Vikram Singh and Chandra Kumari, the Maharaja and Maharani of Sailana, with Bharat Dev Varma, the nephew of Maharani Gayatri Devi. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

It’s time to dress for dinner. For those living on fast food, The Park’s Royal Culinary Journey of Sailana is sure to be a revelation. On till August 26 at Saffron, The Park, this royal food festival lets you fill yourself with luxuriant slow-cooked dishes, from starters to dessert.

On Thursday afternoon, the rather unassuming Maharaja of Sailana, Vikram Singh, and his wife Chandra Kumari took us through their culinary heritage.

“My father had very correctly predicted that traditional recipes would be forgotten. So he had started compiling our age-old recipes, from across the country, some even fashioned in our own kitchens, and archiving them. We have nearly 5,000 recipes now, some of which have been published and made famous in Cooking Delights of The Maharajas (by Digvijaya Singh, now in its 13th edition),” said Singh. Many may have heard of the book. A copy of it even made its way to Saddam Hussein’s library, said Singh. But why cook when you can order the dishes? A meal for two at The Park will cost upwards of Rs 2,500.

Start your meal with a Sailana special — Dahi Kebab Sailana, which is barely recognisable as yogurt, made with creamy hung curd and delicately spiced. Goolar or poppy seed crumbled fried lamb mince with a stuffing of onions is named after the figs they resemble. The vegetarian version also has dried figs in it. Or even the Jhinga Kebab Sailana, where prawns are crumb-fried with fresh herbs and vinegar-steeped onions.

Gulab ki Kheer

If you thought royal food was “too rich” in nature, don’t miss the Be-masaley Ka Korma, a rather unexpected preparation of mutton without any spices, just pure ghee and some yogurt. The Dahi Jhinga, or steamed prawns marinated in curd and kasundi, is a familiar taste for most Bengalis.

The true revelation was the Biryani Rashmi. “There are many tests of a good biryani. The rice must be of two colours, one white and one coloured with masala, and not uniform like a khichdi. Each grain must be separate and not stuck to each other. Rashmi Biryani has very delicate flavours and is lighter than most biryanis,” said Singh. Needless to say this biryani passed all the tests.

Finally, if you still want more, you must try the Gulab Ki Kheer. Chilled kheer and fresh rose petals — you’d have to resist dabbing it on your wrist.

Playpreview

Reginald Rose’s theatrical masterpiece 12 Angry Men is all set to get an Indian makeover in Theatrecian’s adaptation — 12 Angry Jurors — to be staged today at 6.30pm at Gyan Manch, in association with t2.

Directed by Tathagata Chowdhury, 12 Angry Jurors is set in the jury room, where a boy was being tried for the murder of his father. Twelve jurors from different walks of life, caught up in their own beliefs and preoccupations, debate on the boy’s fate, based on evidence and presumptions. The play begins with all but one of the 12 jurors convinced of the boy’s guilt. It is set in Calcutta of 1959, when the system of trial by jury was still in practice.

Theatrecian rehearses for 12 Angry Jurors, which will be staged on Monday, 7.30pm, at Gyan Manch

“Theatrecian is known more for its comedies and I wanted to change that. I have stepped into the role of the director after a long time and so I wanted to do something different where the audience could be made to think,” says Tathagata.

While unravelling the details of the murder, the 100-minute play also becomes “a commentary on how the different ethnic groups in the city — Bengalis, Marwaris, Bangladeshis and Muslims — perceive each other”.

The cast comprises Apratim Chatterjee, Anurima Mitra, Arush Sengupta, Alisha Arrataculam, Kaibalya Mohanty, Nandita Gangwal, Prerona Sanyal, Rwikjit Roy, Rijoy Chatterjee, Shafique Rahman, Sophie Maulik, Zahid Hussain, Satakshi Nandy, Pallab Bandyopadhyay, Suvendu Mukhopadhyay, and Deborshi Barat in the crucial role of Juror no. 8.

Tickets priced at Rs 300, Rs 200 and Rs 100 will be available at the venue from 4pm.