Penda
Penda is a special dish that is widely eaten in Marwat, Bannu, Waziristan and their surroundings. There are different variations of the dish for each tribe. The word "Penda" is derived from the Pashto word "Panda" which literally means "A Lot". True to its name, Penda is prepared in big quantities and many people sit together to eat it. It is for this reason that it is served in large dishes (called "Thal"). There are no formalities involved, therefore everybody eats from this same "Thal" while sitting around it in circles.
It is seldom prepared by the household for itself, in fact its generally prepared and served for guests, at weddings, or other such important occasions. In villages, men get together every night in somebody's Betak or Hujra. A few of them are appointed the task of preparing the "Sohbat". If it is time to eat, this Sohbat is usually Penda but if people have eaten already, then this Sohbat is something sweet to go after the food; usually Halwa (locally known as "Rosha"). These men prepare the Sohbat under the watchful eyes of everybody else. It is also said that the Prophet PBUH's favorite dish was called "Sureed" which is made in the same way as Penda.
The main ingredients are Chicken and a specially made bread called Paastis. The term Paasti again comes from the Pashto word "Pasta" which means "soft". The traditional 'Paasti' are extremely thin like paper and very big in diameter (around half a meter). In nowadays time, we have the facility of large "Teghna's" that is big enough for its size. But in yester-years, Paasti's would be prepared on empty Charcoal barrels (known locally as "Butt") that would be cut in half. Whatever the method, preparing these delicate Paasti requires experience and great care.
Paasti's
are the only ingredient that make its preparation a time consuming task.
Therefore those who can afford to do so give orders to local hotels to prepare
the Paasti's for them. This is easily done locally but in other cities, it is
difficult because not many people know how to prepare it. In all of Peshawar,
there are only two or three hotels that specially prepare these for you on
order. The most popular and the most easy one to find is Delhi Muslim Hotel in
Peshawar Saddar (near Chowk Fuwara). Abroad, the closest match to the 'Pasti'
are an arabic variation of the bread that is sold in ethnic stores
(Pictured).
Click to watch video of
preparing Pasti on a Butt
Utensils Needed:
- Thal (large Circular Tray deep enough to hold all the ingredients once prepared. See Picture to get an idea)
- Large Tabakhay (If preparing the Pastis on your own. We wont be using this in this recipe because we will be ready-cooked ones.)
- Large Pot (for preparing Shorwa)
Compulsory Ingredients:
Measurement Notes: Please note that unlike ordinary "Tarkari", we will be using AT LEAST double of everything in the ingredients. For e.g., if you put 2 onions normally, for Penda you will need 4 onions, if you put 2 spoons of salt normally, you will need 4 spoons of salt, etc. etc.
Masala Notes: A special kind of Masala is used for preparing the Shorwa. This masala is quite easy to obtain locally as everybody knows it. But for those who cannot obtain it that easily, the closest to it is a combination of "National's Qorma Masala" and "National's Curry Masala". These asian masala's tend to be quite strong so it is always better to obtain some from back home which are much milder.
- Cooking Oil (Half liter)
- Onions (chop all and leave at least half an onion aside)
- Garlic (Chopped)
- Tomatoes (Chopped)
- Potatoes (Cut in Half)
- Chicken (Whole)
- Paasti (Find and Purchase them)
- Salt
- National's Qorma Masala + Curry Masala
- Plenty of Water
Optional Ingredients:
- Coriander Leaves (Chopped or Grinded. For side-Chutney)
- Green Chillies (For side-Chutney)
- Yogurt (For side-Chutney)
- Lemon (For side-Chutney)
Procedure
Preparing the Shorwa:
- Fry the Onions in the Cooking Oil along with Chopped Garlic until they are
light brown. (The Onions should be completely sub-merged in the oil. Use Olive
Oil or Soya Bean Oil if you are that concerned about your health.)
- Add the following once the onions are light brown:
- Washed Chicken Pieces
- Chopped or Grinded Tomatoes
- Combination of both Masalas (At least double the amount of what you would put normally)
- Salt (We will be putting double amount of salt as well)
- Potatoes
- Keep on heating on a medium flame until you are certain that the chicken & potatoes are cooked properly. (This will normally be done within 20 minutes or little longer)
- Once the chicken and potatoes are cooked properly, take a clean dish and take out both of them from the Shorwa. The Shorwa will now undergo a kind of "thinning process". We take out both the chicken and potatoes because if we cook them much longer, they will fall apart in the broth and hence the aim of "thinning" the shorwa will not be achieved. If the shorwa is not thin enough, it won't be absorbed easily by the Paastis.
- Add water to what's left behind after taking out both the chicken and potatoes. (Note: Lets suppose you have 1 litre of Shorwa, then add 1 1/2 litre (1.5 lt.) of extra water to it.)
- Keep on cooking till the layer of oil is evident on the surface of the
broth.
Preparing the Tarhka:
- Once the Shorwa is prepared, you will see that there is a lot of oil on the surface of the Shorwa. If there isn't, that means you didn't put enough Oil in it.
- Separate the oil from the Shorwa with the help of a cup or large spoon; gradually collecting the oil from its surface.
- Take a frying pan and put this oil into it. Add the chopped onions that you had set aside previously.
- Fry these onions until they are dark brown.
- Turn off the fire and set this Tarhka aside.
Preparing the Chutney:
- Grind the Coriander leaves and Green Chillies
- Add them both to yogurt
- Add salt and Squeezed Lemon to taste
Preparing the Penda:
- As stated earlier, the Paasti are quite big in size. They will be broken
into pieces such that they are neither big nor small. If they are too big,
that would mean they are difficult to swallow. If they are too small, they
would absorb the Shorwa too quickly and turn into an un-appetizing mess within
10 minutes. A good yardstick is to break them into sizes as big as your hand
(roughly 10x5 cm).
- There is no need to warm up the pasti's. Once you put the hot shorwa on it, it will get warm automatically.
- Level the broken pieces of Pasti in the Thaal.
- Pour the Shorwa to the sides of the Thaal and on top of the Pasti's. Don't pour all the Shorwa together. Instead pour it in a slow manner such that the base of the Thaal is filled. There is also no need to mix the pieces of Pasti in the Shorwa with hand or other utensil. The Pastis will itself absorb the "Thin Shorwa". (That is if you followed our procedure and made it thin)
- Put the Chicken Pieces and Potatoes on the middle of the Penda Thaal.
That's it ... Enjoy
