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| Edited By: Chhavi Bhatia |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 17, 2019, 06:15 AM IST
The first notes to hit when an invitation titled The Emperor's Table from Diya, Leela Ambience in Gurugram summons, is extravagance. Mughlai cuisine at center-stage, you unfailingly resign to be fed the standard kebab, nihari and firni because isn't what famous five-stars to old alleys of Dilli-6 have taught us: these are the holy trinity of what those emperors left behind.
As we sit down and glance through the menu, Executive Chef Ashish Bhasin smiles mischievously. "You have to read the menu starting from the end," he says. The restaurant replicates the style of the rulers' native language. But, is it mere histrionics or the novelty that will extend to the food? Bhasin ruptures the soliloquy and urges us to read on. Two pages into the 14-page-long booklet and much to our relief, we realise he has brought us some rare recipes from the Mughal era. Tracing the history of the food from its origins, during the reign of the seven significant rulers, he delves into the extravagant tables laid from the era of Babur to the last of the Mughals Bahadur Shah Zafar emperors. "It is the result of painstaking research of seven months, many sleepless nights and countless trials in the kitchen," Bhasin says, and adds, "The idea was to bust the myth that Mughlai is only about kebabs, greasy curries and oily pulao. What we have been fed is bastardised versions of the cuisine."
While we do see the usual kebab, the variations presented by Bhasin speak for the hard work the he has put in to present "authentic" food. The starters cover the regime of Humayun, Bahadur Shah Zafar and celebrate the Mughals' love for lamb or mutton, which was cooked under the guidance of the shahi hakeem. Luleh Kebab is an aromatic seekh kebab wrapped in mint-flavoured bread from Humayun's era, whose tables were richer than Babur's. While the offerings were more or less the same, spit roasting and tandoor gave a new dimension to this rich heritage. Pateeli Kebab – chicken kebabs marinated with saffron and nuts belongs to the repertoire of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the most lavish eater of the time. The lesser known Yakhni Kebab combines delicately spiced braised lamb and lentils.
"After Humayun regained the crown, he returned from Persia with Persian cooks. His cuisine is influenced by the Persian style of cooking. Secularism started from Akbar's era, which was visible in the food choice and preparations of his time. Local ingredients were featured, flavours moved towards the Indian palate, and the Persian influence reduced," says Salma Hussein, food historian, who attended the food tasting with her interesting food anecdotes that peppered the meal.
Through the course of the meal, Bhasin shares that fish was a protein the kings enjoyed, though not as much as mutton. But it was cooked odourless. "A paste of fresh lime leaves, cardamom, cloves, lemon and salt was applied on the fish and marinated overnight and then cooked. We have cooked Mahi-e-hursh that is river sole with homemade spices and finished with tamarind pulp, to retain the authenticity of these recipes," he says.
Almost all the dishes curated by Bhasin have nuts, saffron and ghee with pepper being the only spice used. "This cuisine is spicy not in fiery way but aromatic. Use of sugar and saffron with lemon juice was common almost for every dish, perhaps to create the sweet and sour effect of Persia and to reduce the heat of saffron," he shares. For instance, Murh-e-taaus is chicken stewed with saffron, nuts and poppy seeds. Other rare dishes that the chef is reproducing sketch entry of "alien" products like chillies, willaiti baingan of that time, or tomatoes of ours and seb zamini (what potatoes were called in the 15th century), as well as newer cooking techniques like smoking. The vegetarian fare has Bharta-E-Zardak – chopped carrot tossed with onion and tomatoes; Nimona – an Awadhi delicacy of tempered crushed green peas with red chillies; Burrani Bademjan – aubergine roasted with onions and tomatoes, minced and smoked.
One dish that Bhasin feels has remained unchanged is Dal Alamgir, colloquially known as Dal Makhani. Confident that it originated during the Mughal period, the culinary expert has a history lesson to back this claim. "Aurangzeb assumed the title of Alamgir, which means 'world conqueror'. Today's Dal Makhani has captured our hearts. It has to be Alamgir." A vast, unexplored world of this cuisine awaits, one that has delicate flavours not overrun by spices and oil.
Kofta Angoori: From Aurangzeb's era – bottle gourd dumplings in rich almond and onion gravy
Lauki Kalonji: Lauki (pumpkin) cooked with yellow split peas, tempered with onion seeds and finished with dry mango and jaggery
Riza Kufta: Meat dumplings in gravy flavoured with dried plums and apricots
Shirni Pulao: Chicken pulao with oranges and carrots
Kulcha-E-Annanas: The star attraction – saffron and pineapple flavoured roti
Laziza: Multi-grain porridge with buttermilk and asafoetida
Biranj-e-Amba: Rice cooked with condensed milk and layered with mango puree
(This hotel had extended an invite to DNA to partake in the Mughlai experience.)
