Food Talk
Fit for a prince
Pushpesh Pant

Kaliya Darashahi Ingredients Mutton 1 kg Mustard oil 200 gm Almonds 50 gm Raisins 25 gm Turmeric ½ tsp Garam masala 1 tsp Saunf 2 tsp Dry ginger powder 1 tsp Cloves 6 pieces Cardamom 6 pieces 250 gm of curd mixed with 250 gm of milk Method Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and after it reaches smoking point reduce heat. Add meat and sear on high flame, stirring constantly to fry it till it is slightly browned. Add all spices except garam masala and dry fruits. Reduce the heat to medium. Add 250 ml of water and cook on low-medium heat for half an hour. Let the contents cool at top room temperature. Mix the curd and milk together and stir in slowly to the contents of the pan. Replace the pan on heat. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Add dry fruits and sprinkle the garam masala and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Confusion prevails in the popular mind pertaining to the terms kaliya, korma and saalan. For the glutton and gourmand, it is all the same. Whatever is served, he is happy with it as long as the repast is not vegetarian.

But it is surprising that many a gourmet and epicure is indifferent to the distinctions. Kaliya in the Hindi heartland is a young goat and the term is used to indicate better quality of meat, soft and succulent.

The phrase kaliya radhna is synonymous with preparing such a dish with tender loving care. Korma, for some inexplicable reason referred to as horma in Hyderabad, on the other hand specifies braised meat dishes that are allowed to cook in their own juices. The meats are more often than not well marinated with aromatic spices and yoghurt to tenderise them and enhance their flavour. Water may barely be sprinkled to avoid the meat from sticking in the pan but that’s it. Kaliya is cooked with copious quantities of water and in Kashmir with a mixture of milk and water or milk and curd.

A kaliya gravy is thinner and lighter but should never be confused with a thin curry. In the Avadh region, the connoisseurs insist that a kaliya has to be tikha (sharper) and tangier than a delicate korma draped in a creamy sauce. The Kashmiri kaliya, however, is a gentler dish incorporating many a subtle shade. The third member of this trinity, the saalan, can be traced to the original term Sa+la+van — literally translated as cooked with salt. This is a little intriguing as the Korma and kalia are also cooked in salt. Today the saalan is mostly cooked by adding a preferred vegetable to the meat and this provides a clue. A leafy vegetable like spinach would contribute to the dish its own salt content. The kaliya recipe we unveil for our readers this week is based on a Kashmiri nuskha and the Kashmiri friend who gifted this to us tells us that it commemorates the short but ecstatic sojourn in the Veil of Prince Dara Shikoh, the eldest and the most beloved son of Emperor Shahjahan.

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