Dine With Us
In the age of fast food, you are invited to sit down to a slow cooked meal that is not only prepared according to traditional techniques but also includes various recipes that stretch back to the time of the famed Mughal Empress, Noor Jahan.
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All our ingredients are freshly sourced from local farms for each event. Guests have to pre-book their meals at least 36 to 48 hours in advance.
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This curated meal will be an unparalleled experience as this kind of cuisine is simply not replicable in restaurants.
Ab-o-Namak Munasib Hai
The Mahmudabad Kitchens represent more than 400 years of history. The banquets of Mahmudabad are the stuff of legends from Pandit Motilal Nehru having chilled champagne delivered to him in prison in big deghs of biryani to M C Chagla’s inability to continue eating the remainder of a 42-course meal after five courses.
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The recipes for many of the famous dishes have been passed down the generations, sometimes tweaked, sometimes changed more substantially but never compromising the essential flavours. Despite the elaborate recipes and preparation methods that would challenge a Michelin starred chef, the tradition of the family, when praising a dish was to say ‘AÌ„b-o-Namak munaÌ„sib hai,’ or ‘the water and salt are just right.’ After all, it is ultimately these two basic ingredients that can make or break a dish no matter how finely the other ingredients are prepared.
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Many of these have their origins in the prescriptions of traditional practitioners of Yunani Medicine called Hakims. Indeed, the recipes of the food were also carefully scrutinized and often modified or changed by Hakims who not only treated medical ailments but also acted as dieticians and thus were integral parts of the kitchens administration. At small family lunches and dinners, often the hakim would be present and decide what various members of the family could or could not eat.
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Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery School
“The table was groaning with some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten anywhere. It was a memorable evening in so many ways — the servants, bawarchis (cooks), and rakabdars (mastercooks), stood around in a semi-circle silently watching while we enjoyed the delicious food they had cooked for us.”
Cultural Programs
Although the focus of the evenings will be the food, aspects of Mahmudabad’s rich cultural legacy will also be showcased. If guests wish to listen to a traditional music performance or see some of our classical dance forms, these will be organised as part of the evening’s entertainment.
