India on My Platter

by Saransh Goila

  6. In those 10 minutes, put rice to a boil with salt and mint leaves. Once it comes to a boil, put it on simmer. The idea is to partially cook the rice, so do not cook for more than four to five minutes. The science behind partially cooking rice a bit early is that it will cook evenly with vegetables or meats that you’re cooking it with. Knead the dough by mixing flour and water together.

  7. Now take the pot you’ll be cooking biryani in, ensure it is both deep and wide. Add a tablespoon of oil at the bottom. Put marinated cauliflower to this and spread the extra marinade evenly in the pan. Add two and a half cups of hot water. Now add top half layer of the rice that has been boiling for five minutes to this biryani pot and let it submerge in water. Add the leftover rice on the top of this; it will stay above water, as we have added only two and a half cups. The top half layer of the partially cooked rice is only 30 per cent cooked at the moment in comparison to the bottom half layer which is 60 per cent cooked, if you calculate technically from the time that rice went into boiling water and in the sequence it came out. Hence the top half layer will submerge in the water in the biryani pot (so it can cook more) and the bottom half layer of rice will mostly stay above the hot water in the biryani pot, as it needs to cook lesser and steam will be enough to make it fluff up.

  8. Add one tablespoon oil in a swirl in the biryani pot and in the same way add the saffron milk so it spreads evenly. Put it on high flame and shut the lid. Seal the pot from all sides by rolling a long strip of dough and sticking it on all sides.

  9. Once the lid starts to get hot, lower the flame to medium and then finally to low. After five minutes, add burning coal on top of the lid; this is to prevent the water droplet formation beneath the lid because of the steam. The coal will make sure the biryani cooks evenly in the pot.

  10. After 10 minutes, take the pot off the heat. Open it after 30 minutes only. Serve immediately with some fried onion on top. (You can follow the same recipe for mutton or chicken; marination and cooking time will vary slightly.)

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  Now it was time to taste the biryani; I sat down at a table and minutes later a huge plate of biryani was laid before me. If I didn’t have such a massive appetite, my whole family would have to be here to finish the food on my plate. Every bite was testament to the 55 years of experience of Sayyed Hussain. What stood out was the fact that the spices were just enough to elevate the flavour of the rice.

  The whole day was spent at Café Bahar, learning, eating and digesting.

  DAY 59

  3 October / Hyderabad

  Hyderabad has two parts: the old city (my favourite) and the new city. I drove to the new city to meet Arun who has his own shooting academy called Shooting Stars in High Tech City. The history of archery goes back to ancient Hindu mythology. Arun’s academy believes in the same principles of the ancient Indians. Spirituality and physical fitness is a very important part of being successful at this sport. I tried my hand at being Robin Hood; it worked two out of five times. When you travel, I suggest take time out to explore other dimensions of a city’s culture. It is refreshing to see people who are passionate about learning and teaching what they are good at.

  I also got a chance to visit an emporium where I met Prakashji who explained the intricacy of kalamkari paintings (type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile, produced in parts of India. The word is derived from the Persian words kalam (pen) and kari (craftmanship), meaning drawing with a pen) to me. Trying to understand more about this art, I realised the word kalamkari, comes from the word kalam, meaning pen. There is a special type of pen that is used to make these paintings, and in the past this art form has been used to depict various Gods. The most stunning among these paintings was called The Tree of Life, where the painting had been detailed with the help of kundan work (traditional form of Indian gemstone jewellery involving a gem set with gold foil between the stones and its mount). Each painting, I was told, took up to 15 days to make. Another reason why I came to meet Prakshji was to be introduced to his cook, Abdul Hamid, who was an expert at cooking Hyderabadi dishes. I got to meet him later in the day and he taught me, step by step, how to make the famous Baghare Baingan. It is a brinjal recipe that belongs to Hyderabad. It involves peanuts, coconut, and sesame, a very unique blend of ingredients.

  BAGHARE BAINGAN

  (Eggplant curry.)

  Ingredients

  8 small brinjals (baingan)

  Salt to taste

  2 tbsp white sesame (safed til)

  2 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds

  3 tbsp peanuts (moongphali), without skin

  3 tbsp dry coconut

  2-3 green chillies, slit in half

  1 tbsp coriander leaves (dhania patti), chopped

  ½ tsp turmeric (haldi) powder

  ¼ tsp red chilli powder

  ½ cup oil + oil for frying

  1 tsp mustard (sarson) seeds

  1 tsp black caraway (kalonji) seeds

  8-10 curry leaves (kari patta)

  1-inch long piece ginger (adrak), finely chopped

  10 cloves garlic (lasun), finely chopped

  2 tbsp tamarind (imli) paste

  ½ cup water

  1 tsp honey (shahad)

  Method

  1. Take small brinjals and criss-cross them (dividing it into four quarters) from the bottom all the way till the stem or until 2/3 of the brinjal, so it is easy to cook them evenly and stuff them with spices. Apply salt on these and keep on the side for seven to eight minutes. Once the water is drained, strain these and half fry in oil, till it is tender but not cooked.

  2. Separately roast the sesame; a teaspoon of cumin seeds, peanuts and coconut in a teaspoon oil each.

  3. Make a paste by grinding the above along with green chillies and a little water. It has to be a thick paste. Take it out in a bowl. Add the coriander leaves, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt to this paste and mix thoroughly.

  4. Heat four tablespoon oil a pan. Add the mustard seeds, one teaspoon cumin and black caraway seeds to hot oil. Once they splutter, add curry leaves followed by ginger and garlic. Stir this for a minute or so.

  5. Now add the roasted masala paste. Cook on medium flame till it changes colour to deep orange for five to six minutes. Add the tamarind paste, half cup water and honey. Once it comes to a boil, add the brinjals and then let it reduce for five minutes. This will enable the masala to seep into the brinjals.

  6. Take it off the stove when the gravy is semi thick. The dish is ready. Serve it hot with rice or roti.

  ∼

  It was very generous of Prakashji to invite me to his house and share his recipes and his cook’s knowledge with me. Luckily for me, Indians are very hospitable; all I needed to do was ask. As a farewell gift, he gave me a framed kalamkari painting to bring back with me to Delhi.

  DAY 60

  I left the City of Nizams with fond memories and with my stomach full of biryani. I headed to Vishakhapatnam.

  DAY 61

  5 October/ Vishakhapatnam

  I decided to drive east, to the coast of Andhra Pradesh, to Vishakhapatnam (also called Vizag for those of you who don’t enjoy spelling). Over a distance of 625 km from Hyderabad, one does have to go a little out of the way to reach here. For those of you who enjoyed the movie Avatar, you will be intrigued to learn that life-size models of the character Neytiri and her ‘Mountain Banshee’ have been built in the new Municipal Corporation park, to spread the message of preserving the environment. Vizag is famous for its different tourist destinations, be it caves, beaches, valleys, hills or lakes, the city has it all. Vishakhapatnam has also been recognised as a Global City of the Future. Being near to the harbour, I decided to discover the fish market early in the morning.

  At 6:30 a.m. I arrived at the Vishakhapatnam fishing harbour where the fish market opens from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. On the way to the harbour, I saw a lot of wooden boats being built by hand. As the harbour came into view, my eyes took in the chaos, and the simile ‘like a fish mark
et’ made a lot more sense. There were many boats docked along the harbour, and each boat owner had set up shop on the dock itself. They were unloading their fish straight onto their little makeshift tables and selling the fish fresh to the customers. It didn’t feel like six in the morning; it felt like the stock market at midday! Amidst all this I was feeling a little lost. I found Mr. Panda who would be my tour guide for the day, to talk to some of the fishermen and translate for me.

  My first stop was at Shakti Babu’s boat. He was definitely an interesting man; his name had the addition ‘babu’ which meant he had an important role to play. I found out that he was the vice president of the fishermen’s union. He told me that the fishermen usually go out to sea for a period of 20-30 days and bring back all the catch. They carry ice for preserving the fish, oil for their boats, and food to survive for those days. Shakti Babu told me that they avoid exposing the fish to oil, food stuff and edible items to help preserve the fish till they reach the shore. There were about 500 boats in Vishakhapatnam and each could carry up to three tonnes of fish at a time. On an average, 30 tonnes of fresh fish was available everyday. River fish were sold separately on the roadsides in the city. I saw a few varieties of fish, the most popular of their catch being the Indian Mackerel, which is also sold in Kerala. I also saw shrimp, scampi, Bombay duck, and pomfret. By now, I was accustomed to the smell and chaos, and I began to notice the system in place and the order in which fish was being bought and sold. As a chef, it is very important for me to understand how to buy and select fresh fish. More so for lovers of seafood who live in landlocked places, like Delhi, a trip to the fish market is a must.

  After an early morning start, Mr. Panda decided to show me a few historical sites and introduce me to the cultural heritage of Vishakhapatnam. First stop was Bhimli beach, believed to have originated in the third century. The first to land here were the Dutch, even before the British. The beach is named after the figure from Hindu mythology, Bheem, who is said have rested here. The entire coastline is speckled with historical elements like the Dutch cemetery, the Buddha statue and the lighthouse. The Bhimli Beach is where the Gaushthani river joins the Bay of Bengal. If your smartphone has the panorama camera function, then this is the best place to use it.

  Not far from the beach is a temple that dates back 500 years. This temple is called Sri Sri Naukamakali, and holds an idol of Kali, that the local fishermen pray to. She is said to be the mother goddess of the 14 fishermen communities. They believe that she needs to be placated if anything bad happens at sea.

  After a long morning I got ready to meet Mr. V.V.N. Subhramaniam, a partner at Vijayawada Ramaiah Andhra Vegetarian Meals at Daba Gardens. They had been serving Andhra meals for 24 years, purely vegetarian as the name suggested. For a mere sum of Rs. 100, you could eat 32 traditional Andhra items, including accompaniments and condiments. It was one of those places that always fascinates a chef. Why? For a place with such a high turnover rate with such a complex regional menu, this restaurant’s operation was smooth and well planned.

  The restaurant was based on the thali concept; either steel or the traditional banana leaf, the choice was yours. At this point, even before I was served my food, my happiness had grown many times over. I noticed the blood red colour of the dishes that were served to me on my plantain leaf. This reflected the heavy use of spices in the food, very typical of Andhra Pradesh. I would describe the cuisine here as complex and multilayered, rather than subtle and simple like other parts of the country. The concept of Andhra thalis is popular all over the country, but experiencing it in the heart of the state was a great feeling. My favourite dish, among the many, was the dal, which had gongura leaves in it. The leaves are like wild spinach and are from the hibiscus family. They are slightly tangy and bitter. Gongura chutney is popular all over India. The North Indians like making dal palak, similar to dal gongura in Andhra. Another favourite was the aratkaya, a raw banana stir-fry. There were other authentic dishes like the pacchadi, the mulgapodi masala, vada, curd rice. I did count the 32 dishes that were on my plate and imagine my luck, Mr. Subhramaniam came up with another dish: tamarind or lemon rice, called Pulihora, in Telugu. The rice was not a simple dish, quite complex but easy to make. I proceeded to learn from Mr. Subhramanium. Extremely tangy and bursting with flavours this dish was made at every festival and auspicious occasion as an offering to God. I learnt here that even savoury items are served to the Gods!

  PULIHORA

  (Traditional sour rice preparation.)

  Ingredients

  1 cup rice, soaked in water

  Salt to taste

  2 tbsp sesame (til) oil

  ¼ tsp mustard (sarson) powder

  1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder

  1 lemon-sized tamarind (imli) ball

  1 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds

  1 tsp mustard (sarson) seeds

  1 tbsp black gram (urad dal)

  1 tbsp split Bengal gram (chana dal)

  1-inch ginger (adrak), grated

  ½ cup peanuts (moongphali), roasted

  5-6 curry leaves (kari patta)

  2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

  2-3 red chillies, slit lengthwise

  Method

  1. Cook the soaked rice with apt amount of salt; add sesame oil to it and keep it aside. Mix mustard powder and turmeric powder with rice, with your hands or a spatula to ensure rice doesn’t break.

  2. Soak the tamarind in half-cup warm water for 30 minutes.

  3. Roast and coarsely grind the coriander seeds. Keep aside.

  4. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and let the mustard seeds splutter, add the black gram and split Bengal gram, grated ginger, peanuts, curry leaves, green chillies and red chillies. Once they turn golden brown in colour, add coriander seeds and tamarind water.

  5. Let it reduce for 10 minutes. Once this mix becomes a thick paste add this to the turmeric mustard rice. Mix gently with a spatula or spoon.

  6. Serve hot with papad.

  ∼

  After a long eventful day as usual, I couldn’t wait to get a good night’s sleep, to digest my food, and be ready for a new day and all the new food experiences that were yet to come.

  DAY 62

  6 October / Vishakhapatnam

  Mr. Panda, who very graciously showed me around Vishakhapatnam the previous day, was taking me to see his very own labour of love. He worked in a pickle company that gave employment to rural-based communities. Mr. Panda managed the daily operations. He took me to see the factory and the line of products being manufactured there. The company made spices and pickles, out of which the powder of Guntoor chillies was the most popular. Guntoor chillies are from the Guntoor district in Andhra Pradesh and are also known as Andhra chillies; very popular because of their deep red colour that they induce into the food, and their high capsaicin level. The capsaicin level describes the intensity, or the heat, of a chilly. No wonder Andhra food is really spicy. If you recall, the lunch I had the previous day featured a member of the hibiscus family. ‘Gongura’ was also present today at the factory. Being processed into relish and pickle, the versatility of this leaf was amplified by its many medicinal properties.

  Besides gongura, there were many lines of pickles being made, out of which the emu pickle caught my attention. Mr. Panda told me that it is a very popular condiment that has caught on recently with the Andhra public. At first, I felt a little strange, as I had never eaten emu before, and this was probably be one of the only times I ate it. He then told me how various ailments could be cured by eating this pickle. Maybe I will eat it again after all! Apart from the emu pickle, I saw tomato pickle and chutney, ginger-garlic paste, and a wide range of other preserves that were being made and packaged.

  I really pushed my luck and managed to squeeze out the Gongura Chutney recipe from them. So, if any of you manage to get your hands on some gongura, here is a recipe you can follow.

  GONGURA CHUTNEY

  (Red sorrel leaves dip.)

  Ingredients
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  A bunch of sorrel leaves (gongura)

  2 tbsp oil

  1 tsp + ¼ tsp mustard (sarson) seeds

  1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds

  2 tsp black gram (urad dal)

  3 tsp split Bengal gram (chana dal)

  2 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds

  6 cloves garlic (lasun)

  5-6 green chillies

  1½ tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp

  Salt to taste

  2 dried red chillies

  8-10 curries leaves (kari patta)

  A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

  Method:

  1. Clean and chop the gongura leaves. Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard starts spluttering, add black gram, split Bengal gram and coriander seeds.

  2. Sauté this mix until the grams are golden. Add garlic, green chillies and the chopped gongura leaves. In a few minutes the gongura leaves will be cooked. Switch off the flame and let it cool.

  3. Grind these ingredients while adding the tamarind pulp and salt to make a coarse paste. Take it out in a bowl. Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a pan to make tempering. Add one-fourth teaspoon of mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add this tempering to the chutney. Gongura chutney is ready.

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  I bid farewell to Mr. Panda and thanked him for being so kind. I had a long journey ahead of me from Vishakhapatnam to Bhubaneshwar. I said goodbye and got back on the road. It would be 12 a.m. before I reach my destination.

  DAY 63

  7 October/ Bhubaneshwar

  A new day. A new state. I was now in Odisha, originally known as Orissa, I was in the capital, Bhubaneshwar. Called the Temple City of India, Bhubaneshwar was home to more than 1000 temples, most of which were built in the Kalinga architectural style. The state was famous for many art forms, handicrafts, sand artistry, sculptures and the classical Odissi dance. Out of all these I found the dance form Odissi most fascinating. I am a bit of a dancer myself and I have a special admiration in my heart for classical dance forms. What I find fascinating is the get-up and the pre-preparation that goes into the Indian classical dance forms. One of the eight classical dance forms in India, Odissi, is among the oldest. I happened to meet a classical dancer, Mamta, who ran her own school, where she had been teaching for almost 33 years. She had been dancing since she was seven years old.