The Khwan Niamut
This appealing little cookbook, published in Calcutta in 1839 with the weighty subtitle “Being a Selection of the Best Approved Recipes, of the Most Flavoured and Savoury Dishes, from the Kitchen of Nawab Qasim Uli Khan, Buhadur Qâum Jung, from the original Persian,” gave colonial Europeans a way to enjoy royal feasts in their own homes. The Khwan Niamut is an entertaining way for today's adventurous cooks to explore Asian dishes in their own homes.
Translated as “Table of Riches,” The Khwan Niamut offers a collection of tempting recipes from the lavish household of Qasim Uli Khan which did indeed allow transplanted colonials to dine like shahs. All the refinements of Persian cookery—from hearty pilaus and curries and kababs to delicate almond comfits and such mandatory accessories as mango and lemon pickles—are served up in the pages of this facsimile edition.
The Khwan Niamut also includes many traditional ways of preserving meats, eggs, fruits, juices, and dairy products, growing mushrooms—“If the water wherein mushrooms have been steeped or washed be poured upon an old bed…there will speedily arise great numbers”—perfuming linen with rose leaves, cloves and mace, and preparing “a fine strong tincture of coffee.” A lengthy appendix caters to British taste buds, allowing homesick colonials to prepare less exotic but more familiar dishes such as mutton hash, veal broth, eel pie, lemon custard, and ginger beer.
To satisfy today's tastes and methods, David Schoonover has updated many festive Persian dishes as a major part of this introduction, which places this cookbook in the context of culinary history. More experienced cooks will enjoy the full range of recipes in The Khwan Niamutusing the tables that translate such measures as chuttacks, mashas, and seers into modern equivalents. Everyone seeking to broaden their culinary repertoire will delight in the recipes and history of The Khwan Niamut.
Persian Cookies
Nan-e Shirini-ye Khoshk
Makes about 30 cookies
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 2 tablespoons cocoa, or 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or grated lemon or orange rind
4 cups flour
1 egg yolk or egg white, beaten (optional)
slivered almonds, ground walnuts, or ground pistachios (optional)
Beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla extract or other flavoring. Add the flour and blend well. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper to the desired thickness. With floured cookie cutters, cut the dough into the shapes desired. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the cookies. If desired, the tops may be brushed with beaten egg yolk or egg white before baking and/or sprinkled with slivered almonds, ground walnuts, or ground pistachios.
Yogurt Soup
Ashe-e Mast
Serves 6-8
1 large onion, shopped
2 tablespoons butter or shortening
1/2 pound shoulder of lamb or lamb shank or ground beef
1/4 cup dried chick-peas
1/4 cup dried white navy beans
1/2 cup dried lentils
1 cup rice
2 tablespoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3-4 quarts water
2-3 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley as garnish
thin slices of lemon as garnish
Saute the onion in the butter or shortening in a large pot until brown. Add the meat and brown it. Add all the other ingredients except the yogurt, cover, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the chick-peas and beans are done; the lentils should be added after the other ingredients have simmered for 1 hour. Remove the meat from the soup, remove the bone and shred the meat, and return the meat to the soup. Stir a few spoonfuls of hot soup into the yogurt to warm it and prevent curdling; then add the yogurt to the soup, stirring gently. Add chopped parsley and/or very thin slices of lemons as a garnish.