Clockwise from above:Nimona; Kamal Gatte Ka Halwa; Dahi Palak Ki Chaat As told to Arundhati Basu; Photographs by Rupinder Sharma

Nanhoo, a chef from Hotel Clarks in Benaras, is a master of the Benarasi cuisine, cooking vegetarian dishes in desi ghee and yet not dousing them in it. The food has a comforting home-cooked touch that leaves you licking your fingers.

“The Satvik lifestyle in the holy city of Benaras that rests on the banks of the Ganges calls for a purely vegetarian meal that’s bereft of even onion and garlic. They also happen to be minimally spiced up,” says Nanhoo who has also cooked for Gyani Zail Singh and Indira Gandhi.

The 56-year-old chef has been rustling up delicacies in the kitchen for the last 22 years. According to him, Benarasi cuisine is distinctly different from its Mughlai cousin, the rich, non-vegetarian fare from Lucknow.

The spices that go into a Benarasi dish are also basic — salt, turmeric, red chilli powder — but what is used generously is hing or asafoetida. Says Nanhoo: “The emphasis remains on serving up really fresh food; the fresher the better.”

From top:Nimona; Kamal Gatte Ka Halwa; Dahi Palak Ki Chaat

DAHI PALAK KI CHAAT

Ingredients
50gm paapris 100gm potatoes 100gm yoghurt 50gm spinach 50gm tamarind 50gm jaggery Salt (according to taste) A pinch of coriander powder A pinch of chilli powder Panchforan 5gm chaat masala

Method
First start off with the chutney. Soak the tamarind and the jaggery in water for 30 minutes and then strain out the liquid. In a wok, heat up some oil/desi ghee. Fry panchforan, chilli powder and coriander powder in it. Then pour in the tamarind water. When it thickens, add salt. For the chaat, whisk the yoghurt with a little sugar. Next make pakoras by dipping the spinach in besan. Make the layer thin and fry in a wok with desi ghee. Now on a plate arrange the pakoras. Add boiled potatoes and paapris over them. Sprinkle some chaat masala. Pour yoghurt over it and follow it up with the chutney. As garnish, use coriander powder.

NIMONA

Ingredients
250gm green peas 25gm moong dal vadi 2gm jeera (cumin seeds) 2-3 big-sized elaichis 2-3 bay leaves 1-2tbs desi ghee 1 potato A pinch of hing Water Salt to taste

Method
Nimona is actually best had in winter. For it, shell the peas and make a paste. In a wok, fry the vadis and keep aside till later. In another wok, make a tadka of jeera, hing, elaichis and bay leaves. Fry this for some time. Now put in raw cubed potatoes, pea paste and a cup of water. Simmer for half an hour and finally add the vadis. Serve with rice or rotis.

KAMAL GATTE KA HALWA

Ingredients
150gm sugar 100gm ghee 100gm kamal gatte (lotus seeds) A handful pistachios and almonds

Method
This is one of the easiest to churn out of the lot. But it is a bit difficult to source the lotus seeds. Soak the lotus seeds in water. Peel the outer skin, make a paste of the seeds, add sugar to it and fry in ghee. Cool on a tray and garnish with chopped up pistachios and almonds.