‘We find our own path through the jungle’

Ishtiyaque Qureshi 55 Kakori House chefownerCY Gopinath 70 writer and communication strategistThey unite exclusively over meaty meals CY Gopinath Gopi now settled in Thailand considerably contoured Bombayrsquos journalism scene from 1979 to 2000 Celebrity chef Ishtiyaque Qureshi whose ancestors stirred the fires of Awadhi Nawabs from two centuries ago can never be confined to a menu The Kebab Kingrsquos djinnlike powers stretch beyond shaping lauki mussalam like a fish or presenting kathal jackfruit biryani delicious enough to leave diners wondering how it cannot be muttonCurrently a midday columnist as well Gopirsquos professional prowess covers advertising filmmaking marketing graphic design TV serial production and writing music Several of todayrsquos senior writers and editors are alumni of Sol Features the writersrsquo collective he ran which provided innovative readable stories at rates enabling writers to live off journalismIshtiyaque with his father Imtiaz Qureshi who put North West Frontier cuisine on the culinary mapWith Kakori House outposts across town Ishtiyaque honours his forebears who distinctively perfected the culinary art of Dum Pukht the style that cooks food in its own juices sealing the pot edges with dough dum is ldquoclosed vesselrdquo pukht is ldquorefinedrdquo His father Padma Shri Imtiaz Qureshi founded the Bukhara and Dum Pukht restaurants at the Maurya Sheraton Delhi Believing that tehzeeb and tehseer ideally combine for a proper appreciation of dishesmdashtehzeeb being the civilised way food is served and tehseer its effect on healthmdashIshtiyaque ensures that his vegetarian delicacies like kebabetanzeel are as craved by meat loversReviewing his friendrsquos flair Gopi once wrote in The Bombay Times ldquoIshtiyaque Qureshi controls food If he doesnrsquot want his onions to brown just yet they will patiently await further instructions If he wants the garlic to go to sleep it will go to sleep pretending itrsquos an almondhellip I was delighted to be his guinea pig in experiments In one he served what seemed like an almond kheer except the lsquoalmondsrsquo were pods of garlic whose ego he subjugated by careful ministrations in simmering milk converting them into something nawabi and aristocraticrdquoCY Gopinath We first met at the Dum Pukht restaurant in what used to be Sea Rock Hotel in Bandra Ishtiyaquersquos father Imtiaz Qureshi had introduced Lucknowi dum cuisine at ITCrsquos Maurya Hotel in Delhi and it was all the rage Writing about the restaurant I had a few words with IshtiyaqueIshtiyaque Qureshi Rewinding a bithellip When I was 12 during school holidays my father skilfully lured me to the Maurya operations With temptations of swimming in the pool and eating at the bakery kitchen mein bhi daal diya Fond of science I put that interest to use Fermentation and radiation are processes vital to cookery I applied to college but my father insisted I joined work immediately and I went to Jeddah in 1986 On returning I interviewed with ITCrsquos Chairman YC Deveshwar in 1989 at Delhirsquos Maurya Sheraton and found myself at Dum Pukht Bombay Their marketing department invited journalists to the restaurant Thatrsquos how Gopi came Another wellknown critic then was Jiggs Kalra with his Evening News column Platter ChatterCYG Ishtiyaquersquos culinary inventiveness drew me to him He has an infectious enthusiasm when talking about food Or new recipes experimented withmdashsuch as a dessert milk pudding withmdashof all things garlic Through hours of slow cooking he subdued the garlicky taste describing it in unforgettable Urdu ldquoLahsoon ko doodh mein shaheed karna padta hairdquo So that was the Martyred Garlic Milk Pudding There were others like thisIQ Bombay appealed despite the working situation growing bad with Datta Samantrsquos union demanding ldquoDilliwale murdabadrdquo I especially liked Bandra with coastal parks like Joggers and different friends I could make in the city like GopiCYG Irsquove mainly met Ishtiyaque in kitchens and restaurants The only other time was at a farewell party we threw when I moved with my family to work in Africa Ishtiyaque gifted me a tandoor grill he designed himself and came over to deliver itIQ My upbringing has been all about the importance of aadaab Manners The added openness to adapt is thanks to people like Gopi whorsquoll say ldquoKuch naya karordquo When he was here from Bangkok in 2017 he and I prepared a full feast of ustukhuddus or lavender lavender kheer chicken in lavender and meat chops in lavender CYG Hersquos a good sport always game to go where others hesitate I admire his willingness to fool around with new recipes combinations and flavours I worked for a year at Readerrsquos Digest after five years in the legendary JS magazine of Calcutta But after that I just branched out like Ishtiyaque finding my own path through the jungleA lone eagle doing his own thing while younger siblings have salaried jobs in hotels Ishtiyaque has been the family ldquoblack sheeprdquo but in a good way I believe he is his fatherrsquos favourite Now with his handlebar moustache he even looks like his fatherIQ Amazingly Gopi stays calm through the shor sharaba of kitchens Irsquom impatient and restless He keeps me measured coolCYG Our meeting is very erratic We got in touch recently after years of disconnection Whenever Irsquom in Mumbai I try see if hersquos around and free When we do meet itrsquos instantly congenial and the years melt away Like picking up a conversation where you have left itIQ Gopirsquos creativity with words and ideas is brilliant Kakori House is dedicated to the worldrsquos softest seekh kebabs With the Deonar abattoir closing lockdown unavailability of mutton and the big issue of no beef I was keen to make a different red meat item with chickenmdashmajboori thi Gopi hit upon Murgori simple crisp to the point And also drew a unique brand design for itCYG Irsquove lived outside India for too longmdash16 years in Bangkok six in Africamdashto be knowledgeable about the Mumbai food scene Ishtiyaque has recently created his difficult chicken kakori kebab which I suggested he call Murgori Thatrsquos sure to be disruptive in the world of grilled meatsAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes monthly on city friendships You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom