Bohras are Mustali subsect of Islamili Shia Islam which originated in Yemen and later spread to India and Pakistan. The early settlement of Bohra's in Gujarat particularly Surat led to major Gujarati influences in their cuisine. A lot of Mughlai dishes specially kebabs and tikkas are widely made in Bohra families with influences from Arabic and Middle East. Meat, rice and pulses are important constituents of their diet and are interestingly blended together in delicacies like Bohri Kichra.
Other specialities include Halwan (chunks of lamb cooked with tomatoes), Bohri Murgh and Patoria Gosht. Apart from the detectable and distinctive cooking style, there are certain traditional ways in which food is prepared and served. The Bohri Cuisine majorly consists of mutton and chicken as there are very less takers for vegetarian food.
An enticing Bohri food tasting experience at K3, JW marriot, Aerocity New delhi. Bohri food today has left us craving for more. The service started with salt, it is believed in Bohri cusinie that the food should start with salt and end with salt. to clear the pallete. The served to u were sweet rice topped with sliced almonds which added a nice crunch to the rice, which were perfectly cooked in desi ghee. The entree included mutton cutlets, chicken roll, hara bhara kebab and cheese rolls. Mutton cutlets were soft and succullent and smaller in size than normal cutlets size. chicken rolls were prepared in a different manner than normal, the crust was prepared in an unconventional manner, with a layer of egg inside the roll before the filling was put and then deep fried which tasted scrumptuous and crispy. The hara bhara kebab was an average snack which would taste great with a drink.
The main course began with channa batata i.e. chick peas cooked with potato and mild spices. then came dalcha which was regular daal cooked with potato. Navratan korma had pumpkin, potato, beans and carrot which was pleasently sumptuous. The non vegetarian main course includes, Dabba gosht which is mutton dish cooked in cashew puree and then baked with tomato topping covering the complete dibba. it is also called mutton pie. Then we had murg sauce which is a milder version of butter chicken . Another Bohri speciality is khichda, made of whole coarsely ground wheat along with keema. cooked in hot pot by dum technique, It has a unique flavor of saunf to it which adds a punch. the khichda tastes best with a dash of lemon and spiced and fried onions crisps.The rice dish was safed biryani which was cooked with mutton, potato and onions and various mild spices and served with cold soup of moong daal and onion to finish the meal.
The bohri cuisine rarely serves breads with their main course dishes unlike others. Here the main course was accompanied by naan pao.
we highly recommend you to try mutton cutlets, dibba gosht, Khichda and safed biryani.
Chef Musakir Profile
Musakir is a veteran Bohri Master Chef originally from Lucknow who left his hometown as a child and traveled with his uncle to Mumbai, who owned a catering company known to lay lavish Bohri buffets at weddings. After fine tuning his Bohri cooking skills he moved to Surat to learn authentic Bohri delicacies soon after which he moved back to Mumbai to work with various caterers as a Chef consultant for Bohri weddings.
Chef Musakir’s signature dishes are Baida Roll, Keema Baida Roll, Kichra, Patoria Gosht and Dabba Gosht. He has never worked in a hotel or a fine dining restaurant as he believes in bringing a rustic approach to his food which makes it even more interesting and appealing to the palate. Chef Musakir holds an avid passion for cooking, and has a flair for authentic Bohri cuisine.
Musakir is an ardent fan of cricket and is a task to convince him to do a food festival during the busy IPL season!
He is a guest Chef at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity during the Bohri Food Festival from 25th April to 4th May 2014.
Discover the myriad tastes and flavors of Bohra’s kitchens with a curated buffet featuring signature recipes and unforgettable experiences.
Date: 25th April to 4th May 2014.
Lunch: 12:30pm – 3:00pm, INR 1650 + tax
Dinner: 7:00pm – 11:00pm, INR 2100 + tax
By Jaspreet Kaur
