Dum Pukht
Encyclopedia
Slow Oven or Dum Pukht has become one of the most refined forms of cooking in India
and Pakistan
, even though the technique is no more than 200 years old. Slow oven means cooking on very low flame, mostly in sealed containers, allowing the meats to cook, as much as possible, in their own juices and bone-marrow.
, India
is the original cuisine which introduced Dum Pukht to the world. Now it is also commonly used in other cuisines like Mughlai
, Punjabi
and Hyderabadi
.
Less spices are used than in traditional Indian cooking, with fresh spices and herbs for flavouring. In some cases, cooking dough is spread over the container, like a lid, to seal the foods.
This is known as a purdah (veil), but on cooking becomes a bread which has absorbed the flavours of the food and the two are best eaten together. In the end, Dum Pukht food is about aroma, when the seal is broken on the table and the fragrance of an Avadhi repast floats in the air.
Dum’ means to ‘breathe in’ and ‘Pukht’ to 'cook'. Dum Pukht cooking uses a round, heavy – bottomed pot, a handi, in which food is tightly sealed and cooked over a slow fire. There are two main aspects to this style of cooking; bhunao and Dum, or ‘roasting’ and ‘maturing’ of a prepared dish. In this style of cuisine, Herbs and spices play an extremely critical role. The process of slow roasting gently persuades each to release maximum flavor. And the sealing of the lid; the sealing of the lid of the handi with dough achieves maturing. Cooking slowly in its juices, the food retains all its natural aromas and becomes imbued with the richness of flavors that distinguishes
the cuisines.
History remembers the Nawabs of Awadh for their love of music and dance, epicurean delights and grand gestures. When Nawab Asaf-ud-daulah, found his Kingdom in the grip of famine, he initiated a food for work programme, employing thousands in the construction of the exquisite Bada Imambara. Large cauldrons were filled with rice, meat, vegetables and spices and sealed to make a simple, one- dish meal that was available to workers day and night. Then, one day, the Nawab caught a whiff of the aromas emanating from the cauldron and the royal kitchen was ordered to serve the dish.
Gradually refined to please the royal palate, ‘Dum’ cooking soon spread to other Indian courts of Hyderabad, Kashmir and Bhopal. In each, the maestros that supervised the kitchen added their own distinctive magic. Apart from this, Dum Pukht also has the distinction of ushering in the art of Indian fine dining in the Indian cuisine scenario.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, even though the technique is no more than 200 years old. Slow oven means cooking on very low flame, mostly in sealed containers, allowing the meats to cook, as much as possible, in their own juices and bone-marrow.
Origins
The cuisine of AwadhAwadhi cuisine
Awadhi Cuisine is from the city of Lucknow which is the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh located in Central-South Asia and Northern India, and the cooking patterns of the city are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India as well. The cuisine consists of both...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
is the original cuisine which introduced Dum Pukht to the world. Now it is also commonly used in other cuisines like Mughlai
Mughlai cuisine
Mughlai cuisine is a style of cookery developed in the Indian Subcontinent by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire. It represents the cooking style used in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Pakistan and in parts of Dhaka in Bangladesh and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh...
, Punjabi
Punjabi cuisine
Punjabi cuisine is food from the Punjab region of northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes...
and Hyderabadi
Hyderabadi cuisine
Hyderabadi cuisine is a princely legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad, India. The city was founded by the Sultan's of Golconda, who has developed its own cuisine over the centuries...
.
Less spices are used than in traditional Indian cooking, with fresh spices and herbs for flavouring. In some cases, cooking dough is spread over the container, like a lid, to seal the foods.
This is known as a purdah (veil), but on cooking becomes a bread which has absorbed the flavours of the food and the two are best eaten together. In the end, Dum Pukht food is about aroma, when the seal is broken on the table and the fragrance of an Avadhi repast floats in the air.
Dum’ means to ‘breathe in’ and ‘Pukht’ to 'cook'. Dum Pukht cooking uses a round, heavy – bottomed pot, a handi, in which food is tightly sealed and cooked over a slow fire. There are two main aspects to this style of cooking; bhunao and Dum, or ‘roasting’ and ‘maturing’ of a prepared dish. In this style of cuisine, Herbs and spices play an extremely critical role. The process of slow roasting gently persuades each to release maximum flavor. And the sealing of the lid; the sealing of the lid of the handi with dough achieves maturing. Cooking slowly in its juices, the food retains all its natural aromas and becomes imbued with the richness of flavors that distinguishes
the cuisines.
History remembers the Nawabs of Awadh for their love of music and dance, epicurean delights and grand gestures. When Nawab Asaf-ud-daulah, found his Kingdom in the grip of famine, he initiated a food for work programme, employing thousands in the construction of the exquisite Bada Imambara. Large cauldrons were filled with rice, meat, vegetables and spices and sealed to make a simple, one- dish meal that was available to workers day and night. Then, one day, the Nawab caught a whiff of the aromas emanating from the cauldron and the royal kitchen was ordered to serve the dish.
Gradually refined to please the royal palate, ‘Dum’ cooking soon spread to other Indian courts of Hyderabad, Kashmir and Bhopal. In each, the maestros that supervised the kitchen added their own distinctive magic. Apart from this, Dum Pukht also has the distinction of ushering in the art of Indian fine dining in the Indian cuisine scenario.