Post Independence, the British returned home with a whole lot of desi magic to jazz up their rather
‘uninspiring’ cuisine. Raul Dias introduces you to a few such dishes that
have additions of that unmistakable Indian tadka
to them!
By Raul Dias
I have very little doubt that Indian cuisine is
one of the world’s greatest cuisines with its perfect blend of flavours and
cooking techniques that range from the wonders of dum to the smoky brilliance of the tandoor and a whole lot more in between. The sheer variety of
genres on offer across the country’s length and breadth sort of invalidates the
term ‘Indian cuisine’ with each region giving us treats more exotic than the
other.
No wonder then, that the Brits—on leaving India after Independence came into
being in 1947—have co-opted several India-inspired dishes into the folds of
their rather boring cuisine to come up with dishes that are delicious hybrids
that have now gone on to define modern British cuisine. Here are four such
examples:
Piccalilli
This low-on-spice British
interpretation of Indian achar is a sort
of relish made up of chopped pickled vegetables and spices, particularly cauliflower,
onion, and gherkin—and seasonings of mustard and turmeric. And like in the
various Indian achars, in Britain too
regional recipes of piccalilli vary considerably. The Oxford English Dictionary
traces the word to the middle of the 18th century when, in 1758, a
certain Hannah Glasse described how “to make Paco-Lilla, or India Pickle”. An
apparently earlier reference is in Anne Blencowe’s Receipt Book, written in 1694,
which has “To Pickle Lila, an Indian Pickle” credited to Lord Kilmory. Today, piccalilli
is best had as part of a traditional Brit working meal called a ploughman’s
lunch.
Mulligatawny
We can easily see the underpinnings of this spice-redolent soup in the South
Indian rasam. The tongue-twister of a
name originates from the Tamil words for pepper (miḷagu), and water (tanni).
Due to its popularity in England during British India, it was one of the few
items of India that found common mention in the literature of the period. Recipes
for mulligatawny varied greatly over the years. Later versions included British
modifications that included meat, though the local Tamil recipe on which it was
based did not.
Jalfrezi
Though it shares its name with an Indian dish, the British version of jalfrezi
is a concoction all of its own. It consists of a main ingredient such as meat,
fish, paneer or vegetables, stir-fried and served in a thick spicy sauce that
includes green capsicum along with onions and tomatoes. The recipe for it first
appeared in cookbooks of the British India as a way of using up leftovers by
frying them with chilli and onion. This English language usage derived from the
colloquial Bengali word jhal porhezi:
in Bengali, jhal (not to be confused
with jhol or water!) means spicy,
while porhezi comes from the Persian
word, parhezi means suitable for a
diet. Today, there is probably not a single curry house in all of Britain that
doesn’t sere an iteration of jalfrezi.
Kedgeree
Once again, like the
others on this list, Kedgeree too has been adapted from a local Indian dish.
This time from the ultra-popular comfort food and convalescence favourite
preparation of khichdi! This dish
moved to Victorian Britain and changed dramatically. The Brit take on the dish
is one that is made up of cooked, flaked fish (traditionally smoked haddock),
boiled rice, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, curry powder, butter or cream, and
occasionally sultanas. The dish can be eaten hot or cold. Other fish can be
used instead of haddock such as tuna or salmon, though that is not traditional.
It is believed to have been popularised by returning British colonials who had
enjoyed it in India and introduced it to the UK as a breakfast dish in
Victorian times, part of the then fashionable Anglo-Indian cuisine.
