Mughlai cuisine - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Mughlai cuisine is a style of cookery developed in the Indian Subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

. It represents the cooking style used in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

, Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

and in parts of Dhaka

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

. The cuisine is strongly influenced by Persian and Turkic

Turkic peoples

The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...

cuisines of Central Asia, and has in turn strongly influenced the regional cuisines of Kashmir

Kashmir

Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

and the Punjab region

Punjab region

The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

(now partitioned between India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

and Pakistan

Pakistan

). The food served in the vast majority of Indian restaurants in the Western hemisphere draws inspiration from Mughlai cuisine.

The tastes of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy, and is often associated with a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground and whole spices. A Mughlai course is an elaborate buffet

Buffet

A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...

of main course dishes with a variety of accompaniments

Side dish

A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.-Common types:...

.

The origins of Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala is a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange-coloured...

are debated, but the flavors of the dish follow in the tradition of Mughlai cuisine.

Dishes

The names of the dishes are quite often Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

, the official language of the Mughal

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

court. Dishes include various kebabs, kofta

Kofta

Kofta is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball or meatloaf.In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb—mixed with spices and/or onions...

(meatballs), nihari

Nihari

Nihari is a popular meat dish of Pakistanis of South Asia. Its roots lie in the Nawab kitchens having achieved fame via the storied royal kitchens of Lucknow in present-day Uttar Pradesh, long the seat of the Nawab of Avadh and is also relished in India by Muslims and non-Muslim foodies...

, pulao

Pilaf

Pilaf is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth . In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of cooked onion, as well as a large mix of spices...

(a.k.a. pilaf

Pilaf

Pilaf is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth . In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of cooked onion, as well as a large mix of spices...

in Central Asia), and biryani

Biryani

Biryani, biriani, or beriani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā which means "fried" or "roasted"....

. Paneer

Paneer

Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. It is of Indian origin. In eastern parts of India, it is generally called Chhena...

is used for preparing vegetarian dishes to suit Vegetarian dietary requirements.

Other dishes include:

Mughlai Chickenhttp://indianfood.about.com/od/chickendishes/r/mughlaichicken.htm
Mughai parathahttp://indianfood.about.com/od/breadrecipes/r/mughlaiparatha.htm
Biryani Badshahi
Keema Matar
Meat Durbari
Mughlai Chicken Pulao
Murg Kababs Mughlai
Murg Noorjehani
Murg Kali Mirch
Malai Kofta
Kofta
Kofta is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball or meatloaf.In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb—mixed with spices and/or onions...
Navratan korma
Shami Kabab
Seekh kabab
Boti kabab
Shahjehani Murg Masala
Shahi Chicken Korma
Shahi Kaju Aloo
Shahi Rogan Josh
Pasanda
Pasanda
Pasanda is a popular North Indian and Pakistani meat dish, derived from a meal served in the Court of the Moghul Emperors. The word is a variation on the Urdu word "pasande," or "the favorite one," which refers to the prime cut of meat traditionally used within.-Ingredients and preparation:Pasanda...
Rezala

Desserts

Shahi Tukra is a rich bread pudding with dry fruits, flavored with cardamom.
Barfi
Barfi
Barfi, sometimes burfi or burfee , is a sweet confection from the Indian subcontinent. Plain barfi is made from condensed milk, cooked with sugar until it solidifies. There are many varieties of barfi, which include besan barfi , kaaju barfi , and pista barfi...
Gulabjamun
Kalakand
Kalakand
Kalakand, or Qalaqand is a popular Indian sweet made out of solidified, sweetened milk and cottage cheese. It owes it origin to the milk-rich Braj area of western Uttar Pradesh. It is a very popular sweetmeat in North and East India, including Jharkhand, Orissa and Bengal and is reputed for its...
Kulfi
Kulfi
Kulfi or Qulfi is a popular frozen dairy dessert from the Indian Subcontinent. It is often described as "traditional Indian Subcontinent ice-cream". It is popular throughout countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma , and even the Middle East...
Sheer korma
Sheer korma
Sheer korma or Sheer Khurma is a festival vermicelli pudding prepared by Muslims on Eid ul-Fitr in South Asian countries especially Pakistan. It is a traditional Muslim festive breakfast, and a dessert for celebrations...
Falooda
Falooda
Falooda or Faluda is a cold and sweet beverage with many ingredients very popular in South Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup with vermicelli, psyllium or basil seeds, jelly pieces and tapioca pearls along with either milk, water or ice cream.Falooda is an adaptation of the...
Anjeer Halwa

Dishes

Desserts

Further reading