Storied Evenings

Vintage Meals and Tonic Wine at Home

Our series on the lives and rhythms behind heirloom recipes moves from Shimla to Delhi's Nizamuddin East in the 1960s. Here, Ameena Shamsi is a neighbour of the Badshahs in the genteel precincts of South Delhi.

In the wake of partition, the capital city has become a welcoming harbour for those looking to resettle. The mass of arrivals and departures has introduced vivacity into the city. Camps still abound, but they are discreet and well-organised. The influx of West Punjabis brings a new vocabulary, new groceries, new smells and sounds. These gregarious, fun-loving people seem to have deftly overcome their loss of ancestral lands, moorings, prosperity, with a resolute commitment to rebuild after having endured centuries of intrusions into their lives, from as far back as the days of Alexander.
One such quaint resettlement is a cul-de-sac in Nizamuddin East, a garden paradise, flanked on the North by the Jamuna, on the West by the Humayun Tomb, Sunder Bagh and the chilla of Hazrat Nizamuddin, and on the South by the mausoleum of Rahim Khankhana. It is here next to Arab ki Sarai that Sushila, daughter of the (since deceased) Badshah, comes to inherit a charming low-rise bungalow.

Her husband, a judge, is often on tour in what remains of Punjab on the Indian side. Sushila keeps herself busy with her dogs, walks, rummy, social work, cooking, and rounds of entertaining. She finds a kindred companion in her neighbour, Ameena Shamsi, an Old Delhi family, whose ancestors migrated to Delhi from Sargodha (northwest of Lahore). The community, also known as the Jamiat-e-Punjabi-Saudagaran-e-Delhi are a merchant community spread over Uttar Pradesh as well as Karachi and Lahore.

Like Sushila, Ameena too keeps herself occupied with rummy, cooking, hosting, and walks. Her husband, Mr Shamsi, is also a jurist, and occupied with evacuee properties and rehabilitation issues. A bond forms between the families. Both Ameena and Sushila enjoy each other's company over an occasional glass of Wincarnis. They both collaborate in volunteering their mornings at Bankura Café, a charming restaurant located next to the fabulous Cottage Industries at Queensway. Famed highlights of their cooking are two signature dishes from the two friends. Biji's pulao and Delhi biryani (by Sushila and Ameena respectively)ñ these dishes are hits at Bankura as well as at their homes.

An important process in the preparation of biryani is browning (resulting from the Maillard reaction) which is achieved through searing the meat that is then sautéed and combined with aged rice and spices which are finally cooked together on embers. The feisty Ameena insists that its origins can be traced back to the 17th century Mughal princess Jahanara Begum, a connoisseur of fine taste and architect of Delhi's first luxury street, Chandni Chowk, in the walled city of Old Delhi.

When it came to the ritual of dining, both Ameena and Sushila continued practices they were comfortable with. While Sushila prefers to use the spoon and fork, Ameena uses her fingers. This is in keeping with esteemed tradition, one that is still observed in many cultures. Eating with the fingers has been the practice among royalty down the ages and throughout India. In its most refined expression the entire ritual of eating with the fingers began with the guest bathing their fingers with sandalwood paste, then with water from an aftaba, wiping the fingers dry with an iced muslin towel and commencing with the meal that was served on a khwan covered with a posh (a velvet festive tray cover). On conclusion of the meal, guests, waited upon by servants bearing basins and ewers, washed their fingers once more and bathed their fingers with sandalwood paste.

Ameena loved wearing sarees made from chintz, a printed cotton textile made in India since the 16th Century; the name chintz dervies from the Sanskrit citra meaning variegated. It made use of calico, an English term that refers to the unglazed raw fabric procured from Calicut in South India. Sushila loved wearing salwar suits. Both brought with them a tradition of patience and munificience that stood out at a time when most people were cutting corners. This was on ample display when it came to their dishes that spared no luxury in the all-important viandes. Diwan Aatam, a regular guest at both households would aptly remark:
Deewangi se kum na thii kuch apni justaju
Hum bewafa jahan mein wafa dhoonte rahe
Berehmiyon ke daur mein hasraton ke sath sath
Biryani mein Khushka hum dhoondte rahe.
This means that both ladies employed such a generous volume of mutton chops in their dishes, that one had to search for the rice.

Note
The pulao (which relies heavily on the soup- yakhni- of the meat) and biryani may be had with the fingers or cutlery, but it is best accompanied by fresh mint raita and Shirazi salad. Green chilli pickle is an option. Go ahead and wash it down with a post-prandial Wincarnis. This is a tonic wine with a distinguished following in the many parts of the world and the country, over generations. Fortified with malt extract and a cocktail of botanicals, it has been traditionally relied on to help in recovery and as an all-round pick-me-up. Though its Latin name translates into ‘meat wine' and it even contained meat stock at one time, it no longer does, but it pairs majestically with spiced meat dishes such as the vintage pulao and biryani detailed below.

The choice of rice makes all the difference to the final dish. Homes have every reason to keep theirs a secret.

One little known variety of Basmati known as Satthi finds mention in the epic poem Heer Ranjha, by iconic Punjabi poet Wasir Shah (1725 - 1798). Its citation went some way to establishing India's prior art in the development of Basmati, challenging US-based RiceTec Inc.'s patent on the scented pearl of India.

Mushki Chawalaan dey bharrey aan kothey, Soyan Pati tey Jhoneray chari dey neen, Basmati, Musafaree, Begumee soon Harchand de zardiay dhari de neen

Fragrant rice stores are filled in which Gold Leafed and ordinary rice are being threshed, Basmati, Musafaree, Begumee, Harchand and Yellowish rice are getting stored, Suthee, Karchaka, Sewala Ghard, Kanthal and Kekala rice are being moved, fine white Kashmir, Kabul rice dishes which are eaten by fairies and beautiful women.