Reader\'s Digest IN 02.2020

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COMMUNITIES

Bohri cuisine
Mutton Khichda:Khichda is made
with cracked wheat and has meat in it,
apart from three or four types of
lentils. While it’s similar to haleem or
harissa, which dates
back to earlier than
the 10th century,
in the mutton
khichda, the
meat isn’t
ground and
cooked to a
paste, but appears
chunky. The coarsely
chopped meat is fried
with whole aromatic spices and garam
masala before being added to
the grains and lentils to be slow-
cooked in a pot. Often left to simmer
overnight, it’s topped with fresh mint
and deep-fried onions to add an extra
layer of flavour.
Popular Choice: Dum Mutton/
Chicken Biryani

Parsi cuisine
Salli Boti: For a hearty meal, you can’t
go wrong with meat and potatoes. And
this preparation, which blends the
Parsi penchant for meat with the

Gujarati love for all things crunchy, is

particularly flavourful. The dish is a

luscious mix of tomatoes, onions,

jaggery and vinegar, mixed with

ground spices and boneless meat. A

generous topping of the salli (deep-

fried potato slivers) helps to balance

out the strong flavours and gives it an

added layer of texture. Usually enjoyed

with piping hot wholewheat rotlas.

And perhaps a Parsi peg or two, if

it’s a celebration!

Popular Choice: Dhansak

Sindhi cuisine

Sindhi Kadhi:

Food historians

often debate

whether the

name kadhi is

a corruption of

the Tamil kari

from as far back

as 1500 BCE, which

lends its flavour as well

as name to ‘curry’. Whatever its origins,

Sindhi kadhi has a global fan base,

wherever the diaspora has spread. The

addition of vegetables makes it a

nutritious and satisfyingly tasty meal.

While there are restaurants serving it

these days, most people try to find a

Sindhi friend’s home where they can

enjoy the authentic taste, like actor

Aamir Khan, who admits he loves the

Sindhi kadhi at producer Ritesh

Sidhwani’s place!

Popular Choice: Sindhi Kadhi

— Priya Pathiyan