Travel To India With GupShup Chef Zahir Khan

As I’ve written many times in this column before, one of the best ways to travel to a destination without actually getting on a plane and going there is to experience its food. Sometimes that means dining at a restaurant such as a Greek taverna to be transported to Greece or a churrascaria to taste what Brazil’s all about.

Today, I invite you to come with me to India, the country where I was born and still consider home. The place where I get my “home” fix apart from my mother-in-law’s kitchen in Mumbai is a restaurant in New York, where I live, which me and my family love: GupShup.

Located near Union Square, GupShup is a vibrant, always packed spot that makes for a great time every time. The colorful decor includes kitschy art and a two-story wall of 3,000 steel tiffins or vessels that Indians use to carry their lunches. Bollywood beats that make you want to get up and dance are on play and add to the “I’m so happy” vibe.

But the patrons wouldn’t pack this place if the food wasn’t seriously good, and that, it truly is. As an Indian, I can tell you that the dishes are delicious authentic and showcase regions throughout the country. The culinary master who creates them is Zahir Khan, GupShup’s head chef who comes from a family of master chefs and has has worked under celebrities in his field such as Jiggs Kalra and Moin Qureshi.

Chef Zahir believes that Indian cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming, even for people who aren’t adept in the kitchen or don’t have access to an array of spices.

Travel with him in this column to Kashmir, an area that offer endless beauty and gastronomic treasures. Chef Zahir gives us two recipes, one very easy and a second that’s more involved, and shares his perspective on a region that most people know very little about.

What are the key ingredients you can use to prepare most Indian dishes?

The spices playing the major role in Indian cuisine are ginger garlic paste, whole garam masala (cardamom green and black, cloves, black peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon stick, pipli, mace and bay leaf) and garam masala powder- garam masala is very aromatic and adds a warm and deep flavor.

Personally, I love to use turmeric and black cardamom. I also love to use yogurt, fried onions and ghee.

Tell me about Kashmiri cuisine. What is the flavor profile?

Kashmiri cuisine is generally meat-based cuisine. The cuisine is moderate in flavor and rich in spices with heavy usage of saffron, fennel, cardamom, ginger, cloves, Kashmiri chili, nuts and seasonal vegetables.

Tell me about these recipes. What is their relevancy in the larger strata of Indian cuisine?

These dishes are easy to cook and widely enjoyed.

First is Haaq (a variety of spinach) and then Tabak Maaz (Fried Ribs). The use of spinach in Indian cuisine are very common in dishes like palak paneer, sarson ka saag, palak gosht, dal palak and many more. Mutton is a very common protein in our cuisine and used to make many dishes.

If you ask to any chef or average person about popular Kashmiri dishes, these two would be right up there.

How does Kashmiri cuisine play into the menu at Gupshup if at all?

Gupshup has two Kashmiri cuisine-based dishes, one is Himalayan Morels and before, we had Dalcha Gosht. We source our morels and saffron directly from Kashmir. The Himalayan Morels dish has an onion-tomato masala, shitake and cremini mushrooms, truffle oil and coconut milk with varhi masala ,which is sourced directly from the Kashmiri family.

HAAQ

Haaq spinach cooked with whole Kashmiri Deghi Mirch and flakes of garlic, in mustard oil

INGREDIENTS

1 kg /2^1/4 lb Haaq/Spinach

150ml/10 Tbs Mustard Oil

4 Whole Dried Red Chillies

A generous pinch Asafoetida

6g/2 tsp Varhi/Tikki Masala*

*The Varhi Masala

INGREDIENTS

120g/4 oz Kashmiri Deghi Mirch

90g/3 oz Fried Onion

60g/2 oz Garlic

30g/1 oz Black Peppercorns

30g/1 oz Green Cardamom

15g/1/2 oz Cinnamon

15g/1/2 oz Cloves

15g/1/2 oz Mace

1 Nutmeg

7.5g/1/4 oz Dry Ginger Powder

7.5g/1/4 oz Fennel Powder

Pinch Saffron

Salt to taste

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 1:15 hours

PREPARATION

THE HAAQ/SPINACH: Clean, wash in running water to remove grit. Remove the stalks and wash again.

THE RED CHILLIES: Wipe clean with moist cloth.

THE ASAFOETIDA: Reserve asafoetida in 30ml/2 Tbs of water.

COOKING

Put mustard oil in a handi/pan, add 300ml/1^1/4cups of water, bring to a boil, add the red chillies and the haaq/spinach, bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer. Then add the asafoetida, stir, add the tikki masala, stir and continue to simmer until haaq/spinach is cooked. Sprinkle salt, stir, remove and adjust the seasoning.

TO SERVE

Remove to a serving dish along with the liquid and serve with steamed rice.

* Varhi/Tikki Masala is the Kashmiri garam masala in tablet form. Every family makes its own version and the taste varies from home to home. The principal ingredients are Kashmiri Deghi Mirch, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, saunth or dried ginger, fennel and saffron mixed with fried onions and garlic. It has a shelf life of over a year.

TABAK MAAZ

INGREDIENTS

16 Kid/Lamb Sparerib (4-rib) or Chops (2-rib)

480ml/2 cups Milk

10g/4 tsp Fennel Seeds

3 Green Cardamom

2 Black Cardamom

2 sticks Cinnamon (1-inch)

11/2 flowers Mace

18 Dried Rose Petals

Salt

Desi Ghee to deep fry

The Batter

100g/1 cup Riceflour

30g/1 oz Gramflour

2 Green Chillies

1.5g/1/2 tsp Green Cardamom Powder

0.25g/1/2 tsp Saffron

1 drop Ittar

30ml/2 Tbs Lemon Juice

Salt

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 1:30 hours

Cooking Time: 4-5 minutes

PREPARATION

THE CHOPS: Clean, wash and pat dry.

Put milk and 120ml/1/2 cup of water in a handi/pan, add fennel, green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon, mace and rose petals, bring to a boil over medium heat, add the chops and poach until 3/4 cooked. Then add salt and poach until tender (approx 1 hour for the whole process). Remove the chops and keep aside. Strain the liquor into a separate handi/pan and reserve.

THE BATTER: Remove stems, wash, slit, deseed and finely chop green chillies. Crush saffron threads with a pestle or the back of a spoon, soak in 15ml/1 Tbs of lukewarm water.

Put the two flours in a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and enough of the reserved liquor to make a batter of fritter consistency. Reserve the chops in the batter for 15 minutes.

COOKING

Heat ghee in a kadhai, add the chops and deep fry over medium heat until light golden.

TO SERVE

Place 4 chops on each of 4 individual platters and serve as a starter.