Deliciously Delhi

Subroto Re: # 45

Thanks. So `Dum Pukht` is Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah`s creation.

In fact, this `slow heat to cook within own juices` is my favourite as well. Especially, the vegetables come out farm fresh.

When there were Bars in military messes here, they did a social service as well. They taught beginners the etiquette & manners of drinking - and it seeped through to the society. (Now the people look at the bottle as an enemy & wish to gulp it down in shortest possible time)

Those good old Bar men had to make their jokes a litle more funny and a little less dirty - Now they had sane Coke drinkers as the audience.

nhk

#44 Nazar sahib aap kay liye history lesson:
According to legend Dum Pukht cuisine was discovered when Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah decreed that the builders of the Bara Imam Bara Mosque should have access to food day and night. Street cooks assembled giant pots, filled them with rice, meat, vegetables and spices and placed them on gently simmering fires. The lids were sealed with dough and topped with hot coals to slow-cook the food and keep it warm around the clock. When the Nawab tasted the food during an inspection, he was most impressed and ordered his chefs to refine the cooking technique in the royal kitchens. ``Dum Pukht``, means `to breathe` and `to cook`. The cuisine owes its excellence to the fact that the food, sealed in a dish and slow-cooked in its own juices, retains all its natural aromas and flavours.

Btw Mess food say yaad aaya..old memories of the mess cook Fernandes..each recipe began with ``first pour 2 pegs of rum into the cook``..souffle to die for. Actually 20 years back when I was still an army brat some of the cooks in obscure cantonments were masters in their own rights.

#37 Farzana ``Subroto: Can`t you talk about anything else but food? ;) `` You mean there are other things to talk about? Ever had Parsi food in an obscure resturant in Khandala? Dragged my wife on a 6 km trek to just eat there. Then there is the establishment run by the Gandhi sisters in Mahabaleshwar..yOMmm. Any comments on Konkani seafood cooking?
As I mentioned before I had plans to stop interacting on this website but the scent of this article has reeled me in.

I say Hamidm old chap I can recall an establishment in the hill station of Kausali where the cook specialised in continental cooking on a wood fired oven, absolutely smashing I say.

Yummmmmm

FV`s mention of `Dum Pukht` reminded me of a certain Badaam Khan, our batman at Peshawar Mess.

He used to tell us his travels with the Historian Toynbee when he was in these areas.

Badaam Khan used to cook food for him. He told us his Recipies of `Chicken a la King` and `Chicken a la Kiev`.

He had book of Toynbee with his and Toynbee`s picture where Toynbee had good wards for Badaam Khan.

Whosoever chose this name `Dum Pukht` chose a very electrifying, delicious and dramatic name. How is Dum Pukht cooked? Anyone...

nhk

There are subtle differences... for example Indians are rather liberal in their usage of ``Masala`` and ``Spices``.... from the looks of it...

But generally I agree with Hamidm... that is why I don`t understand why people waste money on ``Subcontinental cuisine``...

rsridhar,

.... i agree with you ....... but regardless of whether it is indian or pakistani, sub-continental cusine is horrible because the spices are so overpowering ........... i am serious whan i say that a blind man wouldn`t notice the difference .......

.......... just last night i was ranting and raving about the tori (squash) gosht mrs hamidm had cooked up ( i must admit that i did stop by the bar for a couple of gin and tonics) ....... it is not often that she whips up a vegetable dish (or any dish for that matter), but everyone thinks she is a great cook ............. anyway, to cut a long story short, it turned out that i was eating baingan (egg plant) gosht !........... needless to say, mrs hamidm instead of being pleased by my compliments was quite upset and friday night, for which i had great expectations, turned out to be quite uneventful .............

.......... last week i ended up for lunch at the buffet at an indian buffet in manhattan with a bunch of white guys who kept on asking me for recommendations ......... i told them, ``guys, it doesn`t really matter, the texture might be the different, but it all tastes the same`` ............ ``rasam, dal, paneer saag, idlee, dosa, tandoori chicken - all same same, all very very good, no``, ( as i shook my head sideways for authencity) ......... shan is the great equalizer ...........

re:#36 by hamidm2
``Indian cuisine`` is a brand name that is recognized in UK, USA. Bangladeshis who are into the restaurant business in UK are forced to call the food Indian Cuisine. That is what sells. Actually, there is nothing like a Pakistani or Bangladeshi cuisine. Try selling that anywhere outside of these countries and you will know what i mean.
Many years ago, i used to frequent Jackson Heights (New York) with my Pakistani friend (both doing Residency together). Invariably, my friend would refuse my invitation to go into an Indian restaurant. We would end up going to a Pak restaurant. Food was always good but the ambience was poor and one felt like one was sitting in a Dhabha. I, of course, did not mind but it is not a place you would think of bringing your girl friend, if u know what i mean.
Some months ago i visited San Francisco for a conference. The nearest Indian restaurant that i checked out was atrociously costly for my taste. Nearer to heart was a Pak restaurant which was about 40% cheaper. Food was equally good. Again, the atmosphere and ambience of the place was below par and the crowd was a different kind of crowd. I saw mostly Pakistanis, few Amerincans while the Indian restaurant was frequented by many Americans regularly. Pakistanis feel that their pride is hurt when they call the subcontinental cuisine ``Indian Cuisine`` but that is what sells in US, UK and other places outside the subcontinent.
Sridhar

Ras:

While in Karachi at ``Bun`s`` Street, I too felt like I was at the Urdu Bazaar `eatries` near Jama Masjid. I suspect that Nihari you had was made of beef; you see, Burra meat is often a code-word for beef in that area of Delhi.

And while walking from Jama Masjid to Ghantawallah, you missed the jalebiwallah at the nukkad of Dariba and Chandni Chowk. That literal hole in the wall does more business with jalebis alone than most halwais do with their entire selection. And this is from someone who normally doesn`t even like jalebis.

Talking of food, I just came back from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It has some incomparable choice in sea food if any of you happens to go that way.

I think food is one of those unquenched passions in our life that creates a divide unlike any other ;) Sticky gulab jamuns to one are melt in your mouth meeti delicacies to another!

FV #37,
English food -- really !!
My opinion French food is great, and we Indians exagerate about our food.

stuka: Punjabi cuisine is sophisticated?

[Do you also put Thums Up in black label scotch? Hahaha!!]

I don`t, because I don`t drink...scotch. But, honest, if orange juice can be added to vodka, what`s the problem? Anyway, most alcohol is karva, and drinking overly-sweet sherry is so declasse. Btw, I do add Thums Up to vanilla ice-cream and pour dal over meetha chawal :)

Agree with you about Bade Miyan`s standards now...

Jang:

China Garden is quite the pits (unless you like aloo-bhindi with ajinomoto), but Kamling is really good. Ling`s Pavilion is a bit too pricey (hello, where are those who talk of Rs. 80 cups of coffee?). Golden Dragon has pretty much retained a certain standard, but it is at the Taj. China Gate in Bandra does have some nice stuff and Sampan at Holiday Inn has a superb fish in black bean sauce and their toffee dessert is simply great.

And what did you mean by little hole Thai places in bandra? They are pretty decent....Thai Palate, Thai Ban, Thai Connection...

Ras:

You asked about kakori kebabs. They were invented by the master chefs of the ageing nawabs so that the toothless lords did not have to worry about chewing. They must turn out just right...hollow cylinders, they truly melt in the mouth. The consistency has got to be smooth, any unseemly shreds and it is a disaster. The trick is in the marination. This is true sophisticated cuisine and am afraid the better ones would be available at the slightly high-end restaurants. I know Dum Pukht was excellent, so is Copper Chimney (with surly waiters).

- - -

Mumbai does have some interesting Parsi food (though I agree that Pune is better on this count...). Britannia still rules, so do A-1 near Grant Road station and Paradise. Jimmy Boy`s has a proper `Lagan-nu-bhonu` (wedding) spread, and you can eat it without making a disaster of your life or participating in anyone else`s disaster!

Parsi patra ni macchee, berry pulao, dhansak (this has to be really good) and lagan nu custard (a bit eggy), downed with Duke`s Raspberry (this is the only fizzy drink I dig) is so heavenly...

- - -

And who said Indian non-veg food is nothing great? Gosh, the variety we have! From Kashmiri flavours to robust Punjabi to UP to Bengali to the West Coast to S. Indian (Chettinad and Keralite) to the N.East, each region is so different.

Same goes for vegetarian...except that Muslims and Parsis are pretty bad at it. The miyans terat all vegggies like meat and dunk them in masalas and the parsis find the easy way out and add eggs to everything.

- - -

And yes, I must say that the frontier-type cuisine in Pakistan is incomparable; they also treat meat with more respect than Indians, a bit far too much respect, which is why it is rarely well-done. (I had to send back my order at Bundu Khan`s twice; I should have just told them I was toothless royalty...)

- - -

Am I the only one who likes English food???? Is it wrong?

Subroto: Can`t you talk about anything else but food? ;)

eating like a crow ..........

......... first and foremost i have to go on record once again and say that i am against all this cross-border footsie between pakis and horrible hindoos of dubious origin ......... look, if your relatives were foolish enough to stay behind in 47 instead of following musharraf, then they deserve to eat nihari made out of chicken feet and fish marrow ......... i know some indians like stuka and dost have also crossed over to god`s side of the border to eat kebabs and drink lassi, but two wrongs don`t make a right ..............untill and unless the kashmir issue is resolved all good pakis should refrain from cozying up to banias, khatris, arains, rajputs and other assorted lower caste people even if some of them are their relatives ..........

......... having said that, indian cuisine, wheter northern or southern, is simply horrible - regardless of what you call the dish it all tastes the same ........... chicken tikka with shan masala is not a whole lot different than seekh kebab with shan masala ............ mutter keema is the same as aloo keema and anyone who says that they can tell the difference betwwen bombay biryani and sindhi buryani is either a big fat lier or on shan`s payroll ............ if you blindfold an unsuspecting white man and feed him ten different dishes from palak paneer to bihari kebabs, the reaction will be the same - teary eyes, profuse sweating followed by violent cursing and retching ......... and don`t tell me, ``but we don`t use shan masala``........ anyone who says that is a lier and a hypocrite - everyone, including jehangir the kebab-maker on kashmir road, phaja the paye-maker in heera mandi, the fish-maker at mozang and my sister the home-maker in islamabad uses shan`s masalas ........... and even if they use natioinal or some other brand from the wrong side of the border, it doesn`t matter - it all tastes the same ........... there is no such thing as indian cuisine............ in the end it all the same - something fried, grilled, boiled or roasted with the same old masala by shan or others of his ilk ..........

......... i will take real food like cassoulet au confit and goose foie gras followed by compote de pommes - beats the heck out of sticky gulab jamuns or whatever it is that passes for desert in delhi .......

........ and please, no snide comments about crows and storks ........... there is no need to eat like a crow simply because you look like one !

Also Ras, Sadia Dehlvi was the first person in India to receive a talaq or divorce electronically (or so she claimed). But the divorce was by mutual consent and hubby was from Pakistan. She is a writer and a big favourite of Kushwant Singh.

Gurujee actually we had some really good beef curry at my boarding school in Pune and shortage was never a problem. I hear the school still carries on with the smae proud tradition. And all college students in Delhi really knew those delicious one rupee kebabs they were eating were really buffallo in origin. And strangely once upon a time the only place to get good pork was from Aligarh Dairy.

Good writeup on Avadhi food ->
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030713/spectrum/main2.htm
And a column by one of my favourite cartoonist -> http://www.indiatoday.com/webexclusive/columns/ravi/20000602.html

Aur aap bhi kya yaad karogay
2 cups minced mutton/lamb
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp powdered black pepper
2 tbsp chopped green coriander
chopped green chillies to taste
2 tbsp chopped raw papaya
4 cloves
1 black cardamom – seeds
1/8 tsp powdered cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 blade mace
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
2 cups onions - sliced thin, and browned crisp in ½ cup ghee
¼ cup bhuna chana - powdered
1 egg
ghee for brushing
some chaat masala - onion rings and lemon wedges for garnish

Mix all ingredients except ghee and garnishes to marinate for about 4 hours, then grind to form a smooth, thick paste.

Knead this mixture well and mix in the roasted gram and the egg.

Cover and refrigerate for another hour.

About 25 minutes before serving, shape the meat around the skewers and place the kababs on to a grill over a drip tray, or in a pre-heated oven (also on a drip tray).

If cooking them over a charcoal grill, you will have to keep rotating them so that they brown and cook evenly. They should take 15-20 minutes to cook.

Brush with ghee and cook another 2 minutes. Serve garnished with chaat masala onions and the lemon and serve with green chutney.

Regards,
#26

#32 HP, I agree, but I find his one liners in response to romair quite funny at times.

#31
Good Catch Ali,

You forgot to mention that despite his H1B visa status, the US government accorded him TOP LEVEL security clearance because he had already killed his parents to complete the Security clearance form. Unfortunately, this creature does not know the form number for security clearance.
I have known some braggarts; but bragging on an anonymous forum! Give me a break!

#30 by Ras
CHOWK Editors,
Could we finally read what friend
arjun_m is trying to write on this issue?

Ras Sahib, let me summarize it for you..... this is what friend arjun_m has been tryin to write:

- Indian IT exports are 3.2 trillion dollars, compared with 3.2 million dollars from Pakistan.
- Nadeem Azeemji is the richest Indian, worth 137 billion dollars, more than the GDP of Pakistan.
- They are teaching Java programming language to pre-K students in Hyderabad, and html is being taught while babies are still in the womb...... compared with the madrassa education that pakistanis like you have received.
- Finally, he tells us that he was born in the USA but brought up and educated in India..... and is a key mover and shaker in the Indian American lobbying circles...... and is frustrated that chowkies find his quest for his H1B visa extension funny.

so there!

oops! he also calls us Pakistanis jehadis, terrorists and pukis and thinks all of us belong in Guantanamo bay. Thank Goodness I remembered.... lest you remained deprived of your friend`s writings.