sharing my conversation with Rani Kulsam Begum @ hotel Shareton 'royal hands that cook'

'The savour of Hyderabadi cuisine comes to Chennai; the city will gratify its apatite in a ‘Nawabi’ style with the handpicked recipes of Rani Kulsam Begum. The secret revealed behind the Begum ruling a kitchen.’

The epicureans of the city have a chance to energize their taste buds with spicy Hyderabadi food with the ten days food festival at the banquet hall of Hotel Sheraton from -- to --. Apart from the delicious food on the serve; there is something more to it. Nothing tastes even better if comes straight from the kitchen of the royal family and when the queen herself cooks with all the years experience and legacy in hands. Yes, the food will surely treat one with the authentic nawabi taste as made exclusively by none other than Kulsam Begum.

Childhood memories

This amazing lady with a magical hand on the spices; holds an introvert but a loving nature that comes out in her passion for cooking. As she shares her memories of childhood; invariably connected to food, she recalls the rigours cooking in the huge kitchen, dinner table occupied with all the family members together and countless choices on the platter that weaved Kulsam Begum more into the conversation. As a child she remembers her school days where a full course meal used to be brought during the lunch time and looked like an everyday feast.

Hyderabad to Lucknow

“I never cooked as a daughter” says the Bagum and chuckles. The rule that Salar jung family followed for years that a girl child shouldn’t be taught cooking unless she matures the age and becomes a daughter-in-law. Kulsum shares a story behind her passion for cooking which was flourished after she settled down in Lucknow after her marriage. Habituated to fiery spicy meals; Kulsam missed the Hyderabadi flavour in her new course of life and started gathering recipes from her grandmother who was the maestro of cooking. She tried to adopt the authentic way of cooking in bits and pieces by getting in touch through telephones and letters. The detachment from the spiced food that she grew up eating; led her to go back to her culinary tradition of Hyderabad. She realized that the family lost their valuable treasure of recipes along with the death of her grandmother.

Now and then

Unlike today; earlier times had no broiler chickens. The overnight cooked and stirred chicken has its own flavour which is never found in today’s fast pace cookery. Kulsam constantly emphasised on the method and the usage of spices in the preparation; cooking is a science that is very accurate about the measurements, also the spices having its own prominent flavour should be taken care of. Those days Hakim (doctors) used to decide the amount required for a particular food preparation. Taste as well as health was taken care of in choice of spices according to the seasons; like summers were spiced up with mild spices like Khus, Zeera and Ilaichee where the whole winter was for to kill the chilled winds with fiery dishes. Kulsam explains her grief on the fact that today the joy of eating and living together is missing and that is why those lengthy and difficult recipes are vanishing due to lack of awareness.

Kulsam Begum is now on her toes to recollect her valuable inheritance of food by this ten days festival, which will refresh the forgotten Hyderabadi taste of the citizen of Chennai; starting with highly savoury Kebabs to Biriyanis and varieties of Curries and Chapattis. The only way to taste those stashed recipes is now opened. Go grab your plate.