Lucknow's famous Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb-a melding together of
influences-is seen in its art, architecture, dance and music. But
nowhere is this tehzeeb better represented than in its food, redolent
with the tastes of Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan, and infused with the
flavours of Sindhi, Parsi, Punjabi, Nawabi, Mughlai and British food.
When Sunita Kohli's parents, Chand and Inder Prakash Sur, first settled
in Lucknow after having to leave Lahore following Partition, they
brought with them only the memories of home. In The Lucknow Cookbook
Sunita Kohli and Chand Sur bring together the taste and smells of home
in these 150 well-loved dishes from their kitchens and from the kitchens
of family and friends. These delectable kebabs and soups, biryanis,
pulaos and raitas, mutton, chicken and fish dishes, paranthas and rotis,
vegetables, sweets and puddings, cocktail snacks, chutneys and pickles
are a taste of the fabled Lucknowi tradition of hospitality. A
celebration of the tehzeeb of Lucknow as well as its nazaakat (elegance)
the book is also a portrait of the city and its storied history.