Mughlai cuisine consists of dishes developed in Medieval India at the centres of the Mughal Empire. It represents a combination of the cooking style and recipes of Central Asia and North India. The Mughlai cooking styles is used in the traditional cuisine of north India (especially Agra and Delhi), Hyderabad, Dhaka and the Karachi. The cuisine is strongly influenced by Central Asian cuisine, the region where the Turco-Mongol Mughal rulers…
Author: Culinary Classics by Tushar
My passion for food and cooking goes a long way back when I was a kid. My grandma used to wake me up early in the morning to prepare me for school. As a six year old it was mesmerising for me to see her lighting up the wood stove (lakdi ka chullah) and whipping up breakfast. I used to be at awe watching her blowing the wood fire with a steel pipe, moving the wood pieces back and forth to adjust the intensity of fire, moving the ladle t with those nimble skillful hands and turning simple ingredients into mouthwatering dishes. She would give me her best smile at my queries on ingredients and process and say “Why do you need to know this when I can make so many different dishes for you everyday?” And my juvenile mind was convinced that grandma will be there all my life to cook for me.
Food was always an interest for me but never got a chance to cook until I left home to work. My first attempt was simple dal and rice which was edible after a few attempts. I started to like the process of cooking and get that “creative kick” when someone would praise my skills. Over years its just my interest in understanding food which has encouraged my “trial and errors”. I believe in understanding flavours; still an amateur home cook who doesnt go by rules, neither the exact quantity of ingredients. And hence in my recipes I will mention quantities only absolutely necessary.
I love tracking food history and regional variations. In these days of “quick assembly recipes” we are in danger of losing many age old classic cuisines. It will be my attempt to bring forth some while trying to make contemporary using modern cooking techniques.
Looking forward to your feedback.
Murgh Makhani
Kundanlal Gujral, the founder of Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj, New Delhi, was the first to bake chicken in a tandoor, creating the biggest invention in north Indian cuisine, the “Tandoori Chicken”. He also invented “Makhani gravy”, the mother of North Indian gravies, thus transforming Tandoori Chicken into delicious Murg Makhani or Butter Chicken. It…
Khichdi – The Soul Food of the Subcontinent
There are days when you are a bit under the weather; the palate detesting tel-masala (oil and spices). You crave for something simple and easy on stomach and you thank Almighty for bestowing mankind with the “KHICHDI“. This ancient, humble staple is popular around the subcontinent, where everyone seemingly has their own recipe for it,…
Hyderabadi Chicken 65
Chicken 65 is one dish which always has a special place at the table, the moment it shows up at the table it takes the privilege to disappear in no time. From upscale bars to highway dhabas, Chicken 65 has travelled far and wide as a bar snack, or an indulgent meal accompaniment. As per order analysis…
Sarson ka Saag
Nothing is more quintessentially Punjab than Sarson ka Saag and Makki ki Roti, it’s an earthy hearty food abundant in flavour, nutrients and colour; much like the land and the people it belongs to. The local cuisine of Punjab is heavily influenced by the agriculture and farming lifestyle prevalent from the times of the ancient Harappan civilisation. Locally grown staple foods form the…
Saas ni Machhi
The simplicity of complex flavours in this Parsi fish curry ‘Saas ni Macchi’ feels like a symphony on the palate. According to the Qissa-i-Sanjan (account of the early years of Parsi settlers on the Indian subcontinent), the Parsis fled to India from Iran, in mid seventh century, due to reasons of religious freedom. They were allowed to settle in…
Mangsha Besara
Mangsha Besara (Mutton cooked in mustard sauce) is a rustic, ancient dish from my motherland, the state of Odisha (erstwhile Orissa), in the eastern part of India. Jiggs Kalra – the author, columnist, gastronome, food consultant and restaurateur, considered the Czar of Indian Cuisine, once said “Some of the world’s most popular cuisines are made…
Nimona
The ancient Indian wisdom of Ayurveda and Yoga has always been a great proponent of balanced diet which restores balance at all levels. It says, “You are what you eat and a large part of your temperament and nature depends on the food you consume”. Based on this concept, Ayurveda divides food into Sattvik, Tamasik…
Methi Chaman
Methi Chaman is traditionally a delectable Kashmiri dish, from the kitchens of Kashmiri Pandits. Kashmiri cuisine was influenced by the culture which arrived with the invasion of Kashmir by Timur from the region of modern Uzbekistan. Subsequently, Kashmir and its food have been strongly influenced by the cuisines of Central Asia, Persia, Middle East and…
Mangalorean Kori Sukka
Indian west coast has been influenced for centuries by trade, invasion and asylum seekers. This coastline, which spreads from Mumbai to Calicut, boasts of a vast range of dishes, from multiple culinary styles, which is an amalgamation of local taste and foreign influences. Dishes in south India used variety of local grown spices from time…
Culinary Classics by Tushar 