Naan Qalia of Aurangabad | Tracing its history

Today I am in a mood for some history. The last whole week I was fairly lucky to have a series of Bank holidays and the whole family sat down together for every meal. (Breakfast,brunch,lunch,snacks and dinner…yes we have so many meals). Every meal is carefully curated as per the Mother’s calculator which I will definitely talk in another write-up. Coming back to this week’s history lesson about Aurangabadi Naan Qalia.

Mohammed Bin Tuglaq

This will not be a cut copy paste of the several similar articles on world-wide web. All those who had to study Indian History cannot be wary of the Sultans and Kings. Mohammed Bin Tuglaq resonates in my mind time and again. I wasn’t the intelligent kind and remembering and mugging up details is my forte. Hence History came in as a subject chalked out for my species. The brain had all the dates and civilisations and invasions stored in my cerebellum. With a hint of boastfulness a score of ninety and above was a habit. (No one will ever ask me my maths score…. please..hmm) 🙂

I have always been intrigued by recipes deep-seated with our culture and its evolution. My Mother-in-law is a Maharashtrian and she kept feeding me with anecdotes from her childhood spent in various parts of the Deccan Plateau. Aurangabad and Kolhapur are two such places which boast of a rich food heritage.During the early 14th century Mohammed Bin Tulaq was the Sultan of Delhi. He decided to shift his capital from Delhi to Daulatatabad (present day Maharashtra). He wanted to exercise better control over the fertile Deccan plains. In the passage of transit there was mass movements of people and army. Unfortunately the trains and buses were not at their disposal. It was their humble feet or carts. People were exhausted and famished. He set up halting camps at every two-mile distance. It was here that the royal Khansamas concocted the recipe of Naan Qalia.

Naan Qalia

With the idea of mass feeding and preservation of food this ingenious recipe was developed. My brief knowledge in the alchemy of food gives me a great insight at the choice of ingredients. They dug deep furnace and developed this fluffy Golden Naan. The golden colour is attributed to the smear of turmeric water before being baked in the furnace. That is also the reason why they can stay fresh for 2-3 days and retain their soft texture. They are very different from the Modern day Naan which are available at most restaurants. The naans are prepared in an open clay oven, which is mounted in a hole in the ground. The fire is from a side hole. The baker is called as bhatyara who sits next to the oven and places the naan in the oven for baking, these naan are picked out with specially designed rods. If you really want to see how it is done. Please see the link.

Qalia is a thick spicy gravy was prepared with mutton, oil and amalgamation of various spices slowly simmered in a huge caldron called degh. It has three major ingredients Bhilawe ki Chironji paste,desiccated coconut-poppy seed paste and brown onion paste. The Qalia from Aurangabad uses yoghurt while the Qalia from Khuldabad uses lemon as souring agent. The Qalia is a rich dish and once prepared it has a top layer of oil called as the Tari , it is customary for people to request for the oil to be drunk in smaller portions.I am sure anyone who likes pain-puri will know the sentiment 🙂

Though Mohammed Bin Tuglaq left Daulatabad but the soldiers and its families patronised the dish and carried the tradition till date. It is customary at every muslim wedding to serve this dish in Aurangabad and if you do not then you face the disgust of the guests.The recipes and the information is based on the Dawaat-e-Aurangabad episode of Foodie Show.

Synopsis

• Chironji / Charoli are the tiny nut-flavored seeds of Buchanania lanzan, used as a cooking spice in India. In Maharashtra, around Aurangabad it grows in abundent. It generally grows on hills. Near Daulatabad fort, 7 miles form Aurangabad it grows as a herb. it is also called as Bhilawe ki Chironji.
• Oil in the recipe which I referred called for 250 gms of oil. I perceive it as a dish to provide lasting nutrition to the travelling soldiers. Also, its preserving nature and it is less prone to spoilage. That is why when mums pack food for travel it is prepared without water.
• Desiccated coconut-poppy seed paste shows the strong influence of Marathwada cuisine. The usage of dry coconut and poppy seeds in their vatap (masala) is the base to their gravy. The dry coconut kernels lends oil and richness.
• Brown onion paste shows the mughal influence in their food. Also the style of dum cooking or slow simmer is inherent of the Mughlai cuisine. When we cook it on slow heat then the gravy releases the oil from its various ingredients.The meat has absorbed all the various spices and it is extremely moist in texture.

Flora and Fauna

Our Easter bank holiday ended in a virtual house arrest as Storm Katie brought in heavy rainfall and strong gusts of wind. We spent three evening sitting by the window and admiring the lush greenery outside. The wet chill called for this recipe and I couldn’t help but prepare Naan Qalia which we savoured over two days. Abundant colourful wildflowers and ornamental ferns dominated the landscape. I couldn’t help but weave the mood into my photography. Hope you like what I did. Happy eating with a bite of history.

The recipe for the special Aurangabadi Naan can be found here. Please do not forget to read this link and the recipe is incomplete without the Naan.