Cooking with traditional implements at the erstwhile princely state of Sailana in Madhya Pradesh (photo by Nilanjana S Roy). Late Digvijaya Singh of Sailana wrote The Cooking Delights of the Maharajas with the express aim of preserving the traditional Indian art of cooking. That book leans more towards game meat recipes of the Maharajas but also has the recipes for many vegetarian dishes. Many other Indian Princely States now have their wealth of traditional dishes now being served at their palaces-turned-hotels:
From the Maharaja's kitchen
The Maharajahs were proud of their kitchen and the food had a unique flavour. Says Arvind Singh Mewar, erstwhile Maharana of Udaipur, "It’s not what we have forgotten, it’s what we have abandoned! The dishes were cooked over slow fire, using heavy utensils. We’ve given the ‘sula’ to the world. I now find ‘Maas ka sula’ in the menus of restaurants in London. The liqueurs brewed in Mewar like ‘Aasha’ was our gift to the world."
When the Maharajah’s chefs returned from training in France and England, they experimented with local food. In Indore, Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar had four chefs — Swiss, Indian, French and one just to cook meat! Says Padma Kumari, the erstwhile Maharani of Bikaner, "We used to see a lot of experimentation. Food went fusion. There was a time at Bikaner Palace when the menu cards were printed in French. A popular dish from our state is Lapsi. I was born in the Chamba royal family, where the Madra was popular, made by mixing rajma, curd and ghee. Food meant grandeur."
Every chef in the royal kitchen challenged himself to better chefs in other states. Says Sangita Kathiwada of the Kathiwada royal family, "The Maharajahs were proud of their chefs. In Kathiwada, the Ustad or head chef was respected as someone who turned out unusual dishes. We’ve given dahi-vada, dal ka halwa to the world. One dish from the Sailana family that was my husband’s favourite was Hari Mirch ka Maas, made with one kg of meat, one kg of hari mirch and one kg of ghee, soaked overnight, and then cooked the next day."
