THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2013

7A CelebrationIndia

Uttar Pradesh

01Series

Ashi Jain & Pakhi Tyagi

AIS Gurgaon 46, X D

The Mughals, who reignedover India for several yearsleft a deep and long lasting

flavour on the Indian palate withtheir irresistible and rich cuisine.Once considered only fit forroyalty, Mughlai cuisine with itsdelectable spread comprisingkoftas, korma, pulao and biryanihave made their way to our dailyplatter. Get ready to savour someauthentic flavours from theimperial Mughal kitchens.

A gastronomic journeyThe popularity of Mughlaicuisine dates back to the 16thcentury. With the expansion ofthe Mughal empire, the royalflavours became an integral partof the regional cuisine of thestates of Uttar Pradesh andHyderabad. Awadhi and Mughlaicuisine are the two mainofferings from Uttar Pradesh.Even the cooking techniquesfollowed in the state till date arereminiscent of the royal Mughalkitchen. Mughlai cuisine consistsof a lavish spread that used to beserved to the Mughal emperors.The Mughals popularised the useof grounded spices, nuts, herbsand fruits, thus adding a newflavour to the traditional Indiandelicacies.Kitchen Secrets: Even today,

Indian cuisine is predominantlyinfluenced by the cooking style ofthe Mughal era. It was theMughals who started the conceptof eating something sweet at theend of their meal. Even beforerelishing the starters, theyenjoyed a variety of stronglyflavoured pickles and freshly cutginger and lime.

Appetizing startersThe Mughlai starters wereprepared over a charcoal grill orin a tandoor (Indian clay oven)and served dry. Paneer tikka,haryali kebab, seekh kebab,tandoori gobhi and shaami kebabare some of their sumptuousstarters.Kitchen Secrets: Cream and milk

are two ingredients that arecommonly used in almost allMughlai dishes.

A lavish affairThe Mughlai main courseconsists of elaborate dishescooked in rich gravies. It usuallyconsists of a gravy, a semi-drydish and a dry dish along withraita. A typical Mughlai platter iscooked in butter and cream,garnished with dry fruits andseasoned with exotic herbs.Navratna korma, Nawabi paneer,Malai kofta, Badshahi baigan, etcare some exotic delicacies.Kitchen Secrets: The abundantuse of spices, dried fruits andnuts in the Mughali cuisinemakes it rich in fat, proteins and

carbohydrates. Instead ofcompromising on the nutrientvalue and rich taste of the food,the Mughals preferred to reducetheir daily intake.

Assorted breadsMughlai breads are popular allover the world. The breads areprepared using a variety ofdough and in varied cookingstyles. Breads such as tandooriroti and roomali roti are dry andlight, whereas naan, kulcha andparantha are more rich andflavourful, and have a richstuffing, topped with butter.Kitchen Secrets: The Mughalswere the first ones to developmarinades using butter, creamand yoghurt.

Desserts galoreA Mughlai meal is incompletewithout its varied mouth-watering desserts. Rose waterand saffron lend a unique aromato desserts like phirni andsevian.Kitchen Secrets: We talk aboutrainwater harvesting today, butthe Mughals were a step ahead,their food was cooked in rainwatermixed with the holy Gangeswater, for better taste. G T

My stateKaushal Sharma, AIS Vasundhara 1, V D

Uttar Pradesh is the name of my state,its history has been really great.UP has produced many prime ministers,Akhilesh Yadav is the youngest chief minister.The cuisine of UP is delicious,its sentiments are very religious.Uttar Pradesh is famous for Nawabs,it is also famous for kebabs.

To UP, with love Tanishq Jagoori, AIS Vasundhara 1, V C

UP is a northern state of our country,with Nepal, it shares its boundary.It has many monuments like Taj Mahal,and Lucknow is its capital.It is related to epics like Mahabharata,and another epic of Lord Ram - Ramayana.Kathak, is a dance form of Uttar Pradesh,with Mughlai and Awadhi,as its original taste.

Disc verDisc ver

Mughlai delight

Sanjhi ArtLike the art? Follow these simple stepsto create your own masterpiece...

�Take an A4 size coloured or whitepastel sheet.

�Draw a Sanjhi art motif on it.�This can be done in two ways:

First, draw a motif and colour it withdifferent color mediums. Second wayis to draw a motif and make a stencilout of it. Then paint it with blackcolour. Remove the stencil and youget a beautiful design.

�Frame it with a black border toenhance its beauty.

�Create various beautiful andattractive things like book marks andborders with this art. G T

You can do it too!

A vegetarian’sparadise

Some people believe thatMughlai meal is all about

non vegetarian food.However, it promises anequally good offering for

vegetarians too! Lajjatdarpaneer, aloo mutter

mughlai and navratankorma are some popular

vegetarian dishes.

Sanjhi, the art of hand cuttingdesigns on paper, is a typical art ofMathura, Uttar Pradesh. Mathura is

the home of LordKrishna. Hence, this arthas a major influence ofLord Krishna. Traditionalmotifs for Krishna storieswere created in stenciland used to decoratespaces during festiveseasons. Sanjhi is atraditional temple craft,used for making rangolis,aepan, etc. during thefestivals. Over the years,Sanjhi art has moved beyond the templesof Mathura and travelled across Indiaunder different names. The art has beentaken over by a number of artisans fromacross the country, and is being skillfullyused in many temples of Gujarat,Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.The 350 year-old art, that was initially amark of auspiciousness, is no longerrestricted to the narrow lanes of Krishna

janmabhoomi. Today, it enjoys immenserespect worldwide. The art, which started its journey ages

ago, now enjoys aburgeoning popularityand has connoisseursaround the world. It wasa moment of pride for theMathura-based Sanjhiartist Ram Soni, aNational award winner,when one of his Sanjhiart works was mountedat the INA metro station,Delhi. All tourists duringthe Commonwealth

Games got an opportunity to see this ageold art form that this Krishna devotee haslearnt from his ancestors. His excitementwas on an all-time high when his creation- a 26 m long and 11 m wide hand-cutpaper chandelier - crafted with the help ofover 8,000 children of NGO Pratham inIndia, was exhibited at a fund raisingevent in London.

(The article has been contributed by AIS Vas 1)G T

POEMS

An elaborate Mughlai spread served on a dastarkhan, a royal tablecloth

(clockwise from topleft) Butter Naan, Aloo Mutter, Shahi Gobhi and Phirni

Draw-Cut-Paint-Frame-Flaunt!

Heritage revivedCelebrating the rich anddiverse heritage of India,Amity International Schoolsindulge in the art, cuisine,tradition, lifestyle, flora andfauna of different states. Theyear-long heritage activity asenvisaged by ChairpersonDr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan, aimsat reviving India’s richheritage and bringing it closerto the students .GT brings to you ‘DiscoverBharat’, a heritage series thatcaptures the ongoing heritagecelebrations at Amity Schools.It also complements theelective course on Heritage,soon to be launched by CBSEfor senior Classes.State in spotlight:Uttar Pradesh.Next in ‘Discover Bharat’:Tour to some celebratedheritage sites and monumentsof Uttar Pradesh.