A spoonful of Hyderabad

IN HER BOOK SAFFRON AND PEARLS, DOREEN HASSAN SHARES SOME OF THE MOST RELISHED HYDERABADI DELICACIES

Putting this book together, gathering recipes and stories, has really been a journey back in time for me and the family. What made the process of having conversations with family and friends, recounting memories and arguing over anecdotes, gathering photographs and revising the past even more special is the fact that in 2016, my husband, Peter and I marked 45 years of marriage. Like every couple, we’ve had our ups and downs but, together, Peter and I have managed to make our lives happy and build a world full of love, warmth, friendship and good food. We keep an open house — everyone who steps into our home is always made to feel welcome and is asked to have a meal with us. And this has been important to us because hospitality and generosity are among the many gifts we have inherited from our Hyderabadi lineage.

When we moved to Delhi in 1976 as a young couple with two small children, it was not always possible to host elaborate meals but we did the best we could with what we had. It’s funny and emotional for me to think back to that time because I did not even know how to cook! Peter would order in meals, or we would depend on the household staff to help us. And now when I effortlessly draw up menus, get in the kitchen to make elaborate dishes and receive compliments for our table, I often remember the young woman I used to be who didn’t even know how to make tea.

I was born in Secunderabad into a Goan Christian family, the Fernes. My grandmother, Armin, whom I called Mama, was a fabulous cook. She had mastered the best of Goan dishes — prawn curries, fish curries, vindaloo, sorpotel and so much more. We never ate Hyderabadi food; at the most, my aunt would make a biryani and raita to take with us whenever we went on a picnic.

We have a home filled with our three children, Anisha, Nihal and Sahil, their lovely spouses — our son- in- law, Vijay and our daughters- in- law, who are both called Neha; and our six gorgeous grandchildren, Rhea, Raoul, Anaia, Aliana, Anahi and Riaan. We are a family that loves to cook, loves to eat and loves to share our world with everyone we know. The Hassan are a very multi- cultural clan, and our home is the same — we celebrate almost every religious festival because we have family members who are Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh. The tentwallah who comes home to set things up for us once said to me — “You celebrate everything from Eid to Diwali to Christmas on the same scale. I have never seen a home like this!”

Which is why writing this book is so important for me. All the recipes in it come from members of our family. Because we often host people for meals, I have cooked these recipes countless times over the years, and they have won us precious friendships and priceless memories. The stories pay homage to our families, friends and well- wishers and especially to Hyderabad, the city that we carry in our hearts wherever we go.

I have cooked these recipes countless times over the years, and they have won us precious friendships and priceless memories