Lakshmi Bai at the table

In the Maratha Brahmin family where Lakshmi Bai grew up, meals were taken seated on the floor, in a pangat (row of diners), before a large metal plate called a thali. Small portions of rice, dal, a flatbread, vegetables, and a little sweet were arranged on it, and a ladle of melted ghee was always poured over the rice. The meal is sattvic: vegetarian, pure, without garlic or onion as per royal and Brahmin kitchen custom, to nourish the body without agitating the mind. Each flavor has its reserved place on the plate, and one eats with the right hand, using the fingers.

Goda masala, a sweet-roasted Marathi blend (coriander, cumin, cinnamon, clove, dried coconut, sesame seeds, dagad phool stone flower), gives its warm, dark fragrance to the cuisine of the Rani's native Maharashtra. Ghee, clarified butter, is the sattvic soul of every dish: it is drizzled over rice, used to grease flatbreads, and poured over offering sweets.