Manzilat, who is a great-grandchild of the Nawab of Lucknow (Wajid Ali Shah) and the Begum of Hazrat Mahal (Begum Hazrat), runs a house-restaurant that serves a variety of royal dishes, particularly Kolkata biryani, which he believes has its roots in the Lucknow region of India.
The last Nawab of Lucknow was forced to flee the city by the British in 1856. He was taken to a small town outside Calcutta, which is now Kolkata. He was heartbroken to have to leave the city he loved so much, so he decided to set up a mini Lucknow (chota) in Metiaiabruz. This helped him stay connected to the city and his memories of it. This decision will have a huge impact on the local culture of Calcutta.
Wajid Ali Shah introduced the region to various sports like kite flying, cockfighting, poetry, etc. One of the most important contributions to the local culture is food, and biryani is one of them. So what we now call Kolkata Biryani is actually Biryani from Lucknow, the city of the Nawabs.
Manzilat Fatima, the king’s great-granddaughter, explained the nature of the signature dish: “You have the Awadh biryani in Kolkata. They are like cousins in a family.” For the past five years, the 55-year-old has run Manzilat’s, a family restaurant that aims to continue the royal culinary legacy.
Royal Cousins
Wajid Ali Shah was a patron of the arts, music, poetry, theatre, and gastronomy, the art of cooking and enjoying good food. “Although he was no longer a Badshah (Emperor), Wajid Ali Shah was born a Nawab. His love of gastronomy has shaped Lucknowi Biryani since he came to Kolkata, the biryani became what we enjoy today as Kolkata Biryani,” said Manzilat.
At the time, potatoes were considered a delicious nayab (exotic). Although common mortals could not afford to buy this vegetable, this vegetable was introduced into the royal kitchen. “Because it has the ability to absorb all the aroma of spices, it adds more flavor when added to dishes. This proposal was easily accepted by the king and the people. After his death, when his mulazims (workers) were unemployed, they went to the cities and this biryani spread in Kolkata became popular,” explained Manzilat.
She explained what makes Awadhi and Kolkata biryani different from other places. “Since Nawab was of a nazuk mizaz (fragile nature) spicy food was not to their taste. This makes Awadhi food delicate and light, as well as extremely aromatic and rich, compared to Hyderabadi, Muradabadi and other Southern biryanis. Others use more spices and buttermilk. We feel full even after eating one or two pieces of lukma (mouthfuls). There is a class in Awadh food!” she said with pride.
Speaking about the unique species and cooking methods she uses to cook Kolkata biryani, Manzilat explained that firstly she prepared Korma, which was added as a layer to the utensil. After that, she added a layer of boiled potatoes, savored with ghee, salt, and spices. Lastly, she added a layer of boiled rice and flavored it with ghee and saffron. She also exclaimed that when cooked in logs and matkas (clay utensils), it gave a smoky flavor.”
She went on to reveal that she cooked biryani with regularly used spices like kebab chini, nutmeg, shah jeera, mace, cardamom and cloves. And in some Awadhi specialties, she used special Awadhi spices and herbs like paan ki jad, khas ki jad, patthar ke phool (herbs). They are known to be more fragrant and strong. The only trick she said about the cooking was the ratio of spices used, it made a huge difference.
Learnt Cooking Through Letters
Manzilat recalled that when she started cooking at the age of 10, she was not interested at first. She was living with her father in Aligarh and at that time, ordering food from outside was not as relevant as it is today. So she had to cook along with a helper and would serve kacha pakka (half-cooked) food to her father. “Sometimes, there would be more water in khichdi and sometimes rice would be half-cooked. I would fail to make a perfect meal,” she said with a laugh.
Often, her mother would come to her rescue. She would write letters to Manzilat and those letters had different recipes and their cooking method written in Urdu. During vacations when they were home, Manzilat used to learn from her. “The first thing I learnt from her was shami kebab. My father relished it,” she recalled.
After marriage, Manzilat settled in Kolkata. She loved to have guests of her husband and friends of her children. Through her cooking, she developed a keen interest in food over the years. But she never thought she would make a career out of it.
In a bid to keep the legacy of royal delicacies alive, she set up Manzilat’s home diner in Kasbah of Kolkata in 2018. Manzilat expressed that, “All the Nawabs were very fond of food and Awadhi cuisine is very popular but not so popular outside Lucknow. People even in Lucknow and Metiabruz do not know the history associated with the food. I wanted to contribute towards carrying the legacy of my family before the world forgets our lineage and the relevance of food.”
With the help of four employees, Manzilat runs her home restaurant, serving gourmet food from around the world, including Japan, China, Abu Dhabi, Toronto, New Jersey and Singapore.
Her mission, as eloquently put by her is, “not to earn from a commercial set up, but to spread awareness on the history of Awadh, its last King Wajid Ali Shah, freedom fighter Begum Hazrat Mahal, and our family history. For this, I get immense love, honor, and respect, which is priceless. That is my real earning,”
