Mughals and Mughlai Food

Mughals invaded India on sixteenth century. They brought exotic spices, dried fruit and nuts and new cooking methods. ‘Mughlai’ dishes as they are called have lots of milk and cream with spices to make rich and spicy meal. Mughlai cuisine includes many famous dishes such as Kormas, Pasandas and Birianies and Pilaus. In the north and the west, Kashmiri and Mughlai cuisines show strong central Asian influences. Through the medium of Mughlai food, this influence has propagated into many regional kitchens. To the east, the Bengali and Assamese styles shade off into the cuisines of East Asia

The influence of the Mughal rulers who ruled India is perhaps most felt in their food. A major contribution towards this is the tandoor which is an earthen oven, used to make rotis and kababs, which are pieces of meat marinated in spices and skewered over a coal tandoor. Some of the famous Mughlai dishes include tandoori chicken, seekh and boti kabab and even tandoori fish.

Royal Mughal Emperors food recipes

Mughlai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines, whose origin can be traced back to the times of Mughal Empire. Mughlai cuisine consists of the dishes that were prepared in the kitchens of the royal Mughal Emperors. Indian cuisine is predominantly influenced by the cooking style practiced during the Mughal era. Mughlai food is quite spicy and has a very unique aroma. On eating Mughlai food, one can get a feel of the ground spices. The spices used in the preparation of Mughlai food are easily accessible.

Mughlai food is especially preferred in Northern parts of the country. Some of the Mughlai dishes have Muslim names such as biryani, pulao, kebabs, kofta. This is suggestive of the strong influence of Muslim cooking style. The Mughals have truly left a long lasting influence on India, which is also reflected in the cuisine of India. Mughlai food occupies a commanding position in the popular cuisines of India.
The rich preparation of Mughlai food consisting of flavored sauces and butter based curries is so tempting that food lovers are bound to crave for more and more food. Mughlai food offers an amazingly delicious variety of food ranging from hot spicy shorba or soup to ginger based roasted meats to kulfi with rose petals sprinkled on it. Even, the names of the Mughlai food are so attractive that a person gets tempted to try out different dishes.

Mughlai cuisine in india

Though, Mughlai food is cooked in all parts of the country, but the best feel of this cuisine can be had only in Delhi, which specializes in the preparation of this royal cuisine. In the 16th century, India was invaded by Mughals, who introduced the exotic spices, nuts and fruits to India. Also, the Indians got an opportunity to learn new techniques of cooking. In the preparation of most of the Mughlai dishes, milk and cream is used liberally. Mughlai Biriyanies, Pasandas, Kormas and Pulao are so enticing and yummy that people usually end up licking their fingers.
Mughlai food is very rich, its sauces consisting of curd, cream and crushed nuts like cashew. The biryani from the kitchens of the nawabs of Hyderabad, is a flavoured and spiced rice cooked with ghee and chicken or meat, and is a meal-in-a-dish eaten with raitha and salad. Aromatic spices and ghee make Mughlai food a very rich form of cuisine.

Popular Mughlai Recipes

• Aloo Ka Raita
• Badaam Halwa
• Carrot And Capsicum Raita
• Chaamp Masala (Lamb Chops Curry)
• Chicken Biryani
• Chicken Korma
• Chicken Tikka
• Chole or Chane
• Jhinga Malai Curry (Creamy Prawn Curry)
• Kesar Chawal
• Murgh Achaari
• Naan (Indian Bread)
• Palak Gosht
• Palak Paneer
• Paneer Tamatari
• Seekh Kebabs
• Tandoori Chicken Legs (Grilled Chicken Drumsticks)
• Biryani

If you like Biryani then one of the best Biryanis I have tasted have come from Hyderabad and Lucknow two northern states. They  have different ways of making biryani and one of the traditional ways is called dum biryani.

Below is a video on how to make biryani from Hyderabad from streetbyte. i Have tried this recipe and it is super yummy good!