Royal kitchens reveal secret recipes
Nearly six decades after independence, the hosts of the royal palace resorts are opening their recipe books to contribute to the experimental culinary wave sweeping through the kitchens of urban India. "Cooking a family recipe is like singing a 'ghazal'. It sounds different each time, but you know the flavor. One of our favorites was 'Shahi Sabzi Pulao'," says, Randhir Singh, scion of the family of the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala. It was a dry pulao that could be improvised with meat arranged in layers, he further adds. The pulao, originally cooked by royal chefs, has now been tweaked to suit the low-oil palate. The pulao can be paired with "Murgh Musallam Laung Elaichi", a sweet and sour dry chicken dish with hints of clove, cardamom, lime juice and honey. Like Patiala, till about a decade ago, Tripura was a culinary wilderness unknown to mainland India. The repast table of the Deb Barma family was a locked wonderland. "