Mumbai food: Pop up celebrates mutton with recipes from Malwa's royal kitchens

Mans KhushkAnuradha Joshi Medhora 30 grew up surrounded by good food ldquoI am from Indore and have been fascinated with food since childhood I love the cuisine of the Malwa region ndash I grew up eating it as I was surrounded by people who were from the royal families or belonged to the old households where it was cookedrdquo says Medhora who started Charoli Foods as an opportunity to introduce people to the cuisine of the royal Maratha and Rajput families and to revive the lost recipes of the regionMans ka Zarda PulavThis weekend at a pop up titled The Royal Mutton Decadence Trail she will serve a variety of mutton dishes This is her first pop up focusing on mutton and will be serving a specially curated wine and beer optionsTaaze Masale Ka MansldquoMost people equate royal food with Rajasthan Therersquos more to royal food and mutton dishes than just Lal Maasrdquo says Medhora who has a day job in her familyrsquos textile businessKaliya Dal with Ghee Chawal Pics Sneha KharabeHerersquos a whiff of her menuPeete Mans Ka SoolaThis starter a Central India staple is a slow cooked mutton dish that Medhora learned from her mother mdash it was a dish she ate at home regularly ldquoThe meat is beaten at regular intervals with a stone while it is getting cooked so that it becomes mushy and achieves a pulled porklike consistency It is served with flatbread and you roll it up like a taco and eat itrdquo she saysPeete Mans ka SoolaThe mildlyspiced dish is made using a fatty piece of meat preferably the shoulder as it is cooked in its own juices It has a richness that comes from the use of malai and ghee and flavours of cardamom and pepper It is smoked at the end using the dhungar method mdash ghee is dropped on hot coal and once it starts smoking the whole dish is sealed with coal for 40 minutes Medhora adds laung clove for added flavourDahi ka HalwaShikampuri KebabThis is one of Charoli Foodrsquos specialties and a favourite at their pop ups ldquoThis version of kebab came to Malwa from the coast of Kashmir It is said that one of the royals from Malwa went to Kashmir and fell in love with the dish and brought it back with them Since then it was always served at state dinnersrdquo says Medhora She heard this tale from her grandfather who had attended many dinners at royal houses where he was served the kebabMans KhushkTraditionally a dish made with paya Medhora has adapted it using just mutton ldquoI donrsquot like payardquo she confesses The spicy tangy semidry dish is one of her favourites ldquoIt is made by deep frying onions adding in spices and then grinding them on a stone till it becomes a smooth paste My mother says you have to do it on the stone else you wonrsquot get the tasterdquo she says adding that she uses a stone she got from homeTaaze Masale Ka MansThis dish is a favourite with the begums of Bhopal ldquoThe recipe doesnrsquot use any preground masalas but gets its flavours from green chillies onions ginger and garlicrdquo says Medhora She sourced the recipe for this semidry dish from her Bhopalbased auntKaleji Ka RaitaA chilled raita it has gamey bits of kaleji in it and a mustard flavour Medhora insists that this dish can convert people who donrsquot like offal ldquoThis recipe was from a friendrsquos mother who hails from an old Maratha Sardar familyrdquo she saysKalia DalThis dish is Medhorarsquos take on Dal Gosht ldquoIt is an old Maratha recipe Itrsquos a spicy dish with prominent flavours of hing and red chilliesrdquo she says The dal is best eaten with plain riceMans Ka Zarda PulaoldquoThis is actually two dishes combined in one mdash a spicy mutton pulao mixed with a sweet zarda pulao The zarda is made with jaggery and makes up about onefifth of the dish and is used to cut the spice of the muttonrdquo says Medhora who got these recipes from her motherrsquos friend in BhopalBesides the mutton dishes Medhora will also serve On Tali Arbi double fried arbi Ghadi Ke Parathe which is ghee laden layered parathas and for dessert Dahi Ka Halwa mdash a curdbased halwa