Sample the Hapshi Biryani and Kairi Dal and the very unique pyaaz ki kheer for dessert, Kulsum’s recipes are reminiscent of slow fire cooking and traditional flavours. There are no short cuts, she insists, and some recipes take a day to get ready.

“There is a strong Andhra influence on Hyderabadi cooking and the food often gets very spicy,” she says But not here. Bite into Pistachio Murg, a delicious entrée for winters and you’d be surprised with the delicate use of spices, none of them overshadowing the other.

“My grandmother was born in an aristocratic Iranian family and came to Raza-Yar Jung haveli in Darushafa in Hyderabad after her wedding,” recalls Kulsum who spent most of her youth at this haveli. “The kitchen was her favourite place and she passionately protected her recipes. Girls were never allowed in the kitchen as they feared the recipes might be passed on to the in-laws after their wedding,” she smiles.

But it was after her wedding to Kunwar Amir Naqi Khan of Memoodabad that Kulsum shifted to Lucknow and coaxed her grandmother to share some recipes. “It was my son’s birthday party and she obliged,” says Kulsum who has now shifted her base to Mumbai.

Her rich desi ghee recipes are not popular among the calorie conscious, explains Kulsum. “In those days, the begums would sit with haqeems to understand the relationship between food and health. The season’s ingredients were procured with the haqeem’s suggestion,” she adds.

Often confused with Awadhi cuisine, Kulsum says the Salar Jung recipes use a lot of souring agents and rely on freshly sourced ingredients. “We have 21 varieties of chillies to spike up the concoctions,” she informs knowingly.