The Mughal Feast
Rooted in a handwritten Persian manuscript from the era of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, this remarkable volume brings an imperial kitchen back to life. Salma Yusuf Husain has taken the nuskha-e-shahjahani and rendered it accessible to contemporary readers, organising its riches into seven distinct chapters covering naan, aash, aliya, do-piyazah, bharta, zeer biryani, pulao, kabab, and shiriniha. The range of recipes is genuinely impressive. You'll find familiar favourites like shami kabab alongside far lesser-known preparations, such as Amba Pulao (a tangy lamb and mango rice dish) and Inde Rs a (sweet deep-fried rice-flour balls). What strikes you most is the Mughal kitchen's restrained approach to spicing, always in service of the ingredient rather than obscuring it. Husain also includes practical cooking notes, covering everything from cleaning fish properly to techniques for softening bones, small details that reveal just how inventive and considered these royal cooks truly were. Her introduction adds real historical texture, painting a vivid picture of courtly life under one of India's most celebrated dynasties. It's both a window into a vanished world and a genuinely usable cookery book, which is a rare combination to pull off with such confidence.
- Author: Salma Yusuf Husain
- Publisher: Roli Books
- Genre: Cooking & Culinary Arts
- ISBN: 978-8193704974
- Pages: 224 pages