The Kayastha food is known to be home-centric, experimental and detailed in preparation. Part of a special promotion at Ssence, The Suryaa, Navneet Mendiratta partakes some really fine recipes that involve skillful blending of ingredients and subtle cooking techniques
Diverse as India is, regional influences in food tend to overlap with the community style of cooking. And yet, often the communities take their flavours with them wherever they travel and hold them independent of the regional interferences. Kayastha community is somewhat different.
My acquaintance with the Kayastha cuisine came about after I shifted base to Delhi. Being the one from hearty Punjab-land who was raised to love her rarha mutton, butter chicken and sarson da saag, here was a spread that revealed how red meat could be cooked in a different style using a unique mix of masalas. This was at a neighbour’s house, who encouraged by my curiosity shared some of the most unusual recipes from their community kitchen. That was as good as two decades ago.
This acquaintance was renewed a couple of years back when Anoothi Vishal, a Kayastha herself and a food writer took this cuisine to a five star kitchen in the capital. The market lapped up the experience and she followed it up with a series of festivals across India.
Once again, she is curating a similar festival in Delhi — this time at Ssence, The Suryaa. The spread is lavish with a lot many vegetarian options competing with the non-vegetarian ones. “Kayastha is a close-knit community that is settled in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh (as also Bengal, Maharashtra and Hyderabad, whose cuisines are some what different). What makes the food special is the distinct variety it offers in terms of flavours and options,” she said as she played host along with her family members at the fine dining at the launch of a three month-long festival. The family will cook for the guests on Saturdays.
“In the days of the Mughals, the Kayasthas made for a well-placed community that interacted very closely with Muslim royalty. Though largely Vaishnavite, the Kayastha cuisine, therefore, not only exhibits a close connect with the food of the Mughals but also has strong regional influences from UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” says Anoothi.
The meal opened with crisp moong dal ki pakori, served with a very interesting tangy aam panna dip served in shot glasses. For starters, there was shami kebab stuffed with mince and onions, aloo kulle, kalmi bade and chicken parchey served with home made mint chutney.
But, it was the mains that truly brought out the community flavours best. Takey paise (or besan rounds, that are fried and then curried) came about as a take on the Rajput gatte, only here the preparation was a bit richer. The other dish that drew from Rajasthani menu was the dry papad ki subzi, only the Mathur community has innovated the same as mote papad ki subzi, where a thicker papad is used in a curry. Bedmi aloo, served with methi dana chutney is something that a lot many of us know of as a great breakfast option. Finding it on the menu was a pleasant surprise. Keema kofte, bhuna chicken, bharwan bhindi, moong dal with palak, boondi ka raita and yakhni pulao and matar ki tahiri completed the spread.
“Rice preparations with vegetables were called tahiris and with meat, pulao. Yakhni pulao is cooked in stock with whole spices and is more delicate than the common, robust biryanis. Souring agent for non-vegetarian dishes is yoghurt. Tomatoes came in much later with the Punjabi influence in north India,” said Vishal.
To round of the meal was lauki ki lauj and makhane, two very popular dessert recipes from the Mathur kitchen. I particularly liked lauki ki lauj for its perfect balance of sweet and flavours. Just the kind of ending you need for a good meal. The festival’s on for the next three months. Do check it out.