by Sadia Dehlvi
Kacha Aam Qeema – Green Mango Mince
1 kg mincemeat
2 medium-sized onions, golden fried
4 medium-sized raw onions, finely sliced
1 medium-sized raw green mango, peeled and grated
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp garlic paste
1½ tsp ginger paste
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 green chillies, whole
2 tsp coriander powder
½ cup oil
Salt to taste
Qeema cooked with just raw green mango is delicious and has a unique tangy taste. It is cooked in much the same way as karela qeema. However, I will give the recipe lest you get confused.
Heat oil and add fried onions along with garlic and ginger paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt. Add a little water and fry for few minutes till the oil separates. Now add mincemeat and fry till the water it releases evaporates. Cook on medium flame for about 15 to 20 minutes till half done. Add a little water to ensure that the mincemeat does not burn. Now add green chillies, raw green mango, and raw onions to the meat and cook on low flame till done. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Chana Dal Karela – Lentil with Bitter Gourd
200-250 gm chana dal
½ kg karela
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
1 tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 green chillies, chopped
1 small raw green mango, peeled, grated or chopped finely
¼ cup oil
Salt to taste
A pinch turmeric powder
Soak the dal for an hour or so. Scrape the karela and remove the seeds. Soak them in water with a little salt to get rid of the bitterness. Then cut the karela into small pieces. Pour the oil in a cooking utensil and add all the ingredients with about two cups of water. The water level should not be too much above the dal. Cook on high flame till the water boils and then lower the flame. Keep covered and cook for 15 to 20 minutes till both the dal and karela are done. The dal should remain whole and dry. It is an art to get the consistency right and this comes with a little practice. Garnish with fresh or dry mint leaves.
Summer Sweet Dishes
Aam Pulao – Mango Rice
½ kg basmati rice
750 gm ripe mangoes
250 gm khoya
6 green cardamoms
¼ cup desi ghee
2 cups sugar or to taste
Khoya is thickened milk and sold at halwai shops. It is used in several Indian sweets. Many popular mithais such as barfi and milkcake are made with khoya. In summer, when friends and relatives send barfi or milkcake, I usually make mango or pineapple pulao with it. If using mithai, the quantity of sugar used should be reduced. Any variety of mangoes can be used to make aam pulao, but it tastes best with the fragrant alphonso, rataul and sarauli mangoes.
Soak the basmati rice in water for about 45 minutes. Cook the rice till it is almost done and there is no water left. Handcrush or grate the khoya and fry lightly to a golden colour. No ghee is needed for khoya releases ghee. Peel the mangoes and cut them into one or two inch pieces.
Now spread a layer of rice in another cooking utensil. Add mango over the rice and sprinkle it with khoya and then sugar. Make one or two more such layers.
Heat desi ghee in a separate pan and add the crushed cardamoms to it. Fry for a minute and then pour the ghee over the rice and mango layers. Cover and leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes on low flame till the rice is done. Do not stir as the rice grains should remain whole.
Anannaas Pulao – Pineapple Rice
½ kg basmati rice
750 gm pineapple
250 gm khoya
6 green cardamoms
¼ cup desi ghee
2 cups sugar or to taste
Anannaas pulao is prepared the same way as mango pulao. Just replace the mango with pineapple.
Andarsey ki goliyan
Pakoras, a monsoon favourite
Monsoon
Monsoon in Delhi has forever been associated with romance, swinging from trees, kite flying and picnics. For Dilliwalas, visiting Mehrauli’s open spaces for picnics or for a few days during the monsoons is an old tradition. Amma told us stories of how families would travel in camel drawn carriages to Mehrauli. These carriages were carpeted and cushioned. Families began their journey at night and reached their destination the next morning. The sexes were segregated in different carriages, the zenana and mardana. Much like modern farmhouses today, many rich families in yesteryears owned houses in Mehrauli. They extended invitations to friends and relatives to stay in their homes. These retreats were stocked with kitchen provisions for the guests. The Chunnamals, whose famous haveli still stands in Chandni Chowk, were among those families who had a summer home in Mehrauli.
Daddy often recalls his trips to Mehrauli when four or five families travelled together. They hired camel carriages from the stand near Lahori Gate, where the Shradhanand market is today Some families travelled in lorries that provided for intercity travel. Other modes of transport in the old city were horse-drawn tongas and trams. Lorries can be described as a cruder version of today’s buses. They were higher, and getting inside was not easy. Although they had seats, they had a door at the back, which the conductor opened to allow access into the lorry. Passengers had to place one leg inside the lorry and jump in. Buses were introduced in Delhi after India attained freedom.
Abba had rented a home in Mehrauli for some years to help his wife regain her health. Amma had been unwell and the hakim advised the fresh air of Mehruali. Those days my father travelled daily from Mehrauli to his school in the old city in a lorry.
Ammi has childhood memories of picnics in the monsoon amongst the ruins of Hauz Khas. Delhi’s various monuments once made for wonderful picnic spots. Ammi recounts lazing with friends inside the arches of the monuments as rain lashed the area. When the showers stopped, the girls dyed colourful dupattas, long scarves, sprinkled with silvery abrak. These dupattas were exchanged as friendship tokens, similar to the friendship bands exchanged by youngsters these days.
In the tradition of Amma and Ammi, I too tell my son monsoon stories. With the arrival of the first showers, I remember Amma preparing for a family picnic to Mehrauli. Stoves, cooking cauldrons, food items, gramophone, records, ropes and other requirements were stacked in one corner of the house. Amma and Apa Saeeda made monsoon specialties such as dal bhari roti, that is, roti with dal stuffing, and hari mirch ka qeema, mincemeat cooked with large green chillies.
We drove in our cherry red Dodge convertible car that had a sunroof, which could be drawn fully open. Although meant for seating five, at least ten of us kids would somehow manage to sit inside the car.
On reaching Mehrauli and finding the ideal picnic spot, the elders helped us make jhoola, swings, on the trees. We carried the ropes and blocks of wood from home. We sang songs while swinging from the tree branches. Sprawled out on durries amidst the green landscape, the elders played film songs on a gramophone. We looked for khirni trees to pluck the small yellow coloured fruit. Mehrauli also had plenty of gondni, an orange berry-like fruit, and ber bushes. We relished these delights and carried some of the fruit home.
Amma busied herself supervising the food and frying of pakora and gul gule, made with wheat and sugar. Mangoes were cooled in iron tubs full of ice. Mango-eating competitions were held. The one who managed to eat the largest number of mangoes won. We never stayed overnight in Mehrauli, that tradition ended with the Partition.
Eating and distributing suhaal, a mithai, amongst families and friends was a monsoon tradition. Andarsey ki goliyan, small round fried cookies made with rice flour and sprinkled with sesame seeds, is another monsoon specialty. Come the monsoon, I send someone to the old city to get us these delights.
Dilliwalas remain choosy about their mangoes. We don’t eat early croppers and pr
efer to wait for varieties such as dussehri, langra, sarauli, chausa and rataul. Abba loved rataul, preferring it to alphonso, and delighted in distributing them to friends. He had a small contribution in taking rataul to Pakistan. On a train trip to Pakistan during the year 1948, he carried 150 saplings of rataul for friends.
Rataul originally comes from the district of Rataul near Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. Apparently Anwar, one of the brothers who owned a rataul orchard, migrated to Pakistan. He began growing rataul mangoes in Pakistan that came to be known as anwar rataul. It now grows there in abundance and is one of their best mangoes. In Delhi, this variety is no longer easily available, and one has to request fruit sellers to organize some boxes.
At Shama Kothi, mangoes came in tons of kilos. These were left in a store room to mature. Aam ki paal, was the phrase used for this method of storing. Amma checked the lot daily, handpicking the mangoes that had ripened organically. Nowadays mangoes are mostly matured with the use of chemicals that reduce the flavour and taste.
Heaps of mangoes were placed in iron tubs or buckets with ice for a few hours before consumption. Amma said that this neutralized the garam taseer of the mangoes. On my mother’s insistence, I still place mangoes in a bucket of water for a few hours before stacking them in the fridge.
When returning from boarding school for our summer holidays, one of the things we looked forward to was mangoes. Amma made jugs of hand-beaten aamdoodh, mango shake, each morning and sent it to our bedrooms. She used sarauli mangoes, best for mango shake. Sarauli mangoes are also perfect for making fresh mango chutney.
As a young girl, I loved the small yellow safeda mangoes that are fibreless and can be sucked. I always made such a mess that Ammi regularly dunked me in the bathtub with loads of safeda. Agreed that sucking mangoes is an activity not conducive to table manners, but it’s difficult to forgive Ammi for this one! Much like the rataul and sarauli varieties, safeda mangoes are not commonly available. These are not to be confused with banganapalli mangoes from southern India often sold as safeda in Delhi.
In Delhi, the arrival of the monsoon is celebrated with pakora and tea. Hari mirch ka qeema with besani roti is another monsoon must. It is served with fresh mango chutney.
Kadhi is made often during the rains, and so are other besan dishes such as khandviyan, that are made in a batter that is left to set and later cut into diamond shapes. These are then cooked in a gravy made with curd, onion and masala. Khandviyan are tricky and need some practice to get right. Although I watched Apa Saeeda and Amma making these during my childhood, I don’t know how to make them.
Hari Mirch Qeema – Green Chilli Mince
10-12 long, thick green chillies
½ kg mincemeat
200 gm curd, lightly beaten
2 tsp coriander powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic paste
¾ tsp ginger paste
4-5 medium-sized onions, golden fried
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ cup oil
Salt to taste
Slice half of the green chillies into two or three pieces and leave the other half whole. Keep these aside.
Heat oil and add the onions along with garlic and ginger paste, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry for a minute or two and then add the mincemeat. Once the water released by the mince has dried and the oil separates, add a cup of water to ensure that the mincemeat does not burn. When it is half done, add all the green chillies. After 5-10 minutes add the curd. Leave on low flame till done and dry the excess water if any. Garnish with shredded ginger strips.
Shimla Mirch Qeema – Green Capsicum Mince
½ kg capsicum
½ kg mincemeat
Prepare shimla mirch qeema with the same recipe as for hari mirch qeema. Simply replace the large green chillies with capsicums cut into one inch pieces. Garinsh with shredded ginger strips.
Dal Bhari Roti
¼ kilo chana dal
2-3 onions, finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
Green chillies, finely chopped
Mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Boil the dal with a little salt and turmeric. Add just enough water to let the dal remain whole. Be careful not to make it watery. Then mash the dal, add onions, chilli powder and mint leaves to the dal and stuff the roti with this mixture. The easiest way is to make two rotis, layer the stuffing on one and place the other over it. Prepare these like a regular parantha on a flat tawa. The roti is best enjoyed with fresh mango chutney and hari mirch qeema.
Aam Chutney – Fresh Mango Chutney
3 ripe mangoes, peeled and pulped
¼ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
Few mint leaves, chopped
Few drops of lemon juice (optional)
Salt to taste
Mango chutney is delicious, specially when made with sarauli mango. Since these are not always available, take any good quality mango. Put the pulp in a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Aam chutney tastes wonderful with besani roti.
Besani Roti
250 gm gram flour
250 gm wheat flour
1 tsp desi ghee
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds, whole
½ tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
½ cup curd
2 tsp dried mint leaves
3-4 tbsp desi ghee
Salt to taste
The best method to make besani roti is to use wheat and gram flour in equal measure. Use as much curd as needed to prepare the dough. Add desi ghee at the time of kneading. Add the remaining ingredients to the prepared dough and make as parantha. Line the tava with a little desi ghee while making the roti.
Kadhi
Kadhi prepared in our family looks and tastes quite different from the kadhi that I have had elsewhere. We make it spicier and the phulki is large and flat, as opposed to the small, round phulki that is more common.
Phulki
250 gm gram flour
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
¼ tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 tsp garlic paste
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and crushed
2 cups oil for frying
Salt to taste
Gravy
1 cup gram flour
300-350 gm curd
1 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp Nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Bhagar
10-12 curry leaves (kadhi pata)
6-8 red chillies, whole
¼ cup oil
2 onions, golden fried
Mix the ingredients of the phulki with enough water to make a thick batter. Drop about a tablespoon of the batter by hand in boiling oil. Keep the phulki aside.
Now prepare the gravy for the kadhi. Mix the ingredients for the gravy with 4 cups of water and keep stirring on low flame for about half-an-hour. When it turns thick and is done, add the phulki to the gravy.
For the topping, heat oil in a separate pan and add onions, curry leaves and red chillies. Toss around for a minute before pouring it over the kadhi. Garnish with dried mint leaves.
Kadhi is served with cumin rice. I add a little salt and a spoonful of cumin seeds are fried in a tablespoon or two of oil before adding the rice with water and leaving it to cook.
Sunset - Iftaar time
Photo: Vaseem Ahmed Dehlvi
An iftaar dastarkhwan at my home
Photo: Debbasish Das
Ram
zan
As children, we looked forward to Ramzan. We woke up in the early hours of the morning to join the elders for sehri, the pre-dawn meal. Similar to the ‘midnight feasts’ we had at boarding school, these meals seemed exciting. To inculcate the practice of fasting, children were encouraged to observe ek daad ka roza, which meant eating carefully through the day from one side of the mouth.
On sighting the sliver of the Ramzan moon, special delicacies from well-known shops of the old city filled the kitchen. These included khajla, pheniyan and unsweetened jalebi, all made with desi ghee. These were soaked in milk a few hours before sehri, after which the fasting hours began.
On the eve of Ramzan, the table in the dining room at home was pushed to one side. A dari chandni, a cotton underlay with a thick sheet covering was put in its place. Just before iftaar time, a dastarkhwan was placed on the chandni and all the family members would sit around this with heads covered, hands folded in prayer. The old, black, heavy telephone which had a long cord was carried to the dining area and we waited for it to ring. A caller would inform us ‘roza khol lijiye,’ time to end the fast.
This pattern continued well beyond my childhood. I still have no knowledge of the identity of the caller. I presume it was a family acquaintance who lived near Jama Masjid or somewhere in Old Delhi where sirens and gola, sound cannon, are still heard at iftaar time.
After this phone call, we kids went around screaming ‘roza khol lo.’ This was to inform our staff and their families. We had hung a broken piece of a railway track on a roadside tree beside the staff quarters. We raced against each other to strike it loudly a few times with the help of an iron rod.
In Abba’s time, and for many years after, food was distributed in large quantities during the month of Ramzan. For this purpose, each evening a large degh of aloo salan along with bundles of khamiri roti arrived from the old city. Aware of this routine, many friends came home specially to partake of this specialty. My old friend Jameela Apa, a cousin of Ismat Chughtai, would say, ‘Allah miyan wala salan khila do,’ feed me with God’s food.