editorial

Words by Charukesi Ramadurai September 16, 2024
Tapping into the princely cuisine of erstwhile Bhopal, the General’s Table is a gourmet experience that revives old feasts with pride and passion.
<figure id="attachment_139368" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139368" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139368 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Bhopali-Filfora-in-Jehan-Numa-Palace-Hotel.jpg" alt="Bhopali filfora." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139368" class="wp-caption-text">Bhopali filfora. (All photos courtesy of the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel)</figcaption></figure>
At the <a href="https://www.jehannuma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jehan Numa Palace Hotel</a> in the central Indian city of Bhopal, history comes deliciously to life at the General’s Table, a multicourse alfresco dining experience with over 20 dishes unique to this erstwhile princely state. The specially curated meal is named for General Obaidullah Khan, who was prince and commander-in-chief of the state’s army when he built this palace as a guesthouse for visiting royalty and dignitaries in the late 1800s.
“The recipes have all been borrowed from this royal family’s own kitchens. And the best thing is that many of these dishes are still made by their cooks,” says Vincent Marquis, who conceived the experience. The palace’s former executive chef, he is now general manager at sister property Jehan Numa Retreat on the city’s outskirts.
Dinner is served on an exquisitely decorated table on the rear lawns of the hotel — think hundreds of fresh flowers and twinkling lamps, with a flutist playing soothing melodies from a discreet distance. It begins with two kinds of shorba (a thin soup of lentils and meat), then makes its way through various kebabs and curries served with flatbreads and rice, finally ending with distinctive desserts such as gulab ki kheer (a rice pudding delicately flavored with rose petals) and Bhopali shahi tukda (a rich Mughal-era sweet made with fried bread and sugar syrup).
<figure id="attachment_139367" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139367" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139367 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/A-horse-drawn-carriage-at-the-Jehan-Numa-Palace-Hotel-the-General-Tables-elegant-setup.jpg" alt="A horse-drawn carriage in the courtyard of the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel; the General’s Table’s elegant setup at the hotel." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139367" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A horse-drawn carriage in the courtyard of the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel; the General’s Table’s elegant setup at the hotel.</figcaption></figure>
Standout dishes include rezala (a tangy chicken curry) and filfora (hand-pounded mutton with aromatic spices). Marquis explains, “The cuisine is meat-heavy because of the popularity of hunting in those times. Most of the dishes used to contain game meat, but we use mutton or chicken now.”
Everyday vegetables have also made their way onto the General’s Table, albeit with a Bhopali twist, like the kachumber karela (stir-fried bitter melon) and kacche baingan ka bharta, which Marquis points out is akin to Middle Eastern baba ganoush, and likely influenced by the widespread travels of Bhopal’s rulers.
In all, a complete feast for the senses.
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">August/September 2024</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“A Royal Repast”).

A horse-drawn carriage in the courtyard of the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel.

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