Issai andaaz: A UP-wali’s Christian feast 

Editor’s note: Advisory editor Arunima Joshua shares delightful family recipes from her home state—with some idiosyncratic issai—or Indian Christian touches. She shares a tradition that brings together the Lucknawi culinary history of her paternal side–with that of her mother’s Bhojpuri traditions—enmeshed with typically issai khane (Indian Christian food) flavours.

About lead image: Lovely stained glass from Christ Church, Lucknow. 

Written by: Arunima Joshua, Advisory editor 

My father—a true blue Lucknow boy—waxes eloquent about Tundai ke kebab and Idris biryani of the Chowk area. While my mother—whose family hails from Bareilly and Gorakhpur—regales me with stories of the organic agricultural practices of her grandfather—so much so that her sisters and she played hide-and-seek in the tall stalks of the arhar dal (tur dal or pigeon pea) crop in their backyard. 

Three generations of my father’s side belonged to Lucknow and have passed on the rich Awadhi traditions of slow-cooked and succulent meat and rice preparations. The Eastern UP cooking customs of my mother’s side borrow heavily from Bhojpuri cuisine—enmeshed with typically issai khane (Indian Christian food) flavours—for a melting pot of distinguished vegetarian and meat-based preparations.

While I now have a slight identity crisis—with the addition of growing up being tumbled around the country as an Army kid—I wouldn’t have it any other way. The delicious meals at my family table more than make up for the mixed-bag confusion and I’m happy to share the secrets of some of those preparations with you.

Most of the below recipes have been dictated to me by my mother, father, aunts and I even hounded one cousin for clarity on one dish. We struggled a bit to get exact measurements—‘cos as in any Indian household—so much is done using ‘andaaz’—and we re-configured our domestic katori measurements on the weighing scale or cooking cups—so that was a helpful outcome of documenting these recipes:)

Let’s get into it then.

Rikwanch: A Bhojpuri sabzi or snack—Rikwanch is prepared using the leaves of the arbi or colocasia vegetable—and can be had at tea-time or enjoyed for lunch with a humble plate of dal-chawal (how my family usually consumes it). The below recipe is typically how my mother makes it—having learnt so from her own grandmother. 

Ingredients:

• Arbi leaves – 18-20 (big)
• Rice – ½ a steel katori or 100 gms 
• Gram flour – 4 tbsp
• Garlic paste – 1.5 tbsp
• Mango powder (aamchur) – 2 tbsp [Very important]
• Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Cumin powder – 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil – for frying

Method:

1. Wash and clean arbi leaves and wipe with a cloth.
2. Soak rice in water for half an hour—then make a paste—not very fine.
3. Make a batter of gram flour, rice paste, mango powder, garlic paste, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt.
4. With the help of a spoon apply the batter on the leaves one by one—on the lighter side of the leaf. Do this while placing the whole leaf on a board.
5. Keep repeating by placing the next leaf—forming layers until 10 leaves are used.
6. Roll the leaves and tie with a thread.
7. Repeat with the rest of the leaves and make 2 to 3 rolls.
8. Steam the rolls—keeping them covered with a cloth during the steaming.
9. Cool and cut them into slices.
10. Fry till crisp.
11. Serve hot.

Note: Do not forget the aamchur / mango powder or the leaves will cause itching on one’s tongue.

Shammi Kebab: Shammi kebab is a staple alongside an aluminium handi of Lucknowi biryani—dishes my parents labour at on festivals and Sundays together. These are often served with fresh and zesty green mint and coriander chutney (hold the curd / dahi for the U.P. flavour) and kachumbar raita (mixed vegetable curd) or burrani (onion rings raita). 

Ingredients

For prep:

• Mutton kheema – ½ kg (as dry as possible)
• Chana dal – 100 gms / half a cup
• Bay leaves – 2 
• Ginger – 25 gms / two 1 inch pieces (chopped)
• Garlic – 25 chopped flakes 
• Salt to taste
• Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon – 6 small sticks
• Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
• Black cardamom – 4
• Peppercorns – 1 tbsp
• Cloves – 6
• Aniseed – 1 tsp

For cooking:

• Onion – 1 medium – chopped
• Kewra essence – few drops
• Green chillies – 4 chopped
• Coriander leaves – chopped – as per preference 
• Desi ghee

Method:

1. Boil the kheema with all the prep condiments in a pressure cooker. After the first whistle, put it on simmer for 5 minutes. Note: The dal should not be overcooked.
2. Once the steam naturally is out, put the pressure cooker on fire again and keep stirring the mince along with the condiments till all the water evaporates.
3. Remove the bay leaves and black cardamom skins.
4. Grind this mince + condiments mixture—preferably on a traditional granite sil batta (mortar-pestle)
5. Add chopped onions, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves and a few drops of the kewra to the ground mince mixture.
6. Mould into round and flat kebab shapes. 
7. Shallow fry in desi ghee on a griddle/tava. 

For motivation and a visual guide—here is a video of my Dad assiduously grinding the mixture on our trusty sil batta:

Tehri: Tehri is a dish my parents say is prepared across all issai households in UP after a long Sunday church service—for an easy and nutritious lunch. This is one of the few dishes prepared on both sides of my family and differs greatly from the generic vegetable pulao—for its specific ghee tempering and particular vegetable use—and of course, the mandatory turmeric yellow colour. This is also recommended to be had with a bowl of raita.  

 Ingredients:

• Onions – 2 medium size (longitudinally sliced- finely)
• Potato – 2 medium size (peeled and each cut into 4 parts)
• American / Chinese Carrots – 2 medium size (cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces)
• Peas – ½ steel katori (washed)
• Cauliflower – 1 small (cut into florets of equal size - between medium to big size pieces)
• Rice (basmati or any good quality) – 2 cups 
• Desi ghee
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp 
• Red chilli powder – 2 tsp (can do 1 if you prefer less spicy)
• Salt to taste

Seasoning / tadka spices:

• Bay leaf – 1
• Cinnamon stick – 4 small
• Cloves – 4
• Jeera cumin seeds – 2 tsp
• Peppercorns – 7 to 8

Method

1. Soak the rice in water for 15 mins.
2. Clean and wash the rice. Set aside.
3. Put ghee in a pan. Let it heat. 
4. When the ghee is hot add the tadka /seasoning spices.
5. Once the spices start cracking, add the finely + longitudinally sliced onions.
6. Once the onions turn golden brown, add the cleaned and washed rice to it.
7. Wait for the rice to turn transparent. It will soon start crackling and making a sound.
8. Now add the peeled and medium-sized cut potatoes.
9. Add the carrots.
10. Add the washed peas
11. Fry all the vegetables for 1-2 minutes.
12.  Add the masalas—turmeric, chilli powder and salt to taste.
13. Take everything from the pan and transfer to a pressure cooker.
14. Cook the tempered rice + vegetable mixture in the pressure cooker on full / high for 1 whistle.
15. Now keep on simmer for 2 minutes. 
16. Open the cooker and serve hot.

Yakhni pulao: An Awadhi classic—this is my Dadi’s recipe which my mother has now mastered. It’s maximalist and subtle at the same time and best paired with a mutton korma or curry. Gosht or mutton in Lucknow is classically prepared without turmeric or tomatoes—and uses the rann cut (meat from the leg) of a goat—so keep that in mind when serving curry with this pulao. 

Ingredients:

• Mutton ½ kg – 1 inch pieces
• Basmati rice – 1.5 cups
• Fennel powder (saunf) – 1 tbsp
• Dry ginger powder (saunth) – ½ tbsp
• Cloves – 3 or 4
• Black peppercorns – 2 to 3 
• Green chillies – stemmed – 3
• Mutton stock – 3 cups
• Cinnamon – 2 inch stick
• Bayleaf  – 1
• Green cardamom powder – ¼ tsp
• Ghee – 4 tbsp
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Caraway seeds (shahi jeera) – 1.5 tsp
• Yoghurt/dahi – 1 cup
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak rice in 3 cups of water for half an hour. Drain and set aside.
2. Mix mutton with salt, fennel powder, saunth, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and green cardamom.
3. Leave to marinate for half an hour.
4. Heat ghee in a pan. Add asafoetida and shahi jeera and saute for a few seconds.
5. Add marinated mutton and saute for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add salt and whole green chillies.
7. Add mutton stock (which is made by boiling the mutton) and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
8. In another vessel, whisk dahi till it's smooth and add to the mutton little by little stirring continuously so that gravy is uniform.
9. Add drained rice and mix well. Cook on high heat.
10. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and cook till both the mutton and rice are done.
11. Serve hot.

Phirni/Firni: Again—my Dadi’s recipe—I have proficiently learnt this signature Lucknowi dessert from both my parents (you can see my results in the image below). However, I requested them to rerun this with me again to ensure accuracy. This is not to be confused with the Kashmiri phirni—which differs for its use of sooji or semolina and mandatory saffron or kesar garnishing (which is optional in Awadh). The below is best had cold on a warm summer’s night and if you’re like me—you’d want to go in for more than one serving :) 

Ingredients:

• 1 litre milk – full fat with cream
• 1 steel katori or 200 gms rice – cleaned and soaked in water for 30 mins, grinded to a fine paste. Note: The rice is not left coarsely grinded like kheer, but particularly fine
• 4 green cardamoms - skin removed and crushed in a mortar pestle 
• Kewra essence – few drops as per your taste
• Sugar – 200 gms 
• Dry coconut – ⅛ piece of full coconut, grated

Dry fruits for garnish:

• Green raisins (preferable—otherwise, regular ones are fine)
• Almonds – slivered or shredded into long pieces
• Cashew nuts – in halves

Method:

1. Boil the milk with the crushed green cardamoms.
2. Once it starts boiling, add the rice paste to it.
3. Stir continuously on simmer to avoid lumps forming.
4. Once it starts thickening — add sugar.
5. Stir well.
6. Add half the green raisins, almonds and cashew nuts.
7. Once it thickens to a reasonable consistency (like kheer) switch off the gas.
8. Add half the grated dry coconut.
9. Mix the milk mixture well with the coconut and dry fruits.
10. Add a few drops of kewra.
11. Take out in a serving dish and prep for garnishing.
12. Decorate / garnish with the remaining coconut + almonds, raisins and cashew nuts.
13. Allow it to cool under the fan.
14. Chill in fridge till evenly cold. This may take a few hours.
15. Serve chilled.