A royal platter is ideally characterised by the richness of its flavours, and a clear dominance of a variety of meat.
But, the erstwhile humble kingdom of Bundelkhand located in central India, now divided between the states ofUttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, boasts of a simple yet delicious cuisine, made with fresh harvest and sufficient meat accompaniments.
A quintessential Bundelkhandi meal can now be relished at the ongoing food festival at the Taj Diplomatic Enclave here.
A beautifully colourful gastronomial spread laid out on silver crockery impresses your eyes, even before you take your first bite.
You begin with the bara.
Very similar to the popular dahi vada, the appetiser is essentially black split lentil dumplings soaked in buttermilk tempered with the conventional Indian tadka of mustard seeds and dry red chillies.
"It is best consumed with crushed sugar," advises Rahul Dev Singh from the Royal House of Datia, one of the major towns in the region.
Don't be surprised if you find yourself staring at a maincourse comprising of over 15 items meant for you alone.
Such is Bundelkhand's "mehmaan-nawazi", that if you refuse to eat anything out of the served dishes, you will notice people fussing and pressing for alternative dishes.
The uniqueness of the cuisine lies in the variety of vegetarian dishes it has to offer.
From Nimone ki sabzi and Bundeli kadhi to Aanwaria and Dal Bhajiya, each dish stands out for its earthly flavours and distinct aroma.
For instance, Bhate ka bharta is very similar to the popular north-Indian dish 'baingan ka bharta'.
Only, it is served cold. Why?
Because, the roasted aubergine mashed with onions, tomatoes, never makes it to the 'chulha'.
Instead, it is finished on the traditional sil-batta by adding pounded spices.
To savour the kadi, which is slightly on the blander side, Singh's wife, Parineeta Raje, suggests having it with the Mattha mirch -- dried red chilies, soaked in butter milk and deep fried.
The non-vegetarian recipes like the Bundeli gosht -- succulent lamb morsels, and Shikaar gosht -- hunted meat, are as fresh as their vegetarian counterparts.
"The non-vegetarian dishes are made only from the meat of animals that have been hunted by people themselves," explains Singh.
They also have a variety of breads to devour the delicacies with -- Tikkad or thick whole wheat bread, Jowar/Bajra ki roti, and Adraini luchai -- Deep fried flat bread made of wheat flour and gram flour and certain spices.
For sweet treats, one can try either the Rass ki kheer -- pudding made from sugarcane juice and rice, or their Magadh ke ladoo -- sweet made from flour and fudge milk, or both.
"We do not use processed sugar...only natural sweetners like sugarcane juice or honey," Singh said.
The food festival will continue till November 26.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
