How This Home Kitchen Captures the Essence of Authentic Mughal Cuisine

This article was originally written for the New Indian Express when I wrote a column on home chefs for them during the pandemic. However, the article that finally came out in print was heavily edited and so I’m sharing my original piece here.

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‘In Old Delhi, it’s not stew… it’s Ishtew’, claims the aesthetically designed weekend menu of My Mughal Roots. This popular home-chef operation, founded by Anam Hassan who grew up in her family home near Jama Masjid in Delhi’s walled city, gets it right – both the nomenclature and the authentic flavours of Mughal cuisine. Over a period of five months, with a break while recuperating from Covid, Hassan has single-handedly built her brand and received plentiful appreciation for the authentic Old Delhi offerings she creates.

“The Mughal cuisine that is served in Delhi’s restaurants – even those located in Old Delhi – consists of dishes that are quite different from the ones we make at home. It is heavy on the oils and spices and very rich, and most importantly, it lacks a distinctive style that we have grown up with. My mother is a direct descendant of the Mughals and she has a number of hidden recipes which are not served in restaurants,” she shares with pride.

Every week, Hassan designs a set-menu around optimal combinations of dishes, having learnt from her family’s preferences. Her husband chips in with social media creatives, which are then forwarded via Whatsapp and Instagram, encouraging people to place their orders for the weekend. There is something new on offer every time, though popular dishes are repeated on request. The menu always has a meat gravy-based dish, couple of bread options sourced directly from Old Delhi, a rice dish which is usually a variant of the Delhi-style Biryani, a dessert and an optional side order. Fixed quantities are meant to serve two people, though her customers credit her with sending large servings.

Their Haleem – typical winter fare consisting of skilfully and slowly cooked mutton in wheat, barley, lentils, desi ghee and spices – is their most popular dish to date. Apart from this, the Mutton Ishtew where meat is cooked with whole spices and the sweetness of caramelised onions, varied Mutton Qormas made with braised meat in creamy yoghurt gravies, soft and fluffy Doodhi Rotis baked with milk and garnished with sesame seeds, and Rave Maide ke Parathe with the crunchy, grainy texture of semolina kneaded into flour, are much in demand. Apeksha Tekchand, a customer from Gurugram, hails the Shaami Kababs as the piece de resistance, saying, “I have no words… I didn’t know kababs could taste like this!”. Apart from breads and choice of desserts, there are no vegetarian dishes on offer. This is in keeping with Hassan’s vision of serving authentic Mughal food appropriate for special occasions.

My Mughal Roots is Hassan’s attempt at changing the perception of Mughal cuisine. “By using the right ingredients and influences of global practices, I believe that Mughal cuisine can be delicious and healthy,” she shares. Menus can be requested and orders placed through their Instagram handle @my_mughal_roots and through email on mymughalroots@gmail.com.

ABOUT THE CHEF:

Anam Hassan, Founder of My Mughal Roots, has a rich legacy. Food was an integral part of her upbringing and daily life and to this day, 20 members of her extended family eat every meal together, despite their separate kitchens and households. This is cooked by the women of the house, under the able leadership of Hassan’s mother, and is usually meat-heavy in keeping with their family’s tradition.

“My grandfather, who was a freedom fighter, shared a pearl of wisdom with us – ‘Dastarkhan wasi hona chahiye’, which meant that whoever visited our home should not leave without being fed. Food is the bedrock of our family home – it is the focal point of most conversations and in some ways blurs our pre-defined gender roles, as the men of the house often chip in,” says Hassan.

Though she grew up on rich Mughal cuisine at home, she never cooked it till after marriage. It was her husband, eminent Sufi vocalist, composer and avid foodie, Dhruv Sangari, who urged her to share her rich heritage with the world. They often spoke about it, but it was not till December of 2020 that she actually took the big step and launched My Mughal Roots from her kitchen in Delhi’s Jungpura.

Her travels around the world have influenced her business choices, putting her on a mission to revive organic consciousness in Mughal cuisine. She shares, “Since I suffer from food allergies, when I cook myself, I am very particular about the ghee, oils and spices being used.”

RECIPE:

ISHTEW:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup oil
• 1 kg mutton with bone
• 400 gms onion
• 250 gms curd
• 6 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 6-7 whole dry red chillies cut into broad pieces
• 6-7 cloves
• 6-7 green cardamom
• 2-3 black cardamom
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 5-6 pods whole garlic
• 1 whole ginger julienned

METHOD

• Sautee onions in generous amount of oil, nearly one cup
• Once the onions are softened add all ingredients and meat
• Add a half cup water if needed
• Stir and pressure cook with one whistle

– Real trick is to “Bhuno” which means until oil separates and the sauce containing spices and onions caramelised

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This post is part of #BlogchatterFoodFest hosted by BlogChatter.

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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’  hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.

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*This is not a sponsored post.

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