Celebrating Passion for Food
Historians are not very sure about the country of origin of Pilaf(Pulao). There are 2 counter theories about where Pilaf was originated, some say it was Persia and some believe it was in India. As per historical evidences, Rice was cultivated in India for thousands of years, but Persia started cultivating rice between 1000-500 BC.
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Mumbai, a city of dreams, a city that never sleeps, a city always on a move. For over two decades before I moved to its sister city Pune I grew up in Mumbai. I was a part of the crowd that moves through the city in pursuit of their goals, day in and day out through the local trains.
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This recipe also comes from my Sasural’s Khana Khazana!! In Uttar Pradesh, it’s a winter delicacy and specially prepared on the auspicious occassion of “Makar Sankranthi”.It’s a Harvest Festival! People consider Urad dal is “Shubh”. On Sankranthi early morning , a vessel containing mixture of Urad dal and rice is kept in Poorab disha( Rising Sun direction )and every family member touches it before starting their day. Hence this Tahari also contains lentils like Urad and Chana dal along with Matar.
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Curd rice also known as Thayir Sadam in Tamil tongue is a recipe that not only resonates well in the South Indian states but now has many takers pan India.
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It has been sometime since we have ventured into cuisine from the land of Nawabs. Biryani, though popularly identified as a rich food that emanated out from food habits that boasts of richness and subtlety of Nawabi cuisine, it is equally popular among the commoners.
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Friends, if I have to describe today’s recipe, I would say it is succulent, flavorful, enriching, and satiating and it indeed is Prawns (Jhinga) Biryani.
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We came across this recipe in one of my favorite cook-books-‘Rare Gems: A Non-Vegetarian Gourmet Collection from Maharashtra’- by Aditya Mehendale. The book documents, non-veg delicacies of different Maharashtrian communities, some well-known recipes and also some lesser known recipes that are known only to these communities.
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Being a food enthusiast, I can lay claim to my share of learnings. One of the major aspect of this learning process has been to expect surprises at most unexpected places. My strong conviction into this philosophy was reaffirmed, when last month we went for a road trip. I enjoy the road trips for the foods that I encounter at different places, and interspersed somewhere in heaps of dishes on the menu, one can find few gem of the recipes.
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Love is in the air. The Monsoons have come, and with its arrival this air has become scented. The dry and lifeless summer that serves as a precursor to lively monsoon makes this atmosphere dry and insipid. The earth dries up, weaker trees and plants, shrubs and bushes wither away and those that bear strength would wait for that first drop of rain. Everything comes to a standstill; it is as if every creature is praying for the arrival of the first shower. Finally the day arrives; the dark cloud encircles the earth and cool breeze begins to blow, announcing the much anticipated arrival of the dignitary that everyone’s been waiting for with the bated breath.
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This time of the year, monsoon gradually spreads across the India and summer lazily packs its bag and lingers around as if it is in no rush to leave the scene. It is akin to that reluctant kid who has been asked to leave but he just hangs around in case if he would be asked to come back in. However, with the end of summer season it is also the end of wedding season in India. In India when every small task is done within the shubh muhurat (auspicious time to perform a ceremony), every job change, house warming, job interview is done as per shubh muhurat, and then it should be no surprise that every wedding is also fixed for a sacred time. In India there are primarily two seasons for wedding summer and winter.
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