The cuisine from Rampur has been making waves around the country for some time now but Samrin Inayati urges connoisseurs to look beyond the familiar taar qorma and kebabs
Tucked some 180 km away from the national capital of India, Rampur is a small town in Uttar Pradesh. Notorious for endowing lazyness or meethi nesti (as the locals echo the sentiment), it is one city where you can find a foodie in every household. Being a Rampuri myself, I can easily vouch for the fact that I have never ever come across a Rampuri who does not love their taar-tandoori, their khichdi and achar, their seekh kebab and pulao.
Much of the habit of being a foodie could be attributed to the fact that it has been a royal estate, where the Nawabs were great connoisseurs of food, their kitchens boasting of elaborate menus. Certain dishes which are unique to the place were developed by their khansamas (chefs), and continue to be a secret that the royal families guard fiercely.
But even the commoners delight in the unique food preparations and there are certain staples which do not taste similar even if you follow the recipe in any other part of the world.
A Rampuri knows what place taar-tandoori holds in their hearts. Taar refers to the saalan (gravy) which has a single thread-like consistency that is not supposed to break when transferred from the serving dish to your plate. Made of small, finely-chiselled cuts of meat, its aroma in itself can make you hungry. Eaten with freshly made huge tandoori rotis, the size of which you won’t get anywhere else, but was normal for us till a relative from a different city pointed out that it’s a novelty. These rotis made in a tandoor are crisp and thin with a whiff of coriander which makes them unique. I remember during my growing up years, natives who were settled far and away, during a visit would always enquire if there was any waleema around the corner so that they could tuck into taar-tandoori to their heart’s desire. Why waleema (reception)? Because it was the only standard dish for any reception, though the pattern has changed overtime and people have added other options to the menus now. Also, earlier weddings were generally held during the day and slow cooking this dish overnight in a degh (huge cooking pot) would lend it an aroma which when cooked in a house in a pressure cooker or even a pot would be difficult to attain.
Furthermore, one cannot miss out on the yakhni pulao. Realms have already been written and said about the variety of biryanis, and pulaos that our country boasts of. However, the yakhni pulao of Rampur is one dish which is light and aromatic despite its flavorful richness. The dish derives its uniqueness from the meat broth into which a potli (bundle) of spices and condiments are added, boiled till the flavour of green chillies, spices and broth work up their magic and the pulao finally lands up on your plate. One can go on and on about this light on stomach and hearty pulao which is again a signature dish at both the weddings and funerals alike (now you do realise the depth of our love for food, even in death, we don’t want to leave behind a bad taste).
The next best thing this region offers are the seekh kebabs. While kebabs are common throughout the country these melt in the mouth. Succulent, piping hot, fresh off the iron grill kebabs have a taste that one can never forget. Anyone who has tasted the Rampuri variant will drool at the mere mention of seekh kebab. Made from minced meat which is marinated with spices and then deftly put on each seekh or iron rod, these are made the traditional way on charcoals and dipped in ghee later, which gives them a rich and smooth texture. As kids we used to compete over the number of kebabs we could eat during family gatherings, when a traditional kebab wala was hired and we huddled around him, without caring for the smoke entering our eyes or the heat, or even the hot kebabs which would often burn our tongues. We would simply wait for our turn to dig into them or run away with our plate before someone else pounced upon it.
Our vegetarian fare boasts of dal straight from the kitchen of the Nawabs. When it comes to a delicacy that is royal, eclectic and very simple, what comes to mind is the shahi dal. It’s a wonder how delicately a dish as simple as dal has been infused into the royal kitchens and people have taken to it through generations. It is made from white urad dal, milk and desi ghee (clarified butter), tempered with onion and sabut mirch (whole yellow chilli) in desi ghee, and garnished with finely-chopped ginger, green chillies and coriander. No daawat in Rampur is ever complete without this dal at the dinner table.
We are partial to the urad family, consuming it in different forms and being equally fond of all of them. Uradgosht is another dal and meat combination which Rampuris relish. The fragrance of whole black urad legumes cooked in meat, which is a little high on spices is what ideal lunches are made of. Best relished with plain rice, it is a complete meal unto itself.
One of the most popular dishes, Urad ki kaali dal ki khichdi, can be easily termed as our comfort food. This quintessential, simple and most widely-eaten rice preparation is a staple in every Rampuri household. With the arrival of misty mornings, households would be filled with the aroma of simmering pots of this khichdi which was relished with the most elaborate of layout. Accompanied with desi ghee, mooli ka pani wala achar (pickled radish in a water base), hare dhaniya and peeli mirch ki chutney (cilantro and yellow chilli chutney), shalgam ka meetha achaar (pickled turnips), mooli (raw, sliced radish), gobhi gosht (cauliflower and meat), saag gosht (spinach and meat) and also fresh cream (yes, some of us prefer it that way), it is ambrosia, no less.
I remember my mother used to mix dal and rice together and keep it in a huge tin box and would cook it every morning as brunch for my father throughout winters, his love for it being so intense that he would have it every day without fail till summer arrived. The satiating pleasure of a simple khichdi is incomparable to any of the fanciest of dishes in best of the restaurants, especially when you eat it sitting on a charpoy with the winter’s sun rays kissing you among the banter of your family and loved ones.
We do not simply get satiated with the good old makka ki roti and sarson da saag, as our saags are generally combined with meat. Every kitchen in winters has waft of gobhi gosht, saag gosht or saag kofte being whipped up. Cauliflower mixed with spinach is cooked in meat, similarly spinach in meat or spinach and meatballs, all of which are blended with aromatic methi herb and then eaten with makka ki roti.
No food talk can ever be complete without the mention of a dessert. Rampuris’ very own sweet dish is fondly called Gulaththi. The name may sound ridiculous, but the dish is completely out of the world. A very rich sweet dish, its consistency lies somewhere between the traditional kheer and its overdone cousin rabri, as Gulaththi is infused with milk, maava/khoya, sugar, lots of dry fruits and garnished with a layer of Chandi ka warq (silver foil) and another whole layer of dry fruits (mostly cashews). It was a signature wedding dish till the last decade or so. Still popular at weddings and social gatherings, it is not commonly prepared in households as it is quite heavy on the stomach and one cannot have more than a bowl at a time.
Another dessert which is very rustic, earthy, seasonal as well as uncommon is the rasaawal derived from ras wale chawal. Made from ganne ka ras (sugarcane juice) and rice, rasaawal is generally eaten cold with hot milk poured onto it. While some prefer it hot without milk. It is a local delicacy made during bitter cold when sugarcane is in abundance. Slow cooked over a couple of days on a traditional U-shaped chulha, it is a tedious process to cook it to perfection. The real essence of joint family system in India is at power play over here when duties change among family members to take care of the hot cauldron of rasaawal and increase or decrease the firewood while churning the simmering pot in the extreme cold. We have witnessed numerous such soirees playing, or chatting around while our elders, both men and women, of the family would take equal interest and pleasure in such sojourns.
I can still go on about the aroma, tastes and euphoric pleasure that we derive out of some of our overly-loved food items, but this small compilation throws light on some specialties and peculiar food items associated with Rampur, that have delighted generations alike. It’s not just the taste and ingredients that make any food pleasurable and relishing but love, the company of people, and the memories associated with it.
(The writer is a food blogger.)
