Why you should try a slice of delicious Delhi-special cuisine at Al Kausar

Baqerkhani roti being prepared in old city. Made with wheat kneaded in milk, ghee and sugar, these rotis are slightly heavier to digest, but can be stored for days

Author and journalist Sadia Dehlvi grew up in a home where food played a central role in the family. In fact, her earliest childhood memories are of her amma (grandmother) hovering around the kitchen and pantry along with her retinue of house-help, while the matriarch would supervise the cooking, make pickles and dry spices on the verandah. "Friends who visited our home never left without savouring a meal. They would often say that they had never seen a house with so much food around all the time," she laughs.

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In her new book, Jasmine and Jinns, Dehlvi has brought back the memories, through a culinary tour of the capital. She has also let us in on some well-guarded family recipes, to help us soak in the flavours of old Delhi favourites like jalebi, daalbiji, aloo puri, dahi bhalla. Dehlvi, who hails from a publishing background - her grandfather Hafiz Yusuf Dehlvi founded and edited Shama, an Urdu film magazine in 1938 - grew up in an environment where literary discussions and filmy banter were commonplace. "Our family was particularly close to Meena Kumari, Nargis Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu and Waheeda Rehman. Mushairas and qawallis were common at our home," says the author.

Sadia Dehlvi

Dehlvi, who along with her siblings, was packed off to a boarding school in Shimla, would get to indulge in home-cooked food only during holidays. "My grandfather loved to serve the best of Delhi cuisine. Like most Dilliwallas, he was particular about what to eat in what season, and, taseer, which means the effect of food on the body. I grew up relating food to light, heavy, warm and cold. So, summers were always about sharbat, bhel and Rataul mangoes, from a village near Meerut. It now grows abundantly in Pakistan. Our monsoon favourite was hari mirch qeema and besani roti and fresh mango chutney."

Natraj Dahi Bhalleâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Corner in Chandni Chowk is famous for its dahi badey. Since it's adjacent to Central Bank, the dish was called Central Bank ke dahi badey

In the Dehlvi household, the medium used for cooking was desi ghee or clarified butter. "At that time, most shops in Old Delhi, too, would use desi ghee. Some still do," she says. A family favourite was the sunheri gajar halwa, prepared with golden coloured carrots and gheeghar halwa made with aloe vera from Sheeren Bhavan in Chitli Qabar, a market hidden in the bylanes of Old Delhi. Therefore, she says, rounds of the old city were often made with pit-stops for Central Bank ke dahi badey, popular among locals. "I often wondered why the bank was selling dahi badey," she jokes. "Delhi has seen phases in its cuisine. After the Partition, there was the arrival of the chana batura, dal makhani, butter chicken. With the influx of South Indian communities, Udipi cafes became standard. Later, it was noodles, and now the momos. Delhi is no longer dominated by one community - it's a little India now," she says.

Fresh Mango Chutney
1 ripe mango, pulped
¼ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp crushed cumin seeds
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
Mint leaves chopped
Few drops of lemon juice (optional)
Salt to taste

Mango chutney is delicious if made with sarauli mango. Since these are not always available, take any good quality mango. Put the pulp in a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. It is delicious with besani roti.

Kachri Qeema - Marinated Smoked Mince
Kachri is a small wild brown melon found in desert areas. It is common ingredient in Rajasthani cuisine. We use it as a food tenderiser and it is available at spice stores in both whole and powder form.

Marination
1 kg qeema, 4 whole kachris crushed or 2 tsps kachri powder, 1 cup half-ripe papaya, grated or pulped, 1 - 1 ½ tsps red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tsps garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste, salt to taste.

It is best to pulp the papaya in a mixer. Marinate the mince with all the above ingredients. Leave overnight in the fridge or at least for four to five hours.

Cooking the qeema
250 gm curd, 4 medium-sized onions, golden fried, 4 cloves ½ cup oil Add the curd and onions to the marinated mince an hour before cooking. Heat oil and add cloves and cardamoms, allowing them to crackle for a minute or two. Now add the marinated mince. Stir it for a few minutes on medium flame and then leave on low flame till done. Do not use the pressure cooker. As it is a dry dish, let the excess water from the marination evaporate fully. After the qeema is cooked, prepare to smoke it. Light a small piece of coal over the stove flame, then place it on an onion slice, pour a few drops of oil on the live coal so it smokes. Then, leave the smoking coal over the mince and cover the cooking pot with a lid.

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Let it remain there for a few minutes. I sometimes use a long deep spoon, place the smoking coal on it and close the lid. It adds an exceptional smoked aroma.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, onions rings, chopped green chillies, finely shredded ginger strips and a sprinkling of garam masala. A squeeze of lemon juice adds a bit of tanginess.

Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia lunching at Shama Kothi, the Dehlvi residence. "Rajesh and Dimple came shortly after their wedding. They had first met at our Shama Film Awards function in Delhi," she writes in the book.

Inspired by New York's street food, Dehlvi set up Al Kausar, old city's first kebab kiosk

Danny Denzongpa at the opening in 1979. The shop was known for its kakori kebabs