BREAKING BREAD
HT City visits homes of eminent Delhiites and takes part in their Sehri ritual
3 am is a strange time of the day. The night isn’t over, nor has the day dawned. In some cultures, this time is considered to be auspicious, appropriate for meditation and praying. And, during the holy month of Ramzan, when Muslims keep Rozas (fast) for the entire day, this period gets a new meaning. It is a time of barkat — a period devoted to worship, community and charity. The day is ushered with Sehri, the pre-dawn meal, after which they eat after sunset at Iftar (evening meal). Families busy themselves in the kitchen, preparing dishes as per everyone’s liking.
May of 2018, was also the time when I undertook the task of covering Sehri at the homes of some Delhi residents. At that time, little did I realise that this reportage will not only open their homes to me, but also a part of their cultural and food heritage. This pushed me to do something I never thought I could do — keep rozas and
JOIE DE JHARKHAND
The distant din of barking dogs in Khirkee Extension is broken by sounds coming from biryani and kebab shops. Inside the apartment of chef Sadaf Hussain, there’s the din of a full house. Sadaf was born in Patna, brought up in Ranchi, and is welltravelled. This pan-Indian connect reflects on the food palette as well. On the table, there is sheermal (the sweet Afghani bread made with flour and milk), sheer korma (sewaiyan made with milk, sugar and dry fruits) and pitthi (milk-based sweet dish). “Pitthi is made by rolling out flour dough in one-two inch pellets and poaching them in milk. It’s a specialty of Bihar and Jharkhand,” he says, adding, “Dates and water are the best things to have during Sehri as dates are a powerhouse of energy.” They have tea, and finish it off with elaichi. “This helps in curbing thirst. You can also have dahi for its cooling effect,” he says.
LUCKNOWI TEHZEEB
When senior masterchef at Dum Pukht, ITC Maurya, Gulam Qureshi comes down to receive us, one can’t miss the strong aroma of kevda. The meal begins with a savoury sherbet made of pudina (mint), lemon, kaala namak (rock salt) and honey. “This prepares the stomach fast! I was not just pushing myself physically, but also mentally. Pushing myself to take part in a culture which I was not inherently familiar with. I listened to azaan, observed families in their most intimate setups and encountered kind gestures from strangers.
One day two, I was on an assignment and had to break my fast at work. As I sat down to have water and some biscuits, a handyman graciously offered me his tea. I shared my biscuits with him. Two strangers from different socio-economic backgrounds sharing a meal. I didn’t tell him what kind of fast it was, nor my name — there was no need for such formalities. It was my own roadblock; that he won’t understand a working class, nearing-30, casually-dressed woman, wearing two kadas (bangles worn by Sikhs), identifying with a Hindu name, keeping Rozas. On another day, I opened my Roza with a meal at the local Gurudwara with help from sewadars.
I didn’t keep Rozas for the for the meal, keeping it cool,” says Qureshi. Then they have dahi ki phulkiya, Lucknow’s version of dahi bhalle. The phulki is made of chana dal and gram flour, garnished with ginger juliennes. The rest of the platter — nahari gosht, chicken biryani, shahi tukda, kakori kebab, taftan bread and sheermal — reflects traditional Awadhi cuisine. Qureshi credits his wife Aisha for preparing the food, and takes pride in the biryani cooked by his daughter Yousra. “There is a way of serving biryani from the degh. No rice grain should break in the process,” beams Yousra.
DILLI KA DASTARKHWAN
Dishes that are unmistakably Delhi dot the dining table of author Sadia Dehlvi. As she sets the table, she reminisces, the time when her entire family used to gather at their ancestral house, Shama Kothi, in Old Delhi. “I saw my elders fast, and as children, we were excited, too. We grew up realising Ramzan is an honoured guest that comes but once a year,” she says. Sehri dishes include khajla (flaky pastry, which she later soaks in milk), phenia (a variant of sewaiyan), and feeki jalebi (thick roundels eaten soaked in milk). But one dish, goolar ki sabzi, calls for attention. “Goolar is cluster fig. There’s
Syed Mohammad Qasim with wife Sumaya Hasan and sons, Mustafa and Zayd. Chicken kebabs, Anda Halwa, Nishasta, Sewaiyaan and tea constituted their
Sehri. entirety of the month. It is tough — on the mind and the body. I did this to understand a culture. And it was an overwhelming journey.
AN EASTERN UTTAR PRADESH SPECIAL
Dr Mohsin Wali’s house was my first stop in the series. Uninitiated, I didn’t know what to expect. But Dr Wali, who is the former honorary physician to many presidents of India, put us at ease. Eating kheer made with sewaiyan (vermicelli) and milk, he says, “Today, we made dalia. Food for Sehri should be such that it doesn’t induce thirst or cause acidity.” There are two subzis, bhindi and paneer to fill the stomach for the day. Other items include dates, almonds, freshly cut fruits soaked in lemon syrup, khajla and soot pheni (thread sewaiyan).“I come from Bijnor and my wife’s family is from Aligarh. People in UP like to have fruit bread with milk for Sehri. Doodh-jalebi is also a favourite. When Ramzan falls in winter, delicacies like gajar ka halwa take centre stage,” he adds. a tree right in front of my house. It is then boiled, peeled, mashed and cooked with onions, turmeric, coriander, amchoor (mango powder) and yogurt,” says Dehlvi, serving round phulkas instead of parathas.
A SYNCRETIC SEHRI
Navigating through the alleys of Jamia Nagar can be a daunting task, especially at 2.15am. But if it leads to the delectable spread of Sehri at photographer Syed Mohammad Qasim’s house, it is worth the fight. “In Lucknow, there are single storey houses with sidewalks as wide as roads. Sehri ke waqt bahut raunaq hoti thi. Shops selling biryani and sherbet were kept open for hours. Faqirs used to sing Hamd and Naat (prayers in praise of God and the Prophet) and play the daf (musical instrument) to wake people up. There, even Hindus used to take part in the ritual,” he says. The table is laid out with home-made dishes like chicken kebab, sewaiyan and tea. Revealing the secret of two sweet dishes, Anda Halwa and Nishasta, Qasim says, “Anda halwa is an Awadhi specialty made of eggs, sugar and ghee. Nishasta is an energy-rich dish made of dry fruits (almonds, pistachio, cashews), coconut and poshta (poppy seeds).”
I saw my elders do it (fast), and as children, we used to be all the more excited during Ramzan. We grew up realising that Ramzan is an honoured guest that comes but once a year. SADIA DEHLVI AUTHOR People in UP like to have fruit bread with milk for Sehri. Doodhjalebi is a favourite, too. There is a fixed time for meals which helps bring discipline to eating habits. It cleanses your body and rids it of toxins. MOHSIN WALI DOCTOR Pitthi is made by rolling out flour dough in onetwo inch pellets and then poaching it in milk. It is a specialty in Bihar and Jharkhand. SADAF HUSSAIN CHEF After our Sehri, we send the food to the mosque so that people who can’t afford a proper meal can have their fill at Iftar. GULAM QURESHI CHEF Anda halwa is an Awadhi specialty made with eggs, sugar and ghee. Nishasta is an energyrich dish made with dry fruits (almonds, walnuts, pistachio, cashews), coconut and poshta (poppy seeds). SYED MOHAMMAD QASIM PHOTOGRAPHER