That Varanasi is a holy city for Hindus is a
widely known fact. But it also has a large Muslim population is probably not as
well known. The harmonious co-existence of people of both the faiths for
centuries was largely responsible for the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb that has found
expression in various forms including dance, music and even cuisine. The ‘Simply Benaras’ food festival that concluded yesterday at The Pavilion, ITC Maurya gave a
good taste of this unique amalgamation.
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| L-R: Sangeeta Khanna, Chef Manisha Bhasin, Rana Safvi. |
The
Curators
ITC Hotels regularly host food festivals
featuring regional cuisines of India under their brand Kitchens of India. “Many
people have served the cuisine of Benaras,” says Chef Manisha Bhasin, senior
executive chef, ITC Maurya, “but we wanted to showcase the ancient food
cultures from both banks of the Ganges – Benaras and Ramnagar.” The experts
brought on board to curate this festival have contributed immensely on
upholding traditions of the world’s oldest living city. Sangeeta Khanna, a
nutrition consultant hailing from Benaras has been blogging about traditional
recipes as well as their health benefits at BanarasKaKhaana.com. “Benaras has a strong philosophy of seasonal
eating. There are many festivals centered around seasonal foods,” she shares. Rana Safvi, on the other
hand, is a noted historian and author, whose maternal grandparents were from
Ramnagar, the satellite town of Banaras. In fact, she hails from the family of
the last Muslim
dewan of a Brahmin king. “Many people are not aware that Banaras has an
extensive repertoire of Muslim cuisine,” she says.
Both
the ladies have treasure troves of stories and immense knowledge about Benaras. You can follow their blogs http://banaraskakhana.com and https://ranasafvi.com respectively to learn more about their subjects, stories and recipes. But stories and trivia aside, Khanna and Safvi brought forth their family
recipes and cooked in the environs of this five-star hotel to jointly curate the ‘Simply
Benaras’ festival.
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| Clockwise from Top Left: Dum ki Machhli; Yakhni Pulao; Murgh Korma; Raan Mussallam. |
Benarasi Specials
The
day we sample the delicacies from Benaras, we were served raan musallam,
murgh korma, machhli dum and yakhni pulao. The latter being
extremely aromatic and flavourful, Safvi explained that when rice is cooked
along with the curry/soup it is known as pulao, whereas when cooked rice is
layered with cooked meat it is called biryani. “Bira is a Persian word for
fried onion,” she says, adding that most biryanis also have a layer of fried
onion, hence the name. The other non-vegetarian dishes that were showcased
during the festival include patta shaljam gosht ka salan (meat cooked with
turnip and its leaves), qormas, khichda and dum ki bater (quail).
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| Top: Vegetarian Spread. Bottom: Khoya Matar Makhana; Urad Chane ki Khichdi. |
The vegetarian fare also included seasonal specials such as urad
and chane ki dal ki khichdi and a soup called dal ki dulhan. “The yellow,
liquidy khichdis are lighter and appropriate for summer, but the slow cooked urad
and chane ki dal ki khichdi is more wholesome and usually cooked in winter. It is cooked on dum and is actually more like a pulao than a khichdi,”
says Sangeeta. Dal
ki dulhan is an interesting broth made with thin and soupy dal. The ‘dulhan’ is
a hollow whole-wheat dumpling that looks like the veil of a bride. If the
dumplings are stuffed with dal pithi the soup is called ‘dal ka dulha’. Then
there’s the quintessential kadhi that is markedly different from the Punjabi or
Sindhi kadhis – it is lighter and not as fiery. Matar ka nimona a traditional
curry that is usually cooked in winter is simmered till green peas get a
dal-like consistency and aromatic herbs and winter spices lend it quite a
punch. My favourite however was the khoya matar makhana, another curry made with green peas and
fox nuts. It is as comforting as it is novel.
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| Top: Mallaiyo Bottom: Qiwam ki Sewaiyyan; Hare Chane ka Halwa. |
Finally, every region of India has its own special desserts and
UP is no less. While people savoured the delicious qiwam ki sewaiyyan or hare
chane ka halwa, what stood out for me was Maliyyo. A special from the
streets of Benaras, this sweet made with churned milk is traditionally left out
on rooftops allowing it to get mixed with the morning dew. Although it cannot
be made strictly traditionally in Delhi, this light and airy dessert is
definitely worth trying whenever you get an opportunity. And, of course, the meal was rounded up with Benarasi paan!
Cuisine of a region is such a vast topic that it is impossible
to cover it all within the scope of one article, especially when it hails from
a vibrant and multi-cultural city like Benaras. But even if we were to scrape just the
tip of the iceberg, Simply Benaras offered a delicious glimpse of it.
Details
The
Pavilion, ITC Maurya, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi.
Tel: 011 46215152/2611 2233.
This article first appeared on indiatoday.intoday.in on December 19, 2016. It has been modified by the author to fit the requirements of
AppetisingTales.com.
