Varq at Taj Mahal Hotel brings some recipes from Mewar reminiscent of the royal era. By Unnati Joshi

The former princely state was as famous for its royalty as for its food. The cuisine, which delighted the royal patrons, was reintroduced to us at Varq, Taj Mahal Hotel. We started with a glass of thandai, sweet as it should be with a hint of Rajasthani masala. Next came a duet of Paasley angeera and Murgh Hawa Mahal. The former was a classic Rajasthan lamb chop cooked on charcoal while the latter was a chicken dish in a crust pastry.

The dish was nicely plated, the meat was absolutely divine; rightly marinated, flavourful and succulent. Next on our table was Murgh pudina ark, a chicken broth flavoured with mint. We appreciated the consistency of great flavours. We next found ourselves lost in kacche aam ka sorbet with the molecular concept. It took us down the memory lane and reminded us of our childhood favourite, aam papad.

For the mains, we were served Khad murg, which was a game chicken cooked with Mathania chilli and yogurt under sand as told by Chef Rajesh SIngh. It was accompanied by Rajasthanikhoba roti, thotri and makkai ki roti. We were then served Mangodi ka pulao and DalBanjari. The pulao had a myriad flavours coming through, not an easy task,  whereas banjari was a mixture of different dals and was delicious. For the vegetarians, the menu has a gamut of options, Palak makai, Ker Sangri Wadi, Dhungar Makkai ka raab and Gatte ka saag to name a few.

Dry fruits and milk dominate the desserts in Mewar. For the last course, we had a trio of aloo ka halwa, khajur ka meetha and ghewar. We really liked khajur ka meetha with just the right amount of sweet. Aloo ka halwa was brilliantly thought and prepared and the ghewar was not too heavy.

Fascinated by the royal cuisine of our erstwhile Maharajas,  Chef Rajesh Singh from the royal kitchen shared his thoughts on the history of his platter and the research that went into recreating it. He said, “Continuing our quest to revive the rich culinary heritage of the royals, we are happy to bring to our patrons yet another authentic experience from the kitchens of Mewar. The House of Mewar is acknowledged as one of the world’s oldest-serving dynasties and its extremely flavoursome and aromatic cuisine bears the heritage of warrior traditions and ceremonial repasts prepared with fresh vegetables, meats and rich ingredients of the season.”

Thanks to such brave culinary endeavours, royal cuisine is becoming accessible to us mere mortals. And a king’s feast is now being prepared regularly in kitchens across the country. The sumptuous cuisine can be enjoyed at Varq till September 5.