Besides revealing closely-guarded secrets of the unexplored East Indian cuisine (and the hush-hush ingredients of the Bottle Masala), the pages of a new cookbook also offer a history lesson on the dwindling community in the hope that even as high rises eat up quaint cottages in East Indian wadis, we won't forget Bombay's original inhabitants
What is unique about East Indian food?
There is so much to the cuisine, which is not purely coastal or Konkani food. There have been substantial Portuguese, English and Konkani influences. For instance, before the East Indians converted to Christianity, they did not eat beef and pork. But when the Portuguese arrived, they introduced the locals to various meats. The East Indians then prepared these meats using local Maharashtrian masalas.
Now, the food includes various beef and pork preparations. The fusion is evident in their clothes too. Despite being Christians, married women wear mangalsutras and saris, which are drawn up between the legs and tucked in behind the waist in typical Konkani fashion.
What differentiates East Indian food from other Indian cuisines (even from Goan cuisine, despite a shared Portuguese heritage), is its use of masala. The Bottle Masala, which forms the basis of most East Indian preparations, is made up of 36 ingredients, which are hand-pounded to give the food a unique taste.
While everyday dishes are usually plain -- vegetables, dal and rice -- festivals and weddings see special preparations. These include dishes like Fugias (bread), Sarpatels (pork dish) and Vindaloos (pork curry).
Did you face any difficulties when writing this book?
Most recipes don't have any documentation. They have been passed down orally, and recipes of the same dish vary from family to family, because of the way they use their masalas. In fact, many East Indian families claim that no dish can taste the same in two different houses. So I had to visit a lot of old East Indian homes to learn about their different recipes, and later had to standardise it, to bring about uniformity.
Images and recipes from The East Indian Kitchen, published by Westland and Tranquebar Pvt. Ltd. Priced at Rs 395
Swamy's ready plan for a lazy Sunday lunch
Chinchoni Fish Curry
Serves: 4
Ingredients
>>u00a08 fish slices, " thick (pomfret, surmai)
>> 2 tbsp oil
>> 500 ml water
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 2 tsp tamarind pur ufffde
Masala
>> 6-8 dried red Kashmiri chillies
>> 100 g fresh coconut, grated
>> 8-10 garlic flakes, roughly chopped
>> 1 tsp cumin seeds
>>u00a01/2 tsp turmeric powder
Method
>> Soak red chillies in hot water for 1 hour. Drain and grind with remaining masala ingredients to a smooth consistency, gradually adding 3-5 tbsp of water, as required.
>> Wash fish and set aside to drain.
>> In a pan, heat oil and fry the ground masala over low to moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning.
>> Add fish and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
>> Serve hot with steamed rice.
Mutton Lonvas
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
>> 250 g white pumpkin (doodhi)
>> 500 g mutton, on the bone
>> 500 ml mutton stock
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1" piece of ginger, roughly chopped
>> 4 tbsp ghee / oil
>> 8 garlic flakes, finely chopped
>> 2 tbsp bottle masala
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1 tsp black pepper powder
>> 100 ml thick coconut milk
>> 25 ml tamarind pur ufffde
Method
>> Peel pumpkin and cut into 2" cubes.
>> Wash meat and cut into 2" cubes.
>> Boil meat in stock with salt and ginger, till tender. Strain and reserve meat and stock.
>> In a pan, heat ghee or oil. Saut ufffd garlic over low to moderate heat, till fragrant.
>> Add bottle masala and fry well. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning. Add pumpkin, cooked meat, salt, pepper, coconut milk and tamarind pur ufffde.
>> Pour in reserved stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes till the pumpkin is cooked.
Duck Moile
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
>> 1 kg duck
>> 4-6 tbsp ghee / oil
>> 2 medium onions, sliced in rings
>> 12 garlic flakes, sliced in fine julienne
>> 1" piece of ginger, sliced in fine julienne
>> 6 green chillies, sliced in fine julienne
>> 2 tbsp bottle masala
>> 750 ml chicken stock
>> 60 ml brown palm vinegar
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1 tsp black pepper powder
Method
>> Wash duck and cut into 16 pieces.
>> In a pan, heat oil and saut ufffd onions over moderate heat, till golden brown.
>> Add garlic, then ginger and chillies and saut ufffd till fragrant.
>> Mix in bottle masala and fry well, till ghee/oil separates from it. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning.
>> Add duck and fry on high heat to seal the pieces. Stir for 5 minutes before adding the stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Add vinegar, salt and pepper in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot with crusty bread or steamed rice.
>> Variation: Use chicken in place of duck.
Heard this?
South Indian food with a Continental twist
The Indian Art Caf ufffd that calls itself the world's first South Indian bistro, and Le Sutra, the guys who brought us the first art hotel at Out of the Blue, have got together to play mix and match.
The result is Cafe Bean Garu at Haiko Mall, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai.
They will offer five varieties of flavoured idlis, something they're calling "contemporary dosas" (Pesto cheese, and Pizza dosa), Tomato, Onion, Mint and Garlic dips, and creamy curries.
But they've promised to leave the authentic Filter Coffee alone.
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