Bohras - The Muslim Cuisine of Gujarat

If there’s a community in Muslim which truly lives by the maxim of ‘Live To Eat Rather Than Eat To Live’ it is Bohras !

The Bohras believe that any occasion is an occasion to break bread together and this in essence is both their joie de vivre and the raison d’etre of their existence. Depending on the occasion, the food can be minimalist.

Contemporary to popular perception, bohra cuisine encompasses both vegetarian and non vegetarian specialities though which is the later that is more popular. In fact it is a well guarded secret that one of the premier bohra speciality is a pure vegetarian dish;  DAL CHAWAL PALIDA.

This vegetarian delicacy is almost standard for any occasion for celebration in most traditional bohra homes. The only enduring characteristic about any bohra meal is the principle of ‘FAMILY THAT EATS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER’

Sunni bohras are a sunni muslim community found in province of sind in Pakistan and the state of gujarat in India. Daudi bohra sunni and overwhelming majority of the gujarati speaking bohra community of Pakistan lives in a port city of Karachi in sind province.

Some of the mouth watering dishes of bohra cuisine are; HARA MASALA GOSHT, BOHRA FISH CURRY, AB MURGH, BOHRA BOTI KEBAB, BOHARA BITIN KEBAB, BOHARAS MUTTON BIRYANI, DAHI KI KADI, PHOOL VATANA, BATATA KA SALAN,  SEER KHURMA, BOHRA ZARDA.

Bohra cuisine is quite distinct from the more well known and popular mughlai food.it is mainly non vegetarian but has some interesting gujarati influence, however there are some clear differences. For instance, asafoetida is an integral part of gujarati cuisine while bohra food is totally devoid of this ingredient. It is the HARA MASALA which is an important part of almost every bohra dish, including even an omelette !

Bohras table manners  are :

• EATING IS IBADAT
• BEFORE EATING AND AFTER EATING WASH HANDS
• BEFORE START EATING SAY BISMILLAH
• AFTER FINISH EATING SAY ALHAMADLILLAH
• NEVER EAT WITH LEFT HAND
• EAT WITH ALL FIVE FINGERS

                                                                      Aab Murgh

By : Devraj Halder

The Good Can of Worms !

WORMS ! and you automatically get that weird sort of  feeling running through you. Now what does a chef got to do with worms. I am surely not talking about cooking them( at the moment !) but something about them which is really special !

It is about these worms, who have joined the bandwagon to save our planet.

The good worms have actually existed through unknown times. We have heard about the prized silk-worms in ancient history and it is not only silk, they have a active role to play, as aquatic bait, chicken feed farming, devouring hazardous oils in ocean, research and participation in biofarming, vermiculture, so on and so forth and quite recently in Vermicomposting.

 

Have you heard of a tenacious work force who does not get paid, is given garbage to eat but produces amazing results. Yes, we are still talking about these worms and the last place, you could think of, who need to utilize their services- Five Star City Hotels ! It is a matter of time when it would be mandatory for all hotels to consume or recycle their kitchen waste and it would no longer be allowed to be dumped into already choking landfills. This is the future and has to happen someday or the other, so please lend an ear to these worms !

Vermicomposting is the process of using worms and micro-organisms to turn kitchen waste into a black, earthy-smelling, nutrient-rich humus. It is, without question, one of the most exciting and educational form of recycling, known to modern humans. The  benefits of worm composting help dispose our food scraps without burdening the water treatment facility or landfills, the manure also helps re-establish natural worm populations in the garden that were decimated by poisoning from synthetic fertilizer applications.

The popular worms to do the job are :

  *Redworms - the tiny Eisenia foetida is capable of consuming up to its own weight daily in organic waste. The end result, referred to as worm castings, is highly regarded as a soil amendment.

  *European Night Crawlers - Eisenia hortensis has been traditionally used as bait for anglers, but it is also superior in vermiculture systems.

The cycle consists of seven pits signifying the seven days in a week The kitchen waste is shredded through a pulverisor and evenly distributed on to the pit which requires fine soil, water to keep it moist, ventilation and correct ambient temperature. The amount of worms needed, will depend on the amount of kitchen waste generated per day. Simply scatter the worms over the top. The skin on the worm reacts to light and they will immediately work their way down into the soil to get away from the light.  The kitchen waste fed to worms can come from a variety of sources, including all vegetable and fruit waste. Fill one pit each day and at the end of the seventh day , the worms will have digested nearly all the garbage and the first pit will be filled with a rich, black natural fertilizer. Compared to ordinary soil, the worm castings contain 05 times more nitrogen, 07 times more phosphorus and 11 times more potassium. They are rich in humic acids and improve the structure of the soil. 

With so much of utility and benefits, let us take this step for the sake of our future generations, after all it is we chefs, who produce food as well as garbage !

By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Rojak Buah

Rojak Buah ( Malay salad; Serves one )

Local fresh fruits and rambuttan                 100 gms

Water chestnut                                           15 gms

Greens                                                       40 gms

Glass noodles soaked                                 15 gms

Roasted peanuts                                         15 gms

Staranise                                                    05 gms

Thai tamarind paste                                    20 gms

Lemon juice                                               10 ml

Palm sugar                                                 10 gms

Shrimp paste                                               a pinch

Salt                                                             to taste

Red chilli                                                     01 no.

White sesame seed                                      a pinch

                                      Light soy sauce                                            05 ml 

Preparation :

Pound red chilli and roasted shrimp paste. In low heat, mix in one cup water with palm sugar. Add staranise.
Let it cook until palm sugar melts. Once the syrup thicken slightly, close fire, add tamarind, sieve and cool. Add soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, stir and finally add in sesame seeds.
In a bowl take fruits, noodles and greens add in the dressing and toss so that the sauce is well combined with all the ingredients. Garnish with a generous amount of coarsely pounded peanuts or roasted groundnuts.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Warm Chocolate Pudding

Hearty Soft Centered Warm Chocolate Pudding ( Serves Four )

Eggs                                                                10 nos

Sugar                                                              200 gms

Fresh Cream                                                  225 gms

Dark Chocolate                                              450 gms

Milk                                                                01 litre

Bread Crumbs                                                500 gms

Chocolate Chips                                             100 gms

Preparation :

Heat the double cream with the sugar and milk. Once it comes to boil add in the chopped dark chocolate. Mix it well with wooden ladle.

Add in the bread crumbs, chocolate chips, eggs and fold the mixture gently

Pour in individual moulds dusted with flour and bake at 225 degree C till done.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Philadelphia-Blue Berry Cheese Cake

Philadelphia-Blue Berry Cheese Cake ( Serves Twenty )

Blueberry filling                                 600 gms

Philadelphia cream cheese                800 gms

Whipped cream                                 1500 gms

Gelatin                                                60 gms

Superfine sugar                                  150 gms

Preparation :

Warm the filling with the sugar and then remove from flame

Add in the cheese and let it cool.

Add in the melted gelatin and whipped cream

Pour the mixture in foil-lined moulds set on oat-cookie crumble

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Spicy Tomato, Ginger Fried Rice - Chinese New Year !

Spicy Tomato Basil and Ginger Fried Rice ( Serves one )

Ingredients

Long grained rice, cooked         100 gms

Pilati tomato, diced                      02 tbsp

Canola oil                                    01 tbsp

Ginger, chopped                          01 tsp

Thai holy basil                              01 tsp           

Dry red chilli                                01 tsp

Salt                                            to taste

Preparation

Boil the long grained rice and keep aside.

Take oil in a deep-pan.

Add chilli followed by ginger, tomato, basil and sauté lightly.

Add salt and toss the rice well.

You can serve this with any oriental or pan-asian preparations.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Chinese New Year !

Celebration Grouper ( Serves Four )

Grouper Fish Whole ( Cleaned )                                               01 kg

Lemon Juice                                                                             30 ml

Garlic Juice                                                                               30 ml

Ginger Juice                                                                              40 ml

Salt                                                                                          to taste

Lemon Leaves                                                                          06 nos

Scallions ( sliced )                                                                     60 gms

Refined Oil                                                                               for sauce & to bast

Chopped Garlic                                                                        20 gms

Exotic Seaweed( soaked )                                                        100 gms

Mushroom                                                                                100 gms

Colored Peppers( cut small)                                                       80 gms

Minari ( Parsley, chopped )                                                        20 gms

Paprika powder                                                                         10 gms

Oyster Sauce                                                                            140 ml

Seafood Stock                                                                           80 ml

Chinese Wine                                                                             30 ml

Preparation :

1. Marinate the fish with lemon, ginger and garlic juices, salt, little oil, scallions and lemon leaves for 30/40 mins.
2. In a medium to hot oven roast the fish basting frequently with oil for 35/ 45 mins. and till crusty from the top.
3. Prepare a sauce by sautéing the garlic in oil till golden followed by the peppers wine and oyster sauce. Adjust seasoning and thickness with stock.
4. Arrange the freshly roasted fish on a large platter. Pour the sauce generously over the fish.
5. Sprinkle paprika, minari and garnish with lightly sautéed seaweed and mushrooms.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder