Flavours Avadhof

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 1 26/09/14 11:22 AM Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 2 26/09/14 11:22 AM Flavours Journey from the of Royal Banquet to the Avadh Corner Kitchen

Salma Husain

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 3 26/09/14 11:22 AM Published by

D-78, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I New Delhi-110 020, INDIA Tel: 91-11-26816301, 49327000 Fax: 91-11-26810483, 26813830 Email: [email protected] Website: www.niyogibooksindia.com

Text © Salma Husain

Editor: Mohua Mitra Design: Nabanita Das

ISBN: 978-93-83098-62-0 Publication: 2015

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without prior written permission and consent of the publisher.

Printed at: Niyogi Offset Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 4 26/09/14 11:22 AM This book is dedicated to Syeda Jafri, my mother-in-law and the members of the Bakhshish Husain family who introduced a Mumbaikar to culture, cuisine and the flavours of Avadh

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 5 26/09/14 11:22 AM The Deva Sharif dargah in Lucknow

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 6 26/09/14 11:22 AM Contents

Foreword - 11 Legends of Culture and Cuisine - 13 The Avadh Spread of Sixty-Four - 61 Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Mahmudabad - 62 Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Kotwara - 76 Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Tirwa - 90 Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Sheesh Mahal - 102 Riyasati Dastarkwan of Sitapur - 112 Flavours of the Residency - 124 Dastarkhwan of the Faridi Family of Lucknow - 138 Dastarkhwan of the Zaheer Family of Lucknow - 148 Holi Ke Pakwaan - 154 Eid Ki Ziyafat - 164 Nawabi Chandni - 172 Pickles, Murabbas and Chutneys - 174 Table of Measures - 180 Glossary - 182 Bibliography - 185 Acknowledgements - 186 Index - 188

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 7 26/09/14 11:22 AM Foreword - 11 Legends of Culture and Cuisine - 13 The Avadh Spread of Sixty-Four - 61

Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Mahmudabad - 62 Galawat ke Kabab Kundan Qaliya Murgh Zafrani Dhungare Baigan Parcha Pulao Dabi Arvi ka Salan

Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Kotwara - 76 Shaami Kabab Murgh Mussallam Dumpukht Gosht Kabab-ki-Biryani Brahi Roti Kheer

Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Tirwa - 90 Bhuna Murgh Subz Mewa Malai Pulao Nargisi Kofta Nimona Methi Machhli Masala Sewrha Dastarkhwan of Riyasat Sheesh Mahal - 102 Shahi Seekh Kabab Chulao Mussallam Raan Sultani Daal Annanas ke Parathe Luqmiyan

Riyasati Dastarkwan of Sitapur - 112 Fish Fry Dum Aloo Chicken Soufflé Kofte Mahi Gajar ka Bharta Steamed Ginger Pudding Kachche Kabab

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 8 26/09/14 11:22 AM Flavours of the Residency - 124 Mulligatawny Soup Dopiaza Borani Murghi Gulaabi Baked Sliced Potatoes Burra Kabab Country Captain Chicken Gomti Machhi Pulao Rich Plum Cake

Dastarkhwan of the Faridi Family of Lucknow - 138 Baba Farid ki Meethi Khichri Sevyon ka Muzafar Kali Gajar ka Halwa Chaney ki Dal ka Halwa Dastarkhwan of the Zaheer Family of Lucknow - 148 Khatti Machhli Kharbooze ki Kheer Raan Mussallam Khageena Bezai Mahi

Holi ke Pakwaan - 154 Thandai Kathal ki Sabzi Urad Dal Kachori Malpuwa Gujiya Dahi Bada Eid ki Ziyafat - 164 Chandni Quorma Lauki ki Kalaunji Quorma Pulao Qiwam ki Seviyan Ande ka Halwa Nawabi Chandni - 172

Pickles, Murabbas and Chutneys - 174 Navratan Chutney Raw Papaya Chutney Raw Mango Pickle Pineapple Murabba Table of Measures - 180 Gajar ka Murabba Bharva Lal Mircha ka Achaar Glossary - 182 Bibliography - 185 Acknowledgements - 186 Index - 188

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 9 26/09/14 11:22 AM Fruitseller in Avadh region with monkeywala Source: Archives

10 FLAVOURS OF AVADH

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 10 26/09/14 11:22 AM Foreword

here are always two ways of looking at things. And so is it with food. One way is to look at food as nature’s gift to mankind and the second—what cultures and F societies have made it out to be. God has endowed all mankind with a sense of good and bad; therefore each culture, no matter how far removed from the other, is capable of creating menus that are unrivalled in taste, aroma and therapeutic properties. In the recorded history of the Indian subcontinent, which abounds in diversity of culture and ingredient, a blending that is hitherto unknown has taken place, leading to a high degree of refinement. The cuisine of Avadh is one such example. Furthermore the economic strength of a culture and its journey across its boundaries once again add new tastes and fragrances to it. Competition of a healthy sort is a further stimulant to expanded and experimental cuisine. Examples of this are a dime a dozen in cosmopolitan cities like London and New York.

However the key factors necessary to withstand the onslaught of external influences are embedded in the rootedness and integrity of a cuisine. This is essentially what Salma Husain’s book tries to portray. In Avadh, the competition built around food and cuisine has always been an internal one, rising from the social groups and strata. While the working man on the street demanded that his palette be satisfied with appetising flavours, in yesteryears the taluqdars wanted to outdo each other in taste, fragrance, variety and with innovative recipes.

The cuisine from Kotwara again is a product of the various influences that are integrated in the Kotwara ancestry. The present lineage is descended from the Sharqui sultans of Jaunpur and the Chawar Rajputs who migrated and settled down in Kotwara in

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 11 26/09/14 11:23 AM ad 1007. Furthermore my own mother hails from Muradabad and Sheikhupur in Badaun. So with each mix, the Kotwara variety of Avadh cuisine was enriched and diversified. Thed astarkhwan of my parents had one character and when I got into films the cuisine invaded Bombay and acquired another dimension. And today as we live between Delhi and Lucknow I carry with me this cuisine to share with friends so that we become synonymous with it. And when I think back, I realise that it has not really changed as much as I thought it had. It remains the strongest connect with my past and, Inshallah, the future.

Muzaffar Ali

Raja Sayed Muzaffar Ali Courtesy: Subhojit Paul

12 FLAVOURS OF AVADH

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 12 26/09/14 11:23 AM Legends of Culture and Cuisine

vadh as a region was formally known as the ‘United Provinces of Agra and Oudh’ in British India. Earlier flourishing under the Sharqui Sultanate of Jaunpur and Athen the early Mughals, Avadh passed through several hands between the mid- 14th and the early 18th centuries, shaping up to be the cradle of north Indian aristocracy, tehzeeb, tameez aur nafasat (referring to the refined regional culture with its classy manners and mannerisms, the high sophistication and a rare tradition of etiquette, typical of this region). Avadh is still identified as the cultural capital of north Indian society.

It is in Avadh that Urdu as a language acquired finesse and perfection, kathak as a classical dance form took shape and regional theatre traditions contributed in lending a basic structure to Indian cinema—the Mumbai film industry brand in particular. The region is a vital link between tradition and modernity—the seat of a composite culture best known as the Ganga-Jamani tehzeeb. Faizabad was the old capital of Avadh (often referred to as Oudh in colonial India); the seat of administration later shifted to Lucknow. The city is still the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh. All the nawabs of Avadh ruled from Lucknow and were hence popularly referred to by the title—the Flowers at Deva Sharif dargah are a mirror of Ganga-Jamani Nawab of Lucknow. tehzeeb and an Indo-Islamic way of life

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 13 26/09/14 11:23 AM Above and right: Earthenware from Deva Sharif. Clay vessels used for storing drinking water in summer are showpieces of Avadh handicraft

As proverb goes, even the drinking water tastes different in Avadh. This is not surprising as this essential thirst buster is traditionally stored in clay vessels and often sipped in the height of summer heat after adding a handful of freshly plucked mint leaves. During winter, water offered in tall silver glasses embossed with twining vine leaves has a sprinkling of fresh rose petals. One might conjecture that this is precisely why most people fortunate enough to find their way to this part of the lush green and fertile Gangetic plains chose not to leave–subsequently making Avadh their home–particularly after their first taste of the local food and water.

Spice route From times immemorial, settlers in this region have enjoyed a mouth watering variety of food grains and vegetables harvested several times a year. These agrarian communities have traditionally lived in the company of a host of cattle that help them to till and irrigate the fertile alluvial soil and also gift their owners a daily supply of milk. Milk products like ghee, cheese, butter milk, kheer, khoya and yoghurt can be produced A typical brass container in abundance from the plentiful, high quality, creamy milk. for milk

14 FLAVOURS OF AVADH

Avadh Book_inside_3rd nopl.indb 14 26/09/14 11:23 AM