Hunting game was very much in fashion with the royals who would use it for feasts and garden parties, yet it also had a lot of influence from the Europeans, Arabs, Persians, Mughals and Turks. There were even special cooks to prepare the game, but at times the cooking was rather anglicised. Nevertheless, with fine ingredients spices, proprietary sauces and very authentic flavours, foreign liqueurs, ports and wines proved a fine accompaniment.
For the tribes though, hunting game was a means of survival and their cooking and spicing methods would utilise crushed herbs, preparing food on charcoal and wild wood.
Turks introduced the tandoor and, of course, the Mughlai cuisine which gave a fine richness to game cooking. The game was generally roasted, grilled, braised, pot roasted and smoked while rice infusions consisting of biryanis, pulaos and stew with root vegetables made up the sundries.
STARTER
Manglorian Sukka Wild Boar & Idli
Wild boar pot roasted with onion, pepper, curry leaves, roasted spices and finished off with palm vinegar served with idli (steamed rice cake).
₤ 8.50
Katkari Broth
A light, refreshing and robust soup of wild game bones, hand-pounded spices and herbs. Finished with tamarind and tempered with whole mustard and curry leaves.
£ 6.00
Gaddi Lat Pati Jungli Kabutar (Wild Pigeon)
Wild pigeon breast pieces braised with sarsaon ka saag (fresh mustard leaves), fresh herbs, onions and tomatoes.A dish from Gaddi tribes of Dukundar Range (Himachal).
₤ 7.00
Bison Kebab
An Indian Zing version of bison mince kebab made of fresh herbs, spices and root vegetables griddled on an old fashioned iron pan
₤ 8.50
Main course
Pheasant Bauli Handi
Slow cooked pheasant (on bone) in Indian broth with root vegetables, bay leaf, hand-pounded spices and crushed herbs.
₤ 11.50
Smoked Quail Khichdi
A risotto-style smoked quail with unpolished red rice, black chickpeas, raw jack fruit and colocasia roots.
₤ 14.00
Venison Shank
Venison shank seared and braised in onion, whole spices, dark rum and simmered in roasted root vegetable gravy and fresh herbs, served with yam (suran).
₤ 15.00
Khatta Kargosh
A royal dish from the Nawabs of Lucknow; wild rabbit on the bone roasted in clay oven and simmered with rich gravy of hung yoghurt, roasted tomato, onion and cashew nut with mild spices
₤ 13.50
Rice and Breads
Rice and BreadsSteamed Red and Wild rice mix
