FOOD SPECIAL .......Trick or Treat

 Trick or Treat 

Cooking vegetarian dishes that mimic non-vegetarian flavours and textures is a legit and unique culinary tradition in some Subcontinental kitchens

    One of the most interesting culinary traditions in north India has to do with a fairly distinct strain of cooking where vegetarian dishes are cooked in a way that they approximate non-vegetarian flavours and textures. Much before the advent of soya- kebabs, keema, satay and chops in restaurant kitchens, innovative Subcontinental cooks were turning out faux kofte, pulao and even ‘kaleji’ (liver) made with strictly vegetarian ingredients. In fact so entrenched was this style of cooking in kitchens obviously influenced by the Mughal/Nawabi/Nizami cultures that most gourmets failed to realise how unique it really was.
Culinary Evolution
Growing up in Lucknow, in a Kayastha family, one of the staple snacks that we nibbled on was the “moong dal ke shami”: essentially shami kebab made with lentils instead of goat mince. It’s a dish that is common to most Kayastha homes across India and was clearly invented much before “Mughalai” restaurant chefs started dishing out “hara kebab”, “navratan seekh” and so on.
    Along with moong dal shami, there was also an entire repertoire of dishes including a “kaleji ki subzi” that Kayastha women typically made at home — and some still do. For a community whose culture and living reflected the synthesis of courtly Muslim and high-caste Hindu traditions, perhaps such a culinary evolution was natural. It’s a fact that most Kayastha women remained vegetarian despite cooking excellent pulao, (mutton) kofte and kebab for the men in the family on a daily basis.
    Having seen closely many of such matriarchs at work, it is my hypothesis that this intriguing strain of cooking originated especially to cater to them: people who must have surely been interested enough in the relatively more exotic and intricate non-vegetarian dishes that were being cooked up at home but did not want to give up on their religious/caste injunctions.
    Kofte, of course, are the best-known category from this repertoire. Lauki ke kofte are today so widely spread across communities that it is difficult to pinpoint their origin. But clearly as a dish, all vegetarian kofte — made from anything from raw banana to jackfruit, bottle gourd, khoya and dal — are a rip-off of the original Turkish/Persian meatballs brought to Indian kitchen by the Muslim emperors and their cooks (kuftan means to beat or grind in Persian).
    In a way, vegetarian kofte (and other faux non-veg dishes) are an antithesis of our more modern culinary attitudes today where we prize the “original” flavours and textures of any raw ingredient and try to let these come through in the final preparation. Instead, this strain of cooking prizes precisely the reverse: how cleverly can flavours be disguised and how beguiling can they be is the test of taste. While no self-respecting non-vegetarian can really be taken in by lauki ke kofte, one of my family recipes — dal ke kofte — comes close enough to the real thing with some clever spicing.
Veggie Meat
Raw jackfruit is often dubbed “meat for vegetarians” and with good reason. It’s an ingredient that few restaurants serve on their menus but it has always been treated with great courtesy as far as “exoticised” home cooking goes. At Indian Accent, I was reminded of the fact when chef Manish Mehrotra used it as a substitute for pulled pork in his tacos. When cooked well, it is amazing how closely the flavours approximate.
    In UP and Bihar, the trick is to select the right fruit — small, tender “kathali” is carefully chosen and then cooked in an oniongarlic masala with whole spices. If you bhuno this kathal in yoghurt (instead of tomatoes), and use heavier spices like black cardamom with its nutty aroma, bay leaves and cinnamon in the preparation, it can indeed be a fair substitute for meat. You can also do a kathal pulao: fry pieces of raw jackfruit till golden, keep aside. Now, sauté some onions with whole spices in ghee and add the kathal. Stir fry till the onions are pinkish. Add some basmati rice and sufficient water and cook till the rice is well done and the kathal tender. Garnish with browned onions.
    Vegetarian kebabs can, of course, be done with so many vegetables. But an interesting recipe that I have come across uses turnip. Cut the turnip and boil. Drain completely of all the liquid. Grind to a paste. To this add a paste of fried onions, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and a little roasted gram flour. Make into flat kebabs and pan fry. Serve hot with mint chutney.
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Moong dal ke kofte
Lentils and indeed even wheat have been used to make “subzis” that approximate non-vegetarian nuggets. In Rajasthan, chakki ki subzi is a traditional but a really tough dish to do, where little rounds of kneaded dough are put in running water till the texture becomes spongy and elastic. They can then be roasted on an open flame and tossed in spices or used almost like soya nuggets in a curried preparation.
    Moong dal is another versatile ingredient when it comes to faux kofte and kebab. My home recipe for dal ke kofte uses this: soak moong dal for a couple of hours; drain and keep aside. Grind (not too fine). Heat oil in a deep pan, add a pinch of asafoetida, ginger paste, green chilli paste, some garam masala and amchoor powder and add the dal. Keep sautéing it till all the moisture has dried. Let it cool. Make small kofte and deep fry till golden. Keep aside. Make a thick gravy with oniongarlic-ginger, dry spices and bhuno-ing in youghurt. Add a pinch of garam masala and once the gravy is boiling, drop the kofte in it. Let it simmer for two minutes. Take off the burner. Serve hot.

:: Anoothi Vishal The writer is a Delhi-based food writer & curates food festivals ETM1306