Ahmedabad: Discovering the unique flavours of royal cuisine

AHMEDABAD: Food is an integral part of history and heritage. There are numerous fables associated with royal cuisines – right from sourcing ingredients, to processing them, to slow cooking them, infusing flavours and presenting them on the royal platter. With a view to offer a slice of history through cuisine of the palaces and princely states, ‘Shahi Dawat-e-Balasinor’ – the royal gourmet food festival, is set to be hosted by Renaissance Ahmedabad Hotel. The festival will offer select recipes coming from the court of Begum Farhat Sultana Babi of the royal family of Balasinor.

Preparations such as Lasaniya Kheema, Gote Ka Pulav, Shaami Kebab-e-Balasinor, Sabzke Shaami Kebab, Sukha Gosht and Hariyali ki Nazakat, among various others would be part of an elaborate menu, served during the festival that runs from April 6-14, at the hotel.

Explaining more about the Balasinori cuisine, Nawab Sultan Salauddin Khan Babi of Balasinor, said, “My mother fused together the cuisines of the Palanpur royal family, of her grandparents from Bantwa, from Junagadh and the Balasinor family to form what we call the Balasinori Shahi Dastarkhwan. Balasinori cuisine is home-cooked food. Most ingredients that go into the preparations are locally sourced and processed uniquely. For instance, we still use the silbatta to grind the spices fresh. Similarly, there’s a variety of different cooking techniques including slow cooking, using clay pots to cook or serve certain preparations for a distinct flavour which brings in the uniqueness in the food.”

“The notion that Gujarati cuisine is only vegetarian is a myth. The princely states of Gujarat have their own unique Mughal recipes that have been passed down from generations. Shahi Dawat-e-Balasinor is an effort to spread the taste of these signature recipes to a larger section of people” he added.