Here lives an Indian Maharaja !!!”

Here lives an Indian Maharaja !!!”
Immaculately handsome with extravagant tastes
Wherever the Maharaja went to dine he got exemplary service for he wore a
“PINK TURBAN”
Cooking for the Maharajas was never easy. The kitchens of Royal Indian Palaces were lavish and extravagant. Global
cuisines were frequently experimented with local produce for that one person in a Pink Turban for whom Food was
art. Beneath the crystal chandelier on the grand dining table, there would be an array of unusual dishes - a veritable
smorgasbord of colour, texture, flavour and taste. The Maharajahs were proud of their kitchens. When the Royal
chefs returned from training in France, England, China and other Indian royal states , they created gastronomically
delights with local produce. The Royal kitchens of Punjab harnessed the fertility of its fields, the richness of its dairy
and the game in its jungles.
In the Royal kitchens there was no place for the usual…
So the legacy of the aromas flavours and art of royal cooking are not forgotten, there's a concerted effort to
pass on the secret recipes to the present and future generations. With the menu at Pink Turban we
celebrate the long lost cuisine of the Indian Royalty or as we say “The Maharajas with the Pink Turban”
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh was the first man in India to own an aircraft,
which he bought from the United Kingdom in the first decade of the
twentieth century. For his aircraft he had built an an airstrip in Patiala.
According to legend, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh would be driven in a
motorcade of 20 Rolls Royce cars. In 1930, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh felt
slighted at the British Rolls Royce company’s refusal to accept an order
from him for a new Rolls Royce car. Reacting to the refusal, the Maharaja
put some of his old Rolls Royce cars to work hauling garbage, dung and
filth in Patiala city to the chagrin of the all-powerful Rolls Royce-loving
Viceroy and the British ruling establishment who quickly prevailed upon
HH Bhupinder Singh,
the Rolls Royce Company to comply with the Maharaja’s wishes.
Maharaja of Patiala
He is perhaps the most famous Maharaja of Patiala, best known for his extravagance, and for being a cricketer.
His cricket and polo teams " Patiala XI " and "Patiala Tigers " were among the best in the world. He was a great
patron of sports and built the world's highest cricket pitch at 2443 m in 1893 at Chail. He was also known for
an exceptional collection of medals, believed to be the world's largest at the time Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
was also the proud owner of the world famous necklace "The Patiala Necklace" manufactured by the famous
brand Cartier SA.
STARTERS
Mirchi Murgh Tikka £ 5.50
Traditional chilli and yoghurt,
marinated chicken cooked in the
tandoor
Chapli Kebab £ 6.50
Spiced minced lamb kebabs with mint,
coriander and chillies,
topped with masala fried egg
Chilli Chicken £ 5.50
Delhi style chilli chicken, spicy and
succulent with bell peppers and
green chilli
Tandoori Chops £ 7.50
Lamb chops slow cooked in the
tandoor with roasted garlic and
Ambarsari chillies
Patiala Chooza £ 9.50
As they say the National Bird of
Punjab is Tandoori Chicken . Absolute
Favourite of the Maharaja of Patiala.
Hiren ki Seekh £ 7.50
Venison kebabs with mint garlic
and garam masala
Imli Bater £ 9.50
Indian Quail Marinated with fine
Tamarind and herbs, served with
chilli oil dressing
Glazed Lamb Chops £ 12.50
Slow braised lamb chops cooked with
plum and honey glaze
Maharaja Duleep Singh nicknamed the Black Prince of Perthshire,
was the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He was the youngest son of
the legendary "Lion of the Punjab" Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the
successor to the Koh-I-Noor diamond.
After his exile to Britain at age 13 following the British annexation of
the Punjab, he was befriended by Queen Victoria. In June 1850, Lord
Dalhousie presented the Kohinoor Diamond by Dalip Singh after it was
confiscated by the British. From that date on, the diamond became part
of the Crown Jewels, set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth and on display
in the Jewel House in the Tower of London.
Maharaja Duleep Singh,
(6 September 1838-22 October 1893)
Dalip Singh was much admired by Queen Victoria, who is reported to
have written of the Punjabi maharajah "Those eyes and those teeth are
too beautiful". The Queen was godmother to several of his children.
Today Singh is considered as Britain's first Sikh settler, having been
exiled to its shores in 1854, after being dethroned and having his country annexed by the East India Company
in 1849.
Dalip Singh bought a 17,000 acre (69 km²) country estate at Elveden on the border between Norfolk and
Suffolk, close to Thetford, in 1863. He fell in love with Elveden and the surrounding area and restored the
church, cottages, and school. He transformed the run-down estate into an efficient game preserve of
approximately 17,000 acres (69 km2) and it was here that he gained his reputation as the fourth best shot in
England. The house was re-modelled into a quasi-oriental palace where he lived the life of a British aristocrat.
STARTERS
Soft Shell Crab £ 8.50
Crispy Canadian crab
served with chilli garlic sauce
Tavey ka Jhinga £ 16.50
Wild catch caribbean prawns with
home made spices, cooked on tawa
Ambarsari Macchi £ 7.50
Fried tilapia fish with carom seed
Wasabi Prawn £ 8.50
Prawns tossed with wasabi mayo
and served with tomato and
coriander salsa
Calamari £ 7.50
Crisp squids tossed with red onion,
coriander and chillies
Sipahi Kaleji £ 6.50
Grilled chicken liver with chilli
cheese naan
Maharaja
Yadavindra was one of the first
Indian princes to
incorporate his princely state of Patiala into the newly formed India in
1948. Sir Yadavindra was passionate about sports and served as the
President of the British Indian Olympic Committee and the Indian
Olympic Committee.
The Maharaja played cricket for India against England in 1934 and also
led the Patiala Polo team.
Maharaja Yadavindra was the last person to wear the famous Patiala
Maharajadhiraj Sri Yadavindra
Singh ,
Necklace at his coronation. The Patiala Necklace was the largest single
commission Cartier ever executed. The massive art deco necklace had five rows of diamond encrusted
platinum chains with 2930 diamonds and Burmese rubies. The $25 million necklace disappeared from the
Patiala royal treasury in April 1948.
Five decades later in 1998, a Cartier representative stumbled upon the remnants of the necklace in a small
London antique store. All the big stones were gone. It took Cartier four years to create a replica of what was
once the most exquisite pieces of jewellery in history.
STARTERS
VEGETARIAN
VEGETARIAN
Manchurian Gobhi £ 4.50
Gobhi Chilli Cauliflower dumpling in
honey chilliManchu sauce
Subz Tikki £ 4.50
Seasonal vegetable chops with apricots
and
cheese stuffing coated with sago
Chilli Cheese Toast £ 4.50
Crunchy rustic toast with
spicy cheese topping and green chillies
Pataka Aloo £ 4.50
Flatten baby potatoes, crisp fried and
tossed
with red chilies, chaat masala and cumin
Pepper Paneer Tikka £ 4.50
Paneer Tikka home made paneer with
freshly ground spices , cooked in the
tandoor
Samosa Channa Chaat £ 4.50
Vegetable samosa, Masala channa
and home made chutney
Dahi Papadi Chaat £ 4.50
The Punjabi house hold favourite,
served with homemade papadi on
tamarind and mint chutney
M
y name is Anita Delgado Briones and I am the Princess of Kapurthala. I was born in 1890
in Málaga (Spain), but due to matters of life my family was forced to sell their business and
come to live in Madrid. Our situation was becoming more precarious, but, as you will see as
follows, suddenly fortune smiled upon us in a surprising way. It all began with some dance
lessons that the neighbour downstairs used to give us for free, because we could not pay… A
promoters was scouting for new faces and saw the two of us dancing , a few weeks later we
were christened “Las Hermanas Camelias” - The Camelia Sisters. We were hired for the sum of
thirty real’s per night, to entertain as a support act , to dance between the various acts of the
artists at the wedding of King Alfonso XIII
Anita Delgado Briones
One morning we went to attend the march of personalities which were on their way to the
Royal Palace. They were guests to the wedding of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, who was to be
married on the 31st of May to an English Princess, known as Victoria Eugene. I was sixteen
years-old then, I had my hair tied up in two plaits and wore mourning attire for just passed
grandmother. We were left with our mouths open when, on the corner of Montera Street with
Plaza del Sol, a silver plated coach with a strange character inside stopped before us. The man
wore a white and blue turban over which shone a peacock-shaped brooch and clothing so
luxurious and outlandish! He was loaded with jewels, wore an odd beard and his eyes were
insistently nailed upon myself. His piercing gazes made me shake from my head to the toes.
Those who were present said , when the procession resumed its march, the man’s head turned
around and with his face turned on me until he lost us from sight. Later I knew that the man
was none other than His Royal Highness the Rajah Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala.
I think that His Highness fell in love with me that instant, as the saying goes: true love is…love at first sight… Not a week had gone by when the
Rajah’s secretary reached our door with a letter for myself. In it His Highness confessed that he was captured by my presence and he proposed for
my hand in marriage. In case of acceptance, I should consider the bearer of the letter as my personal servant, as he would be in charge of taking
me to Paris with my family to arrange the wedding. And so we did. The whole train journey I spent suspecting: Does this man love me so much
that he would have me leave for foreign country with my family? Leave like this, in an express service, to see a king and to marry him, as if we
were lovers from long ago…what do I know if that will be love or what it will be… When arriving in France I was determined to learn whatever
was needed, as an Indian queen must know things that women here do not learn…
We set sail from Marseille. And arrived in Bombay with my lady in waiting, 40 trunks and an Andalusian damsel. On reaching Kapurthala, I took a
deep breath and came back down to earth. I was about to become The Spanish Maharani. His Highness said: ”Look to your right and you will see
the dome of the palace that will be our residence. It is a copy of Versailles”. “Have you built it for me?”, I asked; he smiled: ” I never imagined that a
woman so beautiful would be the first to live here, but now I know it was destined to be for you”.
MAINS
Murgh Makhani £ 7.50
Home Cooked Chicken Tikka simmered in
creamy tomato sauce with fenugreek leaves.
Rogan Josh £ 8.50
Spicy Lamb Curry
Shaolin Chicken £ 7.50
Crisp chicken and vegetable dumplings
in a black pepper sauce with mushrooms
Dahi Aur Kubani Ka Murga £ 12.50
Chicken tossed with Kashmiri chillies, garlic,
apricot and finished with youghart .
Macchi Curry £ 11.50
Tilapia simmered in tomato and tamarind
sauce with curry leaf and ginger.
Thai Green Prawn Curry £ 12.50
Sweet water prawns in a green thai curry
with lemongrass and pea aubergines
Saag Panner £ 6.50
Creamed Spinach and panner,
cooked with garlic and whole chillies.
Bhindi Channa £5.50
Okra and chickpea stir fry
with ginger and carom seed
Dal Makhani £ 5.50
Black Lentils cooked overnight with
Homemade butter and cream
Paneer Mirchi ka Salan £ 6.50
Indian cottage cheese simmered
hyderabadi sauce with sweet peppers
Palak Kofta Manjusha £ 7.50
Spinach kofta with prunes in a
creamy tomato and fenugreek sauce
Tofu Panang Curry £ 7.50
Tofu simmered in a thai style peanut sauce
with eggplant, bamboo shoot and mushrooms
M
aharaja Jagatjit Singh Bahadur was the ruling Maharaja of the princely
state of Kapurthala until his death.
Jagatjit is best known for his association with Anita Delgado, a beautiful but
barely literate Spanish teenager. The fantastical romance began in Madrid
during the preparations for the wedding between Spain’s King Alfonso XIII
and Princess Victoria Eugenia of Battenburg. Jagatjit, then 34 years, was part
of the retinue of the Prince of Wales. He arrived in a glittering coach,
wearing a turquoise blue turban adorned with pearls and precious stones ,
his chest studded with decorations and a diamond encrusted dagger in his
belt.
JAGATJITH SING BAHADUR,
KAPURTHALA.
Anita Delgado danced a brief flamenco where she caught Jagatjit’s eye. He was
smitten by her black hair and huge sleepy eyes. Jagatjit showered her with
gifts and flowers. Legend has it that Jagatjit took Anita to dine in Madrid’s
smartest restaurant where the unworldly teenager drank the hot water in the
fingerbowl!
He married her and Jagatjit gifted her jewels personally designed for her by Cartier. They stayed in his lavish palace in
Kapurthala for 18 years and had a son Ajit Singh.
He was a great admirer of French architecture and has a Louis the XVI palace built for himself by a French architect.
BIRYANIS
SALADS
Saunfiyan Subz Biryani £ 8.50
Farmhouse Salad £ 5.50
Seasonal vegetables cooked with
creamy fennel scented basmati rice
Gosht ki Biryani £ 12.50
Lamb Cooked with basmati rice in a sealed
pot.
SIDES
Pulao Rice £ 3.95
Steam Rice £ 2.95
Egg Fried Rice £ 2.95
Raita
Kurkuri Bhindi ( Okra ) £ 2.95
Khajur ( dates ), £ 2.95
Cucumber £ 1.95
Pineapple & Cucumber £ 1.95
Plain yogurt. £ 1.95
Baby salad and dressing
Lacha Pyaaz £ 1.50
Punjabi style red onion salad
Khansama Salad £ 2.50
Chopped seasonal vegetable salad
BREADS £1.95
Naan
Plain, Chilli Garlic, Cheddar & Onion, butter.
Roti
Plain roti
Parantha
Laccha , Pudina , Aloo
Desserts
HOME MADE ICE CREAM AND
GULAB JAMUN £2.95
SOBERT £2.95
Succulent Gulab Jamun with a hot
Ice cream
Masala Chai, Rose Petal, Rocher
sweet viscous syrup, a cardamom
Tinged flavour and a soothing
rose fragrance
Chocolate, Bombay Aphonso Mango
Caramel & Toffee
RUS MALAI £2.95
Sorbet
India’s ethnic dairy delicacy, a
Mango Chutney, Lychee
Imperial Passion, Black current
gourmet dessert of soft cheese patty
Alcohol Sorbet
Bailey’s, Pina colada, Mojito
, Irish coffee
in thickened milk and sugar sauce
PUNJABI KHEER SHOTS £2.95
Saffron infused rice pudding in
Chocolate shot cups
Desserts
KULFI £2.95
Kulfi, the traditional Indian ice cream
saved on a stick, has a strong
characteristic flavour of cooked milk
and a dense icy texture
VODKA CHUSKI £ 4.95
A multi-sensory experience. As you
deftly manoeuvre your fingers on the
ice stick to save it from breaking, you
feel the ice and salts on your lips,
taste the cloying sweetness of the
syrup as it dilutes with the ice water
in your mouth, here the loud slurps
and taste the tang of the cool syrup.
EXOTIC ICE FRUIT PLATTER £ 9.95
Carefully crafted exotic fruits and nuts
collection, selected from the finest
regions
CRÈME BRULEE £ 3.95
Rich vanilla custard base topped with
A contrasting layer of hard caramel
ALMUND CRUNCH £3.95
Ice cream with almond crunch, candied
strawberries, caramel and flaked
almond
CASSATA £3.95
Vanilla and chocolate ice cream with
candied fruit centre.
CHOCOLATE BOUCHON £ 3.95
Chocolate cake with liquid chocolate
filling, Served with ice cream