Mughlai Banquet Menu

Mughlai Banquet Menu
Saffron and Lemon Shrikhand Doughnuts – a recipe for my new
Food Network UK chef page – they’re perfect for finishing off
a grandiose banquet.
After a good few weeks of cooking deliciously rich and
decadent dinners (it’s been hell having to eat them all by
myself, I tell you), I’m finally ready to compile a menu of
the best Mughlai-inspired dishes from KO Rasoi.
The aim of the game was to put together something truly
majestic – something which will leave your guests speechless
(partly because their mouths will be preoccupied devouring the
meal).
Mughlai cuisine is one of my new favourites, with its use of
only the most aromatic spices, flowers and nuts. Indeed, it’s
no wonder it was reserved for only kings and queens of the
Mughal Empire.
Shahi Paneer Stuffed Okra
By now you must know how I love contrasting flavours and
textures, and if you do too, you need to try this. Juicy okra
stuffed with homemade paneer which has been spiked with golden
sultanas and heady fennel.
The individual okra are then drenched in a sweet and tangy
sauce laced with cardamom and made creamy with ground cashews.
Melt in the Mouth Paneer Kofta
The softest melt in the mouth kofta coated with the silkiest,
delicate spicy-sweet sauce made with a honey, fennel,
cardamom, tomato, almond and cashew nut sauce.
Creamy Pistachio and Cauliflower Curry
I’ve laced this with whole black peppercorns which soften in
the simmered sauce and give the overall dish a very deep,
gentle heat. The delicate flavour of sweet pistachios is in
fact, a beautiful match for tender, textured cauliflower. It
also stains the white cauliflower with the lightest hue of
green imaginable.
Mughlai Apricot Biryani
With this biryani recipe, juicy apricots and pineapples are
layered up with fluffy rice, spicy potatoes, sweet onions,
aromatic saffron and kewra water (screwpine extract).
Peshwari Naan
Sultanas and coconut are very traditional ingredients in
Peshwari Naan, which can be stuffed with a sweet filling and
cooked in a super hot tandoor (clay oven). You can be sure
that a good naan will be soft, slightly chewy, a little
charred in places and finally, drenched in butter.
Classic Shrikhand
I’m adding this to the banquet menu not because it’s an
authentic Mughlai dish, but because it’s rich, opulent and
incredibly well-suited to this particular style of cooking.
Persian Chocolate Truffle Tart
The delicate flavour of white chocolate, with honey and
rosewater is the basis of the tart, whilst the saffron adds a
luxurious perfumed flavour.
Rose and Pistachio Baklava
Sweet rose rice and traditional spiced nuts are enveloped in
thin, crisp filo pastry layers, then drenched in sugar syrup
and left to absorb until chewy and divine.
Cinnamon and Orange Blossom Kataifi
Not sickly sweet, but slightly sweet, nutty and deliciously
crunchy. The kind of sweet that has a delicate spice and
fruitiness, so much so that when you take a bite it sings
through your veins.
Qawah
A spiced espresso-style after dinner beverage which can
accompany desserts and pastries like the ones pictured above
Spiced Milk
Spiced milk is the new hot chocolate – this is all you need to
know.
Gather the troops, drag them into the kitchen (regardless of
whether they’re kicking and screaming) and create a Mughlaiinspired banquet.
I’m assuming my invitation is already in the post.