Taste with deep roots

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Theirs is a cuisine that takes its influence from many others. Dawoodi Bohras, the Mustali subsect of Ismaili Shia Islam, who originated in Yemen, and later spread to India and Pakistan have something interesting to share — their food. Since the community is widely spread across Middle East, Pakistan, Egypt, Africa, Iran, India and the West, it takes its influences from various other regions. Celebrating the rich Bohri cuisine in the city, Fire restaurant at The Park is hosting a festival for food lovers.

“The food takes influence from the Yemeni roots in those countries. The parts with traditional Bohri presence are Yemen, and in India, Gujarat, parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Kolkata, Chennai and Kerala,” says chef Murtaza Saifee, sous chef, Fire.
Although the popular dishes remain the same in most of these places, local innovations have also crept in. “For instance, a dish like Khuddal Palidu remains the same across all regions but something like Solakhichdi or Kassak is only made by the Bohris of Surat, Gakhad Gosht by Malwas in Madhya Pradesh and Qalias by the Bohris of Aurangabad. This is what makes the food so unique,” he adds.
The use of bread is extensive in Bohri cuisine and they have been baked in wood fired ovens in the traditional way, for the festival too. Be it the naan from Surat or the macchi pao, these breads draw their influence from the Yemeni roots.
Inspired mostly by the Bohri cuisine of Surat, the festival will offer many traditional dishes like Chawal no Solo, Sev ke laddoo, Hariso Paya, Gakhad Gosht, Kassak. The chefs have made innovations in the dishes by using exotic spice mixes. “For the Mutton Kari masala, all the dry masalas and peanuts were brought from Surat as they use peanuts from Bharuch and dry them using the sand from the bank of the local river which gives it a natural saltiness that plays a major role in bringing out the authentic flavours,” the chef tells us.
Another interesting dish is the Gakhad Gosht where the Gakhad is a double cooked parantha which is first roasted and then shallow fried in ghee on a low flame.
And every dish on the menu has a great historical significance. For instance, Khawasa is their variant of the Burmese Kao Suey. “In the good old days, Bohri traders used to travel to Rangoon for trade and also had a base there and this came from there. Though we have added our Indian touch to it, the soul of the dish still remains the same and in Surat you can find this easily on the roadside as a snack,” adds Saifee.
What makes the cuisine even more unique are the desserts. The desserts are usually served at the beginning rather than the end. “And there are various local as well as traditional Muslim influences in desserts. For instance, Chawal no Solo is a traditional dessert from Surat where rice is cooked with ghee, sugar and dried fruits. Some star fruit, fresh pine apple and lemon salt is added to it to give it a sweet and tangy flavour and the dried fruits rather than being cooked with the rice and ghee are just added to the mixture where they just soak,” says Siafee.
The festival is on till May 6
at The Park