AS I SIT ACROSS Nawab Kazim Ali Khan of Rampur for a meal at the Kheer restaurant in Roseate House, Delhi, the aromas of Yakhni Pulao and Nargisi Kofta waft through the air, whetting up an appetite. While Khan’s personal chef cooks up signature dishes of Rampuri cuisine for the guests at the Kitchens of the King Food Festival, he fills me up with interesting details about his family’s food legacy.
Khan’s ancestors came from Afghanistan to Mughal India in 1704 and brought with them the Shinwari cuisine, which is till today and . In 1857, when the mutiny broke out in British India, many chefs from the Awadh region moved to Rampur and that is when the cuisine was modified. Gravies were added and we got our and . Fish and chicken also came in with the Awadhi influence.”
