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 Relishing Luleh Kebab-lamb kebab rolled in a cardamom flavoured thin grilled paratha with cucumber and pomegranate, as finger- food I was thinking that it would be a perfect fit with Shiraz while foodies on the table debated on the ideal thickness of paratha. My only concern was why it had the after-taste of paan (betel leaf). Yakhni Kebab was the next in line-another dish made from lamb and pan fried-Shiraz would be an ideal wine for the same kebabs. Patode reminded me of pakoras made from ‘arbi ke patte’-delicious but making me thirsty and as I thought it would go with a Sauvignon Blanc or an Arneis from Piemonte, I noticed the after-taste of paan.
What was going on?! ‘Perhaps you are drinking paan infused water,’ said a friend across the table. I felt sheepish-indeed the water being served in a beautiful carafe had lots of paan leaves in it and I was involuntarily picking up the glass after a few morsels and was tasting paan flavours from the water! Sitting at the Chef’s table- a corner round table with several other guests, enjoying the beautiful view from the Threesixtyone˚ at Hotel Oberoi Gurgaon, I was going through an array of starters from the Menu designed for these unique event-Lost Recipes of the Mughal Era. A journalist and Chef Osama Jalali, his wife Nazia Khan and his mother, affectionately known as Ammi Jalali had crafted the royal feast for a few select guests with the Executive Chef Ravitej executing the ‘lost recipes’.
The vegetarian kebabs like Patode and Kebab e burghul would probably go better with a rich and creamy white wine like Chardonnay, but if you like red wine only, you could settle for a Shiraz or any other pedestrian wine-with soft tannins. Not important if you don’t like red wine, slightly oaked Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner from Austria, or a slightly oaked Fume style wine would satisfy the serious Sauvignon drinkers. Who could stop you from drinking a Chablis, Albariño or an extra dry Prosecco or even a regular NV Champagne Brut? But the important point is these dishes were crying for wine!
 Main Course had a kaleidoscope of mostly lamb based dishes that were rich and opulent-thanks to several dry fruits like pistachios, raisins, almonds. Shiraz would be fine with all of them though in a blind food-wine match the pinot noir might come out ahead! Amba Kaliya-braised lamb, Kancha Kofta with a gravy of black pepper, Piston ka keema were fabulous examples of elegant dishes that had intense aromas (khushboo), thanks to the ingredients and though only powerful reds would be able to stand against the spicy and rich dishes, any fruity and spicy Shiraz could be divine, enhancing the flavours of rich dishes.
The point highlighting this cuisine crying for wines was that several spices had been used -making the flavours complex and the dishes delicate but there were no chillis at all. Yogurt as the base made the case for wines with creamy texture and full body but each dish would taste better. The dishes were in general slightly dry, making me reach for that paan-infused glass of water. That’s when I realised that it was perhaps not a great idea to serve paan infused water as it was intruding on the natural flavours of each dish.
 ‘Humayun was a great lover of Persian food, partly because he married a Persian princess. At that time, Mughal court relished the Persian delicacies of spit-roasted chicken with herbs, koftas of different kinds, lamb cooked in the tandoor and also the Persian pulao. Akbar followed Humayun as the next Mughal emperor, and he was known to be a voracious eater. Then came, Jahangir, who was a great connoisseur of wine, said Osama sitting next to me at the Chef’s Table and explaining various dishes and how he was able to collect the recipes for several dishes.
‘The Mughal cuisine was synonymous with rich curries and pilaf, pistachios and almonds, apricots and peaches. It was a cuisine of refinement, sophistication and extravagance. Courtly food of the Mughal Empire was sumptuous, rich and complex. Curries and gravies were made thicker and richer with creams and yogurts,’ according to Chef Osama Jalali whose mother and wife were in the kitchen throughout the lunch, giving the royal touch to the Mughal cuisine. The curries were thick and the absence of chillies made wine an ideal condiment for the food.
No wonder the Nawabs, Kings and the Emperors relished wine with food. This was an Indian Cuisine that cried for wine-like Italian, Spanish and French food. Since the logistics were easy to carry wines from Shiraz in Persia, I presume that they drank a lot of ‘Shiraz’ and possibly Shiraz as we know today.
Subhash Arora |