions sprinkled on the brown rice