Awadhi cuisine
Awadhi Cuisine is from the city of Lucknow which is the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh located in Central-South Asia and Northern India, and the cooking patterns of the city are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India as well. The cuisine consists of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Most cuisines have a great deal of interesting history behind them. Awadhi cuisine is no exception, and this is what makes this cuisine even more captivating. Not just its taste, but also its history is enthralling, particularly because of the fact that it had once been used to help people.
Awadhi cuisine has a history that describes how it was used to help hungry people.
Awadh was a region in which at one point in history there was a shortage of food. A ruler in this land was concerned about this situation, and he then gave orders to his men to cook large amounts of food in huge handis. The food was supposed to be cooked throughout the day in order to serve people whenever they needed to eat. The food contained meats, potatoes, vegetables, and other important food substances that would provide a whole nutrition. The process involved cooking all the ingredients on a slow flame so that all the juices would be well absorbed into the solid food. Thus was the birth of DUM PUKT.
History
Awadh's political unity can be traced back to the ancient Hindu kingdom of Kosala, with Ayodhya as its capital. Modern Awadh finds historical mention only in the time of Akbar, in the late 16th century.
In prehistoric Awadh, the kingdom of Rama, contained five main divisions
1. Uttara khoshla
2. Silliana
3. Pacchmirath
4. Purbrath
5. Arbar
Until 1722 (formally until 1819) Awadh was a province of the Mughal Empire. From 1722 to 1856 the Nawab of Awadh was a ruler in his own right. The Nawabs of Awadh were a Persian Shia Muslim dynasty from Nishapur , who not only encouraged the existing Persian-language activity to shift from Delhi, but also invited, and received, a steady stream of scholars, poets, jurists, architects, and painters from Iran. Sadat Khan Burhanul Mulk was appointed Nawab in 1722 and established his court in Faizabad near Lucknow His successor was Safdarjung the very influential noble at the Mughal court in Delhi. Until 1819, Awadh was a province of the Mughal Empire administered by a Nawab. Awadh was known as the granary of India and was important strategically for the control of the Doab, the fertile plain between the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers. It was a wealthy kingdom, able to maintain its independence against threats from the Marathas, the British and the Afghans. It was only in 1819 that Nawab Ghaziuddin Haidar finally started to strike coins in his own name. Soon thereafter, Awadhi coins started to feature the kingdom's European style coat of arms
Awadh was annexed by British India (the East India Company) and formed the Province of Awadh. In 1877 the Provinces of Agra and Awadh were merged to form the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, after independence renamed Uttar Pradesh (U.P.).
Culture
Dastarkhan, a Persian term, literally means a meticulously laid-out ceremonial dining spread. It is customary in Awadh to sit around and share the Dastarkhan. Laden with the finest and the most varied repertoire of the khansamas (chefs), the Dastarkhan of the raeis (the rich) were called Khasa (special).
Lucknow represents a culture that combines emotional warmth, a high degree of sophistication, courtesy, and a love for gracious living. The Pehle-Aap (after you) culture, popularized as a tagline for the society of Lucknow, is waning. But a small part of Lucknow's society still possesses such etiquette. This sublime cultural richness famous as Lakhnawi tehzeeb blends the cultures of two communities living side by side for centuries, sharing similar interests and speaking a common language. Nowadays this culture is empowering itself as many people are migrating from different places around India.
Many of the cultural traits and customs peculiar to Lucknow have become living legends today. The credit for this goes to the secular and synergistic traditions of the Nawabs of Awadh, who took a keen interest in every walk of life, and encouraged the traditions to attain a rare degree of sophistication.
Geographical location
Although Awadh is not a state, the mughlai food of Lucknow is called Awadhi cuisine. It is situated in the gigantic plains and the entire regions is surrounded by towns and villages such as mahilabad, kakori, mohanlalgunj, gosaigunj.River gomti runs through Lucknow and divides into two parts trans gomti and cis gomti.
Special equipment
Bhagona :Or the patili is generally of brass with a lid. It is used when a great deal of 'bhunna' or saute is required. Or even for boiling and simmering. It is also used for preparing Yakhni or Salan, Korma or Kaliya.
Deg/Degchi: This is a pear-shaped pot with a lid of brass, copper or aluminum. The shape of this utensil is ideally suited for the 'dum' method and is used for cooking Pulao, Biryani, Nehari or Shab Deg.
Kadhai: Kadhai is a deep, concave utensil made of brass, iron or aluminum and is used for deep frying puri and other fried breads.
Lagan: Lagan is a round and shallow copper utensil with a slightly concave bottom. Used for cooking whole or big cuts of meat or poultry especially when heat is applied from both the top and bottom.
Lohe ka tandoor: Is typically an iron tandoor, distinct from the clay tandoor which is more common in Delhi. It is a dome-shaped iron oven covered with iron sheet, used for cooking a variety of Breads like – Sheermal, Taftan, and Bakarkhani etc.
Mahi tawa: Mahi tawa is the Awadh version of the griddle shaped like a big round, flat bottomed tray with raised edges. Used for cooking kebabs. Also used for dishes where heat is applied from both ends. When covered.
Seeni: Seeni is a big thali (round tray) usually used as a lid for the lagan or mahi tawa when heat is to be applied from the top. Live charcoal is placed on it and the heat is transmitted through it to the food. Thus the indirect heat has the desired effect of browning and cooking the ingredients. All the copper and brass utensils are almost always used after 'kalai' or tin plating the insides.
Culinary terms
Dhungar: This is a quick smoke procedure used to flavor a meat dish,
daIs or even raita. The smoke very effectively permeates every grain of
the ingredients and imparts a subtle aroma, which enhances the quality
of the dish. The procedure may be carried out either at the intermediate
or the final stage of cooking. This is a common technique employed
while making kebabs. The method is as follows. In a shallow utensil
or a lagan in which the meat or mince has been marinated, a small bay
is made in the center and a katori or onion skin or even a betel leaf
(depending on the dish) is placed. In it a piece of live coal is placed and
hot ghee, sometimes mixed with aromatic herbs or spices, is poured over
it and covered immediately with a lid to prevent the smoke from escaping.
The lid is not removed till about 15 minutes, so as to allow the smoke to
work on the ingredients inside. The coal is then removed from the utensil
and the meat put through further cooking processes.
Dum Dena: This is a frequently method used in Awadh cooking. 'Dum' literally means 'breath' and the process involves placing the semi-cooked ingredients in a pot or deg, sealing the utensil with flour dough and applying very slow charcoal fire from top, by placing some live charcoal on the lid, and some below. The Persian influence is most evident in this method though in Awadh it has acquired its own distinct character. The magic of dum' is the excellent aroma, flavor and texture which results from slow cooking. This method is followed for a number of delicacies such as the Shabdeg, Pulao and Biryani. Any dish cooked by this method is 'Dum Pukht' or 'Dum Bakht'.
Galavat: Refers to the use of softening agents such as papain (from raw papaya) or kalmi shora to tenderize meat.
Baghar: This is a method of tempering a dish with hot oil / ghee and spices. It may be done either at the beginning of the cooking as in curries, or at the end as for (pulses). In the former, the fat is heated in a vessel to a smoking point and after reducing the flame, spices are added to it when they begin to crackle. The same process is carried out in a ladle which is immersed in the cooked dish and immediately covered with a lid, so that the essence and the aroma of the spices, drawn out by the hot ghee are retained in the dish giving it their flavor.
Gile hikmat: Talking of Persian influence on Awadh cuisine one cannot ignore this interesting method adopted for cooking. 'Gil' in Persian is earth or mud and 'Hikmat' implies the procedure of the Hakims. This method is generally followed to prepare 'Kushtas' which are the ash-like residue of substances which cannot be consumed in their natural form as they are toxic, for instance gems or metals. But when adopted for cooking purposes the method is as follows. The meat or vegetable to be cooked is generally taken whole and stuffed with nuts and spices, It is then wrapped in a banana leaf or cloth and covered completely with clay or 'Multani Mitti' (Fuller's Earth) so as to seal it. It is thereafter buried about 4-6 inches deep. As low fire is then placed on top for 6–8 hours after which the food is dug out and is ready to be served!
Loab: This is a term which refers to the final stage in cooking when the oil used during cooking, rises to the surface. Giving the dish a finished appearance, this occurs mostly when slow cooking of gravy dishes is involved.
Moin: It is the shortening of dough. In this process fat is rubbed into the flour and made into dough for kachoris or pooris or parathas. This makes the final product crisp, flaky and crumbly.
Ittr (Perfumes): The use of perfumes plays an important role in Awadh cuisine they are used to enhance the aroma of the dish and make it delicate. Most commonly they are made from musk
Zamin doz: This is a style of cooking in which a hole is dug in the ground and the ingredients are placed and covered with mud. Then burning charcoal is placed over it. The cooking process takes about 6 hours.
Bukhara: Dum Pukht cuisine in India is over 200 years old. When Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah was building the Bara Imambara during the famine of 1784 to provide work for his starving people, huge quantities of food was cooked in large vessels, degs, in massive double-walled ovens called bukharis. He tasted the food one night and loved it so much that bukhari cooking was incorporated into the royal court.
