As Delhi enters the 104th year of the Durbar or the coronation of the Emperor and Empress of colonial India, chef Prem Kumar Pogakula, executive sous chef of The Imperial, has prepared a spread of the cuisine of the bygone era. Shrabasti Mallik finds out from the chef and Vijay Wanchoo, GM, that they had to do a lot of research to curate the menu
For those of us well acquainted well with Indian history, 1911 was not just the year that saw the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of British India, but also a year when the capital of India, under the orders of the new Emperor of the Imperial Government, was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. With the shift came the need to host the British royals and it was a few years later that The Imperial Hotel was built.
The feast that heralded the new Capital was no less grand. To celebrate the 104th year of the grand coronation, 1911 at The Imperial laid out a Delhi Durbar ki Dawaat. The cuisine was inspired by the coronation dinners and banquets of Yore. It was after a lot of research, digging through old recipes and also frantic phone calls to relatives (and even their grandmothers) in Europe that Prem Kumar Pogakula, executive sous chef of the hotel and Vijay Wanchoo, senior executive VP and GM, curated few of the choicest dishes of the bygone era.
We were taken back to regal times with the classic Scotch eggs and broth (a traditional British egg preparation of 1700s, Scotch eggs were served as per royal tradition with broth). The dish looked quite modest but tasted quite delicious, especially the broth made with minced pieces of lamb neck, barley (for starch) and few finely diced vegetables. On the other hand, the eggs were perfectly half boiled and were deep fried in a coating of lamb and bread crumbs. “lamb neck pieces have a lot of gelatin and therefore, add flavour to the broth,” the chef told us.
As we awaited our next meal, Wancho old us how the owners of the hotel bought rich Persian carpets. According to history, when the Grand Ballroom was coming up, the lady Viceroy asked for Persian carpets. The owners, unable to afford them, went to the Viceroy and sought his advice. “To which the Viceroy asked whether the Ballroom was ready and when he was told that it was, he proposed to organise a banquet. He said that he would sit at the head of the table and auction off the first two seats. The plan worked, as they were sold for `50,000 to the Maharaja of Patiala. And that was how Persian carpets came to The Imperial,” narrated the GM.
For the first main course we were served the Shepherd’s pie, considered to be one of the most famous Irish specialties in the late 19th century and also the most traditional one. “No feast was complete without it,” pointed out chef Kumar. Brought to us in a small flat bowl, it looked absolutely yummy (and tasted the same, too). More so because of the golden brown texture formed on the piped mashed potatoes during the baking. The mutton filling, cooked with potatoes, olive oil and red wine exploded in luscious flavours and lulled one into a comfort zone.
What was interesting was that everything — right from the serving to the uniform of the food bearers (as they were called during the British rule) and the choice of cutlery — was kept in accordance with the theme. Food was served in the platter to plate way. “Prepared food was developed only in the 70s, where a portion of every food preparation was presented in one plate. During those times, every dish was served to you from a large platter,” the chef pointed out.
Along with the Shepherd’s Pie we were also served, in succession, vegetable polonaise, pannequets, plum and cherry roasted free range chicken and bubble and squeak. The roasted chicken was not as soft as we generally have and the chef explained why. “It is free range chicken, meaning that these chickens were bred in the open. The case with broiler chicken is that they are so constricted to a limited space that they do not move much and therefore, their muscles are soft and cook easily. Free range chickens are strong and therefore takes longer to cook and tend to be fleshier,” he said.
The bubble and squeak looked like a less fried version of our aloo tikki but vegetables like carrots, peas, cabbages and many others went into its making. We were told that it dates back to the 1700s when soldiers used to plan their weekend feast, or roast, and conjure up a fine dish with leftover vegetables. “It is a lost delicacy and it took a great deal of research to get it right. These were close guarded recipes and although we found records of the ingredients and the method, we could not find the measurements of the ingredients. So, along with my boss (Wancho), we had to do a lot of trials before we got the quantities right,” the chef shared.
It was at this stage we realised how full we were, without even having large helpings of food but perhaps that was the magic of the royal cuisine. “Every dish is a meal in itself because it used to consist of generous amounts of meat and vegetables. In fact, vegetables began to be used only during the late 30s. Before that, it was all meat,” the chef said.
We agree that a traditional English cuisine is more meat based but there are few veg delights that the chef has whipped up. We tried the vol au vents, a small puffed pastry filled with the goodness of chicken, lentils or veggies served with hot filling on top. “It originated in 1700s in France and has been a good old French favourite of English,” the chef said. Then there was also the vegetable polonaise, a classic vegetable main course of the 1900s made with breadcrumbs, chopped eggs, cauliflower, asparagus and parsley. If it is something smooth that you crave, you could ask for the English creamy spinach.
Up next was the last course of the meal (and quite rightly, the most delectable one) — pudding. Now, before you begin to draw up the image of a traditional English pudding, we apologise for snipping that thought right in the bud. Pudding to the British is dessert to us. “Even I did not know that they were called puddings before we started digging for old recipes,” the chef laughed.
And not just one, we had three sweet dishes — the humble rhubarb pie and the crepe suzette, which graced our plates, and the fruit trifle, served in a beautiful glass. The rhubarb pie is derived from the plant Rhubarb. “It was also called the Turkish Rhubarb and had medicinal properties. People could not eat it because it was sour but it blended very well in a pie and this was the most famous pie in the royal kitchens of 1900,” the chef explained.
In what can only be called the cherry on the icing was the Crepes Suzette, prepared in front of us. This amazing orangy flambeed dessert prevailed in the 1900s and was the favourite dish of King Edward VII. “First a pancake is made with flour and butter. A separate mixture is made with caramelised sugar, butter and orange juice. The mixture is then poured over the pancake and served warm,” chef Kumar shared.
You, too, can indulge in the fine English meal, available at 1911 at The Imperial, till December 17. And don’t forget to talk to the chef, he will probably have more interesting stories up his sleeve.