Dhansak
Parsi curry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dhansak (Gujarati: ધાનશાક, dhānśāk) is a popular Indian dish, originating among the Parsi community of Gujarat. It is made by cooking chicken or mutton with a mixture of lentils and vegetables. This is served with caramelised rice and fried onions. The dish was adopted during the British Raj into Anglo-Indian cuisine. A version of the dish has become a standard type of curry in the United Kingdom.
Origins
Gujarat's Parsis
Dhansak originated among Gujarat's Parsi community,[1] Zoroastrians who had moved from Persia after the Arab invasion in medieval times.[2]
Dhānśāk is the Gujarati name for a dish of either meat or vegetables in a sweet and sour lentil sauce. The name derives from the Sanskrit dhānya, 'grain', and śāka, 'vegetables' (cf. saag, green vegetables, spinach).[3]
Parsi cuisine often, as here, extends a more expensive ingredient (meat) by combining it with vegetables or lentils.[4] In Parsi homes, dhansak is traditionally made on Sundays,[5] as it is time-consuming to make.[6]
Anglo-Indian to British
During the British Raj in India, merchants of the East India Company met Bombay's Parsis.[2] When the British rebuilt Bombay after an epidemic of the plague in 1896, many Parsi cafes were opened. These sold Parsi dishes, including dhansak, alongside English biscuits and cakes.[7] British merchants employed many Parsis as butlers, and dhansak became a popular Anglo-Indian dish. Returnees eventually brought the recipe home to Britain, where it became a familiar curry in the country's many Indian restaurants.[2] The name "dhansak" was redefined to mean "a slightly sweet lentil curry".[8]
Dish
Dhansak is made by cooking cubes of chicken or mutton with a mixture of lentils and vegetables. Traditionally, four types of pulses were used together.[2] The vegetables used can include aubergines, bell peppers, potatoes, squashes, and spinach.[9] The curry is cooked until the pulses break up and make the sauce thick.[2][3] It is heavily spiced with mild spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, and nutmeg.[3] Stronger flavourings such as garlic, ginger, fenugreek, mustard seed, and chili can be added.[9] The sauce is flavoured with tamarind[2] or lime juice[9] to make it sour, and jaggery sugar to make it sweet, creating a Gujarati-style sweet and sour sauce.[2] The dish is traditionally served with caramelised rice and fried onions.[2]
International recipe variants for dhansak sometimes call for pineapple chunks to provide a sweet flavour.[10][11] Vegetarian versions can use spinach and butternut squash in place of meat.[11]