Mutanjan: The meat-and-rice dessert loved by Indian royals

For Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, mutanjan is a special dish, layered with cultural memories and emotions. “In some parts of the country, particularly in the Saharanpur area of Uttar Pradesh, it was once customary to send along a massive handi of mutanjan when a new bride left her parents’ home for her husband’s,” says Husain. “A sweet and salty dish, with a hint of tang from a twist of lime, perhaps represented the mixed emotions that such an occasion evokes,” she adds.