Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India. The cuisines of Uttar Pradesh are also very rich and vast like the geographical area of the state.
Ranging from simple every day fare to rich, elaborate banquets, the cuisine of Uttar Pradesh has absorbed and adapted a variety of cuisines to create an entire smorgasbord of wonderful dishes.
The cuisine of Uttar Pradesh ranges from every day simple food to the rich, elaborate banquet food. The capital of the state Lucknow is famous place for the foodie people as this place has inherited the secrets of nawabi cuisines.
The state has a variety of people living like the Hindu, Muslim, Awadhi, and Kashmiri.
The Hindu communities are vegetarians and
their favourite dish is Puri- Aloo and the vast majority of the state
enjoys simple and sober vegetarian meals. The daily meals of the people
include dal, roti, subzi and rice. Pooris and kachoris are relished on
special occasions.
The Muslims, Kashmiris, Kayasthas and Christian communities cook up a storm of non-vegetarian dishes including a delectable selection of breads, kebabs, curries and biryanis.
An outstanding feature of Awadhi tradition of cooking is the ‘Dum Pukht’ process of preparing food. In this style, food is sealed in pots called handi and is placed over fire. In this process of preparing food
the ingredients are cooked in their own juices and the process is under
the supervision of a cook. It takes 3 days to prepare the meal in this
traditional manner.
'Dastarkhwan', the ceremonial tradition of laying food on
the table and a celebrated tradition of nawabs transcends the traditional cuisine into a fine-art.
The Muslim cuisine of northern Uttar Pradesh is very different from the Mughlai food of Delhi. The Nawabs of Oudh (now Lucknow) were great foodie and encouraged their master chefs to create new styles of cooking.
Some of the
main cuisines of Uttar Pradesh are :
Kundan Kaliya :
Kundan
Kaliya is a non vegetarian dish. The dish is a mutton preparation with
gravy along with the compulsory inclusion of turmeric or saffron. The
dish is commonly served at both the times lunch and dinner.
Shami Kabab :
Shami Kabab, an important constituent of the
"Tora" (presentation of food).
The Shami Kabab are made from mince meat, the kababs are round patties
filled with spicy surprises and the tangy `kairi' or raw green mango.
Kakori Kabab :
The seekh kabab, was
introduced
by Mughals and is originally prepared from beef mince on skewers and
cooked on charcoal fire. And the Seekh Kababs of Kakori became famous by
word of mouth and even today, though cooked elsewhere, are known as
`Kakori Kababs'.
Gulnaar Kabab :
The
Gulnaar Kabab is a delight for a foodie person. The preparation of the
dish inclides blending of tomatoes with spices and chicken, with a
garnish of red rose petals.
Nargisi Kofta :
The
Nargisi Kofta is essentially a hard boiled egg, wrapped in mince and
deep fried, when halved lengthwise it resembles the eye.
Patili Kabab :
The
Patili Kabab is prepared in a deep copper or brass vessel. Theis Kabab
is prepared by Begam of Kurki as she is famous for making them and
maintaining the standard.
Lucknowi Biryani :
Lucknowi
biryani is a dish in which rice is lightly fried before being cooked in the mutton stock and the method of cooking the Biryani is the `Dum Pukht' method which imparts a typical Awadh flavour to this rice preparation.
Zarda :
Zarda is the preparation of sweet rice, which is done to celebrate the spring season.
Roomali Roti :
Roomali Roti is the suggestive name for the scarf or
handkerchief like appearance of roti. The Roomali Roti is too smooth to eat and so it is a perfect companion with kababs and kormas.
Sheermal :
Sheermal is rich bread consisting mainly of flour, milk, fat and saffron.
Kulcha :
Kulcha is soft bread and it tastes good with curries.
Murg Mussallam :
The
`Murg Mussallam'
literally, means whole chicken. The preparation of Murg Mussallam
requires a good command over the blending of spices and knowledge of
heat control.
Pasanda Kababs :
The
Pasanda Kabab is a mouth watering preparation. The pasanda is a two
inch square boneless cut flattened out by beating with the blunt side of
knife.
Shab Deg :
Shab Deg is a kashmiri dish which was prepared in winters.
Zamin Doz :
Zamin Doz is an old
recipe for cooking fish. In this a whole fish is stuffed with spices and is sealed in an earthenware case. This case is buried in the ground.