Feast

by Anissa Helou

  In the Emirates, I must first thank Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan al-Qasimi, for inviting me to Sharjah on a culinary tour that included a day spent with the lovely ladies of the Sharjah Heritage Centre to learn how to prepare typical Emirati dishes and sweets and for an amazing evening at her grandmother’s farm, where another group of wonderful ladies from Khorfakkan, a seaside town, cooked and baked typical Emirati dishes and breads. When on a later trip to the United Arab Emirates, Sheikha Bodour gave me a baby camel so I could cook the hump—you can’t get just a camel hump, it has to come with the camel! It fell to Amani al-Ali, director of Sheikha Bodour’s Executive Office, to accompany me to the slaughterhouse to watch the baby camel being butchered. Marwa al-Aqroubi, now president of the United Arab Emirates Board on Books for Young People, but then still in Sheikha Bodour’s Executive Office, accompanied me to an extraordinary breakfast prepared by the ladies at the Heritage Centre and later sent me the recipe for one of their most festive dishes, aysh wa lahm. Arwa Lootah invited me to her home to watch her mother cook foga, and Amira al-Khaja brought me delicious homemade cookies and mehyawa. And Moza Hantoush, who on my last visit to Dubai organized the opportunity for me to sample an amazing meal cooked by @maalatha, one the Emirates’ best-known caterers. Finally, Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan al-Qasimi, for introducing me to Imane Fares to help with my trip to Senegal.

  In India, Bobby and Bipasha Gosh made me fall in love with India all over again. On my first trip, Bipasha was my near-constant companion in Calcutta, where we went on an amazing Muslim food tour with Iftekhar Ahsan of Calcutta Walks. And when I got to New Delhi, Bobby introduced me to Vir and Seema Sangvi, who took me to Dum Pukht restaurant where chef Gulam Qureshi prepared a feast that included nargisi kebab, a dish that had eluded me during my trip. Also, Bipasha introduced me to Anup and Peali Gupta. On my second trip, Bobby and Bipasha graciously received me in their home in New Delhi and again introduced me to great friends. They took me to various restaurants, and in Mumbai, where we first met, they had organized a complete food blow-out starting with an amazing Kashmiri feast laid out by Aditi Dugar and Prateek Sadhu of Masque restaurant. Aditi brought the most exquisite saffron rice cooked by her mother, and Prateek and his wife, Aashina, cooked the rest. Then Anirban Blah organized a meal for us at the Bohri Kitchen, a remarkable supper club set up by Munaf Kapadia and his mother, Nafisa. Anirban also took me and Bipasha to the Bombay Canteen, where chef Thomas Zacharias spoiled us with a stunning tasting menu. And, finally, Bobby and Bipasha’s cook Dhirendra showed me how to prepare different breads.

  Also in India, thanks go to Mr. Mukherjee and my driver, Samim, in Calcutta. Simon Parkes connected me from London with Ankur Roy Chowdhury and Rudrangshu Mukherjee, who both very kindly talked to me about Muslim food in India. Masood Parvez at the Royal India Hotel, for taking me to the back of the house and letting me photograph in the kitchen. Joe Roberts connected me from London with Shahanshah and Fatima Mirza in Calcutta, who were a fount of knowledge about Awadhi cuisine—Shahanshah is a direct descendant of the ruler of Awadh Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.

  In Lucknow, Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah received me graciously in his special reception room full of family heirlooms.

  Allan Jenkins connected me from London with Bomti Iyengar in Calcutta and Jonty Rajagopalan in Hyderabad, as well as Begum Mirza and her daughter, Parveen. Begum Mirza showed me how to make biryani while Jonty took me on a fascinating culinary tour of Hyderabad, during which we stumbled on an amazing spectacle where dozens of huge cauldrons were set over woodfire inside which bubbled curries that were being prepared for the month of Muharram to distribute to those in need. And Bomti hosted me in his fascinating home for a home-cooked Bengali lunch.

  Anubhav Sapra of Delhi Food Walks was the perfect guide through the lanes of Old Delhi, making me taste the most marvelous Muslim delicacies.

  Chef Manish Mehrotra at Indian Accent cooked me the most exquisite meal in New Delhi, and chef Vikram Roy gave me my first taste of Kashmiri food when he took me to Chor Bizarre.

  And my thanks to Marryam Reshii, who on my first trip arranged for me to eat at a Kashmiri caterer in Delhi to taste typical Muslim Kashmiri dishes and on my second trip accompanied me to Kashmir. She was not only a perfect travel companion, but also an amazing guide to the culinary delights of Kashmir, starting with a splendid tea at Roohi Nazki’s tea salon, Chai Jai, where we sampled Kashmir’s version of harissa. Then we spent a memorable day with Marryam’s sister-in-law, Baji, watching her cook a feast for us, and in between we visited a private house where Fayez Waza and his men were preparing a spectacular wazwan (a multicourse meal for weddings or other celebrations) for one daughter’s wedding.

  And, finally, Sudeep Sen, for sending me some of his poems to include in the book.

  In Pakistan, Razi Ahmed not only invited me to the Lahore Literary Festival, but also hosted me in his beautiful family home, where every morning I had a wonderful time with his mother, Saira, over breakfast, learning the secrets of perfect paratha, roti, aloo, and other typical breakfast fare. My thanks also to Razi’s uncle Shawkat and Shawkat’s wife, Marina. Nuscie Jamil had me over to lunch for delicious home-cooked food. And Momina Aijazuddin; her mother, Shehnaz; and her father, Aijaz, took me to the market and also had me over for another delicious home-cooked meal. Also thank you to Kamila Shamsie and her mother, Muneeza Shamsie.

  In Indonesia, William Wongso was instrumental in my having an incredibly productive and delightful trip. Olivia Wongso, William’s daughter, invited me to my first proper Indonesian meal, together with Santhi Serad, Ade Putri Pramadita, Erna Setyowati and her husband Zamil, and Putri R. Mumpuni, at a typical fish restaurant where I discovered one of my favorite Indonesian ingredients, the stinky bean or Parkia speciosa, which was used in a dressing for fried pomfret.

  Thanks to William I had great guides in each of the places I visited after Jakarta. He joined me in Medan, together with Indra Halim and the lovely Tahari family, Jamal Uddine, Gio, and their son Didi, all of whom knew Medan’s food inside out. For three days we indulged in a total food frenzy sampling almost all that Medan had to offer. And on our last day, we were joined by the amazingly tattooed Rahung Nasution.

  From Medan I went to Banda Aceh, where I was taken in charge by Mita Sugesty and Fathur Maulana Iben’z. Mita and Fathur were the perfect guides to the culinary delights of Banda Aceh, and Mita also took me to her parents who cater big parties. Even though it was Ramadan, they prepared a delicious lunch for me.

  My last stop in Indonesia was Padang, where I was looked after by the very sweet Uda Dian Anugraph, who adopted me as his second mom.

  And my first stop was on the eastern side, in two of the Malukku islands, Ambon and Banda Neira, where I was looked after by Tanya Alwi, whom I met through James Oseland. Tanya in turn introduced me to Mey, who became my guide and translator in Ambon, while Tanya hosted me in her hotel on Banda Neira and arranged for me to watch her cooks prepare a buka puasa (breaking the fast) meal featuring a baby goat that was killed for the occasion.

  In China, my thanks go to Mei Zhang, founder of Wild China. Mei comes to my aid in China and elsewhere whenever I need it. Lillian Chou accompanied me to Uighur country and was my translator where she could. (Uighurs have their own language that has roots in both Turkish and Persian languages with many Arabic words, which unfortunately I couldn’t distinguish.)

  In Turkey, I am indebted to Nevin Halici, the grande dame of Turkish cooking and a walking encyclopedia on the foodways of her country, and Filiz Hosukoglu, for all things culinary in Gaziantep. Mustafa Ozguler and his brother, Murat, for their wonderful hospitality and advice every time I am in Gaziantep. And Talat Cagdas and his father and grandfather, for their hospitality at Imam Cagdas and letting me go behind the scenes to watch the kebabs and baklava being made. Thanks also to Hande Bozdogan, founder of the Istanbul Culinary Institute and my guru for Turkish food, and Osman Guldemir.

  In Lebanon, I am grateful to many friends who contributed in
different ways. Jacquot Ayoub, for always taking me to the most interesting foodie places. Mona Zaatari, for her amazing cooking. Huda Barudi, Mona’s sister, for her all-around knowledge. Ziad Ghorly, for his advice on various Shi’a culinary customs and dishes, and Omar Fahreldinne, for bringing me the best-ever orange blossom jam. And, finally, Chirine Maktabi, for inviting me to a spectacular Iranian feast, and her son Sherif, for finding me a first edition of Margaret Shaida’s Legendary Cuisine of Persia.

  In Qatar, Aisha al-Tamimi and her sister, Maryam Abdallah, for teaching me practically everything I know about Qatari cooking, and Nadia Mohamed Saleh, whom I worked with at the National Museum of Qatar on a food culture program.

  In Iran, my thanks to Nasrine Faghih for having me stay more than once in her beautiful home in Tehran, and getting her cook, Maryam, and the late Minou Saberi to cook a real feast for me to see how various Iranian dishes are prepared. Ali Farboud, for letting me use some of his great photographs and for traveling with me to Rasht, Isfahan and Feridoonjan’s village outside Tehran, where Feridoon cooked an amazing meal for us that we shared with his family. Also Alimo Nafisi, who was my first guide in Iran, for taking me to the wonderful Tajrish market and other places in Tehran. And to Amir Amirani, who introduced me to various friends there.

  In Senegal, Noura Khochman and her son Karim, for hosting me at Noura’s home and making me taste their white thiebou dieune (rice with fish), Senegal’s classic family dish. Fatou Mboup, for taking me to her great friends, Billo and Abdoul Mbaye, for an exquisite Friday lunch of thiebou yapp (rice with meat). Fatou also very kindly took me around Marche Tilene.

  In Morocco, I would like to thank Mina Hamouchi and her family, for hosting me to various delicious meals; Mortada Chami, the charming owner of the wonderful Stylia restaurant, who always invites me to dine with him when I am in Marrakesh so that he can make me taste many exquisite Moroccan dishes; and he always lets me go into the kitchen to watch his ladies cook and make warqa. Choumicha Chafay, Morocco’s foremost TV celebrity chef, and her husband, Karim, for hosting me graciously in Casablanca and making me taste the best melwi ever (a generic term that covers a whole range of flatbreads and pancakes, as Choumicha explained to me). In fact, Choumicha is always on the ready whenever I need advice on various Moroccan dishes. Also Tara Stevens, for taking me around the medina in Fez to look at the produce and taste all kinds of delicious street food and sweets. And Hafed, my sweet driver, for taking me to the Wednesday souk and letting me use his smart phone as a hotspot.

  And, finally, in London, Sameer Khan, who gave me a whole lot of spices from his native Pakistan; Alastair Hendy and Liz Hasell, for letting me use some of their photographs; and Saad Bahbahani, for information on various Shiaa culinary customs in Kuwait. Also Aleksandar Taralezhkov, for bringing us his wonderful yogurt with skin the way it was once made when we were doing the photographs for the book. And in Belgium, Victoria Frolova, for telling me about a precious little book on Malabar Muslim cooking. I would also like to thank my adoptive sister in Oakland, Roberta Klugman, who always receives me warmly in her home and lets me and Amy test recipes in her kitchen.

  I would also like to apologize to those I have failed to mention due to my memory not being what it used to be.

  Glossary

  In these days of global cooking, combined with immediate and accessible Internet, the need for glossaries is less pressing, not to mention that most home cooks are now more familiar with exotic ingredients than ever before. I am still providing a select glossary for those ingredients that may not be on some home cooks’ radar as well as those that may be familiar but are different from one country to another.

  FRESH INGREDIENTS

  ASPARAGUS BEANS

  Also known as yardlong or snake beans, these grow in the warmer parts of South and Southeast Asia and in southern China. You normally find them in Indian or Asian stores, but if they are not available, you can use green beans.

  BILIMBI

  A sour fruit growing on a tree also known as a cucumber tree or tree sorrel, bilimbi is like a small light-green cucumber with a very sour taste. It is used fresh or dried to add tart flavor to various Indonesian and Malaysian dishes, and it is closely related to star fruit. You can interchange them, although the flavor of star fruit is a lot less sour than that of bilimbi.

  CHILIES

  Finger-length chilies are used extensively in Indonesia and Malaysia. The green and red versions are the same chili, with the unripe green chili turning red as it ripens. These chilies are very mild when green, and a little hotter when red although they are still mild enough to be used in industrial quantities in some sambals. If you can’t source them, a good alternative is to use red bell peppers (preferably organic because they are less watery) for both color and texture, adding one or more bird’s eye chilies depending on the quantity to give a little heat.

  CURRY LEAVES

  Described as sweet neem leaves in most Indian languages, these leaves from the curry tree, which is native to India and Sri Lanka, are used in curries, usually fried with onions in the first stages of the preparation. They are also fried by themselves to use as garnish.

  GALANGAL

  A root from four different plants that belong to the ginger family, galangal is an essential ingredient in Indonesian cooking. In fact, you often see it in the markets sold by the same vendors who sell ginger and turmeric roots, and often all three are used in dishes.

  GRAPE LEAVES

  Stuffed grape leaves are one of the glories of Middle Eastern dishes and when made with fresh leaves, the result will be superior than when using preserved leaves. Unfortunately, the season for fresh grape leaves is short—they need to be picked young and tender. Freezing the leaves is a good option, but if you don’t have access to fresh grape leaves to freeze, use vacuum-preserved leaves. They are better than those that are preserved in brine, mainly because they are not salted. However, if you are going to use those in brine, be sure to rinse them well before using; and when you come to seasoning them, remember that there will always be residual saltiness from the brine. You can also buy them dried and reconstitute them by soaking in water, but they can easily break when dried and you may find that there is a fair amount of waste in each package of dried leaves.

  GREEN PAPAYA

  This meat tenderizer is essential in India, but it may not be necessary for meat bought in the United States or Europe as most of it will either come from young animals (as in lamb or veal) or, if it is beef, it will have been properly aged. That said, do use it if you can source it in Indian or Asian stores.

  JAPANESE EGGPLANTS

  These come in different colors and sizes, but it is the small, elongated dark-purple eggplants that are used throughout the Middle East in stuffed vegetables. Egyptians also use the white ones for stuffing, while in Syria they choose very small dark-purple or white eggplants to make makduss.

  MULUKHIYAH

  Mulukhiyeh, mulukhiyah, or mlukhiyah are the leaves of Corcorus olitorius, commonly known as Jew’s mallow. In Egypt, where mulukhiyah originated, the leaves are used to make a rather tart soup that is served on its own, or with rice and chicken. In Lebanon, a soupy sauce made with mulukhiyah tops a composite dish made up of layers of toasted bread, rice, chicken, and/or lamb, garnished with finely chopped onions soaked in vinegar. Like okra (in fact, okra is called mlukhiyah in Morocco), mulukhiyah releases a mucilaginous substance that makes it somewhat slimy, but you can minimize this by boiling the leaves for a short time so that it stays suspended in the broth. You can buy mulukhiyah fresh in season, or you can buy it dried or frozen.

  PANDAN LEAVES

  These are long glossy leaves used in Indonesian and Malaysian desserts to both color and flavor them. Pandan is also used in India and Bangladesh to flavor rice dishes, and the water distilled from the plants' flower, kewra, is also used in cooking. You can buy them fresh in Asian stores; or you can buy an extract (which probably has green food coloring).

  SHALLOTS


  In Indonesia, where they use an extraordinary amount of shallots, you can buy them already peeled. The shallots there are very small. For the purpose of the recipes in this book, my suggestion is to use normal shallots, bearing in mind that one normal-size shallot would be the equivalent of at least two Indonesian ones. You can also use very small red onions.

  DRIED, FERMENTED, AND PROCESSED INGREDIENTS

  BARBERRIES (ZERESHK)

  Barberries are pleasantly sour berries that are dried and used in Persian cooking. You can buy them red or dark depending on how they have been processed. The red ones offer a prettier contrast and turn an even brighter red when quickly sautéed in oil. They are used in soups, stews, rice dishes, and in the famous Iranian Herb Omelet. The berries are also said to have medicinal qualities and in Persian poetry, teardrops are likened to barberries.

  DRIED LIMES

  There are two types of dried limes, black and pale. Some people favor the black ones whereas others go for the light ones. The black ones are definitely stronger in flavor, and they will color sauces more pronouncedly than the light ones, so do not use them if you are looking to make a light-colored sauce. And make sure you pierce the dried limes with the point of a sharp knife here and there before adding to the pot so that the flavor can be released during cooking. You can buy these in ground form in Persian stores, often wrongly labeled as ground lemons when they should be ground dried limes.

  JAMEED

  Jameed are dried balls of yogurt that are an essential ingredient in the Jordanian dish mansaf. The Iranian equivalent is called kashk, and if you can’t buy jameed, I suggest you use store-bought kashk, which comes in cartons or jars under the name of jameed soup or jameed soup starter.