Nuskha-e-Shahjahani recaptures the nostalgia of the Mughal technology, imparting the recipes and unveiling the mystique of the royal kitchens. Till now, no efforts had been made to deliver to light the treasure of recipes revealing the art of cooking in the time of the Mughals.
The original manuscript begins without any hint of the writer or date of its compilation. The chapters describe various dishes of these days in the element and encompass recipes for making and preparing bread, soups, pulaos, kababs, do-pizzas, fish, samosas, and sweets. It takes you within the imperial kitchens, where meals are changed into cooked with the right amount of spices to enhance the flavors of the dishes. Specific mixtures of herbs and flavoring agents characterized these meals, the combo of which was further advanced by expert cooks in line with the advice of the royal hakims.
Nuskha-e-Shahjahani exhibits that few spices have been utilized in cooking; cartloads of almonds, pistachios, walnuts, apricots, plums, raisins, and saffron were imported alongside the new roads that have been constructed to facilitate change. The candy and salty tastes relished by using the Mughals are pretty apparent from the choice of recipes within the manuscript. The sizeable use of nuts, gold and silver leaves, saffron, and aromatic herbs made food distinctive and flavourful.
Most of the dishes mentioned in the manuscript have been organized in bulk, as there have been many guests and family members to cater to, so the number of ingredients becomes huge. However, these days, recipes are more often than not organized for plenty of smaller agencies. Thus, one might also lessen the portions of the elements stated in the manuscript, as in line with one’s liking. Furthermore, a few recipes, together with Yakhni Talavi, may additionally appear incongruous with their chapter descriptions; however, considering they have placed this manner in the original manuscript, we’ve decided to leave them as they are. Also critical to be aware of is the antique use of shangarf or cinnabar for food coloring; as this book is a translation, it’s been left in, but it isn’t for use because of certain health risks.
The manuscript also gives beneficial recommendations for cooking. Methods to clean fish, soften bones, make synthetic bone marrow, and shade meals, the usage of juices of veggies, and the essence of flora shed light on the chefs’ creativity in the royal kitchens. It mentions the technique of cooking beer biryani via oblique cooking using setting bamboo sticks at the lowest of the pan and putting the main ingredients of the dish, like meat, fish, or paneer, over it. The dish was then cooked on the dum. It becomes not unusual to cook dinner food on low heat and finish with dum, followed significantly in India under the name dum pukht.
The arrival of every dish changed into a rite, and history will never neglect the pomp of these instances, along with the flavors which remain most straightforward in the pages of manuscripts of these days, including Nuskha-e-Shahjahan. Not simplest the imperial kitchens of the emperor, but additionally the bazaars of the metropolis had been charged with the smoke of different kababs, and the environment becomes filled with the fragrance of Nahari, haleem, qormas, and qiyas. The array of bread became amazing. Festive occasions have been by no means whole without Nadarkhani, kulchas, and sheer mass. Sharbat ke kate and kulfi ke make brought color to the situation. The city of Shah Jahan turned into a paradise of meals with the creations of the neighborhood and overseas cooks.
This highly-priced way of serving and getting ready food endured most effectively until Shah Jahan ruled, as his son Aurangzeb no longer considered it a luxury, pomp, and display. Unfortunately, the final years of this excellent emperor have been sad. Deposed by using his son Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agra Fort and remained there for eight years till his demise in 1666. Legend has it that Aurangzeb ordered that his father be allowed only one element of his choice, and Shah Jahan chose chickpeas. He selected them due to the fact they can be cooked in many special methods. Even nowadays, one of the signature dishes of North Indian delicacies is Shahjahani dal, chickpeas cooked in a rich gravy of cream.
