For the ‘Gharana-e-Pashtun’ food festival at Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Chef Osama Jalali, renowned food critic and culinary historian, has curated an exclusive menu that takes you on a journey through the rich flavours of the Northwest Frontier. Deccan Chronicle spoke to Chef Jalali about his passion for preserving traditional recipes and the difference between simply cooking and truly feeding people.
Reviving forgotten recipes
Chef, what inspired you to revive ancient recipes?
“It all started in a strange way,” says Chef Jalali. “I was a journalist and one day I took my daughter to review a restaurant. We ordered samosa chaat and it had orange foam and green foam on top. She asked, ‘Ava, where’s the chutney?’ and I told her the foam was the chutney. We then ordered phirni, which came out decomposed and smashed on the table with liquid nitrogen. She asked again, ‘Ava, where’s the phirni?’ It was then that I realised traditional Indian cuisine was being lost.”
The chef noticed that wherever he went, restaurants were rebranding themselves as “modern” or “progressive” Indian cuisine. “I feared that traditional recipes would be forgotten. So I started researching and recording recipes, translating Persian recipes into Urdu and then English, and converting old measurements into modern ones. There is a lot to explore in Indian regional cuisine. With the rise of cooking shows and celebrity chefs, our cuisine now has a global platform,” he says.
Sourcing real ingredients
Highlighting the importance of sourcing authentic ingredients, Chef Jalali says, “We source all our spices from India’s oldest spice market, Khari Baoli, Delhi. We don’t use blends and make our own masalas. Each dish has its own masala and preparation method. We prefer to cook in copper vessels and cook over firewood where possible. We also ensure that the right cuts of meat are used for different dishes like biryani and nihari and we give importance to the slow cooking process which is essential in authentic Indian cuisine.”
Our proud cuisine and culinary philosophy
“One of our unique dishes is Gosht Halwa, which is a mutton halwa that tastes like almond and semolina halwa but is made with mutton. Another is Kancha Kofta, which are meatball dumplings with a hollow centre that showcase traditional cooking techniques.”
On maintaining authenticity, Chef Jalali says, “I don’t like to mess with my recipes. When people come to try my food, it tastes just the way it’s supposed to. I adjust the spiciness level to suit the customer’s taste, but I never change the basic recipe.”
Preserving and sharing culinary traditions
When asked about the challenges of preserving traditional recipes, Shef Djalali says, “Many of the old recipes are kept secret, even within the family. At first, my mother didn’t want to share the recipes, but I stressed that if we don’t share them, they will be lost. Now we organize workshops and master classes, I have written three books and launched a YouTube channel to make these recipes available to a wider audience.”
The role of the chef
Chef Jalali spoke about the changing status of a chef: “Being a chef now comes with celebrity status, but it means less time cooking and more time in front of people. The real cooking happens behind the scenes. Every dish, even a simple one like an egg dish, should be made with passion and precision.”
His advice to aspiring chefs is, “Stand strong in the basics. Learn the basics. Food is made behind the camera, not in front of it. If you know the basics, you can adapt to any cuisine. If you love cooking, it reduces stress. For us, feeding people and making their special moments memorable is the ultimate goal. There is a big difference between just cooking for people and feeding them. I love feeding people,” he concludes.
Chef Osama Jalali’s commitment to preserving and celebrating traditional Indian cuisine is evident in his meticulous approach to cooking and his efforts in documenting and sharing these treasured recipes. The ‘Gharana-e-Pashtun’ food festival offers an authentic taste of the Northwest Frontier, lovingly crafted by chefs who truly understand the art of feeding the people.