THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ask anyone who has been to Malabar region what they remember the most about the cuisine there, and out comes the answer without a second thought - ‘Biriyani! The definition of a Malabar or North Malabar traditional dish has always been restricted to biriyani, either Kozhikoden biriyani or Thalassery biriyani.
But there is more to the typical Malabari cuisine than biriyanis. Introducing us to the myriad unique Malabari flavours is Sumaija Asghar, a homemaker and a cook par excellence from Thalassery,recently conducted a food fest at the WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu, Kozhikode.
Sumaija’s passion for cooking started when she was just 10 years old and like any other traditional Muslim family in Malabar, cooking runs in her family as well. “My mother, grandmother and sister cook very well. But I was never instructed as to what to do and what not to. I learnt everything from scratch through experimentation. And since I found cooking interesting, I was ready to try cooking something or the other right from when I was 10 years old,” says Sumaija.
Sumaija, who hails from Mahe, is currently settled in Thalassery with her husband who is an ayurveda doctor and owner of Green Ayurveda Centre at Azhiyur, Thalassery. Five years into her marriage, Sumaija is an expert in cooking not only the specialities of Malabar, but also exclusive ayurvedic food, which is prepared for the patients at the centre.
She also takes classes for foreigners who are interested in learning to cook authentic Indian dishes, especially which are natural and which come under the category of ayurvedic dishes.
“Foreigners like Indian dishes. Not exactly biriyani, but they like typical home-made curries. So I take two weeks or one-month course for them and teach them how to prepare these dishes. After the course, we also provide them with certificates,” Sumaija explains.
Sharing how she got into teaching cookery to foreigners, Sumaija says, “A chef from outside India visited the ayurvedic centre one day. He was very keen about learning our cuisine, so I took a small class for him and this is how the journey began.”
Sumaija has included all the true traditional dishes one might find only in Muslim households in Malabar in the menu for the food fest. It includes chemmeen-murigakkai soup, kozhikkal, Thalassery chicken biriyani, chicken varutharacha curry, mutton fry, chicken chatti pathiri, adukku roti, coconut rice and kovakka mezhukku peratti.
No food fest is complete without dessert. The desserts include kai pola and kai kari. This is Sumaija’s maiden food fest and she feels totally elated at being given an opportunity to conduct it at the WelcomHotel Raviz Kadavu. “I am conducting a food fest for the first time and I am really glad and excited to conduct it here at the Kadavu. I did get an opportunity before, but could not make it due to time constraints,” she says.
About finding an outstanding cook and about clubbing the Thalassery fest with the International Chefs’ Day, head chef Paul Noronha says, “The International Chefs’ Day is celebrated with much joy around the world on October 20. The essence for this year is to ‘give back what we receive’ and its so true to our fraternity. We, at the Welcomhotel Ravis Kadavu, begin our journey through understanding and cooking food that has been culled out from traditional repertoires of houses. This journey will not stop until we give back what we have received from society, albeit our knowledge, wisdom and skills. In this journey, the unit has been fortunate to have chef Sumaija Asghar sharing her traditional family recipes and skills with chefs at the hotel, featuring the best of Thalassery cuisine.”
Sumaija Asghar’s Special Thalassery Chicken Biriyani
Ingredients
Method
To make Chicken Masala
Marinate chicken with 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tbsp chilli powder and salt and keep it for 10 to 15 minutes.
Sauté it in a frying pan by pouring oil for 10 to 15 minutes (not fry).
Heat a vessel and pour oil(into it. You can take the balance oil that is used for frying the chicken) and put chopped onions by adding salt and saute until it turns brown.
Add tomatoes into it and saute well.
Then add green chilli, garlic and ginger paste and saute it. Add turmeric powder. Now add curry leaves and cilantros. Add fried/cooked chicken pieces into the masala, mix well and close it with a lid and keep the gas stove on a low flame. Let it cook for sometime.
Open the lid after a few minutes and turn over the masala with a stirrer. Now our masala is ready.
To make Biriyani Rice
Heat another vessel and pour oil. Put 1 cup of chopped onion into the boiling oil and fry it until brown colour.
Put raisins and cashew nuts into it and fry them too. Remove the fried onion, raisins and cashews from the oil and keep it aside.
Pour water into it and let it boil or you can add boiled water so that it will boil easily. Add salt. Squeeze a piece of lemon into the water. Add the cleaned biriyani rice into the boiling water and mix well. Close the vessel with a lid and let it cook. Turn out the sides using a stirrer at regular intervals. Make sure the rice does not stick at the bottom of the vessel. Turn the gas stove into low flame and check whether the rice is cooked or not. If not, cook it for a few more minutes.
Now our biriyani rice is ready. Switch off the fire.
Take the biriyani rice in a quarter plate or a stirrer and place it over the chicken masala and make a layer(1/3 of the rice should be placed over the masala). Turn the gas stove into low flame. This is known as dhum.
Put the fried onion, cashew nuts and raisins over it along with 1/4 tsp garam masala and cilantros.
Make another layer with the rice and put the above items. Again continue the layering and press the rice with a stirrer.
Close the vessel tightly with a lid. You can place a weight over the lid so that it will be closed tightly. Only then the spicy taste of the masala mixes with the rice.
Let it cook for a few minutes.
Open the lid after five minutes and again retake the biriyani rice into the biriyani vessel using a stirrer till it reaches the masala portion. Now our delicious Thalassery chicken biriyani is ready. Mix the yellowish rice over the masala with the rice in the vessel. Serve it separately in two plates or you can place the rice over the masala and serve it.
