Some conquerors came for spices. Some stayed for the biryani.
This week, we’re telling the story of the officials and royals who tried to run an empire, and quietly fell in love with the food of the people they ruled.
To satisfy their own British palates, they cleverly applied local spice blends to heavy meats, creating hybrid dishes designed to solve uniquely British problems—like preserving food on long train journeys or recreating home-style comfort in remote outposts.
From a Governor-General hiding a kebab recipe in his private diary, to these clever culinary crossovers, these seven stories (and recipes) prove one thing.
You can colonise a country. You cannot colonise good taste.
1. Warren Hastings’ Kebab
Warren Hastings was India’s first Governor-General, and a man with corruption charges hanging over his head. None of that stopped him from falling for a plate of kebabs in Lucknow.
He learned the recipe from Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula himself. Minced meat, garlic, chilli, egg yolk, and cream, ground fine on a stone, then fried to a crisp in butter.
He liked it enough to copy the whole recipe into his private diary in 1784. That page still exists today.
Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500g minced mutton
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp fresh cream
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp butter, for frying
Method
- Mix the mince with garlic, chilli, egg yolks, cream, pepper, and salt.
- Grind or pound the mixture until smooth and well combined.
- Shape into small flat cakes with damp hands.
- Heat butter in a pan over medium flame.
- Fry the cakes for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through.
- Serve hot with a squeeze of lime.
2. Royal Chicken Curry, Dal & Pilau
She never set foot in India. But Queen Victoria still fell for its food, thanks to one man.
Abdul Karim, her servant and later confidant, cooked an authentic Indian meal for her in 1887. Chicken curry, dal, and a fragrant pilau.
She loved it so much, she kept Indian cooks on staff at her Osborne House estate from then on.
Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 35 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500g chicken, curry cut
- 1 cup yellow lentils (toor dal)
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 4 cloves,
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tbsp ghee or oil
- Salt to taste
- Fresh coriander, for garnish
Method
- For the pilau, soak rice for 20 minutes.
- Sauté cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon in ghee, add rice and water, and cook until fluffy.
- For the dal, boil lentils with turmeric and salt until soft.
- For the tadka in ghee, add cumin seeds and red chilli powder.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and set aside.
- For the curry, heat oil and sauté onions until golden.
- Add ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, and spices. Cook until the oil separates.
- Add chicken and cook covered until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Serve the curry and dal together with the pilau, topped with coriander.
3. Dak Bungalow Chicken
British officers travelling to remote outposts had one problem. No fancy pantry, just whatever the local cook could find.
These roadside rest houses, called dak bungalows, forced khansamahs to get creative. The result was a simple curry with barely any onion or garlic paste, built almost entirely on patience and a handful of spices.
It’s proof that some of the best food comes from having the least.
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500g chicken, curry cut
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 cup water
- Salt to taste
- Fresh coriander, for garnish
Method
- Heat oil and crackle cumin seeds.
- Add chicken and sear on all sides.
- Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, and salt.
- Cook for 2 minutes, then add water.
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Garnish with coriander and serve with rice or roti.
4. Railway Mutton Curry
Long train journeys across colonial India needed a curry that wouldn’t overwhelm a first-class dining car.
Cooks blended English spices like bay leaf, nutmeg, and cinnamon with local turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Milder than a home-style curry, but still unmistakably Indian.
It became such a hit that it outlived the empire that invented it.
Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 40 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500g mutton, curry cut
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 3 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
Method
- Heat oil and sauté bay leaf and cinnamon for a minute.
- Add onions and cook until golden brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes, cook until soft.
- Add turmeric, chilli powder, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add mutton and sear for 5 minutes.
- Add water, cover, and cook on low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, until tender.
5. Kabiraji Cutlet
Bengal gave this dish its name, but the idea came from the British love of a good crispy coating.
“Kabiraji” is a local twist on the word “coverage,” a nod to the thick, crisp egg batter British officers wanted on their fried fish, chicken, or mutton.
Today it’s a Kolkata classic, crunchy on the outside and soft within.
Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 eggs, whisked
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- Oil, for shallow frying
Method
- Marinate fillets with ginger garlic paste, pepper, and salt for 15 minutes.
- Dip each fillet in whisked egg, then coat with breadcrumbs.
- Dip in egg once more for the thick outer layer.
- Shallow fry in hot oil until golden on both sides.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
6. Kedgeree
British soldiers and officials needed a heartier breakfast than plain khichdi. So they added smoked fish and boiled egg, and kedgeree was born. The technique of smoking your own fish sounds intimidating, but it takes 15 minutes and needs nothing more than rice, tea leaves, and a lid.
Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 smoked fish fillets (bekti or rawas), flaked
- 1 cup basmati rice, cooked
- 2 eggs, boiled and quartered
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp butter
- Fresh parsley or coriander, for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
To smoke the fish:
- 2 tbsp raw rice
- 2 tbsp black tea leaves
- 1 tbsp sugar or jaggery at the base
Method
- First, to smoke the fish, line a heavy pot or kadhai with foil.
- Spread a mix of 2 tbsp raw rice, 2 tbsp black tea leaves, and 1 tbsp sugar or jaggery at the base.
- Place fish fillets on a steamer rack above the mixture, not touching it.
- Cover tightly and place on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until it starts smoking.
- Lower the heat and let it smoke for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness.
- Uncover carefully once done. Your fish is ready to use.
- Melt butter in a pan and sauté onion until soft.
- Add turmeric and cooked rice, mixing gently.
- Fold in the flaked smoked fish.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with boiled egg quarters and fresh herbs before serving.
7. Country Captain
Country Captain emerged from Indian ports as a reliable staple for coastal sea captains. Its popularity proved so enduring that it was even included in U.S. military meal-ready-to-eat packs from 2000 to 2004 in honour of General George S. Patton.
Made with simple ingredients like chicken, onions, tomatoes, and curry powder, it blends savoury, sweet, and mild spice in a single pot.
Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 500g chicken, curry cut
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 3 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
- Fresh coriander, for garnish
Method
- Heat oil and sauté onions until soft and golden.
- Add tomatoes and cook until mushy.
- Add turmeric, chilli powder, and salt.
- Add chicken and sear for 5 minutes.
- Stir in tamarind pulp and a cup of water.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish with coriander and serve.
An empire built on control couldn’t control its own cravings. Indian food won every time.
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