Hyderabadi Khana

After writing about Bagare Baingan, I can't resist writing something about Hyderabadi Khana. Hyderabadi Khana as well as Andhra Meal are so close to my heart that I can't live without having at least one dish of it once in a week. As I said earlier, the term Hyderabadi Khana is understood to mean non-vegetarian food and Andhra Meal is commonly understood as vegetarian food.

Hyderabad is famous for its four legacis. Charminar, Golkonda Fort, Salar Jung Museum and Hyderabadi Khana. It is slightly sour, hot and richly endowed with dry fruits, nuts and assorted spices and cooked in asli ghee or groundnut or kardi oil. It has to be enjoyed to be believed. The simple method of slow cooking on coal or wood fire in dum help produce fantastic flavours. All Hyderabadi cooking has to be done itminaan se. There is nothing like "just two minutes" or "zatpat pakao aur phata-phat khao". It is rather criminal to do such things in respect of Hyderabadi Khana.

The wealthy and leisured aristocracy of the erstwhile Nizam State as well as the long peaceful years of their dominance contributed to the development and devotion to this culinary art. After the reign of Sikandar Jah (after whom the cantonment city Secunderabad is named) Hyderabadi aristocracy had nothing substantive to do. All the military responsibility was taken over by British and all major political decisions were take under the influence of British policy of state. This state of affairs went on till 1948 i.e. until the Nizam State was annexed to Union of India by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the then Home Minister of India. Such long period of peace resulted in development of a culture which is unique to Hyderabad. The Hyderabadi culture is a classic blend of Mughalai and Dakkhani cultures. Be it art, music, literature or food, traces of Mughlai culture can be clearly found in many things which are now known as Hyderabadi.

I shall write about Andhra Meal some other time because that too is a topic by itself and not just annam-rassam or perugu annam!

Baghare Baingan

The other day I hosted a dinner for my small group of friends. There is a new restaurant opened in the prime area of the city. When I went to the restaurant, they gave me their menu card to show what they can offer as party menu. One item caught my sight. "Baghare Baingan Hyderabadi" I asked the manager how they make it. He confessed that this is out of his jurisdiction! So I demanded to meet the cook. The cook was summoned and I asked him "kaise banate ho"? He was reluctant to tell me the recipe. I immediately realised and appreciated his etiquettes. Being professional cook; he is not supposed to disclose that! I said ok, at least tell me your procedure broadly. He told me that and I was convinced that here I can get authentic Baghare Baingan-Hyderabadi. Yes, Hyderabadi is important to me because that is unique!

I am great fan of "Hyderabadi Khana" which essentially means non-vegetarian food cooked in Hyderabadi style which is unique. The veg. food is known as Andhra Meal. I am fan of both. Depending upon the mood, I venture to have either of them.

Long back, somewhere in 1986, while roaming on Abids, I found one old book named as "Dawat-E-Hyderabadi" which is written by one lady (Begum) from one aristocratic family of Hyderabad. She was born and bought up in typical nawabi culture of Hyderabad prior to Independence. According to family customs, she was not supposed to even step into the kitchen. In those days, kitchens used to be little bit away from the main building of the house (kothi). The ladies of the house were supposed only to order the khansama through their maid servants. (khansama is different than the cook who is known as bawarchi). The male members of the family were supposed to tell their desire to eat whatever the wish to one lady of the family usually their sister or wife.

Baghare Baingan is the best dish what you can have after sumptuous "dose" of different kebabs. ("dose" used deliberately because kebabs are not alone; they are to be savored with something which is take as dose) After kebabs you are in fact full. But it is not considered civilized unless you eat some type of Indian bread and some rice before you finish off the lunch or dinner. So you can have Baghare Baingan with roti/naan/parantha/kulcha or whatever you have as bread. They are light as compared to mutton or chicken curries and at the same time, leave exactly the same taste in your mouth!

The main secret is…. to make authentic Baghare Baingan you have to stuff and then fry them in asli ghee till light brown before putting them in the gravy and allow them to cook on coal fire in a sealed deg that too …..itminaan se………not to hurry!. Now, please don't ask me what is to be stuffed and how gravy is made; because that’s military secret!

Habits and Thinking

I have some bad habits. For example, whenever I go to someone's home these days, I mean in summer vacations, and if I find that the youngest one of the family has completed his/her school, I ask for the text books! I collect as much text books as possible from any standard upto 10th. I have good collection of text books of Marathi, English and Urdu medium. I must say, Maharashtra's Balbharti text books are excellent; for they give very clear understanding of the basics of the subject.

The other bad habit is that I read those text books. All of them. Repeatedly!

The next and worst of all habit is that after reading such text books I think! The thing least expected from any Indian by our mai-baap Sarkar. I sincerely believe, our netas, babus and whoever in power howsoever little that may be, are of the opinion that the janta should never think. Because if the janta start thinking it will ask questions and the questions are not comfortable.

Every day we see and read in media how the questions asked by janta through RTI queries are treated with resistance by the people in power and especially babus.

So what I was saying is that after reading text books, the questions come to my mind are not very different than the questions the school going children ask. Why our MPs, MLAs or the municipal corporators behave in the house in the manner what we see live on television? Why such huge amount of cash is found in the houses of netas and babus? The fundamental laws of economics say that we need money to satisfy our needs. Do people have needs exceeding hundreds of crores of rupees? What netas, babus and their wives do with kilos of gold ornaments? Man need shelter. Shelter means house. Why people have so many houses? Do they live in all those houses at the same time?

After some time I realize that I passed school decades ago. I am no more a school going kid. It is bad habit to read such school text books at this age. Such questions are called silly questions by grown up people in India. I abruptly shut that window of my mind and pick up the latest issue of law reports and start trying to understand what really our grown up people do and how our courts undo their actions.

After reading law reports, I regret why I grew up. I start realizing how amazing is the world of text books and what is written in it.

Computers & Computers

The other day I was reading some prospectus and other related material for admission in engineering colleges in Maharashtra. I would have never bothered about these colleges but this time my younger dotty is one of the aspirant. So I have to read all this! I believe that there are only 5 or 6 engineering colleges in Maharashtra who really teach something substantial of the subject for which the students have taken admission in that college. Of course "my college" i.e. VJTI, Matunga, Mumbai, is one of them and I am very proud of that. After reading all that material, this is what came to my mind:

What is the difference between Computer Engineering, Computer Technology, Computer Science, Computer Applications, Computer Systems, Information Technology etc. etc.... blah blah blah. Do they really have academically qualified and experienced teachers to teach all this in its real sense to our kids?

I passed with Mechanical Engineering way back in 1981; so for me all this is nothing more than "computerwallhs". :)

CET

At last the "D Day" is tomorrow; the day on which MH-CET is to be held. Thousands of boys and girls shall appear for the exam. In fact to test their memorizing power and luck rather than to test their knowledge and the score shall open the gates for them for various professional courses! Best Luck to all kids. I am on driver's duty for the whole day because my younger one is one of the candidate for the exam! I sincerely believe that parents too deserve "Best Luck" from one and all because they (particularly moms) do all the ancillary things and provide entire "logistic support"! :)