The cuisine of “Vidarbha”.Not for the weak hearted!!!!!

Vidarbha, the north-eastern region of Maharashtra known for its extreme climates and remaining dry almost all year round and  also known for its boldness. this region consists of Amravati and Nagpur but here we will reflect more on Nagpur division. Here  there are two cuisines  ‘ varhadi’ and ‘saoji’. Both these cuisines are particularly spicy, that’s why I say that it’s not for the people who cannot tolerate spicy food.Saoji is a community which is known for its super spicy non vegetarian food,well it does have veg food also but the real fun lies in tasting the non veg . Varhadi cuisine is a little milder than its counterpart saoji (please note I say little mild but this one is also spicy). On observing we see the that the boldness, and the on your face attitude of locals here reflects on the cuisine here. A particular day in Nagpur would start of with a plate of ‘tarri poha’,this is basically a very spicy hot curry on top of poha,Some vendors make the chole (kabul chana) or black gram pulse or green/hirwa vatana, here’s a picture of extremely delectable tarri poha

            

after breakfast when you look forward for lunch there are many options like ‘gola bhaat’,’pithla bhaat’,’thalipeeth’and if there’s any special ocassions then you can expect puranpoli with a lot ghee poured over it and wada bhaat. now as you can see there are lots of varieties of bhaats(rice) available here and also things made out of besan. here the spices that dominate the cooking styles are black pepper mustard,aamchoor(dry mango powder).  Gola bhaat is rice cooked in turmeric mustard and oil and other regular spices,gola are besan balls which are steamed and then powdered over the rice.for the gola we can use besan turmeric red chilli powder jeera all mixed up to thick consistency(shouldnt be runny)and then steam it.Pithla bhaat is a curry which is made out of besan served with rice. Now when you would look forward for dinner in Nagpur it is highly recommended that you try saoji.

Here is a photo of the famous saoji chicken which is eaten typically with bhakri   but I am warning you once again that it is extremely spicy. A special saoji masala is used to give the chicken or any meat,egg its unique and spicy  flavour(masala is available in any supermarkets).If you guys are vegetarian and want to try these saoji treats you can very well use the saoji masala to cook vegetables preferably aubergine.If you guys want to try this cuisine in Mumbai you can try Saoji tadka in worli, Minks the Nagpuri treat in marol.For varhadi cuisine you can try Aaswad in Dadar very affordable and absolutely yummy or Visawa in Dadar both very famous hotels. Now when we come to nutritive values of these foods I would say none of them are really fattening or something which will make you feel guilty after eating, all these are very light and foods full of nutrition.So all the people who are into healthy eating written above are few more dishes or two more cuisines which can be looked into.

The hidden jewel of India AWADH!!!

AWADHI cuisine originates from Lucknow the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Also known as Nawabi foods, this cuisine has  great influence of mughlai cooking techniques ,Punjabi spices and also Kashmiri flavours.It was here that the famous DUM style of cooking was invented, it is a technique where food is slow cooked so that the flavours come out and express themselves . This cooking style today is synonymous with lucknow.Lucknow is also proud of its kebab, The Kakori kebab, Galawat ke kebab, Shami kebab, Boti kebab, Patili-ke-Kebabs, Ghutwa kebab and Seekh kebabare among the known varieties. The Shami Kebab was the most important of them all. Made from mince meat, the kebabs are round patties filled with spicy surprises and the tangy raw green mango. The best time to have them is May when the fruit of the mango tree is in its infancy. In other seasons the kairi can be substituted with kamrakh or karonda both having a tart flavour reminiscent of the raw mango. Lime juice is rarely used. Before getting more deep into the cuisine I would just like to give you an overview of its history , awadh was ruled by the Delhi sultanate , Mughals, nawab, and the east india company hence it has this impact of the mughlai as well as nawabi cuisine.Saffron and dry fruits play a very essential role in this cuisine.Dastarkhwan is a ceremonial dining spread it is a part of awadh’s culture to sit around and share the dastarkhwan.

The Awadhi dastarkhwan would not be complete unless it had the following dishes.Qorma (braised meat in thick gravy),salan (a gravy dish of meat or vegetable),qeema (minced meat),kababs (pounded meat fried or roasted over a charcoal fire),lamb pasinda (fried slivers of very tender meat, usually kid, in gravy)Rice is cooked with meat in the form of a pulao,chulao (fried rice) or served plain.There would also be a variety of rotis.Desserts comprise kheer (milk sweetened and boiled with whole rice to a thick consistency),sheer brunj, (a rich, sweet rice dish boiled in milk),firni.The menu changes with the seasons and with the festival that marks the month. The severity of winters is fought with rich food. Paye (trotters) are cooked overnight over a slow fire and the shorba (thick gravy) eaten with naans. Turnips are also cooked overnight with meat koftas and kidneys and had for lunch.Among various Biryani the Lucknow and Hyderabad style are dominant, with a friendly rivalry. The vegetarian version of biryani might have some Textured vegetable protein based protein balls to present the impression of a meat-based dish for vegetarians.

RICE PREPARATIONS

The difference between biryani and pullao is that pullao is made by cooking the meat in ghee with warm aromatic spices until the meat is tender, then adding rice and cooking in the sealed pot over low heat till done—but with biryani, the rice is boiled or parboiled separately in spiced water and then layered with meat curry or marinade (depending on the type of biryani), then sealed and cooked over low heat until done.Tehri is the name given to the vegetarian version of the dish and is very popular in Indian homes.

ROTIS

As wheat is the staple food of the state, breads are very significant. Breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. Tawa roti is bread made on crude iron pans. Improvisations of the roti  are of different types and made in various ways and include the rumaali roti, tandoori roti, naan(baked in a tandoor), kulcha, lachha paratha, sheermaal and baqarkhani.

Breads made of other grains have descriptive names only, thus we have Makai ki roti, Jowar ki roti (barley flour roti), Bajre ki roti(bajra is a grain only grown in India), chawal-ki-Roti (roti of rice flour).

DESSERTS

Winters are dedicated to halwas of all kinds that came to stay in India. There are several varieties of these, prepared from different cereals, such as gram flour, sooji, wheat, nuts and eggs. The special halwa or halwa sohan, which has four varieties, viz Papadi, Jauzi, Habshi and Dudhiya is prepared especially well in Lucknow.

The Jauzi Halwa Sohan is a hot favourite even today, but the art of preparing it is confined to only a few households. Prepared for the most part from germinated wheat, milk, sugar, saffron, nuts etc., it has love and patience as its vital ingredients. Now, coming to the nutritive value of some of the major dishes of awadhi cuisine

Shammi kebab(per serving)(beef)

Calories: 138

proteins:15.8 grams

carbohydrates: 11.3grams

the health benefits of shammi kebab are that it is low in sodium, high in dietary fibre,high in iron but it is also very high in cholestrol

Dum biryani (vegetarian)(1 serving)

The Awadhi Biryani is also known as “Pukka” Biryani as the rice and meat are cooked separately and then layered.

calories:215.7

proteins:5.5grams

carbohydrates:37 grams

Biryani is a very rich dish, hence i would recommend that it is eaten only on special occassion and in very small quantities . If basmati rice is swapped with brown basmati rice and veggies are baked instead of fried , and soya nuggets are added the dish can be made healthier (but definitely it will compromise the taste too).

Too sum it all up I would say AWADH is definitely a jewel of india which has not been explored . It is a culturally rich cuisine which we all should definitely try , it favours the non vegetarians more but as the flavours are so yummy I don’t think the vegetarians would be disappointed at all.