Geeta Devi - The Jewels Of Nizam: Recipes from the Khansamas of Hyderabad

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Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2013

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Copyright Geeta Devi 2013

Photographs by Sandip Solleti and Ramesh Banala.

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The overwhelming demand for her first book, Dastarkhan-e-Moghlai: 101 Easy to Cook Hyderabadi Recipes, was so compelling that Smt. Geeta Devi decided to follow it up with The Jewels of Nizam: Recipes from the Khansamas of Hyderabad, in which she goes into the past and picks out recipes of the hoary Deccani culture that speak of the richness of its culinary arts. A feature of the recipes is that most of these are little known or forgotten and will be of interest to those fond of Hyderabadi cuisine. They form an enthralling admixture of the past and the present and, in their wholesomeness, will delight those wishing to revive flavours of the past that have been lost in time.

Smt. Geeta Devi has been associated with the Golkonda Hotel, Hyderabad, as a food consultant, and was instrumental in relaunching the Hyderabadi specialty restaurant, Jewel of Nizam. Her recipes are well received by the restaurant clientele and have made the restaurant more popular.

I wish the book every success and hope that Smt. Geeta Devi writes more such volumes that help bring out the latent expertise of the culinary enthusiast.

N. Suresh Reddy

Managing Director

Golkonda Resorts and Spa

Masab Tank

Hyderabad

T he cuisine of Hyderabad has been refined through centuries, evolving to its current stage owing to both native as well as foreign influences. It was in the medieval era that the foundation of the cuisine was laidtodays Hyderabadi cuisine has a legacy of almost 400 years.

The food that Hyderabad is renowned for today displays a rare yet harmonious blend of Islamic cooking styles and ingredients (Arabic, Mughlai, Turkish and Irani) and indigenous variations from traditional south Indian recipes. It is this spectacular confluence of the foreign and the local that grants to Hyderabadi food its distinctive and unique flavour, and confersrightlyon it the prestige of being the most exotic cuisine of the Deccan.

My first book, Dastarkhan-e-Moghlai, was inspired by my desire to present to food lovers simple delicacies from Hyderabadrecipes that are used every day in Hyderabadi homes to serve up easy-to-prepare yet exquisite dishes. I included in that volume dishes that are popular with one and all, whether from Hyderabad or not, and easy to prepare. It was the success of that book which prompted me to try my hand at reviving some lesser known recipes that originate from the stable of the royal khansamasricher foods from the courtly tradition of the Nizams.

This book is an attempt to showcase the splendour of Hyderabadi fine diningthe diversity of the cuisine as well as its mouth-watering deliciousness. As you go through the following pages, I hope you will come to agree with me that the food of Hyderabad is indeed the true Jewels of Nizam.

T hese are appetizers, and this section comprises a selection of recipes for vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters.

Traditionally, gazak is served before the main meal and is usually accompanied by a welcome drink. The purpose of gazak is two-fold: while it helps sustain guests before the meal proper is served, it also serves to whet their appetites, with a tantalizing taste of the gastronomical feast that is to follow.

(Patties of minced lamb/chicken/turkey meat)
(6 TO 8 SERVINGS)

Cook the minced meat with tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, pepper powder, vinegar, onion, soya sauce, Worcester sauce, fresh coriander leaves, green chillies and salt along with one cup of water, until little water is left in the minced meat. Lower the heat and then add maida, little by little, till the mixture becomes thick. Cool and add two raw eggs and mix well.

Now, make ten to twelve balls out of the minced meat, flatten and roll each ball on the bread crumbs and deep fry. Repeat the process for the remaining mixture.

Serve hot with potato chips.

(Marinated lamb meatballs on sticks)
(4 TO 6 SERVINGS)

Mix all the ingredients except the curd and oil with the meat pieces and cook in a thick-bottomed vessel with a little water, till the meat becomes tender and the mixture is almost dry. Grind the mixture in a food processor/mixer-grinder till soft. If the mixture is too dry and difficult to grind, add some curd. Make into lemon-sized balls and pierce each one with a stick. Deep fry till golden brown.