Awadhi Andaaz

Takeaway with
                _________RADHIKA K. WANKANER

What would Saeed Naqvi, Satish Gujral and Karan Singh have in common, other than of course their celebrity status? Well for one, they are also patrons of Shabina Naseem’s ‘Home To Home’ catering service that serves a select number of some of the favoured dishes of the Lucknavi cusine. Situated in a comfortable corner of Press Enclave, F-20 is from where Naseem has been catering authentic Awadhi food since the past decade. ‘‘Cooking has always been my first love so making a profession of it was the most obvious thing to do,’’ explains Naseem.

But she confesses none of the recipes on the menu are her own concoctions. ‘‘All the dishes I cater were taught to me by my mother and the recipes are traditionally passed down generation to generation.’’ Naseem not only supervises all the cooking, but also buys and prepares all the ingredients herself. ‘‘All the spices are freshly ground on the silbatta. We don’t preserve our chutnies for more than a day and even the mustard oil is freshly brought down from Lucknow,’’ shares Naseem.

Today Naseem’s food not only travels all over Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida and Faridabad, but some loyal customers also carry the dishes abroad as gifts from home.

Naseem’s menu comprises of essentially seven non-vegetarian dishes, and their accompaniments, varying from do pyazaa to mutton chops, koftas and handi biryani. Although the choice for vegetarians is comparatively limited, the fare offers from masala aloo to shahi paneer and her veg biryani and paneer kormas remain a popular choice. You could even choose an authentic sweet dish — shahi muzafer, zarda or firni.

Her specialties, never the less, remain meat and chicken preparations such as shammi kababs and biryani.

The price range of the dishes is fairly placed between Rs 200-400 for a kg.Half a day’s notice is sufficient for her to prepare your order with the help of her personally trained staff of three. Even her two kids are equally involved in the catering service. ‘‘I couldn’t have managed without them,’’ confesses Naseem.

RANGEELAY KOFTE

INGREDIENTS:
1 kg mince mutton
100 grams chana dal powder (roasted)
100 grams curd
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp garam masala

Stuffing: 1 onion (chopped)
coriander (chopped)
green chillies (chopped)

GRAVY: 100 grams desi ghee; 100 grams onion paste; 50 grams garlic and ginger paste; 20 grams coriander powder; 50 grams curd; 20 grams curd; 20 grams methi dana; 5 grams ratan jot

METHOD: Add salt, red chillies, chana dal powder, garam masala and half of the curd altogether in the mince. Now make small balls and stuff them with the prepared stuffing. Fry these mince meat balls in a pan.

FOR GRAVY: Heat some oil in a vessel and fry the methi dana in it till it turns golden brown. Then add the onion paste, garlic and ginger paste, coriander powder, remaining curd and ratan jot to the pan. Roast the the preparation well and then add 1 cup of water. Stir it well and put all the koftas into the masala. Cook the dish for the next 20 minutes. Your koftas are now ready to serve. (To be had with naan).

YAKHNI BIRYANI

INGREDIENTS:
1 kg. basmati rice
1 1/2 kg. mutton
1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
200 grams curd
50 grams garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp desi ghee
1 small chopped onion

METHOD: Boil the mutton in a cooker alongwith salt and garlic and ginger paste for 10 minutes. Now melt desi ghee in a vessel and fry the chopped onion in it till it turns a rich golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger paste, curd, garam masala, salt and the mutton pieces to the masala. Add the the remaining boiled water and the washed rice into the vessel. Add one more cup of water and cook it in low heat for atleast an hour. Your biryani is done. (Serve with raita).

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