An Insite To Bohri Cuisine

Dawoodi Bohras are the main branch of the Bohras, a Mustaˤlī subsect of Ismā'īlī ShīˤaIslām and are based in India. Their spiritual leader is Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. He is known as the Dāˤī l-Mutlaq and is the 52nd Dāˤī in an unbroken chain of Dāˤiyyūn.
Bohras believe that the 21st Imām, Tayyab Abī l-Qāsim, a direct descendant of Muħammad via his daughter Fātimatu z-Zahra ("Fatema"), went into seclusion and established the offices of the Dāˤī l-Mutlaq (داعي المطلفق), Ma'ðūn (مأذون) and Mukasir (مكاسر). The Dāˤī l-Mutlaq is the Imām's vicegerent, with full authority to govern the Dawoodi Bohra community in all matters both spiritual and temporal.
During the Imam's seclusion, the Dāˤī l-Mutlaq is appointed by his predecessor in office. The Madhun and Mukasir are in turn appointed by the Dāˤī l-Mutlaq. A fundamental belief of the Dawoodi Bohras is that the presence of the secluded Imām is guaranteed by the presence of the Dāˤī l-Mutlaq.
Bohras are the one community that has stuck to their culture and traditional roots. Today, they are culturally the strongest community in India. With distinct dress and food habits, they stand apart amongst the crowd. Men with the traditional Bohra cap with a beard and women with typical Bohra style hijab are ubiquitous in the Bohra-dominated areas.


DEVELOPMENT OF BOHRA CUISINE

This cuisine has developed in a community which has a constant resistance from main stream muslims & in past had frequent armed clashes with them. Due to these reasons these cuisine have few time taking dishes. But this does not mean that we should underestimate this cuisine it contains elobrate menu from starter to desserts.
Bohri cuisine is influenced with Muglai & Gujrati cuisine.
They were the hindus who adopted muslim religion. It is one of the very few communities in India who cook soups and serve in their meals - Sarka, hot winter soup made of tuver dal an with groundnut and coconut and sarki a cold summer soup made of tuver dal with the dices of cucumber, tomatoes and spring onions served garnished with a dash of beaten yogurt. Some of the other main dishes include Malai Tikkas (kebabs of beef marinated in cream), lagania seekh (a seekh kabab made of mined meat with egg wash on top and cooked in tandoor) kuddal palida (a dish made out of split peas, thick and sour in taste served with meat pulaos). The meals also include desserts like malai na khajla (a kind of a flaky pastry which is stuffed with malai)and sagla bagla.


Bohra's Table Manners


Eating is Ibadat
Before eating and after eating wash hand.
Before start eating say Bismillah,
After finish eating say Alhamadlillah.
Never eat with left hand.
Eat with all five fingers.
Start and finsih eating with salt

The Bohra community dines in large communal thals of tinned copper. The Thal is usually placed upon a raised metal or wooden round called the Kundali where there is no "head" of the table and all diners are considered equals. Yet, a specially respected guest will be invited to upar baiso, to sit on the side opposite the serving area. Unwritten rules decree that diners help themselves to portions that are nearest at hand though a vigilant host will ensure replenishments and offer choice morsels to those who have not had them. Each diner takes a small serving of rice in the thal area in front of him or her and just enough gravy is added so that it does not run out.
The Bohras have another unusual custom pertaining to salt. The meal begins with the youngest member of the family offering a container of salt to everyone around the communal thal who dips his or her index finger into the bowl and tastes the salt. The tradition, called chakhwanoo, symbolises togetherness and equality.



Sodunnu

Ingredients
2 tsp. boiled rice
2 tsp. sugar
Method:
Spread one-tsp. sugar in the plate.
Spread rice on sugar.
Cover rice with another spoon of sugar.
Rawa
Ingredients
1 cup rawa (samolina)
1 cup sugar
¾ cup oil
15 to 20 kismis
10 cardamom (crushed)
1 cup milk
Method:
Add one cup water in milk and boil and keep aside.
Heat oil and fry rawa till light brown, add kismis.
Add hot milk, sugar and cardamom. Mix well and simmer on low fire,

Fish

Ingredients
½ Kg fish
5 tsp. oil, vinegar
Grind together:
6 kashmiri chillies
2-tsp. coriander seeds
2-tsp. cummin seeds
10 pods garlic
1 pod ginger
salt to taste
Method:
Clean fish and cut into pieces
Wash with vinegar.
Marinate with ground spices and salt.
Heat oil and fry on slow fire.

Dal chawal-palidu

This specialty which consists of two parts; a pulao like rice preparation which has a base of boiled daal with salt to taste, topped by chopped onions fried to a golden brown with fresh steaming (basmati) rice is accompanied by 'Palida'. This is a curry like preparation made out of a flour base much like the North Indian pakoda curry with dudhi/lauki or drumstick stewed in it. Usually the Palida also has kokum added to it for taste.

Dalchawal
Ingredients
½ Kg. Rice
¼ Kg. Turdal
100 grams oil
4 cloves
1 cinnamon
1-tsp. cummin seeds
10 cloves and garlic (crushed)
½ tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste
Method:
Boil dal in turmeric and salt water.
Strain and keep aside water for palida.
Boil salted water, add rice and continue boiling.
Strain water from rice.
Heat oil, temper with garlic, clove, cinnamon, cummin seeds, add dal and rice, mix well and allow to simmer on low fire for 15 minutes.

Palidu
Ingredients
3 cups dal water
4 drum sticks
2 tsp. besan (gram flour)
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. methi (fenugreek seeds)
1 tsp. cummin seeds(jeera)
6 cloves garlic crushed
2 tsp. coriander-cummin powder
1 tsp. chili powder
4 cocum
Method:
Clean drumsticks and cut into 4-inch pieces.
Heat oil and add garlic, jeera, methi, add besan and saute.
Add chili powder, dhania-jeera powder and saute for a minute.
Then add dal water and allow to boil.
Add drumsticks and allow to cook.
When drumsticks soften, add cocum, boil for 2 minutes and serve.


Bhaji

Ingredients
2 bunch cholai bhaji
2 big onion chopped
6 pods garlic (crushed)
2-3 green chillies
3 tsp. oil
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste
Method:
Separate the bhaji leaves from stalk, use tender stalks with leaves, wash thoroughly.
Mix all the ingredients and put on a slow fire.
Cover lid and keep water on it.
Allow to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, mix well and remove from the fire before water gets evaporated (Do not make it dry).


Khichda

Ingredients
400 grams pounded wheat
50 grams tuvar dal
50 grams gram dal (channa)
100 grams rice
600 grams meat with bones
3 tsp. ground ginger
3 tsp. ground chillies
4-tsp. caraway seeds
4-tsp. coriander and cummin seed powder
4 tsp. ground garlic
2-tsp. cummin seeds
100 grams ghee
2 tsp. salt
Method:
Wash the wheat and soak overnight in enough water to cover.
Next day, do not remove the water from the wheat.
Add meat, rice, dal, ginger, chillies, caraway seeds, salt, coriander and cummin seed powder to wheat and mix thoroughly.
Then put in pressure cooker and cook for 1½ hours.
After removing from cooker, mash everything.
Heat ghee and garlic and cummin seed and add to the wheat mixture.
When thick remove from fire.

Kalamro

Ingredients
1 ½ cups rice
1 ½ cups dahi (curd)
1 ½ cups malai (0r 100grams mawa)
powdered sugar to taste
For decoration:
Rose petals
Blanched charoli
Pomegranate seeds
Khaskhas
Kismis
Method:
Cook the rice soft without salt.
Mash it and mix with dahi, malai (or mawa) and sugar to taste.
Decoarte and serve cold.


Mithi Shitabi

Ingredients
50 grams jaggery
2tsp. ghee
For Rotee:
¼ Kg atta wheat flour
100 grams rawa
4 tsp. melted ghee
½ cup milk
Little water
Salt to taste
Method:
Seive the flour and make dough with melted ghee,milk salt and water.
Knead well and keep aside for sometime.
Divide the dough into 9 parts.
Roll out each part to rotee.
Heat the tava cook the rotee lightly pour little ghee around the edges and cook till done.
Serve the rotee with jaggery and ghee.

Kharak

Ingredients
100 grams sakarya Kharak
25 grams badam-pista (powdered)
4-5 elaichies
Sugar to taste and a little amber
A few drops of rose water
Methods
Soak the kharak over night.
Make a slit with a sharp knife on one side and remove the seed.
Then soak it in sugar chasni for 1 to 2 hrs.
Remove from the chasni and drain.
Mix together the powdered suger , badam-pista, amber, elaichi and rose water.
Fill the kharaks with this mixture from the open slit without braking the kharak.
Cover each kharak with silver varakh for richness.


Seer Khurma

Ingredients
1 litre milk
Sev
Kharak (broken into pieces)
Badam (broken into pieces)
Pista (broken into pieces)
Charoil
Kismis
Sugar
Method:
In 2-3 tsp of ghee, fry a handful of sev till golden brown.
Remove from the ghee before it burns.
In the same ghee, fry the kismis first, then put in the badam, pista charoli and sugar.
After frying for a while, pour in the milk and the fired sev.
Let it boil for a few minutes till the sev becomes soft.
Serve hot.

Malida

Ingredients
2 tipri flour (wheat)
2-3 cups oil as needed
1 tbs goondar
1 ½ cup jaggery
Little badam, pista and charoli for garnishing.
Method:
Knead the flour with 1 tsp water and oil and make muthias (wheat ball crushed by hand).
Heat oil and deep fry the muthias till golden, crush the fried muthias while still hot.
In the same oil slightly fry the goondar and remove from oil and mix it with the crushed muthias.
In the same oil, pour the jaggery and melt it well.
Now pour the crushed muthias in the melted jaggery and mix well.
Garnish with charoli badam and pista.
Serve hot.


Mutton Tikka

Ingredients
Kilo beef or mutton
2 tbs masala paste
Ginger, garlic, chilli
Salt to taste
2-3 slices papaya
Little oil
Method:
Wash and bone the meat and cut into thin slices.
Marinate this for 6-8 hours with the masala salt and papaya
(if raw papaya is used remove it. Ripe will mix with the meat.)
Then skewer it and grill either on charcoal or griller.
Take it out in a pan and put little oil and slightly heat before serving


Paya Hareesa

2 pounds paya1 cup haleem ghav1/2 cup mixed dals and rice( dals- masoor. chana and yellow peeled moong)green chillis 62 onions2tbsp ginger paste2tsp garlic pasteassorted whole garam masala like cinamin, elaichi bayleaves and cumin for vaghargaram masala powderturmeric powderolive oilsaltlemon juicemint leaves

Clean and boil paya in the cooker with ginger,1 onion sliced, green chillis, salt and 5 cups water cook till tender,soak ghav for 2 hours and mix with mixed dals and rice , add a tsp of meat tenderizer and 1 tbsp oil and cook in cooker with 4 cups of water. liquidize when cool.In a seperate vessel put a vaghar of cumin , whole garam masalas in oil. add the sliced onion till light brown add garlicpaste and cook for a minuite, add turmeric and ghav mixture and paya mixture. check salt. Simmer for a few minuites. add lemon juice and adjust seasoning.serve with mint leaves. Great for breakfast the next day too with some crisp Lamba Paya.



Bohra Mutton Biryani
Ingredients:1kgs-mutton4-5-big onions (cut into fine slice)4-big potatoes (cut into quarter n deep fry)4-big tomatoes (1-grated, n rest cut into medium pieces)1/2cup-coriander n mint leaves (finely chopped)2tsp-coriander powder1 1/2tsp-chilli powder n 1/2-tsp-turmeric powder1tsp-jeera n garam masala powder2tbsp-ginger, garlic n green chillies paste (3 G’s paste)1tsp-whole jeera1 1/2cup-curd (preferably sour )Whole Garam Masala : {10-peppercorns, 2-an inch piece of cinnamon, 6-cloves, 2-big threads of jav-itri , 4-green cardamoms, 2-big black cardamoms, 2-whole star ani, 2-tej pa-tta, 1tsp- saunf }
1/2-raw papaya (cut into slice)3/4kgs-basmati long grain rice (soaked in water for 1 hour before cooking)1/2kgs-oil, 5tbsp-ghee, 1-small cup milk, Salt to taste

Marinate mutton in papaya for ½ an hour or a little more. Meantime fry potatoes till nice golden, remove n keep aside, in same oil fry onions till golden brown (put heat off when light brown or onions will turn black brown). Onions on cooling will become crispy, grind it to paste. Remove papaya from mutton. In a pan put marinated mutton, both types of tomatoes, birasta (fried onions), both type of leaves, ginger garlic paste, salt n curd. Over it put all dry masala powders in heap, In another pan heat ¼ of oil (used for frying), in it put whole jeera n one set of whole garam masala with saunf, on crackling pour it over the dry masala powders heap.
Mix everything thoroughly. Place over it fried potatoes, sprinkle some salt n keep in fridge overnight for marination. Next day remove from fridge before cooking. Put marinated mutton in a big flat bottomed pan and put it on indirect heat using a tava or hot plate. Simultaneously boil rice in a separate pan by adding 2nd set of whole garam masala n salt. As soon as the rice puff up remove from heat n drain. Now put rice on mutton mixture and set evenly over it. Pour ghee n milk over it. Cover with lid tightly - put some weight over the lid n cook on high flame for 2-3 mins till steam comes out. Then put it on slow heat n let it cook for ½ an hour plus or check by inserting knife edge that means if liquid drips let it cook for some more time. Let it stand for 10 mins after cook than serve with dahi kachumber.Note : Alternate recipe for same day cooking could be :- cook mutton with 3 G’s paste with 1 ½ cup of water and cook till water dries. Marinate the mutton as described above for 2 to 3 hours and proceed.



Dawood Posha
1/2 Kg. minced meat1 Onion, grated 1 Onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp Tomato Paste 1/2-3/4 cup Vegetable Oil a pinch of Cinnamon some ginger & garlic paste a pinch of turmeric powder1-2 red chilliesSalt , to tastePepper 4-5 TomatoesMix well grated onion with salt, pepper, ginger and garlic paste, turmeri powder, red chillies and cinnamon. Then mix onion well with minced meat using your hand. Make minced meat into small balls the size of a ping pong ball. In a medium non-stick skillet, heat 4 tbsp oil over medium heat. Stir-fry meatballs in oil on all sides for about 3-4 minutes. Take off heat and set aside. Blend tomatoes in a blender with 1/4 cup water. Dissolve tomato paste in a cup of water. In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions stirring frequently until golden. Add blended tomatoes, tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add meatballs and leave to cook for another 15-20 minutes. Serve right away in a serving bowl. You can sprinkle coriander and mint on top to add flavor and garnish.



Mutton Paya
4 – mutton paya (that makes 16 pieces, rub them with 3 tbsp wheat flour n 1 tsp turmeric powder n than wash it off thoroughly )3 big – onions (sliced finely), 2 tbsp – coriander leaves chopped3 tbsp – ginger, garlic n green chilli paste (3 G’s paste)1/2 tsp each – chilli, coriander n turmeric powder4 tbsp – oil, 1/4 cup – milk 1 tbsp – wheat pounded by sprinkling some water or khandela ghaoo (optional)Salt to taste, 1/2 litre – hot water

After washing, marinate paya with 3 G’s paste for ½ hour. Heat oil in pressure put into it onions n paya, cook on high flame for 5 mins, continue cooking n stirring scrapping all the sediments, if reqd keep pouring 2-3 tbsp of water at intervals. Even slow down the heat when needed as steam may come on hands while stirring. When the onoins is sauted, get well blended n achieve light brown color. Put in it all the dry powders n mix, than add to it pounded wheat n remaining hot water. Close lid n pressure cook for 3 whistles on high flame, after that cook on medium heat for 20 mins. When cooked open the cooker after steam settles, add to it milk bring one boil n is ready to serve. While serving garnish with coriander leaves n serve with tandoori roti , naan or kheema khichdi

Bohri Ke Cutlets

Ingredients
# ince 1/2 kg { u may use mutton or beef }
# Chilly Powder 2 tsp
# All Spice Pwd 1 tsp
# Green Chillies 2 { chopped finely }
# Onion 2 { chopped finely }
# Eggs 3 - 4 beaten
# Ginger / Garlic 2 tsp { paste }
# Zeera Powder 1tsp
# Salt 1tsp
# Coriander Leaves 1 CUP { chopped finely }
# Bread 4 slices , soaked in water
# BREAD CRUMBS
Method
# ince 1/2 kg { u may use mutton or beef }
# Chilly Powder 2 tsp
# All Spice Pwd 1 tsp
# Green Chillies 2 { chopped finely }
# Onion 2 { chopped finely }
# Eggs 3 - 4 beaten
# Ginger / Garlic 2 tsp { paste }
# Zeera Powder 1tsp
# Salt 1tsp
# Coriander Leaves 1 CUP { chopped finely }
# Bread 4 slices , soaked in water
# BREAD CRUMBS




Bohri Safed Murgii

Ingredients
# Chicken Breast Cut into 10 small pieces
# Oil 1/2 cup
# Almonds 20 blanched and grinded and
# mixed with curds
# Curds 1 cup { to be mixed with almonds }
# Boiled Egg 1 { for garnish }
# Ginger 1 " piece
# Green Chillies 6
# Garlic 6 pods { ginger , garlic and gr. chillies to be ground together }
# Salt 1 tsp leveled .
Method
Put about 1 cup water in a pan and add your chicken with grinded Hara Masala and salt and cook on low flame.
Then add in curd and almond mixture. Stir well and cook covered , on a low flame.
Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a fry pan and add in 1 tsp crushed garlic and fry till golden. Add to the CHICKEN and cook till the gravy thickens
like Korma.
Serve garnished with boiled egg { cut into 4 pieces } .
you may also add " kishmish " to yr garnish .
Serve with naan or hot rotis.