While travelling in the Rajasthan hinterland, I was asked one very good but common question” what does it take to make a very good Biryani at home”. I remember answering to one of the guest readers of www.sonzyskitchen.com blog on the art of making good Mughlai Biryani but at this point of time, it may require greater attention to details like demystifying the ingredients and its purpose, art of steaming in vapour characterized by the lavish use of aromatic agents which produces the delirious effect and leave people spellbound. One of the reader’s question on Lazzat-e-taam” is also pending for some time which I will enquire from the master craftsmen of Lucknowi cuisine as the spice blend is difficult to procure outside Lucknow.

At this stage I wish to concentrate my focus on the multi-dimensional culinary offerings of Rajasthan which I covered briefly in my previous writing. There some really prominent foods of the state which are making splash elsewhere with little realisation of its glorious past which often covered in the thick dust of memory. With evolution, food has also changed its character and people are more than willing to modify the taste, texture, flavour, spicing to suit the palette and at the same time undergoing the risk to become oblivious of the glorious chapters of the past.

This piece of writing will try to focus on the famous Rajputana cuisine or the royal food of Rajasthan against the recent backdrop of the disappearance of the princely kingdom from the map of India.
Some of the Mahrajas or Kings are still living that dream albeit in a new context. People do regard them still as the king but their form of doing administration has take a new hue which is mostly charitable in various fields like schools, colleges, hospitals, old age home, women’s welfare, rehabilitation, town development, so on and so forth.
They have also turned their palaces, a new smart business concept, into resorts and heritage hotels which not only take care of the high maintenance and upkeep but also hands them their share of profit as well.
They are, in fact, the torch bearers of their cuisine and the privileged few will have the opportunity to savour a delicacy from their home kitchen in the cosy comfort of their palatial dining hall.

So what do they actually cook in their home? I am not sure that they themselves indulge in the mundane cooking but anyhow the question is also intriguing as to what do they actually eat in their day to day life?

One thing is for sure if you happen to become guest to one of the Mharajas that the meal will be a grand display of their opulent past, sumptuous and fill you with an experience of a lifetime.

The Rajputana cuisine was primarily based on the utilisation of game birds and game animals but with the government ban on the shikars (killing) as they would be fondly remember from a memory recoup and slaughtering has taken this aspect out of a possible game feast. Campfire was quite common during their heydays where open barbeque of the game killed that day would invite all towards a communal dining fare with light entertainment of songs and dance.

I may not recreate one of the recipes here because describing those experiences will transcend the limit today but some of them will definitely follow in the coming days.

The other intriguing aspect or application, or I may simply call it the improvisation which developed as an effect of the need was Khad cooking which was merely a royal expression of life in the outdoors during their shikar (hunting) foray. These were simple cooking parties or night out but full of pomp and show to impress their masters. The protagonist himself would indulge in these pleasures casting aside their social etiquette of mega living and would eat heartily using their hands.

A khad is a deep pit dug near the main camp so that the roasting pervades the air around and arouses the taste buds while salivating the glands. The bottom of the pit is filled with coal or charcoal which is then surrounded by dried twigs, leaves and small branches. The coal will then be topped with dried cowdung shaped like a flat round cake. This is also known as upla in some parts of India.
The meat will be smothered with marinades and should preferably be kept for 4-6hrs. It will then be wrapped in giant rotis (Indian flatbread) made with whole wheat flour and secured with a strong thread.
This parcel will again be wrapped in juts sacks and tied again with thread which then resemble like a tight jute strewn parcel. This parcel is then put on live coal and cowdung and ghee (clarified butter) is poured on to the parcel containing the meat. Fire the entire coal set-up and cover he parcel with surrounding twigs, branches. etc.
This will cook for some time depending upon the size of the meat but a typical leg of lamb would take almost close to 2hrs to get cooked.

I am not sure whether some of you can do this at home but take part if opportunity beckons you some day. Enjoy until then and wait for the next topic where I cover a recipe from the royal kitchen.

Tags: balti, roti, palak, paneer, dhokla, naan, kebab, kulfi, tandoor, dal

One of the recent highlight of my trip to Jaipur was a dish made with three berries namely kair,
sangria and kumita. I am not sure whether five star hotels are the real place to have the original
experience as they are famous for developing their own version. Out of wild berries growing
freely in the Thar dessert, one of Marwari’s cuisine’s signature dish was born to be known all
around India as a culinary representative of Marwaris of Rajsthan.
Piquant and tangy, Kair-sangri-kumita is a simple vegetarian preparation and an experience of
Rajsthani cuisine is not replete without a curious bite of this otherwise mundane preparation.
Kair, sangria and kumita are actually wild berries which grow abundantly in Thar dessert region
and are there for easy picking. The scarcity of green vegetables and their high prices have
pushed these berries into day to day usage in the home kitchen of Rajsthan. Legend has it that
these berries were discovered long ago during a severe famine which struck the region. All
other natural vegetables and cattle died but Kair (small pods), Sangri and Kumita (long dried
beans) flourished uninhibited during the testing time. Their existence brought joyous
revelations and delightful reactions amongst the inhabitants who plucked all three and took
them to their home for cooking. Of these sangria is a very good source of protein, while the
other two provide the bulk in the preparation.
These three wild berries were put to test with some other ingredients in the absence of water
which came as premium during famine. As there was no water, villagers kept the berries to dry
and sourced out whatever they could lay their hand on at home from their kitchen shelves like
mustard oil, red mathania chilies, amchur (dried mango powder), salt and yogurt. A paste was
made with all the available ingredients and those three dried berries were marinated in them.
The same was stored for some day to allow the pickling flavor to develop; as a result a great
invention was born out of necessity which was consumed with bajre ki roti (millet bread).
Nowadays Kair, sangri are generally soaked overnight for their better utilization, boiled and
then fried in oil, to prepare a mouth-watering delicacy flavored with tints of dried dates, red
chillies, turmeric powder, shredded dried mango, salt, coriander and cumin seeds.These three
berries have survived the test of the time due to its long shelf life when converted to pickle and
continues to be prepared in this ostensibly simple and mundane ways, more so because much
help is available now during famines and floods. This is highly regarded, even today, as one of
the mainstays of Marwari cuisine of Rajsthan.
The modern day kitchen preparation also incorporates the fresh kair, sangri and kumita which is
soaked overnight and then simmered in yogurt based curry. These three ingredients are,
coincidentally, also a contributor to the very well know Rajsthani delicacy called “Panchkuta”
which also comprises of the other ingredients namely. Dried mathania chilies and whole dried
amchur. These are then fried with spices in little oil and served with local bread. They also do
not require refrigeration and keeps well.
KAIR, SANGRI, KUMITA KI SUBJI
¼ cup kair
¼ cup sangria
¼ cup kumita
3tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1tsp cumin seed
2 medium red onions, peeled and sliced thinly
3 cup full fat yogurt
2tbsp besan (chickpea flour)
3tbsp coriander seed
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt
For garnish
Chopped fresh coriander
Ginger julienne (matchstick size)
Method:
Soak the kair, sangria a nd kumita in a non-reactive bowl (stainless steel bowl, glass bowl etc.).
Wash, drain the dried berries and discard the water. Bring them to boil in a suitably large pan
for 5-7minutes until done but still retaining a slight crunch. Drain and keep aside.
In a kadhai (Indian wok) heat ghee and bring just to smoking point, add cumin and allow to
splatter, 10seconds. Next add onion and sauté for 5-7minutes until light golden. Add kair,
sangria and kumita and continue cooking until water from the berries is released. Remove from
heat and rest until yogurt gravy is ready.
In a bowl, stir together the yogurt and besan until smooth, bring to boil in a suitably large pan/
kadhai, reduce to simmer, add turmeric and season with salt.
Next, add the berry mixture to the yogurt mixture and continue simmering at slow heat until
the sauce thickens and coat the berries.
Garnish with chopped coriander and ginger julienne and serve with the local bread of your
choice.

Tags: naan, gosht, tandoori, curries, handi, dhokla, chicken, indian food, chana, tandoor

I am myself amazed to see the variety of preparation one would come across visiting different
states of India and also the different countries of the world. While we have seen few of the
lentil recipes in the previous blogs; this does not in any sense means that the lentil repertoire is
over. In some of the upcoming blogs the effort will be to continue to witness the various
application and nuances of lentil right from a standalone main course preparation to being an
important ingredient for a particular recipe. There will be few crossovers also between Indian
and Western preparations as some of the classical Western recipes are almost made in the
same way as their Indian counterpart except for little uniqueness.
The recipe that we have chosen for today is the savoury porridge of ground meat (one can
make with mutton, lamb or beef as the case may be) lentil and wheat. In some of the cases you
may come across some traditional recipes without the lentils; so do not be taken aback by the
various versions of Haleem as the idea is not to create confusion but enjoyment. Some of the
people have also developed the chicken and fish variety for people preferring the mild flavor
out of the dish.
This traditional porridge has its roots in Middle East but the one that we have included today is
the Hyderabadi (Southern state capital of Andhra Pradesh in India) variant which is a meal in
itself. During the month of Ramadan the aroma of this porridge will fill the lungs with the
craving of the same as most of the roadside eateries to popular restaurant will make their own
version to lure the customer on the occasion of Iftar, when the day long fasting comes to an
end and allows the people to break their fast.
Haleem (mutton, lentil and pounded wheat porridge)
Preparation time: 20-30minutes
Cooking time: 45-60minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
½ cup broken wheat
½ kg mutton (alternately lamb or beef)
¼ cup masoor dal (split red lentil)
¼ cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)
4 medium red onion
1tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/3 tsp haldi (turmeric)powder
1tsp red chili powder
1/3 tsp garam masala (hot spice) powder (see the notes on e-book available with sonzyskitchen)
1/3 cup Ghee (clarified butter)
¼ cup cooking oil
2-3green chilies (optional), chopped
1 cup full fat yogurt
Salt to taste
few mint leaves
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Method:
Soak the broken wheat overnight. Boil the wheat the following day until tender in a suitably large
pan, drain any extra water and cool the wheat down. Using a grinder, grind the moist wheat until
fine and set aside.
In a separate heavy bottom pan, heat oil and fry the onions until lightly caramelized. Remove half
the onion and keep aside for later use.
To the onion remaining in the pan, add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2-3minutes until raw
aroma of the paste has disappeared. Add mutton, both the lentils, salt, chili powder and turmeric
and cook until the liquid released by lamb have almost evaporated.
In a bowl gently whisk the yogurt until smooth and add it to the mutton taking care to lower the
heat to avoid splitting the yogurt. Stir from time to time until oil starts floating on top. At this
stage add enough water to cover the mutton, cook until the meat is tender and most of the
water has been absorbed.
Remove the pan from the heat and cool down the mixture. Next, grind the mutton mixture until
fine.
Heat ghee in a suitably large heavy bottom pan, add the ground mutton and the wheat and cook
on medium heat for 8-10minutes until the specks of ghee start coming to the sides. Add hot
spice powder and lemon juice and stir to mix well. Check the seasoning and the consistency too,
the texture should be like a thick porridge.
Remove from heat and garnish with previously kept fried onion, chopped green chili and freshly
torn mint leaves. Serve hot.

Tags: indian curry, tandoor, dhokla, desi, tandoori, naan, kulfi, idli, sambhar, chicken

Just as the lentil series was threatening to take centre stage in the preceding blogs, I have
decided to change the topic a little just as to make a happy co-incidence with the election of US
president. The mood obviously is cheerful and optimistic and so wines will take the rightful
place during the celebrations centered on food and dining.
While some of the world cuisine goes very well with wine even to the extent of matching each
of the courses with appropriate grape variety and fizz. Same is not true of Indian food which we
are trying to investigate and explore today.
With the surge in economic activity and globalization of market, it is only a matter of time that
foreign businessmen and visitor will push the Indian dining experience towards acquiring a new
dimension in the form of pairing of Indian food with wine. One could very soon see the a bottle
of wine with the slightest excuse to go with popular Indian food like curries, kormas, biryanis
and tikkas. Some of the prominent Indian restaurant under the aegis of well known hotel
brands like Caridges, ITC and Hyatt have already started the initiative with guarded caution and
some other restaurants, within the hotel and standalone, would follow the suit to bring out the
culinary subtleties of food to complement the notes of wine.
Role of Sommelier
The surest way towards a better melody of curry and wine is to trust the knowledgeable
sommelier (the French term for wine waiter) but the overzealous waiter is equally bad. The
final decision is yours and your ability to afford the elixir of life. One should still be prepared to
question the selection of wine by the sommelier if all the notes are pointing to the same
direction without much informed choices. The idea is to develop the mutually complementing
symphony than the one overpowering other.
Most of the better Indian hotels and some of the up market Indian restaurants have tied up
with their foreign counterpart and arrange training and workshop for its staff to develop the
knowledge and skill. This is also a very good exercise in revenue maximization because of the
margin involved in wines and low labour cost implication in the long term. While the pairing is
still in the infancy in India, it is a common practice in western countries to plan the food around
wine, tapas like food being one of the examples.
Challenges of Pairing Indian food and wine
While it is easier to pair food with some of the cuisines of the world notable amongst them are
Italian, French, Mediterranean because it is a part of their day to day culture, it has always been
difficult to do so with most of the Asian cuisine as it was not a part of their culture. For example
drinking Sake is always very popular with Japanese cuisine. Indian food on other hand has never
been on the same side as that of their western counterparts.
The use of spices, the distractions of oil, the pungency, the inconsistency of recipes that one
wine working with the same food in one restaurant may not be the case with other restaurant.
Mushrooming of Indian restaurants all over the world with their own anglicized Indian recipes
has also not helped the cause. Exception to the rule will always be the delicate Indian
preparations the recipes of which are always guarded secrets of some select few in the India
kitchen.
The complementary notes:
While champagne will always be the natural choice to go with almost the endless variety of
food, the selection though will have to made between brut (dry) and sec (sweet).
Italian red wines like Chianti, Amarone, Barolo, or Barbaresco will go very well with chunkier
Indian food like lamb curry, tikkas and kormas. A good Riesling (white grape) from
Germany, France or Austria would do absolute justice to spicy and lemony food.
Some of the smarter people who do not wish to experience the pain of uncertainty of
choosing red or white would go with Rose wine (wine with the reddish tinge which renders a
pink hue to the liquid) to carry them through the entire meal experience.
Surprisingly the new world wines have charted the lesser known territories than their famed
old world counterparts. Young vintages work well with most of the food and if consuming
more than one wine during the meal experience, chose the lighter wines before full bodied
ones, dry wines before sweet one and lower alcohol wines before higher alcohol wines.
Always insist on tasting the wine before approving the entire bottle; for balance of flavour
work well when you know the spices and herbs and the floral notes of your wine.
We will try to explore more of it in the coming blogs with suggestions and alternatives. Unil
then just remember the popular Latin phrase “ In vino veritas” which means there lies the
truth in wine.

Tags: chana, handi, kebab, desi, roti, tikka masala, bhatura, curries, paneer, kulfi

Even though the first nine days of Navratri celebration will essentially be vegetarian cuisine for most of the household celebrating the festival, it will keep the housewives, accomplished as well as the amateur cooks busy in honing their skill to prepare a lavish spread. The cost of vegetables are proving to be a dampener this time in this part of world due to unprecedented rains in most part of Maharashtra and flood at Nasik which is main source of supply to Mumbai and adjoining regions. Nevertheless, once in a year event will prevail and curries and kormas will again demand the limelight.

If one carefully browses through the menus available during the feast, most of the dishes would be similar to certain extent but the taste and flavor would be unique to each household.  Today we will take a look at the various menu options available which will help you to plan your menu for the occasion if you are looking for more than the usual festival foods.

Sweet Dishes:
Malpua (pancake in sugar syryp), Misti Doi (sweetened and thickened yogurt), Cheenar Payesh (Milk and nuts pudding), Rasgulla and rasmalai(sweetened cottage cheese dumpling), Kesar kheer (saffron flavoured rice pudiing), sabudana ki kheer (sago and milk pudding), makhane ki kheer (lotus root and nut pudding), Mingi paak (melon seed and reduced milk pudding) etc.

The appetizer may include:
Traditional aloo chaat, kurkure aloo (stuffed crispy potato), crispy colocassia (kurkuri arbi), Baingan bhaja (Aubergine fritter), sabudana vada (sago fritter), Dahi –papdi chaat (yogurt and semolina crisp appetizer), ghughni (spicy black gram preparation), exotic kachouri with chutneys etc.

The mention of main courses will sound like the never ending fable consisting of pleasant surprises such as
Gatte ki subji, matar paneer, dal panchratan, gul gobhi etc from Rajsthan to Tooriya posto charchari, aloo potol, cholar dal with coconut slivers, Luchi (Bengali pooris), sukhto (mix vegetable with bitter gourd). The western region may boast of preparations like kacche kele ke kofte (plaintain dumpling), aloo khus khus, kuttu ki poori and parathe (variety of buckwheat bread), cumin tempered rice, sabudana khichdi (sago and vegetable gruel), etc.

And the peripherals like pumpkin chutney, peanut chutney, aubergine pickle, moong sprout salad, tandoori fruit salad etc. Some of the very exotic recipes are also contained in the Indian Curry Manual available with us, so go ahead and try. Happy Navratri and Dusshera.

- Kuntal

Tags: chana, indian curry, tandoor, sambhar, karahi, vindaloo, kebab, desi, tandoori, handi

Vindaloo now a days, as it stands is a Goan interpretation of the popular Portuguese preparation originally called “Vindalho” which when dissected meant Vinho for wine and alhos for garlic. These two were the integral part of the dish originally made with pork which also contained ginger, pepper and red wine vinegar.

The modern version available in most of the Indian restaurant including the one in Goa is made with lots of chilli, tomato and potato. Potato because some of chefs have presumed that the last word in Vindaloo is equivalent to “aloo” (potato) which most of the Indian likes in some form or the other.  The pork used in the Portuguese recipe is not a very popular choice with the Indians and is a complete taboo with the Muslim Chefs; hence it further underwent a complete makeover and local versions made with lamb or chicken are equally popular with undertones of local Goan feni made with cashewnut fruit.

The original recipe is contained in the curry manual available with www.sonzyskitchen.com. However I will try to recreate the most commonly found lamb vindaloo.

Lamb Vindaloo:
1 kg lean lamb, cleaned and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 medium red onion, chopped roughly
1 inch knob ginger, scraped and chopped roughly
10 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup coconut feni
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered and deep fried until crisp
1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves, washed and chopped
Salt to taste

Marinating ingredients
10 dried red chillis (can vary the quantity to suit individual palate)
10 peppercorns
10 cloves
1 medium bark cinnamon
5 nos green cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
1/3 cup malt vinegar

Method:
In a blender, make the paste of marinating ingredients. Marinate the lamb cubes and season a little with salt. Keep aside for 2 hrs to allow the flavour to penetrate inside the meat fibres

In a cooking vessel, heat the oil and fry the lamb, stirring occasionally, until it is light brown on all sides. Add chopped onion, ginger and garlic and continuing frying until the vegetables are brown and cooked. Add turmeric powder and pour in coconut feni and water, bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 10-15minutes until lamb is tender and the oil starts floating on top. Check seasoning. Serve hot garnished with deep fried potato wedges and freshly chopped coriander.

Bon Appetit !

- Kuntal

Tags: lentil, desi, curries, vindaloo, dosa, palak, indian food, roti, chana, dal

Ganesha Chaturthi or Ganesha Utsav (the special day of the elephant-headed god “Ganesha” who is prayed as the first deity) falls on the fourth day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada (around August-September). It is celebrated all across India and is the biggest festival in Maharashtra. Even though you may encounter heavy traffic congestion, it is worthwhile to pay a visit to any part of Maharashtra especially Mumbai and Pune.

He has the head of an elephant on which is perched a dainty tiara, four podgy hands joined to a sizeable belly with each hand holding its own symbolic object. One hand has a trishul, or a trident, the second, an ankush, or goad made from his very own broken tooth; the third hand elegantly holds a lotus and the fourth a rosary (which is sometimes replaced by modaks – his favourite sweet). Ganesha is famous not only for being a trickster and for his sense of humour, but equally for his wisdom. He is the son of Shiva (Destroyer in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer) and Parvati (Shiva’s consort).

Ganesha is the foremost god of the Hindu pantheon. This brave guardian of the door to Parvati’s bath is beheld today as the most auspicious God of new beginnings. He is worshipped during every festival and before people undertakes a journey or embarks upon a new venture. You will also see him carefully guarding entrances to temples and homes, peeping out of calendars and happily gracing marriages and other such occasions.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2008: It’s being celebrated on 3rd September amidst traditional zeal and fervor all across India. The other interesting aspect of this festival is the various traditional offerings

Some of the famous dishes prepared at home during the festival are:
Besan ke laddo (round sweet of gram flour),
modak( sweet comprising of small pearls of gram flour),
moong dal halwa (moong lentil pudding),
Kaju ki burfi (cashewnut nut cake),
puliyodarai (tamarind spiced rice),
puran poli (sweetened bread stuffed with jiggery and Bengal gram) etc.

PURAN POLI

Ingredients

• 1 cup refined flour (Maida)
• 1 pinch Turmeric Powder
• few strands saffron
• 1 pinch Salt
• 2 tsp+1 tbsp Ghee
• Water enough to make dough
• 6 tbsp Oil
• For frying Oil / Ghee

Inner Filling

• 1 - 1/2 cup Jaggery (gur)
• 1 - 1/4 cup Bengal Gram Dal (chana dal)
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

Method :
Blend the ghee with saffron, turmeric and refined flour. Make a soft dough using water and knead lightly. Leave under a wet cloth for 40-50 minutes.  Knead again. Put in the 6 tbsps oil and knead till completely absorbed. Cover and leave aside for 4 hours. Put the lentil in the cooker for one whistle, allow the steam to evaporate on its own before draining the water. Grind the lentil with jaggery and cardamom powder to a fine paste, slowly cook the mixture with the remaining ghee until lightly aromatic and thick paste like.
Make small balls of the filling. Divide the dough into small balls and flatten them so that it can encase the filling.

Place one ball of filling on the dough and cover and seal up the filling.
Carefully roll out the dough into thick bread like pooris making sure the filling does not come out.
Fry on a tawa pouring ghee around it. Cook on both sides and serve hot.

We Wish the readers a very happy and auspicious Ganesh puja and hope it brings lot of happiness in our lives.

- Kuntal and Puneet

Tags: balti, indian curry, murgh, naan, idli, chana, roti, karahi, dhokla, bhatura

Indian Cuisine - The Nutritional aspects by Kuntal Kumar

Traditionally India has never been so conscious about the nutritional breakdown but with general awareness level going up, most of the Indian dishes are coming under nutritional scrutiny. There has been effort by the Indian chefs to provide even the calorific breakdown of the Indian dishes in some of the restaurants. The meals have become not only light but also far more adaptable keeping in mind the preference of the diners who demand no less than the customized preparations of the dishes they order.

The western concept of segmenting the food as three main macronutrients as carbohydrate, protein and fat have ever present in the Indian meal known as Thali without much realization or analysis.

Indian Thali

India has a long tradition of regional “Thalis” which is like a combo platter (made of either, silver, stainless steel or iron) with small bowls which contain small amounts of various local dishes. Let’s do a close evaluation of an Indian Thali and see how it performs vis-s-vis western approach.

Carbohydrate- Most of the Indian Thalis comprises of Indian bread such as rotis, chapati, poori etc. and rice preparation like steamed rice, lemon rice, jeera (cumin) rice etc. and the meal is centered around them.

Protein- You may find around two to three preparation along with dal (Indian lentil preparation) which provides the bulk of vegetable protein. Some of the thalis may also contain meat or fish as well.

Fat: Some of the vegetables also contain fat apart from the cooking medium used for various delicacies for the Thali. Most of the Indian sweets also contain good amount of fat.

Besides, adequate fiber, vitamins and minerals are also present; hence tomorrow we can be sure of the nutritional balance of the Indian meal provided they are prepared in a healthy manner.

Tags: kebab, lentil, tikka masala, bhatura, vindaloo, balti, gosht, kulfi, dal, dosa