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Mutton Korma

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:58:02 +0000

Popularly imbibed in India through the Mughals, the history of the traditional Mutton Korma can be traced back to the 16th century Mughal kingdom. Kormas were often prepared in the Mughal court kitchens, said to have been served to Shah Jahan and his guests at the inauguration of the Taj Mahal.

But the legacy of Korma goes way back to Central Asia where it originated. The Central Asians were nomadic warriors. For them, cooking was on the go. Many a time they would be riding with marinated meat in their saddle-bags, which would need less time to cook when they set camp at night.

What we eat today is an amalgamation of these basic dishes influenced by indigenous and Persian cuisines. In India, most dishes use generous amounts of oil and spices, especially chilli, which are not native to Central Asian food.

History tells us of a Central Asian dish called ashqorma/qorma/ kuverma, and it is this dish that was adapted by the Rajput cooks in Akbar's kitchen and named Korma after the Rajput warrior tribe 'Kurma'.

However, what we eat today was perfected in the kitchens of the Awadh Nawabs with a lot of Persian influence to adapt to Indian tastes.

Korma literally means braising the meat, and in korma the meat is braised in oil (traditionally it was desi ghee), yogurt and spices, then simmered in water till tender. For festive occasions, blanched and finely ground cashews were also used as thickening agents.

Classically, a korma is defined as a dish where meat or vegetables are braised with yogurt, cream or stock added. The technique covers many different styles of korma. The term Shahi (English: Royal), used for some kormas indicates its status as a prestige dish, rather than an everyday meal, and its association with the court.

Mutton White Korma

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:56:31 +0000

The Ain-e-Akbari (life chronicles of the emperor Akbar penned by Abul Fazl) as mentioned earlier, suggests that the Korma was created in the royal kitchens of Akbar the great, and though Korma is not one of the 30 recipes mentioned in the Ain-e-Akbari, it is safe to assume that it’s cooking method and ingredients have remained the same for over 500 hundred years.

It is said that if the Indian cook could cook a Korma he could cook for the Mughal court. If he could cook a dozen variations he would be the king of the kitchen and cook for the emperor’s table.

But some believe that the Korma has central Asian roots and is referred to askhorma, qorma, kurma and kavurma and its mughlai version was created in the 16th century through the experimentation of Rajput cooks in the royal kitchens of Akbar the Great, under the supervision of Mir Bakawal, the master of kitchens and one of the court navratans).

White korma, perhaps garnished with vark, said to have been served to Shah Jahan and his guests at the inauguration of the Taj Mahal.
Korma literally means braising the meat, and the method for cooking Korma was initial braising of meat in ghee (clarified butter), yogurt and spices and then simmering it in water until completion; blanched and finely ground nuts were also used as thickening agents.

It is said that the cooks in the royal kitchens marinated the meat in yogurt, fried onions and spices before cooking it for the emperor’s dinner table, and after the initial braising of the meat, the dum-pukth method was initiated until completion, or open lid simmering, but the temperature was always controlled hence the yogurt was never allowed to curd.

Mutton Nahari

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:56:30 +0000

Mutton Kaju Keema

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:51:05 +0000

The word Keema is believed to have been borrowed from the Turkish word Kyma, which means minced meat. Keema was a popular breakfast staple in the Awadhi cuisine during medieval India. It was an age when the royal families took their culinary affairs almost as seriously as their administration.

The Khansamas (royal cooks) of several Mughal rulers and Nawabs, invented many keema delicacies to please their beloved king and the royal appetite of the court. Keema can be made from almost any meat and can be cooked by stewing or frying.

Kaju Keema is a spicy version of the traditional keema prepared by tossing it with whole cashew kernel, a main course dish best served with naans or any other Indian breads.

Chicken Soup

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:51:04 +0000

Just like other chicken dishes, the origin of chicken soup is linked to the history of the domestication of fowl, stretching back 7,000 to 10,000 years ago, which probably took place either in ancient India or Southeast Asia. The Ancient Greeks also had their own version of chicken broth, and believed the soup to have healing properties.

Today, the dish is a staple meal in cuisines from all around the world. The popular version of the dish that today is recognized as American classic chicken soup, which typically uses root vegetables including carrot, onion, leeks and celery, was first a staple across Northern Europe. The recipe was brought to the United States by immigrants from Scotland and Poland, and can ultimately trace its origin to a version of chicken soup commonly served in Mennonite, Amish and Jewish communities in Europe.

Chicken soup is made from chicken, simmered in water, usually with various other ingredients. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear chicken broth, often with pieces of chicken or vegetables; common additions are pasta, noodles, dumplings, or grains. Chicken soup in many countries is considered a comfort food.

Butter Chicken

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:46:44 +0000

Butter chicken originated in Delhi sometime during the 1950s. During this time, a man named Kundan Lal Gurjal operated a restaurant in the city, called Moti Mahal. Kundan had settled here and started his business after fleeing from political upheaval in another region of India. Moti Mahal was a success, serving many delightful tandoori dishes.

The cooks of Moti Mahal would mix leftover marinade juices with butter and tomato, and then stew the tandoor-cooked chicken in it. It’s unlikely that they had even the faintest idea of what they had stumbled upon – that is, an internationally-loved delicacy. But it is an irrefutable truth of the world that often the best things in life are discovered quite by accident.

Kundan’s restaurant quickly became a famous attraction of Delhi, and it wasn’t long before butter chicken proliferated throughout the world, to be enjoyed by people from every walk of life.

What gives the dish its distinctive flavor is its unique blend of spices, perfected over time. Typically, an Indian restaurant will marinate the chicken for hours in yogurt blended with spices like garlic, coriander, garam masala, ginger, cumin, and others – it may vary from place to place. Then it’s cooked (typically tandoori-style) and simmered in a mild curry sauce rich with butter, and in some cases, almonds and raisins as well.

Chicken Stew

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 03:32:07 +0000

A stew is two or more different foods simmered together in a liquid. The oldest cookbook ever found, the "Apicius de re Coquinaria", contains stew recipes, although these are fish and lamb stews rather than chicken stews. The identity of the author is unknown although there were three Romans with that name between 1 BC and 2 AD and the book is believed to date from that era.

You can actually go back even further because primitive tribes used to boil foods together, which is what a stew essentially is. Archeological evidence points to this type of cookery going back seven or eight thousand years. The invention of pottery, about ten thousand years ago, made cooking stews easier.

Fowl such as chicken has been domesticated for thousands of years and chicken stew has been a longstanding popular dish.

Indians, however, had their own version of stew with lots and lots of onions fried and used as base for the dish. A hearty Indian spiced chicken stew is made in a spicy tomato and cream sauce. Perfect served with yogurt and naan bread.

Chicken Malai Tikka

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 03:31:41 +0000

When talking about tikka, it is impossible not to think of Turkey. One theory holds that the soldiers in the Ottoman empire hunted local animals as a way of adding to their diet and grilled their meat on open flame using their swords as skewers, giving birth to the modern-day concept of skewered kababs.

Although India was not a part of the Ottoman Empire, we inherited the kabab culture probably from the Afghan invaders of north India in the 13th and 14th centuries. In India, the specialized cooks for kababs are called kababiyas. There are numerous kinds of kababs starting from lightly seasoned to heavy on spice, from chunks of chewy meat grilled to seared perfection to melt-in-the-mouth galauti kababs made with meat paste for a toothless old nawab. Indian kababs have a very distinct taste compared to their Middle Eastern or Central Asian cousins as they are infused with spices native to India and are made following specialized recipes perfected in the royal kitchens of the Mughal Empire by legendary families of kababiyas.

Murgh malai tikka kabab is one such kabab which is an Indian kabab with a very distinct taste. Murgh is chicken and malai is cream. The name can be interpreted in two different ways, one being that the chicken cubes are marinated with cream along with other ingredients; alternatively, that the kabab itself is soft and creamy when eaten immediately after cooking. These kababs are best eaten by themselves with a dash of chat masala (or black salt and lemon juice) and an onion- cucumber salad on the side. They can also be tucked in pita bread like a wrap, or just eaten with any green salad.

Chicken Qorma

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 03:31:08 +0000

Chicken Changezi

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 03:29:41 +0000

The Chicken Changezi, a popular chicken delicacy popular in the Northern part of the country, is said to have its link with the Mongolian ruler and invader Ghenghis Khan, or as Indians would like to call him Changez Khan.

He was very particular about his dish and the amount of spices that were used. One of his chef experimented with the chicken dish to suit his taste buds, which resulted in impressing the king. This dish was prepared in milk and cream which cut the spicy flavor of the food. Chicken Changezi is made with roasted chicken in tomato-based gravy.

This dish uses a lot of Indian spices which was alien to the Mongol army and hence there might not be a direct connection to the King. It is said that the Mongols kept threatening to invade Delhi, going even as far to sack Lahore, but the wise administration and politics of the Delhi sultanate kept them from ruining Delhi. This constant point of contact led many Mongol residents to take shelter in the suburb outside the city walls, which was known to be called 'Mughalpura', (somewhere near Paharganj today). Mughalpura may not have survived the tides of time, but their culinary practices stayed. Chicken Changezi is often dubbed as a brainchild of those marvellous cooking techniques.

Chicken Changezi is best enjoyed with Roomali Roti or Naan, however, teaming it with rice is also not a bad option.