SLICE OF GREECE
Whenever you bite into a juicy humongous raan sikandari or alexandari, does the
thought ever cross your mind that the dish that celebrates Alexander the Great has no
relationship with the Greeks? Such fakes aside, we have, for years, been flummoxed by
the absence of Indo-Greek recopies.
After all we have had millennia old cultural contacts with that ancient civilization and the
historic encounters have spawned the stunning Gandhara school of art, India. Some of
the most exquisite Buddha images belong to this genre. Then there is theatre – the
curtain is referred to a yavanika in Sanskrit – a give away that it is an import from the
Ionian Islands. Tibb, the traditional system of medicine brought to the sub-continent by
Arab sea farers, has the prefix, ‘unani or yunani’ (Greek) and historians tell us that the
‘mlechchas’ who came in the wake of the legendary commander were accorded the
status of honorary Brahmins recognizing their exceptional knowledge of astronomy.
It is surprising in this context how little has been the interaction in the cultural realm.
This is even more intriguing when we pause to ponder that there are strong natural
affinities between our palate and theirs. Indians and Greeks both are partial to what are
termed Mediterranean vegetables – tomatoes and egg plant. Though they, like the
Italian next door to them, have a weakness for olive oil, they, too, love sesame seeds.
Rice, bulgur and chicken peas in one form or another are an integral part of many
recopies and the seasoned dips bring to mind owr own ‘raita’.
All in all, be it the balancing of meats with vegetables or the delicate use of oriental
species as opposed to western herb, Greek food has a pleasant personality that to our
mind should appeal to Indians across the land.
More over, many of their starters make wonderful summer items – delicacies that are
light, healthy (nutritious), can be prepared in a jiffy and enjoyed cold. The ‘dolmanthas’
that we sampled the other day at the capital’s Greek eatery ‘Greek To Me’ are an
excellent illustration of this. As an interesting aside we may mention that a friend of
mine from Uzbekistan prepares a close cousin – les subtle and more sudstantial – and
calls his creation ‘uluptse’. Enjoy the ‘Dolma’ for now. And be warned, we shall be
talking Greek for a while.
HOW TO MAKE :
Vine leaves – 20
Rice cooked 4/5th in vegetable or chicken – 50gm
Chicken mince – 125gm
Garlic cloves – 2
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Pine nuts – ½ tbsp
Coriander powder – ¼ tbsp
Finely chopped onions – 1 tbsp
Fresh chopped mint leaves – 2 to 3
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Blanch the vine or cabbage in boiling water for half a minute. Refresh in cold water. Pat
dry. Heat oil in a non stick pan. Add onions and cook on medium heat till soft but not
brown. Add garlic cloves along with the chicken mince . Continue stir frying till the mince
changes color and the un cooked smell is gone. Add salt and pepper. Mix well. Remove
from heat and mix with rice. Sprinkle lemon juice, add pine nuts and mint, divide in
equal portions and place in the center of the individual leaves. Roll these into small
cylinders / barells and secure with string. Pack tightly in a flat pan. Cover with about half
a cup of stock. Sprinkle coriander powder and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.
Let it cool and enjoy.
-DR. NAVRAJ SINGH SANDHU, www.navraj@gmail.com
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