Despite being so prevalent, Mughlai cuisine has an image issue. The mere mention of it brings to mind images of flavorful gravies, dense meats, and excessively seasoned cuisine. The poor press is mostly attributable to the substandard preparations offered in restaurants in India and elsewhere, where this vast and unwieldy category is crammed with a mix of Punjabi dishes, generic curries called qorma, potatoes and paneer smothered with cashew or almond paste, AngloIndian dishes like jalfrezi, and subpar biryanis.

You will see how tainted the majority of commercial cuisine is when you visit Muslim houses in northern India or other areas of the nation that are impacted by this medieval courtly culture. Yet, a comprehensive grasp of the intricacy of Mughalai cuisine remains out of reach.

The British Library in London houses an iconic handwritten recipe manuscript from the time of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, which scholar Salma Husain has translated from the original Persian into English and published Roli Books. The importance of this translation stems from the fact that NuskhaeShahjahani (which literally translates to Shah Jahan’s recipes) is one of the few places where comprehensive recipes from the Mughal era may be found.

“I came across Persian texts covering a wide range of topics during my time at the National Archives, but none of them dealt with food. I was curious as to whether there were any documentation of the recipes that could be given to future generations. As a result, Husain states, “I started looking in numerous museums and libraries around the world. ” She eventually located two manuscripts containing recipes. The British Library housed the NuskhaeShahjahani, while the National Museum in New Delhi held the AlwaneNemat. Pramod Kapoor, Roli’s publisher, was able to obtain it and facilitate the translation. The English version of the Mughal Feast is promoted as a “transcreation” of NuskhaeShahjahani. The reason for this is that, although the recipes are direct translations, medieval measures have been replaced by contemporary equivalents.

The Mughal Feast is divided into sections on naan (the common term for breads), aash (soups with meats, pulses, bulgur, noodles, and yogurt – a class of dishes that has mostly vanished from our tables), qaliya (meat in refined and sophisticated gravy), do piyazah (meat, chicken, fish, or vegetables stewed with onions and spices), bharta (mashed dishes, including ancestors of baigan ka bharta), pulao (rice cooked with spices and meat), zeer biryan (a prototype of the biryani, where cooked meat is layered with parboiled rice, and then steamed on indirect heat in what is essentially an oven), kabab, harisa (the origin of haleem), shisranga (which seems to have been a class of minced or mashed dishes topped with egg and slowcooked), samosa and shirini (sweet dishes).

The significance of the recipe collection is apparent even from reading these categories. Firstly, it lists the kinds of food that have disappeared. The mixing of sweet and salty tastes is no longer “in,” despite the fact that it is such a unique and fascinating culinary approach, such as the unusual recipe for amba pulao, which combines tangy mango and lamb pulao. More importantly, these recipes offer a glimpse into how “evolution,” while unavoidable, does not always represent advancement in a good way. Many foods from Shah Jahan’s era are far more sophisticated than anything you would find in today’s Indian kitchens. Qaliya ghoora is a moderate lamb curry flavored with spices. The cuisine is considered to be high-end Mughal cuisine, and many conventional Muslim or Kayastha households still prepare it. The majority of Indian households, and almost all restaurants, prepare generic mutton curry, which is based on Mughal cuisine but appears to have become popular during the British Raj, when curry became prevalent and the lengthy cooking methods of the qaliya/qorma seem to have been shortened.

The NuskhaeShahjahani’s formula is amazing. When stewing meat, the foundation flavor comes from onions, ginger, coriander seeds, and cinnamon. A stock or yakhni is prepared and filtered. After that, it is given a clove flavor in a subtle manner. The fragrant, clear broth and meat are rejoined, then almond paste, rice paste (as a thickener), and cream are added to the gravy, followed by a final layer of seasoning with black pepper (chili had arrived during Shah Jahan’s reign but may not have yet been widely used) and green cardamom (as an aromatic). The way the spicing is done at three different times and the cooking is divided into three separate steps is a far cry from the bung it all in recipes of today for curry that calls itself qorma. To see things clearly, it is sometimes necessary to examine history.