INDULGE!

Luxury, once considered the purview of a chosen few, is no longer that inaccessible. For the discerning, it is now well within reach; in fact, for the gourmet it is right there on the kitchen shelf beside the other stuff. Long confused with style, it is now clear that luxury is really in the detail.

You will find it in the fragrance of long-grained basmati rice for your biryani; in the flavour of Kashmiri saffron soaked in warm milk for your dum recipes and in the red rice from Kerala. You will taste it in Peking Duck and you will savour it in Scottish Salmon;
you will mask it with chives and boiled eggs when biting into Sevruga on Melba toast.
You will feel it (terribly) in your effort to add that perfect pungency to your French & Italian dishes, when you pay an eye-popping 30,000 in INR, for half a kilo of black truffle. I didn’t say luxury was cheap, just more accessible!

It’s back to the details. A perfect cup of morning tea cannot be the result of the leaves alone. A ceramic pot, chemical free water for boiling and the brewing method employed, all combine to give it the superlative touch. Similarly, luxurious evenings are not just about the guest list, or the catering. They are about subdued lighting, soft music, aromatic candles, gleaming cutlery, and fine bone china on spotless linen.

Luxury is to not in the labels of fancy wine bottles, it is in the soil and climate of the region of their origin. It is in the dedication and patience of generations who have toiled for ages to provide value, instead of expense. It is in the sweetness of dessert wines. It is in the peat on the heaths around the lochs and glens of Scotland.

Luxury is in pasta made from dough, hand-kneaded with spring waters. It is in the spices that flavour Awadhi kebabs, just as it is in the cuts of meat that go into their qormas. It is reflected in the traditional vessels employed for cooking of Chettinad delicacies, just as it is sealed with dough for a dum pukht experience.

Luxury can be seen shining bright in the elaborate recipes handed down from the Mughal period. Experiments with special garnishes for royalty led to the use of real silver and gold leaf (warq). These dishes were even placed in a special manner in order to glow more under the chandeliers! Two rather unique curries from the time, Kundan Qaliya and Chandan Qaliya were a handiwork of devoted chefs. The former was prepared with goat meat and ingredients that gave the gravy a golden hue. Gold leaf and pistachios _ wrapped in gold leaf added to the glitter. The latter is a poultry dish with a creamy consistency due to the presence of cashews and almonds. This one shimmered under a garnishing of silver leaf. In the end, luxury is simply an experience of the senses.