A Rhapsody of Cuisine

Islamabad

We Pakistanis love to eat and appreciate good food, going miles out of our way to try out new places that serve certain specialties or different kinds of cuisine in general. In the same context, a good recipe book is something to treasure, as well as consult over and over again when we want to try out something different that is totally out of our range of expertise.

Fitting the bill for exciting forays into the realm of cooking is the recipe book, ‘A Rhapsody of Cuisine,’ a comprehensive guide to the specialties found in different parts of Pakistan, reflecting the culture of a particular place or community.

Compiled by Zeenat Azra Khan who whom cooking, in her own words, is a labour of love. “Cooking is an art as well as a science,” she says. “It is to be pursued with passion and singled minded focus.”

The book has been divided into sections so you can find the recipe of your choice without wasting time looking for it.

Beginning with recipes from her own family heritage, the House of Navayath, the author has gathered recipes from the haveli’s of Hyderabad; the Bohra; Parsi and Ismaili communities; from the valley of Hunza; Chitral and Kashmir, along with the cuisine of the main provinces of Pakistan, for many of which she has acknowledged the input she has received from ‘family; friends and acquaintances.’ 

An additional section titled ‘Here and There,’ includes a few European and other main and side dishes. While food from the different provinces and the many ways it is cooked and presented is quite familiar to most of us, it is intriguing to see recipes like ‘Machi Bhut’ (Ismaili) ‘Ghalmandi,’ (Chitral) and other unfamiliar ones, the names of which most people have not even heard of, let alone tasted the result! It makes you want to read the book to get to know the cuisine of these places and then maybe try and prepare them for family or friends, or just to indulge your love of cooking!

Another aspect of the book which is enjoyable is that Zeenat - who previously penned the book, ‘From My Table To Yours’ - has added interesting anecdotes and the background of some of the recipes; tips and important points; advised and emphasized cleanliness in the kitchen and while cooking; and added comments on how she added or subtracted ingredients according to taste and availability, an aspect that is very important especially if you are a novice cook!

All in all, ‘A Rhapsody of Cuisine’ is worth having to improve your culinary skills and try something new. A hard cover book, well illustrated and good to look at, it will also make a good addition to your library besides giving you interesting recipes to try!