Delhi Darbaar (Meaning Royal Court of Delhi), where all the Kings & Emperors from various princely state would meet. Mughal Empire in Delhi lasted from AD 1526 to AD 1857.  Babur was the first Mughal Emperor of India. He along with his son, Humayun made historic changes and revolutionized Indian Cuisine, by introducing some of the best Persian & Afghan Dishes Specially Naan, Paneer, Khichadi, Kebabs, & Biryani. During (1556.AD.) Emperor Akbar sets up a Royal Kitchen employing over 400 cooks, including many Rajpoot’s. It was this Royal Kitchen where Indian Cooks fused Persia as Indian cooking techniques & ingredients were used to create New Royal Dishes. Centuries later, after India’s independence in 1947, the Lahore and Peshawar cuisine would be merged into the existing Delhi cuisine and add yet another layer to the Mughal Delhi kitchen. These dishes have come together to be known as Mughlai Cuisine

At Delhi Darbaar we aim to provide you the Mughlai cuisine as authentic as it should be, from well researched recipes to have a reputation for tastiest dishes, flawless presentation and excellent service. Cuisine is prepared by the best Indian Chefs, part of the Delhi Darbar Restaurant.

Mughlai cuisine is renowned for the richness and aromaticity of the meals due to extensive use of spices like saffron, cardamom, black pepper, dry fruits and nuts, as well as rich cream, milk and butter in preparation of curry bases. The tastes of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy and are often associated with a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground and whole spices. From the Mughal period itself, one popular culinary work was the Nuskha-i-Shahjahani, A record of the dishes & recipes is believed to be prepared for the court of Emperor Shahjahan (r.1627-1658). Known as Nuskha-i-Shahjahani, features ten chapters, on Dopiyāzas, Bhartas, Salan, Korma and Dal’s; the final chapter involves Murabba, Achar, Puri, Phirini, Halwa, and basic recipes for the preparation of Yoghurt, Paneer and the coloring of butter and dough. This has influenced the development of North Indian Cuisine

Brass is still commonly used in small towns and villages in the India. “Water stored in a brass vessel increases strength and immunity.” In addition, it also helps pacify pitta (burning sensations, aggression), increases hemoglobin count, and improves the general condition of your skin. “What’s more, it will not change the qualities of the material that is placed in the container. According to Ayurveda – Brass enhances Raja component and hence, cooking food in brass utensils is beneficial for health. Upon contact with the flow of Raja-predominant waves in brass, the nutrient juice

This painting shows the old street of Chandni chowk, it is one of the oldest and the busiest markets in Old Delhi, It was Built by Mughal emperor of India Shahjahan and designed by his daughter Jahanara, Chandni Chowk’s specialty is its variety and authenticity: food, delicacies, chats and sweets of more than 1,000 kinds, Chandni Chowk is home to several famous restaurants and halwais (confectioners), introduced a concept, well known across the globe as “Street Food of India”. Notable Food Joints Natraj’s Dahi Bhalle, established in 1940, The Old Famous Jalebi Wala, & Chaatwallah, established in 1923, famous for fruit chaat.

The English word Tandoor, which comes from Persian tanūr which all mean (clay) oven, And (In Sanskrit, (oldest Indian Language) the tandoor was referred to as kandu The heat for a tandoor was traditionally generated by a charcoal or wood fire, burning within the tandoor itself, thus exposing the food to live fire, radiant heat, hot-air & convection cooking. it is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods to maintain the high cooking temperature, as Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480 °C, it was this technique which was specialised by Mughals to introduce Chargrilled or Tandoori Dishes and the legacy continues till date.

Tandoori chicken can be eaten as a starter or appetizer, or as a main course, often served with naan flatbread. The fame of tandoori chicken led to many derivatives, such as chicken tikka (and eventually the Indian dish popularized in Britain, chicken tikka masala), commonly found in menus in Indian restaurants all over the world.

Biryani is a Hindustani (Indian) word derived from the Persian language, which was used as an official language in different parts of medieval India. The exact origin of the dish is uncertain. In North India, different varieties of biryani developed in the Muslim centers of Delhi (Mughlai cuisine), Lucknow (Awadhi cuisine and other small principalities, According to historian Lizzie Collingham, the modern biryani developed in the royal kitchens of the Mughal Empire (1526–1857) and is a mix of the native spicy rice dishes of India and the Persian pilaf. the story traces the origin of biryani to Mumtaz Mahal in this version. On the visit to the army barracks Mumtaz mahal found the soldiers under-nourished. She than requested the chef to prepare a dish that combined spices, meat and rice, that provide a balance of protein, being artistic as they were as a result he prepared a layered dish where each layer was cooked in ghee, spices, yogurt, onions, almond etc. Saffron was added to the layers and the dish was Dum-cooked in a Handi thus this was early version of modern biryani

The story goes that the pir Hazrat Nizamuddin invited him for a meal and offered him kulchas tied in a yellow cloth. The hungry Mir Qamar-ud-Din ate seven kulchas and after his meal, Hazrat Nizamuddin blessed him and prophesied that one day he would be king and that his descendants would rule for seven generations! The prophecy soon came true. When the Mughal Empire collapsed, Mir Qamar-ud-Din was able to declare independence from Delhi and lay the foundation of the Asaf Jahi dynasty in Hyderabad. As a gesture of gratitude to the Sufi Saint who had blessed him, Mir Qamar-ud-Din the first Nizam of Hyderabad, proudly adopted the symbol of the kulcha as part of his royal insignia and the colour yellow to denote the cloth the pir’s kulchas were packed in – as the colour of his official flag. Interestingly, the Asaf Jahi dynasty only lasted seven generations. The seventh Nizam, Nawab Sir Osman Ali Khan joined the Indian union. The eighth descendant, Mukarram Jah managed to lose everything he had inherited!

The Gajar Ka Halwa Was First Introduced During The Mughal P riod And The Name Originates From The Arabic Word “halwa”, Which Means “sweet” And It Is Made From Carrot So That It Is Known As Gajar Ka Halwa It Is Strongly Associated With Punjab But It Is Not Clear Whether It Originated There. It Is Very Similar To The Other Types Of Punjabi Halwa. Gajar Ka Halwa Originally Contained Carrots, Milk And Ghee But Nowadays Includes Many Other Ingredients Like Mava This Age Old Traditional Recipe Rmained In Punjabi Cookbooks For Many Years. Being A Combination Of Milk And Carrots It Is Known As Milk Flavored Gajar Ka Halwa But In The Other Case, The Combination Of Cream Or Mava (khoya) And Carrot Is Described As Mava Flavored Gajar Ka Halwa.