One of them was Peter Toghrille Hassan who was my cousin Eugene Campos’s best friend. At the time, Eugene was courting Marie Hyde, another cousin of mine. He’d mentioned that his friend was joining Warner Hindustan and he told this friend that I was also working there. Every day when he would come home to see Marie, Eugene would ask me if his friend Peter had started working with us and I would tell him I had not noticed anyone new but would find out. Finally, one evening, I decided to ask Mr Moses, our personnel manager, if a Peter Hassan had joined and he said no, but there was a young man by the name of Toghrille Hassan who was starting work the next day. The two names did not even sound remotely alike, which confused me.
While I was talking to Mr Moses, the other girls were around and one of them said, ‘I saw him when he came for the interview. He is very handsome and I have my eyes set on him, so everyone please stay away.’ I rolled my eyes and thought, ‘He’s all yours, I only asked so that I could finally give Eugene an answer.’
The next day when he came to work and we were introduced to each other as Miss Fernes and Mr Hassan, he asked me if I was Eugene’s cousin and I asked if he was Eugene’s friend. I don’t know if it was love at first sight, but now when I look back it probably was because that conversation sealed our destinies together. The year was 1968.
I left Warner Hindustan eventually, and started working with the Vazir Sultan Company but Peter and I stayed in touch. This was not easy for me to do because I was not allowed to go out of the house alone, except to work but we managed and spoke a lot over the telephone. By 1970, we were sure we wanted to spend our lives together, but there was the matter of convincing my parents. When Peter came home to ask my parents for my hand in marriage, they were completely against it, but I was prepared to leave home for him. Seeing that my mind was made up, and watching me walk out of the house convinced my parents to at least consider the idea. They promised me that I could get engaged to Peter but, in return, I had to promise to wait a year to get married.
Eventually, we were married on 19 June 1971. Decades later, we have a home filled with our three children, Anisha, Nihal and Sahil, their lovely spouses – our son-in-law, Vijay, and our daughters-in-law, who are both called Neha; and our six gorgeous grandchildren, Rhea, Raoul, Anaia, Aliana, Anahi and Riaan. We are a family that loves to cook, loves to eat and loves to share our world with everyone we know. The Hassans are a very multi-cultural clan, and our home is the same – we celebrate almost every religious festival because we have family members who are Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh. The tentwallah who comes home to set things up for us once said to me – ‘You celebrate everything from Eid to Diwali to Christmas on the same scale. I have never seen a home like this!’
Which is why writing this book is so important for me. All the recipes in it come from members of our family. Because we often host people for meals, I have cooked these recipes countless times over the years, and they have won us precious friendships and priceless memories. The stories pay homage to our families, friends and well-wishers and especially to Hyderabad, the city that we carry in our hearts wherever we go.
I hope that this food will become a part of your life, and your table, too, and that it will bring you the love, warmth and happiness that it has brought generations of our family.
Doreen Hassan
The Hassans of Hyderabad
The heirloom recipes in this book are reflective of Hyderabad’s ancient, multi-cultural history and before I give you more practical tips and pieces of advice on the recipes, I thought it might be interesting to delve into some history – of Hyderabad, and of our family.
What we recognize as Hyderabadi food today owes its origins to the Qutub Shahi dynasty which ruled over the erstwhile kingdom of Golconda for 169 years, from 1518 to 1687 before being conquered by the Mughals. Before the Qutub Shahi era, the region was ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal and had also been a part of the Bahmani kingdom, which was based in Bidar that is now part of Karnataka. Sultan Mohammed Quli, a Qutub Shahi king, built Hyderabad in the 1580s, and was inspired by the beautiful, legendary Persian city of Isfahan. Poets, travellers, kings and common men alike sung praises of this new city, which though ruled by devout Shia Muslims, was very secular, multi-cultural and a haven for arts and literature. The Qutub Shahi rulers were also great connoisseurs of food and their cuisine married Turkish and Persian influences with local ingredients and culinary traditions.
When the Mughals defeated the Qutub Shahi rulers and staked their claim over the kingdom, they chose to move the centre of power from Golconda to Hyderabad and appointed a governor for South India, with the title of Nizam-ul-Mulk. Eventually, the governor’s title was changed by the Mughals to Asaf Jah, giving birth to the Asaf Jahi dynasty, which ruled over Hyderabad for two centuries, from 1724 to 1948, when the state was annexed by a newly independent India. The Nizams were, also, discerning gourmets and brought in culinary influences from Telangana, Marathwada and Karnataka.
Our family, the Hassans, have been a part of Hyderabad’s history and played a role in India’s fight for independence. We have been told by older members of the family that when Peter’s father and his siblings were growing up, Hyderabad was a staunchly secular kingdom, embracing the traditions and cultures of all religions. Peter’s father, Syed Khurshid Hassan, was one of ten children born to Syed Ameer Hassan, a commissioner in Hyderabad under the Nizam’s rule, and his Iranian wife, Fakhrul Hajia Begum, who was from Shiraz. They were one of the first families to boycott British goods and burnt their British-made possessions in a bonfire in front of the family home, Abid Manzil.
At a time when aristocratic families patronized fine fabrics from Europe, the Hassans favoured Indian textiles. Peter’s grandmother, a strident and respected matriarch, was so staunchly anti-British that she sent her sons to Germany for higher education, and was an early supporter of the movement to spin and wear khadi. Three of Peter’s uncles – Badrul, Hadi and Abid Hassan – were particularly involved in the Indian independence movement. A close associate of Mahatma Gandhi’s, Badrul Hassan owned the first Cottage Industries Emporium in Hyderabad as well as the city’s first bookshop, The Hyderabad Book Company.
Hadi Hassan was a botanist and a scholar of Persian literature, while also playing a very important role in the independence movement, winning the admiration of leaders like Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu. He inherited a love of Persian from his Iranian mother and was decorated in 1960 with the Nishan-e-Danish of the First Order, which is Iran’s highest academic award. He also established a medical college at Aligarh Muslim University.
Abid Hassan, who was also known as Abid Hassan Safrani, was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s personal secretary and interpreter. He took on the role out of admiration for Netaji’s revival of the Indian National Army, which had been set up in Japan by a group of Indian prisoners of war led by Captain Mohan Singh during World War II. He chose to add ‘Safrani’ to his name as a mark of communal harmony and is credited with creating the greeting ‘Jai Hind’ after Netaji requested him to think of a secular phrase that Indians could use as a mark of national pride.
For a family that was immersed in the politics and public life of the time, the Hassans retained their sense of humour and a great love for food, family and friendships. When I spoke with Peter’s cousins, Bizeth and Sanjar in Hyderabad while researching the book, they told me that while the men were illustrious and authoritative outside of the house, at home it was the women who commanded absolute respect.
From them, I have learnt that what makes Hyderabadi food so delicious and unique is the attention paid to every detail and technique, from marinating the meat and grinding masalas to the process of cooking, and then the garnishes, as well as how the dish is served. For example, the secret of a good saalan lies in the grinding of its masala, which must have the texture of silk. The stories of legendary hospitality and rich feasts are far too many to recount, and we have attempted to retain that vibrant spirit of the family through t
he recipes in this book.
How to Use this Book
BEFORE YOU START
As someone who learnt cooking herself by trial and error, I want to reassure you that while some recipes might appear to be difficult, each recipe can be made by anyone.
In many ways, our home in Delhi is an old-fashioned household when it comes to the way we cook. I prefer adhering to traditional techniques and use traditional cookware too. However, I am aware that modern kitchens might not be equipped for this, so if you do not own a lagan, and are not keen to buy one, please use a grill pan or any pan of your choice. You can improvise as required. My advice to you would be to read a recipe very carefully before you attempt it, so that you know what to prepare for in advance. For example, marinating meat well ahead of time or grinding certain masalas before you start cooking. The more complex dishes might need some practice and I have indicated that in my notes where relevant.
The chapters are arranged to echo my own culinary journey. Each chapter begins with the easiest dish and progresses to more difficult ones. My hope is for you to make these dishes your own, tweaking an ingredient or technique to suit your tastes, and sharing them with friends and family. This would make me the happiest.
THE ESSENTIALS
TRADITIONAL UTENSILS
The main utensils used for cooking Hyderabadi dishes are the degchi, kadhai, deg, lagan, tawa and a good frying pan. You may already own most of these utensils.
Degchi – A thick, round-bottomed, wide-necked cooking pot with a well-fitting lid, it is generally used for slow cooking of dishes with a lot of gravy.
Kadhai – Like the Chinese wok, this utensil is also thick and heavy-bottomed but it has a loose-fitting lid. We use it for deep frying or cooking meats and vegetables.
Tawa – A flat, thick iron alloy griddle mainly used for the preparation of rotis and parathas.
Lagan – A wide, round, heavy-bottomed utensil made of copper and tin-plated on the inside. A lagan is about 2½" in height.
Frying pan – These come in many sizes, but I recommend investing in a small, round, 1"-high pan with a long handle. You can use it to fry and roast masalas, and to do the baghaar for dishes.
Measures and Conversions
Dry weight measures, as used in this book
200 gm rice - 1 cup
200 gm sugar - 1 cup
100 gm flour - 1 cup
100 gm butter - 1/2 cup
Liquid measures, as used in this book
250 ml - 1 cup
125 ml - 1/2 cup
15 ml - 1 tablespoon
7.5 ml - 1/2 tablespoon
5 ml - 1 teaspoon
2.5 ml - 1/2 teaspoon
1.25 ml - 1/4 teaspoon
Estimations
One kilogram rice for twelve to fifteen people
One kilogram lentils for about twenty people
One kilogram mutton for eight to ten people
One kilogram vegetables for six to eight people
One kilogram chicken for six to eight people
One kilogram fish for eight to ten people
One kilogram prawns for ten to twelve people
Kitchen Wisdom
GINGER-GARLIC PASTE
It’s very simple to make and keeps well in the fridge for a month at least if you store it at the back of a shelf. The ratio I use is a kilogram of ginger to 750 gm of garlic. Peel both the ginger and garlic and grind to a fine paste using as little water as possible. If you use a grinding stone, you will not need to use any water at all but for convenience and speed, it might be better to use a blender.
PAPAYA PASTE
This is used to tenderize meat and for one kilogram of mutton, you will need two level teaspoons of papaya paste. You can make this by grinding a medium-sized slice of unpeeled raw papaya to a fine paste in the blender. Measure it out and grind more, if required.
GARAM MASALA POWDER
Every Indian household has their own recipe for garam masala and this is mine. Measure out equal quantities of cardamom, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Grind each one separately into a fine powder. Mix all three together and store in an airtight jar. Make sure you use it before the fragrance fades.
TAMARIND PURÉE
Soak a walnut-size ball of tamarind in a cup of warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the pulp out and strain.
COCONUT MILK
Grate a fresh coconut. In a bowl, cover the grated flesh with hot water. After a few minutes, using your hands or a muslin cloth, squeeze out the juice into a separate bowl. This is known as the thick milk or first extraction. Add in another cup of hot water and squeeze out the remaining juice. This is the thin milk or second extraction. In a recipe, you will always add the thin milk first. The thick milk is blended into a dish at the very end, to add creaminess and flavour.
HOW TO SET YOGURT
I recommend you purchase an earthenware bowl for this purpose and the yogurt will have an addictive, unique flavour. Boil milk and cool till it is lukewarm. Rub a spoonful of leftover yogurt and all over the insides of an earthenware bowl. Pour the warm milk into the bowl, cover and keep in a warm place to set. If you want sour yogurt, use yogurt which is two days old.
HOW TO MAKE HARD BOILED EGGS
Boil water in a deep saucepan or vessel and carefully add the eggs in. The water should be high enough to cover the eggs. Boil for 8 to 9 minutes. Take the eggs out using a spatula and crack the shell gently. Immerse the eggs immediately in cold water for a few minutes until they get cool enough to handle. You can peel the shell off very easily.
NOTES ON BUYING AND COOKING MUTTON
Mutton is every Hyderabadi’s favourite meat. The day would traditionally begin with Nehari, which is a soup cooked overnight with lamb trotters and tongue, and eaten with kulchas. Other popular breakfast dishes are Kheema and parathas, and Kaleji Gurda. When you are cooking with mutton, the quality of the meat is very important. I have a butcher that I can rely on but still prefer to go buy the mutton myself, choosing the calf of the leg or shin bone (called Adla Kareli or Machli ka Gosht). Pasinda meat, which is specified in many recipes, is a steak cut with marrow bones.
I am told that my father-in-law used to believe that the two people to be carefully watched are the butcher and the goldsmith. If you cannot go buy the meat yourself, please make sure that you send out for or order in from a reliable source.
Mutton must always be cooked at room temperature. So, if you have stored the meat in the fridge or freezer, make sure you thaw it well in advance. It is also best cooked on a slow flame.
HOW TO CLEAN PAYA OR LAMB’S TROTTERS
You must ask your butcher to clean the trotters very well before you buy them. Sometimes, though you might find pieces of skin or strands of hair still on the meat. If you do, please scorch the meat over a flame for a quick minute or scald it for a few minutes in boiling water. Once the meat is clean, rub the trotters with a little gram flour to clean them and then wash thoroughly.
NOTES ON BUYING AND COOKING CHICKEN
Chicken is a healthier meat to choose and earlier, it used to be more expensive than mutton. For a healthy dish, choose to have the skin of the chicken removed, which makes sure there is no fat left in the meat. It has a subtler flavour than mutton, so it is important to flavour a chicken dish with a light hand or the masalas will overpower the meat.
WHAT IS BAGHAR AND HOW IT’S TO BE DONE
Across India, the final seasoning has different names and in Hyderabad, we call it the baghar. It adds flavour and flourish to the dish, and must never be skipped.
The baghar is either done right at the start of cooking (as in Mirchi Ka Saalan, Baghare Baingan and Tamatar ki Chutney) or at the end, when the dish is ready, as with most dhals. Be careful never to add water when doing your baghar. If the baghar is to be done first, ensure that the pan or dish you are cooking in is wiped clean. For the baghar at the end, you might need to purchase a small handheld pan, which you can find at any good store.
I have specified
the ingredients for baghar in every recipe, as per the dish. The standard ingredients are dried red chillies, cumin seeds or mustard seeds, garlic cloves and curry leaves. You must heat oil or ghee, or a mixture of both until smoking, and add the ingredients in quickly. Let them splutter and then either add in the other ingredients or pour the baghar over the finished dish. When you do the baghar at the end, make sure you cover the dish as soon as you pour it in. This helps preserve the aroma and the flavours.
COOKING ON DHUM
There are two dhum techniques used in Hyderabadi cooking:
Dhum dena – This means keeping the dish to cook on a slow fire for anything for a few minutes. Traditionally, such dishes are cooked in a wide, shallow pan called a lagan, which is placed on a wood fire, or charcoal fire. This technique makes the oil rise to the surface giving the top layer of the meat or rice a wonderful brown colour. When rice is cooked on dhum in this way, each grain is separate. Where this is required, I have indicated it in the recipe.
Dhum pe pakana – This means cooking the dish on a slow fire. The lagan is covered and slow-burning pieces of charcoal are placed above and below.
Vegetables and Dhals
‘YOU BETTER LEARN TO COOK’
When Peter and I got engaged, my grandmother, Mama, said to me – ‘His family are very good cooks. You better learn to cook or he will get fed up of you soon.’
Mama was an excellent cook but I never learnt from her – I did not think it would matter or that Peter would tire of me if I did not cook! Once we got married, food suddenly became an issue. There was never anything vegetarian on the table and for every meal, Peter used to get idlis, or vadas or a dosa or upma for me from Taj Mahal Hotel, which was close to their house. I would visit my parents and bring back my meals and my mother-in-law, who never cooked herself, liked to taste the food. ‘Kya layi, ma?’ she would ask and try a bit of everything. Eventually, she began to get a dhal or sabzi or a tomato chutney made for me at every meal, and it was also my introduction to Hyderabadi food. No one forced me to cook, and I would go into the kitchen only to bake a cake whenever there was a birthday.
Saffron and Pearls Page 2
