A slow- cooked Sindhi delight

OFTEN DEEMED AS COMFORT FOOD, SINDHI CUISINE MAKES USE OF THE SIMPLEST INGREDIENTS TO MAKE SOME OF THE MOST SOULFUL FOOD ON OUR PLATE

● RAKHEE VASWANI

When S ind his migrated to India from Pakistan, they brought with them their cuisine. In fact, food remains one of their most important connections to their homeland. True to its origin, Sindhi cuisine is a package of all things nice. Due to its roots, this cuisine is largely inspired by Mughals, Arabs, Turkhans and Soomras among others, which has resulted in the treasure trove that it is. You will find a lot of similarity when it comes to cooking methods.

Though a large chunk of Sindhis in India today are Sindhi Hindus, there is a minority who belong to the Sikh community as well, which leads to a slight difference in the culinary traditions.

Sindhi food is characterised by slow cooking method. I have learned from my mother and motherin- law how mutton is slow cooked to make our traditional Seyal Mutton.

Unfortunately, there is a myth that the cuisine has very little to offer apart from this dish, and of course, another being that Sindhis are papad fans. It comes from a space where people are unaware of the variety that the cuisine has to offer.

Besides Sindhi kadhi and seyal paav, they also have a variety of other lesser- known dishes like koki, Sindhi sai bhaji, sanna pakoda, batan papdi, and dal pakwaan.

Just like East Indians are known for their bottle masalas, Sindhis make use of cardamom. I have grown up watching my mother use cardamom in almost everything, even if it is sheera. I’ve also seen her make a mutton dish — foto bhuno gosht — with black pepper, cardamom and ghee, again a relatively unknown dish.

Thanks to cookbooks and restaurants exploring lesser- known dishes now, cuisines like Sindhi are still thriving and attracting people from all over. Exploring these cuisines is the best way we can still hold on to our authentic roots and culture.

Rakhee Vaswani is a celebrity chef