Moorjani - SINDHI CUISINE

Although scattered around the world, the first generation Sindhis (post-partition) have tried their best to preserve their traditions and culture, by educating the younger generation about the traditional rites, rituals and food. Another friend, Kanchan Shadadpuri reiterates the health benefits of using natural flavours and healing spices like turmeric and cumin in cooking; and Sindhi cooking like all Indian cooking, uses a good blend of it. In many Sindhi dishes, a mixture of caraway and cardamom powder is added at the end of cooking, enhancing the flavour and aroma of the dish without the heaty effects of using garam masala. Sindhis are a cosmopolitan community; hospitable, easily adaptable, religious, and peace-loving. With this book, I hope to revive an interest and awareness of Sindhi cuisine the world over. Pushpee Moorjani
2014 Under the Kitchen Cabinets The most common spices in Sindhi cuisine are cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin seeds, bay leaf, saffron, nutmeg, poppy seeds, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garlic, black and red peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, ginger, among others. In most Sindhi dishes, a specially prepared homemade garam masala is used which exudes the authentic Sindhi taste.

The secret to Sindhi cooking is taro, which refers to the gravy that sticks to the bottom of the pan while cooking. The heat is lowered to scrape the tarro from the bottom of the pan, stirring several times till it acquires a rich dark colour. An aluminium pan is the best option for cooking Sindhi dishes, because it is heat resistant and suitable for tarro. Dum was the method Mom used to steam food. The pot was sealed with flour dough, and the food was cooked on low heat, allowing the grains to sweat in their own steam. This retained all the aroma and flavours.

Use of yoghurt to marinate meats is typical in Sindhi cooking. Growing up, yoghurt was rarely purchased. Mom always made yoghurt at home. One tablespoon of yoghurt was set aside to make the next batch. The yoghurt always took many avatars the next day. Sometimes Mom made lassi (sweet buttermilk) and sometimes chaash (salty buttermilk), churning the mixture of yoghurt and water, till the large blob of butter would start glistening on the surface and separate from the buttermilk.

Many a times, she would scoop out the butter, spread it over the slice of bread, sprinkle some sugar over it and hand me this delicious snack to keep me out of her way. At other times the yoghurt would be used to make raita that we enjoyed with pulao and biryani. Mom spent lot of time in the kitchen trying out different recipes. What I liked best was when she made khoya, the main ingredient for mithai, mixed with varied nuts, regularly. FIVE BASIC GRAVIES USED IN SINDHI CUISINE Sindhi cooking is easy. Once you know the five basic gravies, you can make a variety of dishes by playing around with different ingredients using the same basic recipes.

New ventures are started on this day. Women pray in the morning, visit temples and enjoying langar (community lunch). The evening is a time for fun. According to the Hindu calendar,