MAHARANI MAGIC

Much as I love dining in restaurants there is something very special about dining in someone’s home. Priya Deshingkar is a seasoned supper club entrepreneur having opened her home, her kitchen and her heart to diners now for many years. And after the interruption of a certain virus, she’s back and on top form.

This was not my first experience of her expertise in the kitchen but it certainly matched my memories of that first time. But it’s not only the food that draws me to the concept of home based supper clubs, it’s the company, meeting new people and getting drawn into conversations with them, I love that and on this occasion the company was first class.

But back to the food, equally first class. We started in the garden with a rum and ginger cocktail that pack several punches for sure. A decent drink to start a meal at home is a great idea and slows down the consumption of wine thereafter – or it can do…

My first tastes of good Indian food go right back to my days living in South London when I would pop along to Tooting to enjoy southern Indian delights. One of my real loves was pani puri but in Priya’s kitchen they are called Delhi gol gappe, crisp spherical puris that you gently pop a hole into and fill with chickpeas and diced potato then a little tamarind and a chutney of mint and coriander, finally topping up with a spicy water before popping them whole into your mouth. You have to pop them in whole if you want to avoid them exploding down your chin and onto your shirt. Not everyone followed Priya’s instruction and ended up in a mess, inwardly I giggled.

For the main course everyone shared zeera rice and naan breads, a delicious shimla mirch raita with scorched green peppers and heeng zeera dal with asafoetida and tempered with cumin and deghi mirch. In all honesty that selection would have pleased any lover of Indian cuisine alone. But we had all made main course choices in advance so I had to look on with envy at those who had chosen masaledar machi, a fine looking fish dish made with hake, or shahi paneer, that wonderful south Asian cheese in tomato and cream sauce.

I was not to be disappointed though. Priya had sourced, then sauced, the first of the game season’s venison and created jungli maas. She described it as a very simple dish, the lean meat cooked slowly in ghee and chillies. Well simple she might claim but there is real expertise in balancing the flavours in a simple dish and she once again nailed it, the meat fell apart at the merest touch of the fork and was succulent too.

The portions are generous too, none of that fancy pants restaurant thing where sometimes you need a microscope to find your dinner. This was family cooking and family style.

To finish a mung bean halva. I looked at it, beautifully presented, and feared that it would be deathly sweet like the sweets that I enjoyed in Tooting, much to the detriment of my teeth and my waistline, but it was not, it was nutty and interesting, perhaps a little dry and in need of a little sugary syrup, but interesting and tasty enough for me to clear my plate.

It was too hot for coffee but we all chatted on, putting the world to rights until we finally bid new friends goodnight and thanked Priya once again for a splendid evening.

Priya’s supper clubs cost £40 a head, BYO wine, tickets are available on eventbrite.co.uk, or follow her on social media Priya Deshingkar Deccan Tiffin.