Culinary destination: Srinagar's royal residence offers exotic royal cuisine

The table is set perfectly on the rolling green lawns of the 19th-century European-style villa on the gentle incline of Shankaracharya Hill overlooking the Dal Lake of Srinagar. The lake is serene and still; there are no signs of violence and death that have marked the once-royal state of Kashmir, now
a Union Territory.

A team of courteous uniformed employees—they’re not trained waiters since some of them are third-generation servitors—are busy inspecting the small, aromatic buffet laid out under the trees. It looks exotic. There is leek soup, steaming gucci pulav and bhuna meat, succulent kidney beans curry for vegetarians, and a delicate phirni to cool the palate. The greens for the salad come from an organic garden on the villa’s grounds. The air is redolent of the peaches that grow all over 60 acres of private estate and forest that stretches down to the lakeshore. There are ancient cedar and walnut trees. The flag of the Kashmir state flutters in the mountain breeze, greeting the visitor who has driven up along
a tree-lined driveway.

The yellow-fronted villa, with its white-mullioned windows and a massive chinar tree standing guard by the front lawn, is Karan Mahal, the home of Dr Karan Singh, first prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952 and its Sadr-i-Riyasat until 1965—a witness to the changing history of India. He had played a historic part in the accession of his country to the Indian Union. As head of state,he entertained kings and princes, diplomats and politicians as the photos on the coloured walls attest.

Any keen connoisseur of indigenous design and accouterments would delight in the gleaming khatamband ceilings, Lalique chandeliers and the Art Deco furniture at Karan Mahal. The vintage carpets are handwoven and soft. The villa is now a seven-key property run by the maharaja’s grandson, Vikramaditya Singh, and his graceful wife Chitrangada Raje, who renovated it piece by piece for 10-long years.

After Independence, and subsequently, the abolition of the Privy Purse by Indira Gandhi—who ironically had been a guest at Karan Mahal herself—many of India’s royals had converted their palaces and estates, big and small, into hotels. Rajasthan had acquired a special reputation as a heritage hotel destination, but the architecture is largely clichéd, and the food even more. Think palace hotel, think lal maas. But Karan Mahal, with its large impeccable lawns and flower beds, where daffodils, lilacs and irises bloom, is not burdened bysuch clichés.

What visitors, vetted carefully by the owners, are treated to is some of the most exotic cuisines you rarely find in India. Dogra cuisine is served on some days, and Nepali on other days. Of course, Kashmiri cuisine is a given. The food is related to royal lineage since Vikramaditya has Dogra blood in his veins and Chitrangada had Nepali parents.

Both hosts are accomplished at cooking; Vikramaditya’s khatta meat curry, a favourite dish of
the Dogri community of Jammu, and the black Nepali kaalo dal aka Maas ko dal prepared with a flourish by Chitrangada are served on porcelain plates embossed with the family crest. The khatta meat’s pronounced sour taste comes from the aamchoor (dry mango powder) it is spiced with.

The traditional method of preparing the richly flavoured Nepali dal is to cook it in an iron pot, which gives the lentils their black shade. The Himalayan herb jimbu is responsible for its distinct aroma. Other delicacies at Karan Mahal are Nepali aloo and goat yakhni. Here, the yakhni and harisaa taste of tradition. Chitraganda is a gucci pulav virtuoso—the precious morel is a rare find in the Valley’s markets because most of it is imported, though it grows abundantly in the region. Unique about it is the fact that gucci, like truffles, can only be foraged, never farmed.

There are no special charges for this exotic mushroom that costs anywhere between Rs 10,000 to Rs 45,000 per kg. The other singular surprise is a pulav made with the zeerish berries of Kashmir. It’s not just the long walks along the verdant private forest the only attraction for the fitness faddist; the nutritious blackberries a superfood, in modern gastronomic jargon being low in calories and good
to increase blood levels.

Of course, the colonial influence in the Karan Mahal kitchen cannot be disputed, since the delicious cheese souffle and strawberry tart are as authentic as in Ole & Steen in Richmond-on-the Thames.
The Indian royal food served at palace hotels and havelis are a mix of the continental and local, but rarely get it right. There is no cause for such anxiety at Karan Mahal. India has very few authentic gastronomic destinations, and Karan Mahal is one of the rare ones. A Kashmiri apple a day cannot keep a guest away.  

The table is set perfectly on the rolling green lawns of the 19th-century European-style villa on the gentle incline of Shankaracharya Hill overlooking the Dal Lake of Srinagar. The lake is serene and still; there are no signs of violence and death that have marked the once-royal state of Kashmir, now a Union Territory. A team of courteous uniformed employees—they’re not trained waiters since some of them are third-generation servitors—are busy inspecting the small, aromatic buffet laid out under the trees. It looks exotic. There is leek soup, steaming gucci pulav and bhuna meat, succulent kidney beans curry for vegetarians, and a delicate phirni to cool the palate. The greens for the salad come from an organic garden on the villa’s grounds. The air is redolent of the peaches that grow all over 60 acres of private estate and forest that stretches down to the lakeshore. There are ancient cedar and walnut trees. The flag of the Kashmir state flutters in the mountain breeze, greeting the visitor who has driven up along a tree-lined driveway. Thali at Karan Mahal; organic green salad The yellow-fronted villa, with its white-mullioned windows and a massive chinar tree standing guard by the front lawn, is Karan Mahal, the home of Dr Karan Singh, first prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952 and its Sadr-i-Riyasat until 1965—a witness to the changing history of India. He had played a historic part in the accession of his country to the Indian Union. As head of state,he entertained kings and princes, diplomats and politicians as the photos on the coloured walls attest. Any keen connoisseur of indigenous design and accouterments would delight in the gleaming khatamband ceilings, Lalique chandeliers and the Art Deco furniture at Karan Mahal. The vintage carpets are handwoven and soft. The villa is now a seven-key property run by the maharaja’s grandson, Vikramaditya Singh, and his graceful wife Chitrangada Raje, who renovated it piece by piece for 10-long years. After Independence, and subsequently, the abolition of the Privy Purse by Indira Gandhi—who ironically had been a guest at Karan Mahal herself—many of India’s royals had converted their palaces and estates, big and small, into hotels. Rajasthan had acquired a special reputation as a heritage hotel destination, but the architecture is largely clichéd, and the food even more. Think palace hotel, think lal maas. But Karan Mahal, with its large impeccable lawns and flower beds, where daffodils, lilacs and irises bloom, is not burdened bysuch clichés. What visitors, vetted carefully by the owners, are treated to is some of the most exotic cuisines you rarely find in India. Dogra cuisine is served on some days, and Nepali on other days. Of course, Kashmiri cuisine is a given. The food is related to royal lineage since Vikramaditya has Dogra blood in his veins and Chitrangada had Nepali parents. Both hosts are accomplished at cooking; Vikramaditya’s khatta meat curry, a favourite dish of the Dogri community of Jammu, and the black Nepali kaalo dal aka Maas ko dal prepared with a flourish by Chitrangada are served on porcelain plates embossed with the family crest. The khatta meat’s pronounced sour taste comes from the aamchoor (dry mango powder) it is spiced with. The traditional method of preparing the richly flavoured Nepali dal is to cook it in an iron pot, which gives the lentils their black shade. The Himalayan herb jimbu is responsible for its distinct aroma. Other delicacies at Karan Mahal are Nepali aloo and goat yakhni. Here, the yakhni and harisaa taste of tradition. Chitraganda is a gucci pulav virtuoso—the precious morel is a rare find in the Valley’s markets because most of it is imported, though it grows abundantly in the region. Unique about it is the fact that gucci, like truffles, can only be foraged, never farmed. There are no special charges for this exotic mushroom that costs anywhere between Rs 10,000 to Rs 45,000 per kg. The other singular surprise is a pulav made with the zeerish berries of Kashmir. It’s not just the long walks along the verdant private forest the only attraction for the fitness faddist; the nutritious blackberries a superfood, in modern gastronomic jargon being low in calories and good to increase blood levels. Of course, the colonial influence in the Karan Mahal kitchen cannot be disputed, since the delicious cheese souffle and strawberry tart are as authentic as in Ole & Steen in Richmond-on-the Thames. The Indian royal food served at palace hotels and havelis are a mix of the continental and local, but rarely get it right. There is no cause for such anxiety at Karan Mahal. India has very few authentic gastronomic destinations, and Karan Mahal is one of the rare ones. A Kashmiri apple a day cannot keep a guest away.