Gulab Jamun
Gulab jamun: soft khoya dumplings fried dark and soaked in rose-and-cardamom syrup — the Mughlai festival sweet of Diwali, Eid and every wedding.
Zarda
Zarda: saffron-yellow sweet basmati layered with sugar, nuts, raisins and candied fruit and finished on dum — the Mughlai festive rice of Eid and weddings.
Jalebi
Jalebi: bright orange spirals of fermented batter fried crisp and soaked in warm saffron syrup — the North Indian street and festival sweet.
Sweet Lassi
Sweet lassi: thick full-fat dahi hand-churned frothy with sugar and cardamom, topped with malai and white butter — the Amritsari meethi lassi.
Thandai
Thandai: full-fat milk steeped with almonds, fennel, poppy and melon seeds, rose and saffron, then strained cold — the Holi drink of Delhi and Banaras.
Murgh Musallam
Murgh musallam: a whole chicken stuffed with egg and keema, slow-cooked in a nut-and-saffron gravy — a Mughlai banquet centrepiece.
Nargisi Kofta
Nargisi kofta: a boiled egg wrapped in spiced mince and simmered in a yoghurt gravy — the Awadhi original behind the Scotch egg.
Paya
Paya: goat or lamb trotters slow-cooked into a thin, gelatinous broth — Lahore’s dawn breakfast, kept soupy, not thick like nihari.
Shahi Paneer
Shahi paneer: paneer in a pale Mughlai gravy of boiled onion, cashew, yogurt and saffron — the original white version, no tomato.