The Bottle Masala feast chronicles

Besides revealing closely-guarded secrets of the unexplored East Indian cuisine (and the hush-hush ingredients of the Bottle Masala), the pages of a new cookbook also offer a history lesson on the dwindling community in the hope that even as high rises eat up quaint cottages in East Indian wadis, we won't forget Bombay's original inhabitants

When Michael Swamy returned to Mumbai in 1998 after having finished his studies in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, a premier hospitality institution in London, he was certain he didn't want to be a chef.
Instead, he set aside six months to do something he felt was badly needed -- he began writing a cookbook on Mumbai's East Indian community.


Michael Swamy, author of The East Indian Kitchen lives with his mother
Jane in a quaint East Indian cottage in a wadi in Prabhadevi.
Pic/SANTOSH NAGWEKAR

Swamy, whose grandmother was East Indian, was intrigued about how the changes the community had undergone over the years were reflected in their food preparations. With barely a handful of traditional East Indian homes left in the city, and youngsters migrating to the West, Swamy had tou00a0 finance and self-publish 1,500 copies of his book titled, Enduring Flavours.

The lot was sold out within six months.

Now, 13 years later, he is ready with the book's second edition, The East Indian Kitchen. While the first included personal stories of families, the second focuses on cooking and the history of the community. In the intervening period between the two editions, Swamy worked for cookery-based television shows, worked as a food stylist and food photographer.

Swamy grew up in an East Indian wadi in Prabhadevi, where he continues to live and where most East Indian bungalows have given way to fancy housing complexes.

He fondly remembers Christmas days when neighbours gifted traditional sweets to one another. His cookbook offers an exhaustive list of these goodies and other delicacies that are not as widely prepared as they were once.

An interview:
Why did you want to work on a cookbook on the East Indians?
I wanted to explore the community and its cuisine, and was surprised to learn that there was only one book in the market that dealt with the subject. That particular title is available with the East Indian Bandra Society and is only meant for members of the community.

When I wrote Enduring Flavours in 1998, I simply wanted to learn more about the community. Over the years, I realised there was more to tell.

Who are the East Indians?
They were the original inhabitants of the seven islands that made up Mumbai. There is much confusion over whether the East Indians were converted in the sixth or the 16th century. St Bartholomew, one of Christ's 12 apostles, converted the East Indians to Christianity sometime in the sixth century. But the religion seems to have died out because there were no missionaries. Later, when the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century, the East Indians were baptised again.

When the East India Company was in charge, many Goan and Mangalorean Catholics migrated to Bombay, because Christians were given preference. The local Christian population then adopted the name 'East Indians' to differentiate themselves from those coming to Bombay from other regions. They also wanted to impress upon the Company that they were the earliest converts and were thus were entitled to more privileges.

What is unique about East Indian food?
There is so much to the cuisine, which is not purely coastal or Konkani food. There have been substantial Portuguese, English and Konkani influences. For instance, before the East Indians converted to Christianity, they did not eat beef and pork. But when the Portuguese arrived, they introduced the locals to various meats. The East Indians then prepared these meats using local Maharashtrian masalas.

Now, the food includes various beef and pork preparations. The fusion is evident in their clothes too. Despite being Christians, married women wear mangalsutras and saris, which are drawn up between the legs and tucked in behind the waist in typical Konkani fashion.

What differentiates East Indian food from other Indian cuisines (even from Goan cuisine, despite a shared Portuguese heritage), is its use of masala. The Bottle Masala, which forms the basis of most East Indian preparations, is made up of 36 ingredients, which are hand-pounded to give the food a unique taste.
While everyday dishes are usually plain -- vegetables, dal and rice -- festivals and weddings see special preparations. These include dishes like Fugias (bread), Sarpatels (pork dish) and Vindaloos (pork curry).

Did you face any difficulties when writing this book?
Most recipes don't have any documentation. They have been passed down orally, and recipes of the same dish vary from family to family, because of the way they use their masalas. In fact, many East Indian families claim that no dish can taste the same in two different houses. So I had to visit a lot of old East Indian homes to learn about their different recipes, and later had to standardise it, to bring about uniformity.

Images and recipes from The East Indian Kitchen, published by Westland and Tranquebar Pvt. Ltd. Priced at Rs 395

Swamy's ready plan for a lazy Sunday lunch

Chinchoni Fish Curry
Serves: 4
Ingredients
>>u00a08 fish slices, " thick (pomfret, surmai)
>> 2 tbsp oil
>> 500 ml water
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 2 tsp tamarind pur ufffde

Masala
>> 6-8 dried red Kashmiri chillies
>> 100 g fresh coconut, grated
>> 8-10 garlic flakes, roughly chopped
>> 1 tsp cumin seeds
>>u00a01/2 tsp turmeric powder

Method
>> Soak red chillies in hot water for 1 hour. Drain and grind with remaining masala ingredients to a smooth consistency, gradually adding 3-5 tbsp of water, as required.
>> Wash fish and set aside to drain.
>> In a pan, heat oil and fry the ground masala over low to moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning.
>> Add fish and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
>> Serve hot with steamed rice.

Mutton Lonvas
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
>> 250 g white pumpkin (doodhi)
>> 500 g mutton, on the bone
>> 500 ml mutton stock
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1" piece of ginger, roughly chopped
>> 4 tbsp ghee / oil
>> 8 garlic flakes, finely chopped
>> 2 tbsp bottle masala
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1 tsp black pepper powder
>> 100 ml thick coconut milk
>> 25 ml tamarind pur ufffde

Method
>> Peel pumpkin and cut into 2" cubes.
>> Wash meat and cut into 2" cubes.
>> Boil meat in stock with salt and ginger, till tender. Strain and reserve meat and stock.
>> In a pan, heat ghee or oil. Saut ufffd garlic over low to moderate heat, till fragrant.
>> Add bottle masala and fry well. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning. Add pumpkin, cooked meat, salt, pepper, coconut milk and tamarind pur ufffde.
>> Pour in reserved stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes till the pumpkin is cooked.

Duck Moile
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
>> 1 kg duck
>> 4-6 tbsp ghee / oil
>> 2 medium onions, sliced in rings
>> 12 garlic flakes, sliced in fine julienne
>> 1" piece of ginger, sliced in fine julienne
>> 6 green chillies, sliced in fine julienne
>> 2 tbsp bottle masala
>> 750 ml chicken stock
>> 60 ml brown palm vinegar
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1 tsp black pepper powder

Method
>> Wash duck and cut into 16 pieces.
>> In a pan, heat oil and saut ufffd onions over moderate heat, till golden brown.
>> Add garlic, then ginger and chillies and saut ufffd till fragrant.
>> Mix in bottle masala and fry well, till ghee/oil separates from it. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning.
>> Add duck and fry on high heat to seal the pieces. Stir for 5 minutes before adding the stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Add vinegar, salt and pepper in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot with crusty bread or steamed rice.
>> Variation: Use chicken in place of duck.

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