Relish flavours of antiquity

Our forefathers have celebrated our culinary heritage like no one else — be it our grandmothers who served gems from their kitchens or khaansamas who delighted royalty with recipes held close to their chest. Ingredients to cooking techniques, taking a leaf out of the past, chefs in the capital are stirring pots flavoured with antiquity. 

Turning pages of yore 

Chefs in the capital have extensively researched household kitchens for nuggets on tendering meat for something as basic as kebabs, to going back to school for some history lessons. “The Spice Route, which played a prominent role in shaping trade and cuisine, has so many secrets yet to be unravelled. There are dishes that have been relegated into the past for paucity of time and efforts involved to cook them,”says Elangovan, executive chef, Taj Vivanta Dwarka, who has showcased the North West Frontier in his food. For example, Peshawari Seekh Kebab on the menu of Indus Express, has meat chopped and pounded by hand, much like the bygone era. “The kebabs had chunks of meat, unlike the present variation that is minced completely. The seekh should be coarse as per the original recipe,” he says. The selected traditional recipes are special since they involve old cooking techniques of the regions of Khyber, Kashmir, Rawalpindi and Lahore and use only hand ground or pounded masalas along with the ancient technique of cooking on low flames. Indus Express also has carefully selected ancient masterpieces like Baigan Mizaz, Nadru ke Kebab, Malai Hare Phool, Raan-e-Khyber, Farmers’ Lentil Curry and Dum Murgh Lahori.  

Hunting for exotic dishes 

Amit Rai, executive chef, Orza, has dug out Zeytoon Parvardeh, once a popular appetiser from Iran. A refreshing dish made with green olives, pomegranate seeds and walnuts combined and marinated with pomegranate molasses and fresh herbs, which he has improvised with fresh or dried mint. The authentic Zeytoon Parvardeh is prepared with aromatic fresh herbs from the region. Bombay Brasserie is paying homage to the Maharajas with its Rajputana Murg Soola Kabab marinated with shikaar masala. “It was cooked in clarified butter, salt and plenty of hot red chillies due to the sparsity of exotic ingredients in the kitchens of hunting camps,” shares Shikha Nath, culinary director, Bombay Brasserie.

Grandama’s secret recipe

Rajiv Malhotra, corporate chef, Chor Bizarre is serving an heirloom recipe, common as it may seem in Kashmiri kitchens — Mutton Rogan Josh. Passed onto him through generations, his nani, he says, has entrusted him with the “secret concoction” of spice to get it as delectable. Rogan Josh is also reminiscent of his childhood. “It is special as I have learned it from my grandmother who got the recipe from her mother when they used to live in Southern Punjab. Usually, every locality/lane would have one chula where a group of 15 to 20 women would come together and cook. There were lot of cross cultural conversations that took place, which led to recipes being exchanged. My great-grandmother learned it from her friend who had recently moved from Sargoda in Pakistan,” he shares. Swaminandan, executive chef, Crowne Plaza associates his childhood with pitha, a delicacy from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar cooked in the monsoon. As he delightfully makes it in the restaurant, he recalls his earliest memory of Pitha being cooked by his grandmother. “It was fascinating for us to see her grind the soaked rice on ‘shilnora’  and make batter for various kinds of Pithas.While the world has gone gaga over dumplings and dimsums, the humble Pitha stuffed with chana dal is our Indian answer to them, which not many people know about,” he says.

Our unsung heroes

The Roseate is also reviving the rich cultural heritage with unsung recipes of India, bringing rural Punjab on the same table as colonial raj. Their treasure trove of recipes that have been hidden away from the league of mainstream fine dining, include gastronomical delights like Atta Chicken (Kot Kapura, Punjab), Railway Mutton Curry (Colonial India), Multani Paneer (Multan, Undivided Punjab), Ranjitshahi Paneer (Punjab), Bhooni makai ki Raab (Rajasthan), Sepu badi (Himachal Pradesh), Mash ki Dal (Hyderabad). Simran Thapa, executive chef at Kiyan, recounts how mutton curry the humble food of pantry boys caught the fancy of a gora saab, who asked them the cook as per their palate— less spices, and it was eventually introduced on the railway’s menu. 

Clearly, these dishes are a lesson in history, with loads of nostalgia, reviving childhood memories with every bite.

RAJPUTANA MURG SOOLA KEBAB

Ingredients

• 1 kg Chicken, boneless, cut into cubes
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Ginger paste
• 1 tbsp Garlic paste
• 1 tbsp Kachri powder
• 1 cup Yoghurt whisked
• 1 tsp Red chilli powder 
• 1 tsp Black peppercorns pounded
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds pounded
• Clarified butter (ghee) to baste
• 25 ml Lemon juice 
• 2 medium size onions cut into rings

Method 
Marinate the chicken with salt, ginger-garlic paste, and kachri powder. Keep aside for two to three hours. Add the yoghurt, red chilli powder, black pepper, and cumin seed powder. Mix well together. Skewer the chicken pieces and roast in a moderately hot oven for about eight to ten minutes or until almost cooked. Remove and hang the skewers for about two to three minutes to allow the excess marinade to drip. Baste with clarified butter and roast again for two to three minutes. Smoke with cloves and clarified butter for two minutes.

Recipe courtesy: Bombay Brasserie