Zaaiqa: Taste The Flavours of Nawabi Shaan in Bhopal

Bhopal is a beautiful city, and its Nawabi way of life still finds its way into its olden lanes. Some of these lanes lead to palaces turned hotels, some to ancient water reservoirs and others to the streets dotted with small shops dishing out finger-licking snacks indigenous to Bhopal. However, a visit to Bhopal is incomplete unless you have tasted one of the Nawabi dishes that may have been, prepared right out of a royal cookbook. My rendezvous with the secrets of a royal kitchen befell at Zaaiqa, an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant within the confines of the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace.

Steeped in rich royal colours, Zaaiqa welcomes you to exteriors that boast Mughal architecture columns painted in rose red and crowned in gold. Wherein the window frames and the alluring front door are all draped in mahogany with an impression of gold. Two Turkish jugs of great size embellish the doorway on either side. Each element is in the hindsight of Indo-Islamic architecture. Even the name Zaaiqa takes its inspiration after an Urdu word, meaning strong taste. A perfect name for an Indian restaurant, if you ask me!

The main door is an antique piece of work decorated with elaborate details including, floral imprints. If you look closer, you will find copper engravings of flowers and birds on the centre square pieces, and another set of flowers on the wooden framework. The glorified interiors on the inside are just as stunning! Crafted in teak, the interiors of Zaaiqa feature an Indo Islamic design that is well-complemented with an open kitchen. Aromatic fragrances from the kitchen filled my nose as I got myself a seat overlooking a wooden Palaki mural on the wall.

The wooden flooring pairs well, with the decor and the culinary culture. And the menu spoils you for the best Peshawari and Mughlai cuisine you can taste in Bhopal. Technically, Zaaiqa is a royal restaurant that allows you to get a taste of the forgotten royal recipes, and on this day, I sampled as many as I could. Here take a look!

Bhopali Raan Masala

The Mughlai Raan Masala is an exclusive Middle Eastern Gosht dish cooked in a traditional rustic pot for hours. The marination-seasoning defines the ultimate taste of this perfectly cooked tender lamb leg. Drizzled with melted butter, lemon juice, and secret masalas, Raan Masala at Zaaiqa tasted just as divine as it smelt.

Lal Maas

Laal Maas is a royal Rajasthani speciality, loved by Indian royal families across India. Some royal cooks even modified the recipe to include regional spices to enhance the overall taste of the dish. In Bhopal, this delicious meat curry became the favourite of royals in the early 18th-century. And to re-create a royal dining experience, Zaaiqa made me sample this spicy royal ‘Ghosht’ cooked in generous amounts of pure ghee and aromatic spices and green chillies. The deep, red colour of the dish is what attributes to its distinction; ultimately, making it mega-tempting to the tastebuds.

Nalli Nihari

I couldn’t have bequeathed Zaaiqa before tasting Bhopal’s very famous Nalli Nihari. In an earlier era, Nalli Nihari was a speciality breakfast that was served to the kings after they performed their morning prayers. (Nihari means ‘Day’ in Urdu) This slow-cooked mutton curry is a burst of flavours that pairs best with freshly baked Bhopali bread.

Royal residences always had separate kitchens in an attempt to lower the risk of fire. Hence, Zaaiqa, too, is built in a separate section. Amongst all the reasons to visit this restaurant, the most mattering is that you get to taste recipes, passed on from generation to generation.

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