UTTAR PRADESH

Banaras famous for milk product.

MALPUAS sweetened pan cakes.
GARI KA CHEEWRA: water thin coconut flakes sweetened with powdered sugar.
LASSI: Here lassi is thick and sweet, traditionally served in clay cup called PURV!.
THANDAI: "cy cols milk #lended with almond, pista, cardamom, #lack pepper and sugar,
flavoured and colored with saffron.
Poori and kachoris are famous here, usually served with ghugni or aloo #ha$i or aloo koda
%a delightful com#ination of potatoes and pumpkin&. 'he pooris of this part is so soft that it
is said that if twenty five pooris are stacked on a plate and coin is dropped on top of the lot,
the sound of the coin hitting the plate should #e heard with clarity.
(arwaris, originally from Ra$asthan are from the #usiness community and
have settled all over the north of )enaras too. 'hey are strictly vegetarian and don*t use
onion and garlic e+cept professional )rahmin cooks %called (ahara$ if male and (aharani
if female& no one is allowed to enter the kitchen. 'he cook must #efore entering the kitchen,
wearing freshly washed clothing*s. ,oods are usually served to the thali directly from
cooking pot. 'hey do not eat anything from outside. 'his seems to #e changing now,
especially with younger generation.
typical (arwari thali includes:
)rin$al kalon$i: stir fried #rin$al with panchphoron, hing etc. when well #rowned
finished with amchoor or lime$uice.
!ooki go#i or aloo go#i
'oovar dal
-adi. #esan dumplings in yoghurt
!alad made of shredded ginger, modi and green chilli
Rasgullas and yoghurt
Papadum
"f )enaras is a Hindu city, the /ucknow, also in Uttar Pradesh is a muslim one. 'here is a
halva recipe in /ucknow that is made of cooking gently yolks of egg%usually 011& with
e2ual 2uantities of milk, ghee and sugar till gravy like semolina, then fine shavings of
almond and pista are added spread out in a tray, cooled and cut into shapes of s2uare and
diamond.
'he cooks here take special pride not only in taste and te+ture of their food
#ut in their a#ility to astound and ama3e their patrons, a pearl pilaf for e+ample. "t is
la#oriously made #y mi+ing egg yolk with real gold and silver tissues, stuffing the mi+ture
in the esophagus of a chicken tying at regular intervals, #oiling and then cutting in open
reveal the pearls.
'unda, a /ucknow land mark is the name of a ke#a# shop in the heart of the city. 'he
ke#a#s are cooked in enormous cast iron trays. 'hey are shaped like ham#urger and made
of very finely minced meat mi+ed with do3ens of spices, nuts and nutmegs and seeds
including nutmeg, mace, cardamom, saffron, coconut, fennel and peanuts. 'he ke#a#s,
crum#ly and soft are #rowned on #oth sides and the wrapped up in a lightly leavened
paratha.
-akori ke#a# is another /ucknow specialty, the meat is minced with meat till a paste is
formed, spices such as poppy seed, cloves etc are added and pounded more till almost
gluey. 'hen the mi+ture is smoked and wrapped around skewer in cigar shape and grilled
2uickly over the live charcoal. "t is slightly crisp from outside and silky soft from inside.
)reak fast in /ucknow can consist of kulchas, flat sour dough #read eaten with 4ahari, a
slow simmered shank stew or roghni roti, rich whole wheat #read eaten with spicy fried
liver.
,or lunch there would #e more meat or khorma, a meat cooked with #rowned onion,
cardamom, ginger, garlic etc. toovar dal flavoured with garlic etc.
t formal #an2uet whole marinated leg of lam#, raan, cooked with almond and poppy seed,
pasanda ke#a#s, scallopini cut from leg of lam#, cooked with cumin, fennel, cardamom and
smoked #efore #eing served, sweet and sour pilaf %mutan$an&, shirmal, flaky oven #reads
flavoured with saffron and yoghurt etc will #e served. )ay leaves play an important role to
finish meal with endless varieties.
'he west part of Uttar Pradesh is influenced #y Ra$asthani cuisine. "n the earlier days the
Ra$puts had #etter understandings with (ughals and many of their princess were married to
(ughal emperors. Hunting wild animal, mainly wild #oar was a favourite game of Ra$puts
and many dishes have #een developed #y Ra$put warriors while of the run or at hunting
parties. (eat including poultry, game and fish are marinated, skewered and grilled over live
fire to make soola ke#a#s.
5n occasion, large pits are dug in the earth and lined with well lit dried cow dung on this is
placed on large pot which is lined with cinnamon sticks. 'hen is chicken, well marinated
with a ginger, saffron, cloves cardamom, mace and coriander seed and stuffed with minced
meat mi+ture, is placed on a cinnamon stick. 'he pot is then covered and sealed6 more lit
cow dung is placed over the top leveled off with the ground. 'he chicken #akes very slowly
and when pot is opened the aroma is #reath taking.
'he common drink at most gatherings is Asha, an alcoholic #everage made of $aggery.
!outh of up lies the central "ndian of (.P. with its capital in )hopal, which was dominated
#y (uslims.
!outh of Uttar Pradesh is influenced #y the traditional cuisine of )hopal.
ACHAR GOSHT: (eat #raised with green chillies and pickled spices.
MURGH RIZALA: 7hicken cooked with yoghurt and coriander or as an
alternative chicken is cooked in fresh pomegranate
$uice.
MUZAFAR: sweet pilaf made with fine vermicelli and nuts.
SALIM GOBI: head of cauliflower cooked with ginger, red chillies
and garlic.