Dham laga ke

With the explosion of delivery kitchens in the pandemic chef and restaurant consultant Amit Puri knew hersquod need a standout concept to get noticed ldquoWe wanted to serve the popular kebabs and curries but also introduce patrons to flavours otherwise not easily found on conventional restaurant menusrdquo he says In April Puri teamed up with a few friends to launch The Blue TiffinThanjavur komdiche kebabThe rich blue logo signifies royalty wealth and reliability while the tiffinmdashdelivered in ecofriendly packagingmdashdenotes comfort From recipes that hark back to the Maratha rule in Tanjore to those exclusive to the Kangra royal family considered to be the worldrsquos oldest surviving royal family with Rajput roots the menu is a culinary mosaic The research and food trials went on for seven months recalls Puri ldquoI gleaned inspiration from the royal food that I had a chance to sample during my travels to Rajasthan Indore Chennai Lucknow Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir To make sure itrsquos authentic I pored over culinary books by historians and a lot of online literaturerdquo The dishes that made the cut were those that had a distinct flavour profile The Kangra boondi ka khatta Rs 280 for instance is a famous mildlysour yoghurtbased curry from Himachal Pradesh ldquoKangra royal food is homely and intense Brahmin cooks called bawarchis were the initial innovators of the food in the Kangra region and were commissioned to cook on special occasionsrdquo Here the fatty combination of ghee khoya and curd is balanced with khatta a sweet and sour sauce made with imli jaggery and mango powder ldquoIn fact I follow my motherinlawrsquos recipe I have had the boondi ka khatta so many times at home but it was only post research that I learnt about the royal roots of the reciperdquoIndori makai ki keesAccording to Puri Himachali cuisine known as Dham is in many ways similar to the multicourse Kashmiri wazwan The star preparation of the dham is usually Madra which is a smaller variety of rajma cooked in yogurt and sometimes mustard oil on a low flame in a thick brass pot called charoti In order to make it diverse and inclusive Puri has tried to bring in elements from various parts of the Indian subcontinent The recipes in the Maratha Kingdom of Tanjore or Thanjavur were highly influenced by ingredients found locally in Tamil Nadu he tells us ldquoAfter the end of Chola rule in Tanjore the city in Tamil Nadu was taken over by the Marathas for close to two centuries Therersquos a theory that the popular South Indian sambar was invented by the Marathas of Tanjore when Maharashtrian cooks while preparing amti replaced moong dal with tur dal and used tamarind for sourness instead of kokum It continues that the dish got its name from Sambhaji the Maratha emperorrdquoAmit PuriThe menu also features the Bhopali Razala Rs 420 a creamy chicken curry introduced to the state by the last nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah ldquoFor some reason knowledge of the Rezala is limited to West Bengal Rezala is a rich curry of Turkish and Persian origin The thick white gravy is made with cashew and cream that has a few variations across different cities the most common being the Bengali Rezala However Begum Shah Jahanrsquos Bhopali Rezala has a distinct flavour of fresh coriander lending a tangy and fresh flavour to the curry that is traditionally garnished with a boiled eggrdquo Just because the dishes are royal doesnrsquot mean they are complicated The Rajasthani junglee maas Rs 340 for instance is an easy preparation with just five ingredients ghee garlic chilli salt and mutton ldquoIt is such a wonderful recipe perhaps too simple to be on a commercial menu I wanted to retain the authenticity of the preparation and I now serve it the in the form of a samosa It has been appreciated by customersrdquoKangra boondi ka khattaIngredients2 tbsp besan2 cups water2 tbsp ghee1 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp mustard seeds1 sprig curry leaves14 tsp Fenugreek seeds1 tsp ginger chopped12 tsp asafoetida12 tsp red chili powder12 tsp turmeric powder1 tbsp coriander powder12 tsp cumin powder3 tsp tamarind pulp3 tsp jaggery chopped12 cup khara boondiFinal tadka2 tsp ghee12 tsp cumin seeds12 tsp whole red chilliMethodMix the gram flour and water in a bowl and keep aside Heat ghee in a pan over medium flame Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and curry leaves Allow them to splutter Add fenugreek seeds ginger and asafoetida to the pan Add the dry masalas and mix well Make sure not to burn the masalas Add in the gram flour slurry in the pan and mix well Add the tamarind pulp and jaggery and cook for a couple of minutes till the curry thicken Meanwhile place boondi in a serving bowl and keep aside Transfer the curry to the serving bowl consisting boondi For tempering heat ghee in another pan Add cumin seeds and allow to splutter Add in the red chilli and mix well Pour the tempering on top and serve with white riceTo Order Via Swiggy Zomato and thrivenowin