Eat like a queen

Itrsquos a clear day in Mumbai perfect to photograph Kumud Kumari Jadeja of the princely state of Gondal in her balcony facing Bandstand Garden at Nariman Point thinks the midday photographer The Maharani agreesInside she settles into a sofa her hair neatly pinned The saree expectedly is chiffon in mellow pink and yellow She holds the recently released book she has authored Recipes of a Maharani by Kumud Kumari of Gondal and jokes that it is the heavier of the two The memories take her back to BhavnagarldquoThis book is dedicated to my mother Manhar Kunwar of Bhavnagar who was a great cook My father Raol Shree Dharmakumarsinhji was one of Indiarsquos pioneering wildlife photographers He held several conservationrelated government positions They threw a lot of parties She would create special dishes for each intimate occasion I watched her and picked up a penchant for cookingrdquo she says of her mother who hailed from Malwa in todayrsquos Madhya Pradesh Her father we learn produced outstanding results in the kitchen ldquoToday men donrsquot cook at all My grandfather was a great cook and in fact my mother learnt a lot of recipes from himrdquoWhat did the mother and daughter cook togetherldquoShe would not let me helprdquo she laughs ldquoshe was the best cook you see lsquoJust watch what I dorsquo she would tell me We didnrsquot have to cut and chop The help kept things readyrdquoThe Navlakha Palace part of the Darbargadh complex built between the 15th and 18th century The royal family recently converted the Darbargadh palace into a museum ldquoFrom Shree Bhagvantsinhjirsquos personal collection of British crockery to antique furniture timepieces and handicrafts Darbargadh is an architectural marvelrdquo she writesWhile game meat played a big role in the kitchen Kumud Kumari remembers a diverse vegetarian spread too But her favourite is the chicken almond she says pointing to a picture in the book Much of royal cooking is usually done on a wood fire and a vegetarian stew called varalaru is made in Gujarat using the underground cooking technique ldquoThe fire is lit in the pit and the vessel is put on top This we love to eat with bajra no rotlo in the wintersrdquoHer culinary duties continue even at 75 as she draws up the next dayrsquos menu the night before Depending on whether itrsquos regional Indian or Continental fare the cook best known for the said cuisine takes over from thereThe state of Gondal was a First Class Princely State of Kathiawar ruled by the Jadeja RajputsKumud Kumari says that marrying into the Gondal royal family meant that she had to acquaint herself with the food of Kathiawar in the north of Gujarat Arid it used few leafy vegetables if any That she and her husband travelled extensively meant that too added to the culinary influences she infused into her kitchen She writes in the book ldquoPartners in every sense we worked well together including on the restoration of The Royal Opera House in Mumbai and the conversion of our palacesmdashRiverside Palace and Orchard Palacemdash into exquisite hotelsrdquoBhavnagar from where her father hailed takes our conversation to the nearby beach town of Mahua ldquoThe beach sand is as soft as butter thererdquo she smiles And do you like sev tameta nu shaak this writerrsquos Kathiawadi gene cannot resist asking ldquoIt is a very common dish We enjoy it while we are fastingrdquoThe Chutneys amp Pickles section in the book carries a recipe for the Gujarati chhundo sweetsour grated green mango while the vegetarian segment has a unique okra with yoghurt and bateta potato with dahi The nonvegetarian dishes include a scrambled eggs curry which we thought unusual and a pearl pink motiya murgh Mutton fruit rice and kacche aam ka pulao are elaborate rice preparations while the dessert fruit fool is British inspiredThe Gondal chicken she calls her signature dish mildly spiced and very popular with the guests at Orchard Palace Hotel Flavoured with red chilli cumin and coriander it packs in the juiciness of tomatoes Another contender is the coriander ballsldquoMy mother stressed on marinating meat a night before I still follow that technique Another trick she taught me has to do with the gaajar halwa She made it without cream or milk She would fry the grated carrot in ghee It is my favourite dish from her pantryrdquoTea pot princessKumud Kumari Jadeja has 600 tea pots in her collection ldquoI even applied to Guinness Book of World Records They told me someone in China had beat me with a collection of 3000rdquoSweet Mutton Dumplings Mutton ke gulab jamun Makes 810Ingredients200 gm mutton or lamb mince30 gm cashews ground50 gm yoghurt50 ml creamfrac12 tsp baking soda100 gm ghee200 gm sugarMethodPlace the mutton or lamb mince in a food processor and grind to a very fine paste Add the cashew powder yoghurt cream and baking soda and mix together until well combinedDivide the mince mixture into equal portions and roll into small balls between your palmsHeat the ghee in a heavybased wok on a medium high heat Carefully add the mince dumplings in batches and fry them until they are cooked and golden on all sides Set asideAdd the sugar to a pan on a low heat Add an equal amount of water and stir until the sugar dissolves and is at a onestring consistencyOnce the sugar syrup begins to thicken take off the heat and allow it to cool slightly Add in the fried mince dumplings Allow the dumplings to soak in the syrup for at least one hour before serving warmHer favourite restaurantsGolden Dragon at The Taj Mahal Palace amp Towers Nara Thai and Yautcha In Delhi itrsquos Bukhara at the ITC