This weekend, a city chef whips up tamarind and dry fruit-rich dishes to give due to a community that traces its origin to Balochistan, and is often mixed up with Sindhis
Pulao E Azm
While they are generalised as Sindhis, Mumbai is home to 2,500 residents who belong to the Bhagnari community, a distinct sub-caste of the Sindhis. One of them is Priya Jham, whose parents migrated to Mumbai from Karachi post-Partition. Over 27 years back, the 53-year-old chef, based in Mahim, started a catering company offering her community’s cuisine, which she now runs under Kitchens By Priya Jham with help from her son and bakery chef, Amit. This weekend, she will offer a Bhagnari spread for a pop-up titled, My Forgotten Baloch, as part of The Gourmet Food Company’s Kitchen Dining series that attempts to revive lesser-known community cuisines.
Pulao E Azm
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Meet the Bhagnaris
The original inhabitants of twin villages, Bhag and Nari, in the princely state of Kalat in the plains of Southern Balochistan, the Bhagnaris moved to Karachi many years ago, and post-Partition, migrated to Mumbai, settling in pockets of Mahim and Shivaji Park. Those looking for greener pastures moved to Dubai.
Beh Ki Sabzi
The Bhagnaris speak a language similar to the Saraiki spoken in the border areas of Sindh and Punjab, and their eating habits also differ from the Sindhis. “For instance, we use tamarind as a souring agent rather than tomatoes, used by most Sindhis,” says Jham, adding, “The seyal masala is also different. Theirs is with tomatoes while ours is with coriander and tamarind, so, the dish looks different (theirs is red, ours green). We also prefer to coarsely grind spices like chillies, garlic and ginger by hand.”
Priya Jham
What’s cooking?
The spread includes Stuffed Aloo Tikki with Poppy Seeds, Mutton Chops in a traditional Bhagnari Masala (slow-cooked and pan-fried rib chops), Khatti Dal with Steamed Rice (a traditional favourite in most Bhagnari homes), Beh Ki Sabzi (lotus stems cooked in clay pot), Kheema Kaleji (mutton mince cooked in Bhagnari style) and Pulao E Azm topped with dry fruits. “Since our ancestors came from northern parts of an undivided India and lived in a cold terrain, the food was rich in spices like red chillies, cardamon, cloves, caraway seeds and black pepper, along with dry fruits, which kept their bodies warm. Meats, too, were integral to their diet. Even today, most recipes that have been passed on through generations, remain the same,” says Jham, who discovered her love for cooking when she was six years old.
ON August 7, 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm
AT Navjeevan Society, opposite KJ Khilani High School, Mori Road, Mahim (W).
LOG ON TO www.tgfc.co.in
COST Rs 1,200
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