NAGHAT ABEDI, PRINCESS OF RAMPUR
Save the Best for Last
The flowers Naghat Abedi has ordered are dramatic red proteas that perfectly complement the dining set and the walls. They are masculine, strong and scentless and, therefore, do not compete with the aroma of the food. Having your florist understand your taste in quirky blooms over the years is not to be underestimated!
It’s All in the Arrangement
When people are sitting down for a meal, the flower arrangements should be flat and wide so that guests can look at each other and converse across the table. The talkto-your-neighbour-only etiquette of a Nizam’s sitdown meal is not necessary for a close circle of friends, or for diners perennially in search of the next person to talk to!
Why Use a Knife?
When serving Indian at a sit-down dinner, Naghat Abedi lays each place setting her way. She skips protocol and does away with the knife. Her reason? When food on the plate is Indian, everyone picks up the fork and prefers to eat with it, so why use a knife? It instantly brings the meal to life and reminds you that you are there to dine the way you would find most comfortable when eating Indian food—with your fingers or with a fork.
Put Everything on the Mat
Naghat Abedi places both the main plate and the side plate on the table mat, making room on the mat for the fork as well. Only the glasses sit outside the table mat. Additionally, on the main plate are her signature grey linen napkins, monogrammed with the family crest.
Feast with the Eyes First
The Shehzadi likes to lay the food out on a buffet table, to one side of the dining table. Here is where guests get to view the spread and then decide what to eat. You then sit down at the formally set table where second helpings are brought to you.
Only the Usual Serving Spoons
Despite what Naghat Abedi says, there is nothing usual about her serving spoons. She has a serving ladle meant precisely for each of her dishes. Long, flat ones for kebabs; small, round ones with pretty handles for dal; deep, long ones with carving for korma— each silver ladle is a piece of art in itself.