A Sophisticated And Ancient Pulao Recipe From Persia !
Pulao or Pilau is a supremely aromatic, sophisticated and exquisite dish that uses the blend of elegant species. The subtle elegance is the key to its success around the entire world and the main reason for its admiration in the Indian subcontinent. It started its journey from the ancient Persian roots and made its way into the hearts of the Muslim culture and even beyond that.
Pulao Recipe | Image Resource : shutterstock.com
The Spanish version of this dish is known as paella where seafood and saffron are infused together to enhance the flavours. The Italian people who had Latin roots called this dish risotto while the Turkish descendants recognize it as Pilav. In India, it is simply called Pulao or Pilau. The pulao recipe of the Persians was to simmer the rice in salt water for longer durations in order for it to sparkle like crystals. The rice would them plump or puff up when boiled in the meat stock.
Emperor Babur’s Contribution in the Introduction of Pulao Recipe in India!
These days, Pulao has become a universal food where several cuisines have embraced this dish. It is said that nomadic shepherds and ancient conquests were the main contributors of making this dish the centrepiece of the Islamic culture and aura. The Mughal emperor, Babur abhorred the dishes that were made in the Indian subcontinent because he had his heart set on the central Asian, Persian influenced meat-based dish.
His desire to mesh the Persian culture with central Asia along with India gave birth to the new creation of Biryani. It cannot be denied that Biryani was invented because of Emperor Babur’s love for the nomadic shepherd’s pulao. The Mughal kitchen converted the subtle flavours of the pulao recipe and enhanced it to create the fiery Biryani. Hence, it cannot be denied that new cuisines are often created because of cultural amalgamation and mesh.
The Lucknow version of pulao was made by the use if subtle flavours that retained its fragrance. The only thing that was enhanced was the floral essence by extracting the moderate fragrance of coriander seeds and fennel in the rice. The Mughal court inspired the Awadhi cooks to incorporate pulao into the cuisines of the nawabs. Pulao recipe has been passed down through people but there are still some recipes that were written by scholars which suggest that there was usage of very little amount of spices in this aromatic dish.
It is believed that the actual oomph of this dish came from the meat stock which was strained through a muslin or a cooking cloth. Since India has a lot of people who eat vegetarian cuisines, pulao has also been converted into a vegetarian alternative where the meat is eliminated and different vegetables and spices are used.
Emperor Babur’s Contribution in the Introduction of Pulao Recipe in India!
These days, Pulao has become a universal food where several cuisines have embraced this dish. It is said that nomadic shepherds and ancient conquests were the main contributors of making this dish the centrepiece of the Islamic culture and aura. The Mughal emperor, Babur abhorred the dishes that were made in the Indian subcontinent because he had his heart set on the central Asian, Persian influenced meat-based dish.
His desire to mesh the Persian culture with central Asia along with India gave birth to the new creation of Biryani. It cannot be denied that Biryani was invented because of Emperor Babur’s love for the nomadic shepherd’s pulao. The Mughal kitchen converted the subtle flavours of the pulao recipe and enhanced it to create the fiery Biryani. Hence, it cannot be denied that new cuisines are often created because of cultural amalgamation and mesh.
The Lucknow version of pulao was made by the use if subtle flavours that retained its fragrance. The only thing that was enhanced was the floral essence by extracting the moderate fragrance of coriander seeds and fennel in the rice. The Mughal court inspired the Awadhi cooks to incorporate pulao into the cuisines of the nawabs. Pulao recipe has been passed down through people but there are still some recipes that were written by scholars which suggest that there was usage of very little amount of spices in this aromatic dish.
It is believed that the actual oomph of this dish came from the meat stock which was strained through a muslin or a cooking cloth. Since India has a lot of people who eat vegetarian cuisines, pulao has also been converted into a vegetarian alternative where the meat is eliminated and different vegetables and spices are used.
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