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Sharbat~ AlifBe~27

Alka Keswani — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 20:22:03 +0000

There are only two consonants in the sixth shape group of Sindhi AlifBe; س (s/स) and ش (Sh/श)! Actually the 27th consonant in Sindhi AlifBe is س but it is already covered in the 10th Post in AlifBe series. And hence we will consider the next consonant as the 27th one which is ش in Arabic Sindhi, श in Devanagari and in Roman Sindhi it is ‘Sh‘ as in Shimla! And the corresponding dish is Sharbat! In Sindhi language, Sharbat could mean both; the syrup as well as the Cordial (non alcoholic beverage)! Sharbat The word Sharbat comes from the Arabic word ‘Shariba’ which is a verb for ‘Drink’ Believed to be originated in Iran in 11th century, Sharbat became a favorite beverage of Turks and later the Italian adapted it as ‘Sorbetto’! The Turk style sharbat, to be precise, the Rose Sherbet is generally made by crumbling (or massaging) rose petals along with sugar and letting it sit for few hours, after which it is mixed with sugar syrup, water and ice to make Sharbat. The process of mixing rose petals with sugar was used by ancient people and the sweetened crumbled rose petals (conserve) were used as a base for mixing medicines or healing herbs for treating various health disorders. Cuneiform texts written in Mesopotamia (Modern day-Iraq) in the second millennium BC suggest that roses were boiled in water to produce aromatic water as distillation process was unknown to ancient people. And though the Alchemists of Alexendria (50 BCE) are credited for introducing Distillation process, remnants of distillation apparatus (pots) made from terra-cota were found in Harrapa excavations. ((Source: here!). Those were similar to the traditional Deg Bhapka ‘apparatus’ being used for hydro distillation of flowers to produce Attar (Ittr or Perfume) in Kannauj (Uttar Pradesh), consisting of Deg (cauldron), Bhapka (copper receiver),the Chonga (condenser made from bamboo), a bhatti (furnace), a Gachchi (cooling water tank) and a Kuppi (bottle). So maybe making attar was a common phenomenon in the Harrapan era. Sharbat is believed to reach India through Moghuls in around 16th century! Though Sharbat could be made from various flowers and fruits too, the one we are talking about is ‘Gulab jo Sharbat’ or Rose Sharbat. Interestingly the term Gulab in Urdu (and in Hindi) means Rose flower but in Persian Gulab or Golab word is actually a combination of two nouns; Gol/Gul meaning flower and ‘aab’ meaning ‘water’. So Golab in Persian means ‘water of a flower’ or a distillate of a flower, not necessarily ‘of the Rose flower’. Coming to the Sharbat, one can make it in various ways. Most of the commercially available sherbet (syrups) are made by flavoring concentrated sugar syrup or it could be a blend sugar, dextrose or liquid glucose, with artificial flavors /essence and artificial colors to make the syrup an eye appealing one. Sharing here, some different ways to make Rose Sherbet including the traditional methods! Regular Syrup: Mix 5 cups water with 6 and half cups of granulated sugar and bring it to a boil. Add a tbsp of lemon juice and let the syrup boil further till thick syrup is obtained (anywhere from 15 -20 minutes on medium flame). Switch off the gas and add few drops of food color and appropriate essence, for example, red color and Rose essence, Yellow color and Pineapple essence, Green color and Khus Essence etc. You can also use Emulsions instead of food color and essence. Syrup using Rose Petals: Boil ½ kg rose petals with 2 cups of water and 1.5 kg of granulated sugar till 1 thread consistency is achieved. Strain and discard the pulp. Store the syrup in glass bottles or jars. Sharbat using Petal extract Add 1 and half cup of granulated sugar to half cup of rose petals in a bowl and rub well. Can add a tbsp of citric acid or lemon juice too. Add around 4-5 cups of water. Cover and allow it to stand for minimum 2-3 days. For making sharbat, add few tsp of this extract to few tsp of sugar syrup (unflavored) and iced water. Till two decades back, making Rose Sharbat (Syrup) was an annual affair at our home. My parents would make plenty of Syrup bottles to send in as food gifts for summer festivals to married aunts/sisters. I have distinct memories of my father measuring out sugar and water portions, pounding green cardamoms, cleaning flowers, rinsing well and cleaning up tall glass bottles etc while my mom would cook the syrup in batches. Each batch was then strained by my father and the sweetened pulp was given to us to relish. That would be our instant ‘Gulkand’. The syrup would be poured in the bottle, few drops of red food color and rose essence were added along with silver varq and each bottle was given a good shake. The bottles were loosely capped and kept in a large parat filled with water, for cooling. That would not only facilitate cooling of the syrup but would also ensure that no ants contaminate the syrup. Once cooled, the bottles were capped tightly and stored in cool and dry places (The Cupboard with the net in olden days while later, in the refrigerator). We used to buy ice from the local juice corners or the ice vendors on the cycle to make Sharbat , before the refrigerator became a part of our lives. While I distinctly remember the whole Sharbat making process and those Gulkand treats, I was not sure of the variety of roses used for the same. Many moons ago, in an ongoing discussion about Gulkand, Sangeeta Khanna, a food and nutrition consultant and one of my favorite food bloggers, pointed out that Damascus rose (Rosa damascena) is one the preferred rose varieties for the concoction or for making Gulkand. Many home makers who make Sharbat at home suggest to use Indian desi Gulab or musk rose (Rosa moschata), a variety closely related to the Persian Hybrid; Damascus for the syrup. Print Sharbat~ AlifBe~27 A flavored syrup made from dried rose petals. Ingredients 1 Cup dried rose petals (or 125 gm of fresh petals) 2 +2 cups Sugar 2+1 cup of water 5-6 Green Cardamoms Juice of 1 lemon/lime ¼ -1/2 tsp of Red color (Optional) Few drops of Rose Essence Method Check and discard any twigs or wilted petals from dried/fresh petals. Wash with water for 1-2 times and spread on a kitchen towel to remove excess water. In a large bowl, mix petals and three cups of sugar and rub the mix well. Allow the mix to stand (covered) for 3-4 hours. This process (mixing sugar and petals and allowing it to stand) is optional. You can directly jump to the next step. Boil 2 cups of water add it to petals and sugar mixture. Leave covered for another 4-5 hours. Now pour the mix in a pan/vessel and bring it to a boil. Add juice of a lemon/lime and crushed cardamoms. Once the mix starts boiling, lower the flame and allow it to simmer for 30-35 minutes. In another vessel, heat 1 cup of water and pour it in the simmering syrup. Add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and continue to thicken the syrup till one thread consistency is reached. Switch off the flame and strain the syrup. Add food color (optional) and rose essence and once cool, transfer the syrup in a glass jar or bottle. Store in refrigerator. Note: Once you boil the mix for 30-40 minutes, you can switch off the gas and add 1 cup of powdered sugar instead of hot water and sugar granules and mix till no lumps remain in the syrup. I don't prefer this method but the method is commonly used by many. I got around 405 ml of syrup from the above mentioned quantities. 3.5.3251 Please note: Though the Sharbat in the bottle looks deep red without added color, when you mix the syrup with iced water the color of the drink fades and may appear orange to brownish (as seen in one of the images) and hence I added 1/4th tsp of red color to the syrup. You may need more color for deeper shades or if the flower petals yield paler syrup. And finally, a small video about writing the alphabets in Sindhi!

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Sindh Da Swad~Sindhi Food Pop Up At Punjab Grill

Alka Keswani — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 16:34:53 +0000

And I am back to blogging! It feels really strange to accept the fact that I have been ignoring the blog since long but I can easily put the blame on the rough times me and my extended family had been through (more about that in my next post)! And while life could be really mean to you, yet there are moments when you can’t help but wonder how comforting and buoyant some incidents could be! Thanks to my blog, I have met many amazing people, online as well as offline, often discussing at length, the nitty-gritties of Sindhi cuisine and one such person is Chef Jyoti Vishnani. A sweet, petite and pretty contestant of Masterchef India, season 4, Jyoti, a Sindhi Chef from Ulhasnagar (my home town) wears many feathers in her hat. Her talent and hard work led her to be a part of a prestigious project with Chef Vikas Khanna, an opportunity to share her recipes on ‘Tata Sky Cooking’ and a privilege of gaining work experience at Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s Signature by Sanjeev in Doha. Chef Jyoti vishnani Jyoti and I often discuss about Sindhi cuisine, its history and evolution and also rant about the way it is neglected by restaurant industry, about the dearth of fine dining Sindhi restaurants and the measures that need to be taken to bring our cuisine on global radar. So when she told me about a Sindhi Pop-Up she has curated for Punjab Grill, in Mumbai, I was obviously thrilled beyond words. Yesterday I had an honor to be one of her special guests and I thoroughly enjoyed the food and her company. Here are the deets! Punjab grill @ BKC, Mumbai The Pop-Up: Sindh Da Swad, the Sindhi food Pop-Up at Punjab Grill ( BKC and Kala Ghoda outlets) curated by super talented Chef Jyoti Vishnani, commenced on 6th April 2019, would wind up on 14th April. Folks in Mumbai, please do attend this! I visited Punjab Grill at BKC with great expectations and thankfully I was not disappointed. The ambiance was pleasant and the staff,very courteous! It was late afternoon, hence the place was quieter and Chef Jyoti and I had long conversations about Sindhi food, the pop-up, the menu and of course about our cravings for Ulhasnagar’s Sindhi street food. The Menu: If you are well versed with Sindhi Cuisine you would surely acknowledge the efforts put in by the Chef, to curate the exhaustive a la carte menu. To begin with, the Summer coolers on the menu are Rose Sherbet and Chandan (Sandalwood) Sherbet. Starters: Dal Pakwan ( Mixed lentils topped with vegetable garnish and tangy chutney served with crunchy crisps), Batan papdi chaat (unique Sindhi street food), Saibhaji Dhodho (Signature Sindhi Spinach, veggies and lentils mash topped on flavorful Jowar roti /canapé) and some more popular snacks from the cuisine. Non Veg. Starters like whole fish fry, Keema patties etc are being loved by the diners as per Chef’s observation. Mains: The most popular and loved dishes from the cuisine are thankfully up on the menu. From Tidali Dal (three lentils mix) to Sindhi Kadhi and from Bhughal mutton to traditional fish preparations, one can pick plenty of dishes to try out to satiate Sindhi food cravings. The famous Sindhi rice dishes including Bhuga chaanwran (Garam masala flavored rice cooked with caramelized onions) and popular flatbreads like Koki and Dhodho wonderfully compliment the kadhi and curries, equally! Desserts: You cannot afford to not have falooda on the menu if you are serving multi course Sindhi food or exclusive Sindhi desserts. So yes, you can gobble that after a scrumptious Sindhi meal. Singhar Ji mithai, yet another gem from the cuisine is made in-house so it is a must try dish on the menu as well. What I had: Since I was alone, I opted for few selected dishes and requested for tiny portions of each. The portions actually served to diners are obviously bigger! To begin with, there was the unique Sindhi Chaat dish called Batan Papdi also known as batarn or batar papdi. The special Batan rusks dipped in tangy chutney and topped with papdi, beetroot touched onions and Dal moath (farsan) served as a perfect start of the meal.Those who have tasted the dish at any stall or eatery in Ulhasnagar, the popular Sindhi dominated area in Mumbai, would really appreciate the perfect replication of street food flavors of this chaat. I had a hard time holding back my temptations of requesting ‘ thoda paani dena bhaiya‘ ( paani, here, refers to the chutney). Would highly recommend the chaat with an extra shot of chutney. Batan Papdi Chaat Dal Pakwan: This popular Signature Sindhi dish, usually considered as a heavy breakfast, was served as a starter. The dish of mixed lentils cooked to perfect creamy consistency, topped with typical garnish of onions, potatoes, tomatoes and green chutney, served in shot glasses along with pakwan (crisps) was modern in appearance but had remarkable traditional flavors. And since portions were moderate, you are left with plenty of room to try out other delicacies. Dal Pakwan Saibhaji Dhodho: The canapé stole my heart! Saibhaji, the mash of spinach, veggies and lentils served on the Jowar Dhodho (refers to patted flour rotis) discs reminded me of my mom ( and this is a big deal) and her signature dish; Juar Jo Dhodho! The Saibhaji had a dry-ish texture so that it could be served as a top up on Dhodho. The subzi had a perfect blend of earthiness of spinach, tartness of tomatoes, aroma of dill leaves and nuttiness of Chana dal. And the Dhodho had that magic touch of sayi thoom or fresh green garlic that makes Sindhi Dhodho so appetising. I gobbled multiple portions of this lovely dish! Yes, it was that good! Saibhaji- Dhodho Aani Basar: Aaani in Sindhi originally meant fish roes. Fish roes fritters cooked in Onion tomato base was/is known as Aani ji bhaji. The vegetarian version is made by flavorful gramflour tikkis fried and added to curry. The aani basar in this pop-up is the vegetarian version. Aani Basar The portion I received was bit high on salt but what I loved about the dish was the melt in the mouth texture of tikki. For the perfect aani dish, tikkis must be well spiced ( and not bland) and must be soft enough to cut in through, smoothly and Chef Jyoti really nailed it! Besan Ji Aani The crunch and nuttiness of whole coriander seeds while having a bite of tikki was a delight to my taste buds and the copious amounts of moyan (fat) gave the tikkis the quintessential texture and crumb. The sweetness of onions provided a delicious base to the tikkis. It was neither bland nor had overpowering masala (spices) flavors. Kadhi chaanwran. Yet another signature Sindhi dish, a delicious blend of roasted gram flour, tangy tamarind and goodness of vegetables, this humble dish is always a winner! Chef Jyoti’s version of kadhi was bit thicker than the one we make at home but it surely had the robust flavors and aroma of perfectly roasted flour, a key factor that decides the fate of the dish. The choice of vegetables used in Kadhi was completely in sync with my preferences, particularly the okra and potatoes that were cooked to perfection. Thankfully the overpowering Cauliflower or oddly placed peas or Beeh (lotus stem) were not used in the Kadhi. Sindhi Kadhi Kadhi was paired with aromatic steamed/ boiled white rice. If you happen to order this dish, I would highly recommend you to take a small portion of rice in a bowl and ladle some hot kadhi over it to make a soupy rice kind of mix and relish it the way Sindhis do, typically! Bhughal Beeh: Honestly speaking, the Bhughal Beeh I know, is a dish made from boiled lotus stem cooked in onion tomato gravy to the extent where the gravy turns like a coating on lotus stem chunks.But Chef Jyoti’s version was very different though I simply loved the bursts of flavors of this dish as well! Bhughal Beeh I am very biased towards lotus stem as I love it in any form and hence this dish too passed the taste test with flying colors. The slightly pungent flavors of garlic and green chillies complemented the earthy flavors of lotus stems while the poppy seeds gave a slightly crunchy, sweet nutty twist and the typical Sindhi garnish of amchoor powder tickled my traditional Sindhi taste buds! I hogged on these as well! Degh waari Bhaji: I had filled myself up by now, but couldn’t resist tasting Degh waari Bhaji since the dish always takes me down the memory lane, back to my childhood days when food served during marriage ceremonies in Sindhi communities was generally Kadhi chaanwaran and/or degh waari bhaji. Huge portions of lotus stem and unpeeled potato chunks cooked in brinjal, onion, tomato gravy, heavily flavored with freshly toasted and ground garam masala cooked in huge degh over logs and served with khada masala spiced rice was termed as Degh waari roti ( roti here means food and not chapati). Degh Waari Bhaji Eventually lotus stem was replaced by other ingredients like Macaroni, Phoolpatasha, Soya granules etc and now in many temples or on religious occasions/ celebration meals, you will find the later version of degh waari bhaji. If done right, the dish can beautifully mimic the flavors of meat curries. Chef Jyoti’s version had soya granules and phoolpatasha and pronounced flavors of garam masala. I would have preferred a little gravy in the dish as personally I prefer to have this curry with boiled rice, just as in good old days! Judging my love for lotus stem by the way I was focusing more on it, Chef Jyoti went inside the kitchen to get some fried Beeh kachryun for me. My soul just blessed her’s, as I munched upon the crisp, crunchy bites of sundried, fried lotus stem chunks! Beeh Jyun Kachryun I really felt sad as I couldn’t relish the classic meat dishes like Mutton, taryal machchi, keema patties etc because of the ongoing Navratras and had to resist the temptations to try out sherbet or falooda and other desserts as I am currently off sugar for health reasons. I wish I could taste everything that’s on the menu!I hope Sindh Da Swad gets extended beyond Navratri so that I can go back again and relish the rest of the dishes from the menu. Great job done Jyoti! So very proud of you! Please note: Since Chef Jyoti refused to let me pay for the meal, I don’t know the price of any dish. The portions that you see in pictures were customized aptly so as to avoid wastage of food. The actual portions served in a la carte are bigger! You can visit the BKC or Kala Ghoda outlet of Punjab grill to enjoy Sindh Da Swad pop-up!

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An Alphonso Treat

Alka Keswani — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 05:51:12 +0000

My Dear Husband who is a generally not fond of Food,surprised me one day,when I accompanied him to one of his Friend’s Marriage ceremony, after our engagement(So he was my Fiance then….). That was the first time Icame to know his Love for Shrikhand there.Since that was ,what he enjoyed most from the awesome platter of Traditional Maharashtrian Food. So like a very curious Wife -To-Be,who obviously believed that the way to man’s heart is through his stomach, searched high and low for shrikhand’s Recipe.And mind you , at those times, Internet was an unheard of a thing for geeks like me. So somehow i got its recipe from one of the neighbor, purchased the ingredients required and like a usual bubbly enthusiastic female,trying to woo her would- be -better- half, headed in HIS KITCHEN, in his absence, to churn out a surprise for him. Now in all this, I had a companion who guided me to the Unknown Kitchen and utensils (since that home was new for me), stood besides me, acted as a perfect assistant, helping in blending etc, and watching with all the curiosity and giggles, the making of shrikhand.Well, till this date i don’t know whether Hubby dear liked that shrikhand or not, I only know that it was the first thing I made for him and he did ate it :-). And that Helper was Sk (My Brother-in-law), the little jovial fellow, who after that first brush in kitchen, joined me in many more culinary experiments Months later, as a new bride, I always had this fellow(Sk of course) , ready to indulge (when it was good) or bear(when food turned out awful) my experiments in kitchen.Who not only relished the good parathas and kokis,but also the burnt toasts and awful gravies with same smile on his face (I know after every disastrous meal, he would sneak out to some restaurant or street food stall, have a binge and return back burping and saying…today’s meal was superb,when are you going to make same again??(You cheat…liar…) The reason for sharing these memories is that it’s Sk’s Birthday today,and though I am unable to make him eat any of his favorite on his birthday,Iam virtually sending him some favorites of his, with all the fond memories and Hearty Wishes Every Alphonso Mango landing our home was surely on his TO-FINISH Agenda.So much , that even when everyone at home would be about to retire at night,this crazy mango lover would suddenly remember a Mango lying around home, and would jump with excitement …How about a mango Shake now…Now ??? 12 o’clock (Night)??? Well anything for you dear…and off we use to go in kitchen,and with his help would churn out some quick mango shakes , much to my MIL’s surprise at the blenders (Mixie) working at midnight in our Kitchen So dear, for all those Good old days, and of course on Your birthday…here’s CHEERS from whole family with this Mango shake , for you 🙂 The recipe…well there is hardly any, just throw in a ripe Alphonso Mango, peeled and diced (save one slice for garnishing) in a blender (mixie) along with about two glass full of boiled and cooled milk, about 2-3 tsp of sugar, some almonds and ice cubes and blend till a smooth mixture is obtained Pour in glasses (will yield about 3 servings ), topped with some Almond slivers, some mango cubes (yes the one slice that you saved), some ice cubes, and for that ROSY kick, you can add few drops of Rose syrup while blending.

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