Dining With The Nawabs

Mughal emperors governed their vast empire with the help of nawabs a title they bestowed on semiautonomous Muslim rulers of princely India. Over a period of time these nawabs became powerful rulers in their own right and created a distinct culture of their own with food being one of its most everlasting legacies. Heavily influenced by Mughal staples and technique of cookery, the nawabs refined their cuisine by adopting local flavours from the refined palates that dominate the table at Rampur and Avadh to the incredible array of delicacies from the kitchens of Bahawalpur and Khairpur, now in Pakistan. For the first time, Dining with the Nawabs allows you a rare opportunity to visit the tables and palaces of these families, to know more about their lifestyles and their love affair with gourmet cuisine. This special edition also comes with a Kitchen Copy with some of their most beloved family recipes that you can recreate in your own homes.

About the Author

Meera Ali studied architecture at the Institute of Environmental Design, Gujarat. A designer and producer of the feature film Jaanisaar, Meera manages the couture label ‘Kotwara’ with her husband Muzaffar Ali. Together, they have also set up Maashra, an Avadhi dining experience.

About the Photographer

Karam Puri is a fine art, travel and wildlife photographer. His books include ‘School’: Tales from the Doon School, Gujarat: A Journey, Lynndale and The Indian Golf Story. His work has been shown and collected by galleries in New York, Hong Kong and New Delhi and has been published by National Geographic’s Ten Best of Everything. He also teaches photography in Kashmir and climbs high peaks in the Himalayas.