Desi Recipes - Baloch Cuisine
Like other provinces, Balouchistan is influenced by pre-partition India. Among other issues, Balouchi cuisine has also been influenced. However, there is a considerable mixture in this cuisine, some from India, some from other provinces in Pakistan, and a very strong influence from Afghanistan as well. Largely tribal people and herdsmen populate the province of Balouchistan, and all these people have over the years learned from the influences around them.
Balouchistan is famous for dishes that are made from meat, particularly mutton, and biryani is one of the favorites here. In addition to these, there are also several kinds of dry dishes and curries that are common.
The food ingredients that are mostly known in Balouchi cuisine include: potatoes, goat cheese, dry fruits and vegetables, milk and yogurt, mutton, and fish. Fresh vegetables are almost entirely absent from this cuisine because of the fact that the region is drought prone.
Aside from the spices in Balouchistani cuisine, there is an important point to consider, and that is the use of meats. Balouchistani cuisine only uses halal meats. Meat, such as pork, is prohibited. However, you will find beef, mutton and chicken in Balouchistani cuisine. 90% of Balouchi cuisine consists of meat-based dishes.
Special Equipment for Balouchi Cooking
Preparing any kind of food requires the use of cooking equipment that can possibly be the best and most convenient to use. In Balouchi cuisine, there are several kinds of utensils used for cooking. Each of these has a particular purpose for making things more convenient in cooking.
Generally, you may use almost any utensil you wish, but there are particular ones that you need for certain things. Let’s say you need to marinate mutton. Now, doing so using a stainless steel utensil will do just fine. However, you would rather marinate mutton in an earthenware utensil. This would be for two reasons. The first is that the mutton is kept cool in it, and secondly it has a better taste and texture.
In addition to using earthenware to marinate foods, you may need some other vessels such as a boiling vessel for boiling rice and other foods.
Generally when you cook rice, you should not use the utensil for any other purpose. If you do, the taste of your rice will not be the same. This is because oily residue will be left in the rice utensil.
Strainers, drainers and large spoons are some of the other things you need to cook with. Large vessels like deghs are also important when cooking in large quantities. Large spoons are very important because you would need them to churn the food in side large vessels like deghs.
One other important cooking apparatus is the tawa. A tawa is used to fry food or cook chapatti or parhatta. Generally though naans and kulchas are more common in Balouchi cuisine, cooking them requires you to have an oven or a kiln. Generally speaking, kilns are common in Balouchistan. People even have them in their homes on order to cook their naans and kulchas.
Preparation Methods for Balouchi Cooking
Methods of preparing Balouchi food are important to follow in order to achieve the best possible Balouchi flavored foods. The methods of seasoning, marinating, etc. are all important in achieving the best taste possible. There, all the spices and ingredients in the correct quantities, as well as the timing and strength of flame used should be adhered to. Since meats are usually used for making Balouchi dishes, marinating and seasoning is almost always employed. Mostly mutton is prepared in these dishes, and the period for marinating mutton may depending on the type of texture you want.
When meats such as mutton are marinated or seasoned, they produce the best taste for Balouchi dishes. This method also allows the meat to soften, and sometimes this method is employed to overnight cooking. This means that the meat is soaked or marinated overnight. The result is that odors from any meat are removed, and the taste is smoother as well. Sometimes marinating mutton may be done using tamarind water or even lemon. However, a more common method of marinating meat is by using ultra-sour yoghurt. The marinated piece of meat is usually left over a lava stone grill. It may also be left over a charcoal grill.