The meat-heavy sauces and stews from India's northern region have spread around the world, Moghul dishes originated from Persia.
Moghul cuisine is the legacy left by the nomadic Tartars of Persia who constructed India's Moghul empire. The Moghul influence (which dominated for the 16th and 17th centuries) can be seen in the architecture (temples, palaces, tombs) and of course, in the food of India.
Ingredients such as rose petals, saffron and pistachios speak of their Persian origins as well as the liberal use of dried fruits, cinnamon, cloves, black/Kashmiri cumin and green cardamom.
The Moghuls are noted for their myriad of lamb dishes. In fact there's a saying that goes something like this: "A really superb North Indian cook can produce a different lamb dish for every day of the year."
They also introduced a style of cooking that lives to this day. It's a method called "dumpukt" which involves placing a chicken or meat into a large pot, jumbled with spices and veggies, and placed over hot coals. The pot is sealed with dough to prevent the flavours from escaping. Additional coals are placed on top of the pot.
CUMIN, CLOVES & CARDAMON
Moghul food – which is Arabic and Muslim in style - includes slow-cooked curries and rich gravies. Naturally, being Muslim, there are no pork dishes here so the lamb and chicken plates (including quail and sparrow) are plentiful. The intense flavours of tandoori and biriyani are indications of Moghul seasonings such as garlic, ginger, paprika and fennel.
The cloves, cumin and cardamom are often fried in hot butter fat (ghee) until their aromas are released, then comes the onion, garlic, ginger and bay leaves. This is all fried and then mixed with yogurt. Additional spices such as fennel and paprika are flung into the mix or even ground poppy and grated almonds and the meat is braised. This type of braising is often referred to as korma.
By the way, in Iran, ghorme is a thick sauce of herbs and vegetables often used in stews.
Common Moghul dishes include zard birinj (saffron rice), rogan josh (lamb braised in a creamy yogurt sauce) and Kabab husaini – minced lamb stuffed with raisins and almonds – as well as samosas, pull-apart kebabs and pilafs.
Again, the Persian roots are obvious here, too. The Indian word for pilaf – pullao – comes from the Persian word polo. The Persian-style samosas included dried fruit, nuts and minced lamb, by the way. Indians have added their own – stuffing them with peas and potatoes instead.
Let's not forget the baked breads (chapatis and pooris) as well as paratha (whole wheat bread, layered with fat and baked on a griddle), baqar khani (leavened bread enriched with clarified butter) and shirmal (a sweet baked bun).
Lastly, there are the desserts. Besides stewed fruits and sweetened drinks, there's frozen kulfi, an ice cream of milk solids, jalebi (deep-fried gram flour sweetened in sugar syrup) and halwa – one ingredient, like carrots or lentils, is cooked with milk solids and clarified butter.
Intrigued by the culture of India? Learn more about the Hindu form of Feng Shui, Vastu, and about the Hakka Indians. Check out my other Indian recipes: Green Chili Chicken, Spicy Indian Cauliflower and Indian Chickpeas and Eggplant.
Stay tuned for next week's Moghul recipe!
