CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF DR KAVIRAJ KHIALANI.
Sindhi Cuisine with its pre-historic roots lying way back before the partition in 1947 the migrating lot having spread across the globe has today made its culture & foods a world-class favourite choice to pick. This food also has had an influence of Mughals, Persians, Arabs, Turks and other dynasties as well who ruled the Sindhi province at different points in time way back in history. This culture blossomed over several thousand years and also gave rise to the Indus Valley civilisation. The proximity of the great Indus river nurtured the bounty of crops besides providing abundant seafood to the people living nearby. Sindhi people flourished along the Indus river and their cuisine became an amalgam of the local produce and the influence of the ones nearby which infused Punjabi, Gujarati, Kutchi cooking in day to day flavors.
Sindhi food has been very close to my heart since childhood having born and brought up in a joint family set up I got a variety of learnings from my grandmother’s style cooking having seen it from the Sigri method of cooking to charcoal cooking, slow cooking methods too and later with a little advancement in styles from my mother and even other home chefs in the family and the traditional flavours built up a strong foundation even since the age of seven in my case, trying my hands with it under the guidance at home I mastered a number of dishes from this cuisine and today it feels nice to share the ideas from classics to fusion related to this food. I have also been very privileged to showcase my talent and innovations with sindhi cuisine on a global platform at several occasions during my journey and it has been highly appreciated and welcomed by food connoisseurs!
Let us check out some Simple- Easy to make Sindhi Recipes from my Home Kitchen:
Sindhi Sai Bhaji with Bhuga Chawar
[greens cooked with chana dal and veggies served with bhuna hua rice or brown rice]
Ingredients for the Sai Bhaji
Oil- 2 tsp
Ghee- 2 tsp
Hing- ½ tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Ginger- 1 tsp chopped
Green chilies- 2-3 chopped
Onion-1 no. chopped
Tomatoes- 2-3 med sized, chopped
Salt to taste
Spinach leaves- 1 bunch, cleaned and roughly cut.
Methi leaves- 1 cup chopped.
Sua bhaji- ½ cup chopped
Chana dal- ½ cup soaked for 30 mins
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-2 tsp
Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
Cumin powde-1/2 tsp
Water- 1 cup
Potato- 1 small, roughly cut
Carrot-1/2 no roughly cut
Method
To prepare the sai bhaji, heat oil and ghee in a pan add in the hing, jeera, ginger, green chilies and saute, add in the onions and cook for 1 min, there are recipes in which some use garlic as well at the start and in some cases they give tadka of garlic at the end.
Add in the spinach, methi, sua bhaji, chana dal, veggies, salt, and all masalas and saute them well for a couple of mins, add in water and cook it all together for around 20-30 mins on low flame until dal and all veggies have become tender. Some people use pressure cooked as well to make this in that case allow 5-7 whistles.
Using a masher we now need to coarsely mash up all the ingredients in the cooked sai bhaji and bring it back on the flame to adjust seasoning and texture cook for another 4-5 mins and keep aside.
To prepare the Bhuga Chawar
Oil-2 tsp
Ghee- 2 tsp
Sliced onions-2-3 med sized
Bayleaf/ cinnamon/ green or black cardamom- as desired to be used
Slit green chilies-2-3 no
Tomato-1 med sized chopped
Basmati Rice- 2 cups, cleaned, washed and soaked for 15-20 mins.
Salt to taste
Coriander powder- 1tsp
Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Water-4 cups
Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped.
Method
Prepare all the ingredients for the rice.
Heat oil and ghee add in the whole spices of your choice, add in the sliced onions and saute them to a nice golden color, add in the slit green chilies, tomatoes, salt and all powdered spices, coriander leaves and mix well.
Add in the drained rice and bhunao for a couple of minutes add in the double quantity of water and allow rice to cover and cook on a slow flame until done and serve hot with sai bhaji.
METHI THOOM MAIN MACCHI
[Fish in methi garlic masala]
Ingredients
Fish- Surmai/Pomfret/ Bassa or any of your choice can be used.
Oil-2 tsp
Ghee-2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Ginger-1 tsp chopped
Green chilies- 2 tsp chopped
Garlic- 2 tsp chopped
Fresh methi leaves- 2 cups chopped
Fresh coriander leaves- 1 cup chopped
Tomatoes- 2-3 med sized puree
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-2 tsp
Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Water-1/2 cup if needed
Ginger juliennes/fried red chilies for garnish.
Method
Prepare all the ingredients for the methi fish with a punch of garlic in it, the same recipe can be made with paneer, chicken and aloo too.
Heat oil and ghee add in the cumin, ginger, garlic, chilies and saute, add in the tomatoes, fresh methi and coriander leaves, salt and all powdered spices and mix well for a couple of mins and allow masala to cook on low flame for 3-4 mins.
Once we notice oil traces coming out on the sides of the pan we add in the cut, cleaned, washed pieces of fish and mix it with a light hand, and cover and cook it for 8-10 mins max and serve hot.
SINDHI TAYARI
[Sindhi style sweet rice flavoured with nuts and saffron]
Ingredients
Basmati rice – 1 cup
Sugar- 1 cup
Green cardamom- 4-5 no
Ghee- 2 tsp
Saffron- 1 pinch
Assorted nuts- cashews/almonds/raisins/walnuts/apricots- ½ cup
Method
Clean, wash and soak the rice for 15-20 mins
Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and add in the green cardamom and sugar and mix it well, add in warm water and saffron and allow to boil for a few mins.
Add in the drained rice and mix, bring to a boil, simmer on a low flame, cover and cook until done, do not stir too often in between, add in the nuts once the rice is almost done, mix lightly and serve warm.
Sindhi Tosha Sweet
[classic sweet dough rolls enriched with goodness]
Ingredients
For the Tosha dough
Maida-250 gms
Curd-1/2 cup
Cooking soda-1/2 tsp
Salt- 1 pinch
Oil-1/4 cup
Ghee- 2 tsp
Oil /ghee for deep frying
For sugar syrup
Sugar-2 cups
Water-2 and a half cups
To garnish the Tosha
Powdered sugar-2 tsp
Assorted sliced/chopped nuts- 2 tbsp.
Method
To prepare the dough for the tosha, firstly sieve the maida, salt and cooking soda.
In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients as above along with oil, ghee and curd and knead into a stiff dough.
Allow to cover and rest for 15-20 mins and then divide into lemon sized balls and shape them into cylindrical shapes or mini kababs.
Heat oil/ghee in a kadai and slide in the tosha for frying on a low to medium flame until a nice golden color is visible.
Prepare the sugar syrup separately and once it has reduced a little then add in the fried tosha and allow to steep in it for a few mins, remove the tosha from the sweet syrup and arrange it on a serving platter, sprinkle powdered sugar and chopped/sliced assorted nuts and serve.
Sindhi Style Seyal Chicken
[a classic sindhi recipe with chicken cooked in home spices and in an onion tomato masala]
Ingredients
Chicken- 750 gms with bones, without skin.
Potatoes-2-3 med sized, peeled and cut 1 x 4
Oil- 2 tsp
Ghee-2 tsp
Bayleaf/cinnamon/black pepper/cloves/ green or black cardamom- select spices from here can be used 2-3 as a combination.
Ginger- 1-inch piece, grated
Green chilies- 2-3 slit
Onions- 2-3 med sized, chopped
Tomatoes- 2-3 med sized, chopped or puree
Salt to taste
Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 2 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves- 2-3 tbsp. chopped
Water- as needed to cook the masala and chicken.
Method
Clean, wash and cut the chicken into curry cuts, choice of cuts like drumsticks, thighs, breast pieces etc can be used here.
In some cases we marinate the chicken with a little salt, turmeric, red chili powder and keep aside for 15-20 mins.
Heat oil and ghee in a thick bottomed pan, add in the whole spices of your choice, add in the ginger, chilies and onions and saute them add little water as the onions start changing color to prevent burning, cook them to a nice medium brown color and add in the tomatoes, all powdered spices, salt to taste.
Now add in the chicken pieces and potatoes, saute or bhunao them well on a high flame for 2-3 mins, some like to add a little curd as well at this stage or else add water and allow the chicken to simmer until cooked around 12-15 mins at least, finally add in the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis/rice.
On a Concluding Note
Sindhi Cooking is great to explore, try out and enjoy the rustic and robust flavors of a variety of recipes and treat your loved ones. This cooking is not only colorful but also very satisfying to the senses and to the palate. The zesty ingredients used are easily available and are able to be modified to our tastes and likes and the rich vibrant aromas aces the mind-body-soul connect as well. I am sure you all would have loved to read this write up on my home cuisine, though there is a lot more to this but it’s always a start and beginning which makes the journey all the more adventurous and exciting!
Happy Cooking.
Chef Kaviraj Khialani.
Celebrity Master Chef Dr Kaviraj Khialani is a Mumbai-based hotel-restaurant and food consultant. He is specialised in over 33 international cuisines and has quality experience with hotels and airlines as a part of his long journey of over two decades in his chosen field. Chef Kaviraj is a renowned author, academician, food designer, writer and has also been awarded several national awards and global recognitions for his talent & outstanding achievements. Besides having been featured on several food shows on ColorsTV and Star Plus he is a mentor, coach and guide to aspiring to be future chefs and hoteliers of tomorrow
