Usmani Sumayya - Summers under the tamarind tree: recipes & memories from Pakistan

RECIPES & MEMORIES FROM PAKISTAN

SUMAYYA USMANI

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOANNA YEE

Frances Lincoln Limited

7477 White Lion Street

London N1 9PF

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

Copyright Frances Lincoln 2016

Text copyright Sumayya Usmani 2016

Food photography copyright Joanna Yee

Design: Sarah Allberrey

Commissioning editor: Zena Alkayat

Travel photography copyright Shaukat

Niazi .

epa/Corbis: Rashid Iqbal .

Corbis: Roger Wood . AFP/Getty Images:

A. Majeed/Stringer ; Nadeem

Khawar . Getty Images: Sanal Thomas/

Em Eye tr;

Bashir Osman b.

Digital edition: 978-1-78101-207-9

Hardcover edition: 978-0-71123-678-3

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This book is for my mother, grandmothers and daughter the women who have always inspired me and for my homeland, which is full of passion, promise and authentic flavour.

Memories of my childhood come flooding back when I conjure up an image of a lofty tamarind tree. This arbor stood regally in my grandmothers garden and offered both sanctuary and solitude, and I spent so much of my youth under its branches and lounging on the cool earth above its deep roots.

The fruit it bore was enveloped in a crusty brown shell, yielding a rather ugly, pulpy flesh, which at first bite would send shivers down my spine. The tamarind certainly wasnt the most attractive fruit in that garden, but its sour flavour was always the most inviting to me as a child, and despite endless warnings of side effects (ranging from a sore throat to the early blossoming of womanhood!) Id still venture to pick another fruit, or even chew on the trees little bittersweet leaves. Then Id curl up underneath its boughs and read my book knowing that the tamarind trees intoxicating tang would soon tempt me again.

As a child I couldnt fully appreciate the power of tamarind to balance taste sensations and its Midas touch when it comes to flavour enhancement. My first inkling of its magic abilities came while eating lashings of tamarind chutney piled on to chaat (a spicy chickpea snack) at one of Pakistans many roadside stalls. There was also my favourite summer drink a spiced tamarind nectar which brought calm to hot summer days.

Its the umami quality of tamarind that has grown to inspire much of my Pakistani cooking, and it finds its way into my recipes. When I moved to the UK, I was struck by the fact that despite a large Pakistani diaspora, our cuisine never found its individual voice. My patriotic spirit and passion for the food I grew up cooking and eating sowed the seeds for this book. I hope that the flavour of my heritage comes through in each recipe I share.

When people think of Pakistan, they probably picture a simple land plagued by troubles. But having grown up in Karachi, to me Pakistan means a peaceful, happy childhood filled with exciting scents, sounds and, most importantly, flavours. Food is the spirit of Pakistani people and its something that has been many thousands of years in the making.

To understand the food of Pakistan you need to visualise a country of diverse land, climate and people. You need only look to its borders to understand the varied influences the country is blessed with. In the north, theres China, Tibet, the rugged Hindu Kush mountains and the foothills of the Himalayas (from which the fertile River Indus flows like an artery through Punjab and down to the Arabian Sea). And Pakistan is flanked by Afghanistan and Iran on the west, and India on the east. In the south, the country meets the arid dry deserts of Tharparkar and the silver sandy beaches of the Arabian Sea, which gently kisses my home city of Karachi.

This mixed geography means a wealth of natural resources, from coconut trees and dates to rosewood and juniper trees, as well as rice, wheat and sugarcane. But perhaps the biggest impact on Pakistans cuisine is the myriad historical invasions, settlements and migrations. Its a country that has over 20 different languages and dialects, and its enriched by a confluence of people and traditions.

Relatively young, Pakistan formed in 1947. It was previously part of the British Empire and was created amid much political turmoil as a home for Indian Muslims distinct to India. Before it was Pakistan, this region of the subcontinent played home to many overlapping civilisations and empires, from the Greeks led by Alexander the Great, via reigning Rajput dynasties and on to the Arab, Mughal and Sikh Empires. The ancient influences of these settlers can still be felt, as well as that of the immigrants who arrived in the newly formed Pakistan from India and beyond, bringing their own sophisticated cuisines with them. It means that each province of Pakistan not only boasts its own geographical characteristics, but also disparate ethnic communities, religions, traditions and culinary styles too.

The eastern province of Punjab, for example, has always had abundant farmland, and the food here is rich and hearty, often spicy and aromatic, and distinctively infused with cardamom, saffron and cloves. Beyond the fields, Punjabs capital Lahore is an architecturally stunning masterpiece: majestic buildings such as the Lahore Fort, Badshahi Mosque (pictured on the following page) and Shalimar Gardens are the legacy left by the Mughals. This is also where youll find famous enclaves dedicated to street food, all alive with smoky barbecues and sizzling meat dishes.