The princely states of India led a royal life indeed. Before Independence, they combined to generate nearly one fifth of the world’s GDP. But the colonisation of the British and India’s rapid strides in modernisation robbed them of quite a bit of their lavish life. This story is also replicated in the history of Mehmoodabad. A small state under the Awadh, it rose to prominence after the first war of Independence in 1857 as the English handed over the reigns of Lucknow to the King of Mehmoodabad.
But after Independence, the power of these princely states was slowly stripped away and by 1965, Mehmoodabad was slowly incorporated into India. With the Raja of Mehmoodabad heading to London, the cuisine was in the danger of disappearing from our tables. The ”Dining with Maharajas” series at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi sought to not let that happen.
This series of culinary festivals has been especially created to celebrate and revive the love for the fabulously diverse range of dishes served in the royal households across India. The journey to the Quila of Mahmoodabad served as the perfect beginning to the festival. The melodious live performances by in-house Ghazal musicians at the hotel created an ambience that was similar to the one in the Mahmoodabad palace and facilitated an authentic experience for the guests.
What we ate at the Mehmoodabad food festival?
To bring out the true flavours of each dish Chef De Cuisine Ashwani Kumar Singh himself travelled to the city to learn the art of recreating the royal dishes. The refreshing imperial menu of Mahmoodabad offered its guests a lavish spread of signature dishes such as Kababs, Shorbas and Salans including specialties such as Murgh Mussallam, Gosht Makhana Kurma, Matter Latpata, Paneer Hazrat Mahal, Laab- i- Mashooq and much more.
One of the most intriguing parts of the cuisine is the use of specific Indian breads for specific dishes. The Nahari is supposed to be paired with the Khameeri while the Gosht Makhana Kurma is supposed to be have had with the Ananas(Pineapple) ka Parantha. The royalty doesn’t end there as a plethora of Halwas from the kitchens of Mehmoodabad come to the fore. These include the Elaichi Halwa, Chana Dal Halwa along with a Beetroot Halwa.
There is something royal about every morsel that you put in our mouth at the Mehmoodabad Food Festival at Dilli 32, Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi. For all our readers you will be getting a 10% discount at the event if you mention the blog name Salt and Sandals
