We started out in a business relationship but very soon became good friends. Shailja Katoch is the eldest daughter of Maharaja Vikram Singh of Sailana, and her husband Aishwarya is the son of Raja Aditya Dev Chand Katoch from the Royal House of Kangra & Lambagraon.
What I truly admire about Shailja and Ash is their dedication to building on the legacy of their ancestors by taking custodianship of their history, and preserving and promoting the rich heritage and royal culture of their erstwhile princely states.
When it comes to royal cuisine, Shailja explains, Sailana was famous! The Maharajas’ passion for food was ignited by her great grandfather, Maharaja Dilip Singh, who took it upon himself to personally cook all the food. Recipes were collected and recreated meticulously and approved only after tasting sessions with the royal family. The dishes were tweaked until absolutely perfect. And the resulting recipes became closely guarded secrets, passed on only to his son and heir. It was as recently as 1983, that Shailja’s grandfather, Maharaja Digvijay Singh decided to share these amazing recipes with the world in his book “The Cooking Delights of the Maharajas”, which became a huge bestseller. That’s how dishes from the much-acclaimed Sailana royal cuisine started appearing in restaurants all over the world.
Shailja and her father, Maharaja Vikram Singh, have proudly showcased their culinary heritage at Food Festivals around the country, and now, thanks to them, more people than ever before are savoring this exemplary royal cuisine.
Here are two famous royal dishes with the original recipes that were cooked by the Maharajas themselves.
Machchi Kebab
This heavenly aromatic kebab is perfect for your evening libations. Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 6 persons
1 ½ kg freshwater fish pieces
3g mustard, ground with water (do this 12 hours before cooking)
9g salt
9g red chilies, powdered
12g ginger, scraped and ground
12g garlic, ground
1 large egg
3g cumin seeds, powdered
6 g onions, thinly and evenly sliced
20 peppercorns, powdered
115 ml mustard oil
5 cloves, powdered
3g fresh mint leaves, ground
Skin and debone fish, cut into pieces. Gently steam till tender. Remove and mash thoroughly with your hands. Add mustard, salt, red chilies, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, mint leaves, and egg to the fish and mix well. Heat mustard oil and fry onions to a golden brown. Remove, grind and add to the fish.
Divide into 12 equal parts. Flatten, wetting hands with a little water, to give the kebabs a smooth and even shape. In the same oil, fry the kebabs, a few at a time, on low heat till well-browned. Serve hot with onion rings and lemon wedges.
Reshmi Biryani
This royal delectable, glossy, tender dish got its name from a comment from a guest at a banquet where it was served. The guests remarked, “wah, kitni reshmi hai”. And so, it was christened Reshmi Biryani!
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves: 8-10 persons
1 kg mutton, pieces cut into pieces
250g ghee
350g curd
25g salt
6g red chilies, powdered
25g ginger, scraped and ground
2g asafoetida
25 g coriander seeds, powdered
12g Punjabi wadi, powdered
1 ½ g cumin seeds, powdered
1 ½ g black cumin seeds, powdered
1 ½ g cloves, powdered
1 ½ g black cardamom, powdered
A good pinch of saffron, diluted in warm water
1 ½ kg Basmati rice
30 ml kewra
360ml milk
Heat the ghee. Add the meat along with curd, salt, red chilies, ginger, and asafoetida. When the liquid dries up, lightly brown the meat. Add just enough water that when meat is tender, very little water remains. Add coriander seeds, Punjabi wadi, cumin seeds, black cumin seeds, cloves, black cardamom, and saffron and simmer on low heat till water dries up completely and only the ghee remains.
Wash and soak the rice in deep water for an hour. Boil the rice in plenty of water, adding salt. When just cooked, drain completely in a colander. Spread the rice in a wide dish and let it cool a bit.
Divide the cooked rice into four parts. Grease the bottom and sides of a heavy-bottomed pan with a little ghee. Spread one part of rice evenly. Add kewra water to the milk and sprinkle it over the rice. Then spread half of the meat over the rice. Cover it with two more parts of rice and spread the remaining meat over this. Now spread the last portion of the rice. Cover the pan, put it on medium fire to form steam. As soon as steam rises, seal and let it cook on dum for half an hour.
Serve hot, garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves and hard-boiled eggs.
Shailja and I both hope you enjoy these royal recipes, folks. And if you’re hankering for more after this, write to us and we’ll share a few more recipes with you.
Have fun!
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A homeschooled chef even before she joined Catering College in Bombay, Christine’s gastronomic journey started with mother and grandmother. Polished with a degree and 10 years of experience in the Hospitality industry, Christine’s love of food, drink and everything gastronomic has been sharpened and honed with travel across the world. Today, she shares the wealth of her foodie experience and adventures across the world with Travel and Food Network, so look forward to much more from Chrsitine!
