Chef Asif Qureshi’s extremely evocative story of his childhood is inextricably tied to food—the cooking of it. As the fragrance of potli masala floats in and the sizzle of meat being fried and kebabs being cooked fills the ears, Asif’s stories keep coming.
His grandfather, Haji Ishaq, on being called to Delhi to cook for Queen Elizabeth mustered menfolk from Hussail Ganj in Lucknow, irrespective of whether they could cook, to help prepare food for the royal visit, learning to make the perfect seekh kebab, mastering biriyani by hanging around in the kitchen with the women of the family and, of course, the rich heritage of Awadhi cuisine.
Awadhi cuisine was made in the kitchens of the Nawabs of Lucknow; they were known to be connoisseurs, of food. It is more nuanced in its flavours with only a hint of say, rose or sandal wood. Asif uses the Urdu word which, he says, best describes the food—‘nazakat’, which loosely translated, means refined or elegant. The ingredients and the food are to be experienced than seen, he says.
There are no chunky pieces or whole spices floating in the gravy, “this is food of the kings, kebabs have to melt in the mouth, the meats have to be tender, the gravy silky—the Nawabs, after all, couldn’t be troubled by food.” Asif is an Awadhi speciality chef at Marriott Hotel, Bhopal. He is at Kochi Marriott to put together the Awadhi food festival that is on.
The 31-year-old quit school while he was in Class 7 because he wanted to cook. His father was, understandably, displeased but Asif’s heart was set on food. But his childhood was all about food—seeing it being made. Peeling onions first, he slowly made his way up the kitchen. His great grandfather’s father cooked for the Nawab of Lucknow, and it has always been the family trade.
Everything he knows he learnt hands-on from his family, the women folk too. His oldest brother has a degree in hotel management, not him. Although the family business is catering and the men work in the kitchen, the women of the family cook at family dos. “My mother and aunts can easily cook for at least 100-200 people and they do it easily.” Anticipating the question, he adds, “It is difficult to say who cooks better—the women or the men.” Each recipe is a ‘secret’ handed down generations, the one secret he will reveal is that no spice mix is store-bought.
Bawarchis (cooks) of the Nawabs are credited for the finesse of the cuisine that they developed, especially the technique of slow cooking, the wide range of kebabs, kormas, parathas, kulchas and more. It is also marked by the opulence of its ingredients—there are recipes where no water is used, instead only milk and the paste of cashews and almonds. Each is a lesson in extreme luxury. Lavish use of ghee (clarified butter) is a must, “the ghee should come off on your hand as you eat, that is proof of richness.”
Slow cooking
He points to the galouti kebab—“It is all about the technique—for this the meat is cooked with the potli masala, a combination of whole spices and herbs. While nihari involves slow-cooking meat over 18-20 hours, simmering it at an even temperature. The gravy is made separately. Cooking for the Nawabs is about patience and practising for perfection.” The pouch ( potli ) could be a combination of 120 spices and herbs. The meat is cooked with spices, which are strained and removed leaving on a trace of a flavour and hint of a fragrance. The herbs to rejuvenate, given a Nawab’s diet.
The smooth galouti kebab melts in the mouth leaving behind a lingering aftertaste. “Sandal wood,” he says. The nihari gosht, with its gold-coloured gravy, is lamb cooked to perfection—tender and ready to slide of the bone, the masalas soaked in perfectly. Accompanying it is taftan, a fermented, faintly sweet bread with a saffron stain, “It balances the flavours of the gravy, the sweet offsets its spice.”
One of the simpler foods on the menu, taftan is typical of Uttar Pradesh, made of flour, yoghurt, milk, eggs and saffron. The desserts are as important—shahi tukda, phirni, gulatti (sweetened rice), zarda, semiya ka muzzafar (ghee-roasted semiya cooked with milk and sugar) are a few.
Over time, the palate has changed, tilting more toward health and simpler eating, and the luxuriant food is only for special occasions. But, Asif says, the tradition of Awadhi culinary opulence lives on.
