A Muslim prayer cap is called pakol in Afghanistan, peci in Indonesia, doppa in Russia and koofiyad in Somalia

FOR me, a trip to Delhi is incomplete without a visit to Old Delhi's Jama Masjid area. Not so much for religious reasons, I must admit, but for the culinary treasure trove one finds there.

My last visit coincided with the starting of the holy month of Ramzan. The trip became all the more memorable because the regular yummy seekh kababs at the roadside kiosks, followed by the groovy chicken biriyani and mutton korma at my all-time-favourite Al-Jawahar Restaurant, came with a dose of the Ramzan excitement.

Of course, Ramzan means fasting and feasting for Muslims. But for me, it means one more thing -- a feature to write.

So, scouting for a new angle, while I was scratching my head, a stall with all kinds of skullcaps caught my attention. Yes, that one thing about which little has been written about. Of course, the strict dress code in Islam keeps making headlines for the wrong reasons.

Who can forget French President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to put a ban on the burqa in France calling that the head-to-toe covering dress is a debasement and a sign of subservience, or, more recently, a fine imposed on Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein for wearing pants.

But those are controversial issues and let's keep out of them in the spirit of Id-ul-fitr. Rather, let's concentrate on the skullcap, also called the prayer cap.

A few of years back when a senior colleague of mine flaunted a skull cap from the Sind province in Pakistan, it drew quite a few approving nods from his friends and fellow Muslims at Jama Masjid in Chandigarh for its unique cut in front. In fact, Muslim men in every nation make their own statement through their unique skullcap.

Let's go global this Id and find out what different people in different countries wear for prayers

In Afghanistan the regular cotton prayer cap is also called a pakol. Pakol means taqiyah in the Pashtun language. In China it is a white prayer cap made with traditional Chinese cloth. It is complemented with a Chinese robe called a changshan.

In Indonesia, the peci is the national dress. The Indonesians also produce a machine-knitted skullcap which is popular with the Musilms. In Maldives, the prayer cap is called thakiha, which is made of black or embroidered felt, cotton or velvet. It is widely worn in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Thailand.

Moving on to Russia the cap is called tubeteika or doppa, which is worn with a suit for Id. Doppa or rug cap which, if given as a gift, means a sign of friendship. Russian Muslims also wear a variety of fur hats like karakul, ushanka and papakhi.

In Somalia, the trend is to wear a cotton prayer cap which is called koofiyad, whereas in Sudan, the prayer cap is worn under a white turban.

That's the world of cap! Though the Internet provides an option to get a topi of one's choice, nothing beats the fun of buying one at the local Friday Id market at the masjid ground in Sector 20.

Well, one may not find a pakol or thakiha there, but two make-shift stalls, one by Nasir Hussain and another by Islam, provides a good choice in caps -- knitted, plain white or in stripes, embroidered ones, all from Saharanpur.

And while one is at it, one may also pick up some good variety of sevaian, phainian, dry fruits, namkeen and different types of bread to complement the mood. After all, Id also means indulgence!

parbina@tribunemail.com

Chamakti dhoop, barsaat ke baad,
Thodi si hassi, har baat ke baad!
Uss-hi tarah ho mubaarak aapko,
Yeh sunehri Eid, Ramadaan ke baad!

On the day of Id, the twilight sky will transform into a spiritual and temporal atlas for Muslims around the world. When the first sliver of the eagerly awaited crescent moon cuts through the inky sky, excited calls of Ramazan Mubaarak! will ring between the houses! According to the Islamic calendar, the holy month of fasting started from August 22 and will end on September 20, with Id, falling on the 21st. In honour of this holy month of Ramazan, a devout Muslim will eat an early morning meal (Suhoor) and then, only at night (Iftaar). Many delicacies like biryani, haleem, kabaabs, phirni and sewaiyyan are cooked for enjoying in the evening. I'd often call my Muslim friends during Ramazan, inviting myself over for a tuck-in of Iftaar. Of course, I didn't fast, but believe me, it was an impatient intezaar of iftaar! I don't know just how they manage the ritual of fasting for one whole month! I fast on Karva Chauth, once a year, and I have my tongue hanging out like a dog all day! Come twilight time, most loving wives acquire a radiant, romantic glow! And me? I look ready to be carried away on a stretcher! Many Iftaar dishes are master creations worth trying out, rozaas or no rozaas, so take your pick and wave the culinary wand! Bismillah!

Biriyani

1 kg chicken or mutton, cut into pieces

1 ½ cups basmati rice

2 cups dahi

1 cup ghee

1 cup milk

10 peppercorns

8 cloves

A few mint leaves

5-6 cardamoms

4 medium sized onions, sliced

1 cup coriander leaves, chopped

½ cup almonds, blanched, halved

3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp each, garam masala, whole jeera and turmeric

½ tsp saffron

Salt and chilli powder to taste

Method

Mix ginger-garlic paste, salt and yoghurt. Apply to the chicken or mutton pieces and leave for 1 hour to marinate. Wash and soak the rice for one hour. Heat ½ cup ghee and fry the jeera, cloves, cardamoms, peppercorn and almonds. Add chicken/meat, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala powder, and ½ a cup water. Cook till chicken is tender (Mutton would take longer). Add coriander and mint leaves. Keep aside. Heat ¼ cup of ghee in a pressure cooker and add rice. Saute briefly and add 3 cups water. Cook till the rice is halfway done. Heat the remaining ¼ cup ghee and fry the sliced onion till crisp and brown. Drain and spread out on a kitchen towel. In a large pan, put a layer of rice. Top with some fried onion slices and saffron strands. Add a layer of chicken/meat. Continue to layer, cover tightly and finish cooking in an oven or by placing the pan on a hot griddle till each grain of rice is well cooked.

Haleem

800 gm boneless lamb, diced

3 cups broken wheat (daliya)

4 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 cup mixed urad daal and chana daal

Chilli powder, turmeric and salt to taste

1 ½ cup dahi

1 cup crisp fried onions

½ cup cashew nuts

1 tsp garam masala powder

½ tsp peppercorns

Whole spices (1 cinnamon stick, 2-3 cloves, 2-3 cardamoms)

½ cup ghee

1 cup fresh coriander, ¼ cup mint and 5-6 green chillies

½ cup oil.

Method

Wash and soak the daliya for one hour. Smear the mutton with 1tbsp of ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp of salt, ½ tsp garam masala powder, ¼ tsp tumeric and some chilli powder. Pressure cook the mutton for 8-10 min (in gharelu language, until 3-4 whistles!) and then simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Press with the back of the ladle and break down the pieces a bit. Boil daliya and mixed lentils with 1tbsp ginger-garlic paste, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 3-4 chopped green chillies, ½ tsp black pepper corns in 8-10 cups of water until its well cooked and the water is almost absorbed by the wheat. Put this mixture in a blender and pulse for a few seconds. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Heat the oil in another container. Add the whole spices, the cooked mutton, remaining chopped green chillies and ½ cup fresh coriander. Saute for a few minutes. Add dahi and stir for another 10- 15 min or until a little oil starts to float on top. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the pureed wheat and mix well, adding a little bit of ghee at a time. Simmer for about ½ and hour, stirring frequently. Serve hot, garnished with fried onions, cashew nuts, ghee and fresh coriander. 

Mugdha Godse tries out comedy in her next film All the Best

Madhur Bhandarker’s Fashion had a bold subject. Jail is even bolder. And, Mugdha Godse, featuring in both, is so sure about it. “If Fashion threw light on the dark world of fashion, Jail will explore the dingy prisons,” she says. Brave enough! Cinema is experimenting, evolving, innovating, getting bolder.

Why? “There is another reason, causing various changes that we tend to ignore—the bold audience. They reject stereotypes and are ready for anything out of the box as long as it has substance,” comes the wisdom from Mugdha, who along with Balram Garg, MD of PC Jewellers and inaugurated a showroom in Sector 22.

Her fourth trip to the city and she has finally discovered how the city scores on stylo- meter. “Youngsters here are pretty fashion conscious but that does not make them blind followers of trends. You see them wearing the trendiest Western wear to very ethnic salwar suits,” she says. Something so similar to Mugdha’s change in looks. From the so galmourised model in Fashion to absolutely unglamourised, minimalistic looks in Jail, Mugdha is ready for anything.

“Looks does matter, but to an extent. What in fact, the audience remembers for a longer time is the performance.”

Besides Jail, by the year end, she’ll also be seen in All the Best, a comedy starring Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu. Working in a multi-starrer is certainly not new to her after Fashion. “It’s natural for a comedy flick to have many actors to create a lot of confusion,” she justifies.

Next will be a horror film with Bobby Deol. Seems the lady is all ready for different genres. As she rightly says, “You give an actor a variety of roles and the actor will repay with as many performances.” However, she admits, there are no deliberate efforts behind landing up with different roles.

She might get many projects in the future as well, but she says Fashion will always be special. And, now when fashion choreographer Kaushik Ghosh is planning a sequel to the movie, she is a little worried. “There are no tested formulas in the Bollywood. Had that been the case, all love stories and comedies would have been run away hits.” So, what should be essential to a certain fashion 2? “Substance. It will be good for the audience to see more of the fashion world on the big screen if the story has something different,” and Mugdha says it yet again, “something bold to offer”.

ashima@tribunemail.com