The dastarkhwan days...

The large, ceremonial dinner presented in typical Muslim homes in Uttar Pradesh during the days of yore included shami kebabs, qormas, and chuquandar gosht, chronicles Dr Tabinda Jalil-Burney.

Food is inextricably linked with nostalgia. The sights, smells, tastes or even a mere mention of a particular food can sometimes trigger vivid memories. The joys of plucking and biting into a ripe guava from a tree in the courtyard, the magically savoury aroma emanating from a platter of freshly made shami kebabs, with the slightly pungent notes of sliced raw onions on top, the intensely earthy flavour and vivid, deep magenta colour of chuquandar gosht, the almost decadent, rich flavour of the biryani at a family wedding, followed by some seriously indulgent melt-in-the mouth, gulatthi or Phirni dessert in fragrant earthenware bowls, the crisp, almost fragile caramelised and browned onions, fried in ghee, perched daintily over a piping hot fluffy mound of mung dal ki khichdi, alongside a spoonful of fiery, vibrant coriander chutney, the list is endless.

These are just some of the simple yet joyful foods I grew up with. In most Muslim households especially in the UP belt, such as my own, an everyday meal would have one or two seasonal vegetables, a variety of dal served with hot rotis or rice.

A qorma or shami kebab are regularly prepared. The saalan or curry, either of vegetables or meat is an integral part of a meal.

If it is a meat-based curry, it is usually cooked along with a vegetable, such as alu gosht (with potatoes), with bhindi (okra), tomatoes or with turnips as in the slow-cooked winter dish known as shab deg (literally means cooked overnight in a large pot or degh). Another dish that is made on Ashura (a day of commemoration in Islam) is Khichda or Haleem, meat cooked with grains and lentils.

Qeema is a versatile and popular food staple cooked quite often.

It is minced mutton and is used in making various kinds of kebabs or as a dish on its own with usually green peas, green capsicum, potato chunks or fenugreek or methi leaves or it is made as a dopiyaza, with lots of onions. Leftover Qeema finds itself stuffed in samosas, parathas and cutlets for teatime snacks. Chicken is usually in the form of a saalan, made with caramelised crispy onions, but never turmeric or tomatoes in the traditional UP recipes. A qorma could have powdered cashew nuts in it for richness but otherwise it is simply ginger, garlic and selected spices.

Rice preparations can range from plain boiled rice, to accompany dal, or with peas (matar pulao), khichdi with various kinds of pulses and lentils, the vibrantly coloured tahiri (with added potatoes and turmeric) to the more special yakhni pulao and biryani for special meals such as a home daawat. 

Similarly, the humble dal is cooked in several special ways that are particular to this area. For instance, Maash ki dal is a pale ivory coloured preparation of urad dal cooked with juliennes of ginger, while Arhar dal, can only have a baghaar of thin slivers of garlic and chana dal is cooked with lauki or bottle gourd.

Seasonality and abundance often dictate the choice of the vegetables. Bathua saag in winter, Kaali gajar ka halwa in season, Rasawal from fresh sugarcane juice, fresh green peas ghugni as the season starts, are all examples of seasonal foods that are made in most homes. 

Finally, the desserts are a rich variety of halwas (made from carrots, dal, lauki and a decadent and rich one made with eggs), phirni (made with rice powder), gulatthi (a cream-based dessert) and seviyan (vermicelli) made on the occasion of Eid. The seviyan could be a dry dish, made with ghee and sugar syrup or a milky one, with nuts, cardamom and dates. Elaborate breads like naan, sheermal, a soft, slightly sweet and spongy bread are never made at home but bought to accompany a sumptuous home-made qorma as are seekh kebabs bought from the local kebabis, who make these delicate finger-shaped kebabs on hot skewers over burning coals. These are quickly wrapped in old newspapers to be enjoyed at home, piping hot.

Sometimes, there will be a stack of rumali rotis too. The strong and pungent smells from the kebabs are fascinating and exciting, like a drama about to unfold. Thin rings of onion sent along with the kebabs, and a fiery green chutney further add to the aroma and taste. These can lift a humdrum meal to one that is so special and magical! In a nutshell, the meals are varied, seasonal and incorporate traditional flavours. These meals nourish and soothe the soul, even when one is far away from home, as I am, and connect me to my family.

(Dr Tabinda Jalil Burney is the author of Fabulous Feasts, Fables and Family published by Penguin India.)