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If this Osama is fanatic about anything then it is food. Although from Rampur, Osama Jalali is no nawab but his kink for kitchens is surely a legacy inherited by him from Rampur's legendary royalty.
The area around Rampur has always been coveted for its agricultural wealth. When Afghan Pathans came in hordes from almost barren mountains into the plains of South Asia they had first served as warriors in the armies of the Delhi Sultanate founded in the early 13th century. Once the rulers had consolidated their power in the new capital city of Delhi, armies branched out into the lush countryside to conquer some more fertile fields bursting with grains and pulses of a thousand variety all year round.
From warriors, these people gradually settled as landowners, the more powerful amongst them later declaring themselves masters and lording over those with none, or lesser assets.
The Jalali Pathans enjoy a somewhat similar history although the family did not make it to the throne of Rampur. Before settling down in the plains, the Jalalis too must have had wholesome lakshari meals in the tradition of nomadic armies used to preparing and consuming food in a hurry. As the same warriors settled down to a more permanent lifestyle and changed their profession from fighters to farming, they found enough leisure to make exciting experiments in all aspects of life, including eating.
“While lakshari wholesomeness remains the signature of Delhi's Mughal cuisine and exaggerated refinement marks the melt in the mouth meals of Lucknow, the Rampur feasts are a mouthwatering blend between the two equally favourite kitchens,” says Osama food critic and curator of food festivals, specialising now in the art of riwaayat or reviving traditional recipes from ordinary homes in Rampur.
Over time the mostly barbecued meat of animals slaughtered after a hunt by the warriors was marinated and cooked in a tenderizer like pulped raw papaya, or yoghurt. Often a variety of vegetables and sometimes whole grains and spices available in such abundance around the fertile fields of this part of the Indo Gangetic plains were also thrown into meat pots, to produce the most magical meals found on this side of the Ganges river.
People continued to feast and to fast here till Rampur was declared a British protectorate in the late 18th century. Its rulers were expected to fight even less battles then and used the wealth generated from the agricultural produce around them to concentrate on high living, leaving colonialists to fight their dirty wars for them. This relief from military responsibility provided ample time to both the people and princes of Rampur to perfect finer things in life like poetry, literature, entertaining and eating well.
By the time Osama was born, his paternal grandfather had already migrated back to Delhi from Rampur. Osama grew up in a neighbourhood of Old Delhi in the Jama Masjid area opposite the original restaurant Karim's. He could not have asked for more. At home he was fed on meals prepared by Nazish, his mother from Rampur and on the streets of old Delhi he had access to a variety of sumptuous eateries.
Naturally Osama eventually graduated into an incorrigible finger licking foodie, critic and food festival curator holding his good cook mother responsible for his insatiable appetite for feasting.
“What could I do if unlike other children Osama chose to hang around the kitchen,” smiles Nazish. happy that her mutual love for pots and pans with her son is now taking them places.
Osama who is averse to pizza picking and McDonalds munching meals now curates food festivals with his mother. This started after a chance encounter with a marketing official from the Oberoi chain of hotels at an iftar walk led by Osama last ramazan.
After the event Osama was asked to address a first time four day food conclave at the hotel when 32 chefs from 24 chains of the same hotel met to watch and to learn from Nazish who was projected on a giant screen preparing the choicest of meals from the Jalali family kitchen.
“The event held early this year was a festival in itself,” smiles Malika Dasgupta, managing communications, the Oberoi Group adding that the knowledge that the chefs have received from Nazish is precious and on display at periodic festivals held at the different properties of the same hotel.
At the three week long rivaayat-e-Rampur hosted by The Oberoi Gurgaon, Nazish served both vegetarian and non-vegetarian rare Rampuri food like kathal ki shaami, hari mirch keem, laute palaute. bharva karela, mutton biryani, aloo ka zarda and more.
Although just taar ghosht and Rampuri tandoori roti, the yummy mother of all meals is more than enough, even if it means eating nothing else for the rest of one's life.
