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Imagine our surprise when recently at a
roadside dhaba we encountered makhani subziyaan—mixed
vegetables in their latest avatar. The gravy had a thick sauce-like
consistency, the spicing was mild and while the appearance was not too
exciting, the superb taste more than made up for the lack of eye
appeal. The friend accompanying us thought that the innovative dish
recalled the Southy aviali but for us it revived memories of baoli
handi more than anything else. Legend has it that in days gone
by, the slightest whiff of summer in the breeze sent the delicate
nawabs of Awadh into a tizzy. The royal bawarchis were summoned
to prepare seasonal delicacies to beat the heat. Baoli handi, an
exceptional ‘coolant’, belongs to that repertoire. According to
foodlore, this light ‘non-veg’ beauty was cooked for picnics
organised in well-shaded step wells (baoli). It goes without saying
that in the makhani subziyaan rendering the boneless cubes of meat are
dispensed with. It is the spicing that sublimates the humdrum
m`E9lange of vegetables—usually a quick frying pan fix to satisfy a
not too fussy or demanding customer—to the status of a delicacy.
What made us most happy was that the texture of the gravy justified
the epithet—creamy without being fat-laden—makhani indeed.
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The
prefix or more often the suffix makhani by popular usage has
become exclusive to kali daal a.k.a as daal Bukhara or maahdi
daal. We have long laboured the point that the word refers to
buttery—satin smooth—texture and should not be taken to mean a
license to add artery-choking dollops of butter and cream to this
Indian culinary classic. 