The magic of heirloom dishes
The Hindu
Hot and spicy Hari Mirch Keema, prepared by Village Degh, is therapeutic too
There was a time when a head cold meant a trip to Kasabpura in Old Delhi. A magician called Haji Chuni sat there with his degh (large cooking pot) full of mirchi keema, the most delicious keema curry that I have ever had. It used to be so chilli-hot that it cleared up your blocked nose in a matter of minutes. The bawarchi would add half a kilo of chillies to every kilo of minced meat.
I remembered it fondly as I tried out a dish called Filmistan Hari Mirch keema (₹1145 for 750 grams) a few days ago. This had been prepared and presented by a kitchen called Village Degh (www.villagedegh.com) in Gurugram. When the kitchen’s owner Sameer Dhar called me up and told me about the enterprise, I was intrigued — largely because the place makes just six dishes. I have noticed that food items at eateries with limited or focused menus are usually good. And then, of course, I was happy to know that on the menu was minced meat with green chillies.
The Hari Mirch Keema was certainly memorable. It was hot and tasty, though not as hot as the original. The green chillies in this dish lent not just hotness to the meat, but added their distinct flavour to it, and went well with khamiri roti (two for ₹95).
The food is cooked in earthenware or copper vessels over a spitfire, in a ‘mitti ka chulha’, Dhar explained. He had spent a part of his childhood in Kashmir and remembered how food was slow-cooked. “In winter, we used to be cut off from the rest of the world: no electricity, no LPG, no markets, no roads, nothing,” he said. “That’s what led to the chulha cooking and the Village degh concept.”
Magic of slow cooking
Indeed, it is the slow cooking that gives its dal (Dal Langar – ₹695 for one kilo) a smoky flavour. A mix of kali dal, Bengal gram and rajma, it had been left to simmer overnight and then tempered with ghee. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Another dish that won my heart was the Reshedaar Mirzapuri Shammi Kebab (₹995 for eight large pieces). I love reshedaar kebabs – where the meat is chewy and fibrous, and not ground to a fine mix.
Village Degh’s kebabs were especially good because of the quality of the mutton — tender cuts — and the fact that just a small quantity of chana dal had been used for binding the meat. The ratio was perfect, giving the kebabs just the right taste and texture.