Mini Ribeiro takes you on a gastronomical journey through Indian cuisine, and all of it available in Mumbai. This week, we feature Awadhi cuisiney into our hearts
Mini Ribeiro takes you on a gastronomical journey through Indian cuisine, and all of it available in Mumbai. This week, we feature Awadhi cuisiney into our hearts.
The Awadhi style of cooking is complicated, and traditional chefs from Lucknow are reluctant to share their recipes. Yet, the origins of this cuisine are amazingly simple.
According to legend, Dum Pukht was discovered when Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah, in the 1780s, ordered that the builders of the Imam Bara Mosque should have access to food throughout the day, and night. Since cooked food soon became cold, and the cooks couldn't keep whipping up meals every hour, the street cooks hit upon an innovative idea.
They set large pots on slow fires and filled them with rice, meat, vegetables and spices. They then sealed the lids with dough, and topped them with hot coals to slow-cook the food and keep it warm, round the clock. The popular name for Awadhi cuisine is Lucknowi cuisine.
Chef Naved Akhtar, Grand Sarovar Premiere, says, "Awadhi cuisine is very popular in India and Mumbaikars enjoy it too. Since we were keen to serve authentic Awadhi cuisine, at our recently concluded food festival, we flew in original Lucknowi cooks. They still possess family recipes and guided our chefs. Galavati kabab, Nihari biryani, Fish rasala, Muzzaffar, and Lahsun ki kheer were the highlights."
He adds: "It is the spices that lend the flavour to Awadhi cuisine. The spices must be pure. Khaskhas, Javitri, Lavang, Dalcheni, and also dry fruits like cashewnuts, pista, and badam are used in abundance. There is no concept of artificial food colour. Only saffron is used."
Sunil Athalye, executive chef at the Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, says, "Dum Pukht is a common and popular method used in Awadhi cuisine. Dishes are cooked in their own juices on a slow coal, or wood, flame. This enables the delicious juices to permeate into the food being cooked. Fish, red meats, vegetables, and paneer, may be marinated in curd and spices. This helps to soften the taste and texture, as well as remove the strong odour. These are then grilled using skewers. These kababs are best paired with rotis or bread made from flour."
An Awadhi delicacy is Sheermal: A delicious bread made with a dough of refined flour, milk, green cardamom powder, ghee, saffron, salt, and sugar. Kneading the Sheermal dough is an art, without which the right consistency is not achieved. Once it is rolled into rounds, these are baked in a tandoor.
There is also the popular Awadhi Mutton Biryani, which is cooked in the Dum Pukht style. Kebabs like galouti kebab, kakori kebab, and kormas, are other must-haves in an Awadhi meal. Desserts like Muzzafar (made from thin strands of vermicelli), kubani ka meetha, and Sheera are other delicacies.
The frequency of Lucknowi or Awadhi food festivals in Mumbai indicates that the people in the city enjoy this cuisine. On an ongoing basis too, restaurants in Mumbai like Kareem's, Umrao Jaan, Delhi Durbar, and Frontier, serve Awadhi dishes, of which biryani and kebabs are the most popular.
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