For Four Generations, This Family Has Celebrated the Shabbat Flavors of Baghdad and India

Shared by Elli Benaiah
Recipe Roots: Kolkata, India > London > Ramat Gan, Israel > Toronto > Ra’anana, Israel > Basel, Switzerland

For four generations, Elli Benaiah’s family has enjoyed a Shabbat dinner menu of aloo makala or potatoes cooked with turmeric, chicken curry, rice pilau, and stuffed tomatoes and onions called mahasha spiced with fresh ginger and coriander. When Elli was growing up, it was served every Shabbat. Today, the elaborate meal is saved for special occasions, prepared by him in Basel, Switzerland, by his sister in Melbourne, and his brother and mother in Israel. These recipes come from a small community known as the Baghdadi Jews of India, Indian-Baghdadis Jews, or simply Baghdadis. 

The community, according to professor Shalva Weil of Hebrew University who has written on the Baghdadi community, traces its origins to 1730 when a man named Joseph Semah moved from Baghdad to Surat, a city north of modern day Mumbai. By the mid-19th century thousands of Jews from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria migrated to India, escaping persecution under the rule of ruler Daud Pasha and seeking business opportunities.

Approximately 6,000 in total, Shalva says, settled in Kolkata in the east, what is now Mumbai in the west, and inland in Pune, with just a few settling in Kochi in the south. The community worked successfully as traders and merchants with the British selling cotton and opium among other goods. Deeply connected to the British, most Baghdadis left as India gained independence in 1947. “They realized they didn’t have a future in India,” Shalva explains, and resettled in Australia, England, the United States, and Israel.

Elli, a lawyer and caterer who grew up in Israel as the descendant of this community, is determined to preserve its culinary heritage. “I think it’s wonderful,” he says. “And it’s sad that if it disappears, no one will ever know it existed.” He’s kept the stories and recipes of his grandmother Ruby alive at his table and those he caters for through his company Numnum Dellicious in Basel. 

Elli’s grandmother Ruby with her nice in Kolkata.

Ruby’s parents emigrated from Iraq, settling in Kolkata where she was born. Ruby married Elli’s grandfather whose family was part of the Indian Jewish community of Kochi or Cochin in the south of the country, which traces its roots to, some say, biblical times. In Kolkata as a young bride, Ruby didn’t cook. Instead, she was the mistress of the kitchen, Elli explains. Like many well to do Jewish families in India at the time, she oversaw a staff of Indian women who worked in her home, instructing them on Iraqi Jewish dishes and culinary traditions. 

Using what was available in the markets in India, these cooks recreated Iraqi dishes with local ingredients, developing a new cuisine. “To my mind, historically, Iraqi-Indian cuisine is both uniquely Jewish and uniquely Indian,” Elli explains. “It’s new to the Indians, it’s new to the Iraqis, [and] it’s certainly new to Jewish kitchens.”

There are dishes like the aloo makala, or crispy potatoes made with turmeric. The name of the dish itself is a hybrid of traditions: aloo meaning potato in Hindi and makala from old Iraqi Arabic meaning fried, says Elli. “There’s no parallel to this in any place in the world I can think of. It doesn’t exist in Iraq, it doesn’t exist in India.” The dish is served for Friday night dinner with halba, the community’s fenugreek chutney made with coriander and ginger. 

A Jewish bride and groom on their wedding day in Kolkata.

Fresh ginger and coriander are common threads in another dish Elli shared from the community. In India, they were added to mahasha, or stuffed tomatoes and onions, that are popular throughout parts of the Middle East. In Elli’s family, these dishes served with rice pilau and spayty, a curry made with bamboo and coconut cream, and spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, and paprika. 

When Elli’s grandparents moved to London from India, Ruby didn’t know how to cook these dishes, but she brought the flavors of the Baghdadi Jews with her. Elli isn’t certain how she learned to cook, but she may have learned from friends and other members of the community. Overtime, she become renowned for her cooking. “She became my food inspiration,” Elli adds.

His mother Eva, whose family is German, diligently studied at her mother-in-law Ruby’s side and brought her recipes to Israel where the family immigrated when Elli was little. In Israel, more than 2,000 miles from Ruby’s kitchen, the Benaiah family continued to eat the same Shabbat feast each week. “The food became part and parcel of the family menu,” Elli explains, passed down orally and through a handwritten cookbook. “My mother has this recipe book in the handwriting of so many different Indian-born women who preserved those recipes in their homes,” he adds. 

Elli estimates that there are less than 100 people from the Baghdadi community left in Kolkata today, but the recipes, at least in his family, have lived on around the world. He explains: “Some cultures are known by music. Some cultures are known by thoughts, books, ideas. In this culture, the food was something that was tattooed in the nostalgia of people.”

Spayty (Chicken, Bamboo and Coconut Curry)

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 3 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric, divided
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
5 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons ground cumin
8 small-medium potatoes, peeled
1 large onion
1 piece of fresh ginger (2 tablespoons)
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
2 cups of coconut cream
2 teaspoons white vinegar
½ cup water
1 8-ounce can of bamboo shoots, drained and cut into thin slices lengthwise
1 teaspoon garam masala 

Preparation
1. Place the chicken pieces into a large bowl and sprinkle and rub all sides with 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and ½ teaspoon of turmeric. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

2. Place the vegetable oil into a large pot over medium heat. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, and cumin. Fry for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Place all the chicken pieces into the pot with the skin side down. Sear the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken onto a plate. 

4. Place the potatoes into the pot with the oil and spices and fry the potatoes until golden brown on all sides, flipping them occasionally.

5. Meanwhile, place the onion, ginger, and garlic into a food processor. Process the mixture until a paste is formed, about 2 minutes. Add the paste to the pot with the fried potatoes. Add the paprika and remaining ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric. Cook until golden, about 4 to 6 minutes. Place the chicken pieces back into the pot with the skin side up. Add the coconut cream, vinegar, water and bamboo shoots into the pot. Cover the pot and cook on medium-low heat for about 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

6. Sprinkle garam masala over the curry and serve hot. 

Mahasha (Tomatoes and Onions Stuffed with Chicken and Rice)

Makes: About 6 to 8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients
10 tomatoes on the vine or campari tomatoes
2 large yellow onions

For the filling:
1 pound ground chicken
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
5 fresh celery leaves, finely chopped
5 to 8 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 teaspoons fresh ginger ginger, finely grated
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 teaspoons ground cumin
5 teaspoons ground coriander

For the pan:
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

Preparation
1. Slice each tomato ¾ of the way crosswise about ½ inch from the top of the tomato,leaving the top attached. Scoop out the tomato seeds and meat from the inside and discard. Set aside.

2. Bring a medium pot full of water to a boil. Peel the onions and cut off the onion root.  Slice each onion lengthwise halfway through the center of the onion. Place the onions into the boiling water and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until the onion layers are soft and start to seperate. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove the onions from the boiling water and let them cool until they can be handled easily. Keep the pot of water boiling on high heat. Gently separate each onion layer without tearing. Place the separated onions layer on the aside. 

3. Place the rinsed and drained rice into the pot of boiling water and cook it for about 5 minutes. Drain and discard the water.

4. Place all the ingredients for the filling into a large bowl and mix to combine well. 

5. Stuff the tomatoes: Using your hands, place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling into the cavity of each tomato. 

6. Stuff the onions: Lay out one onion layer. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture on the left side of the inside of the onion layer. Starting with the edge closest to the filling roll the onion layer up into a sealed torpedo shape. Continue with the remaining onion layers. 

7. Place the oil into the bottom of a large Dutch oven or saucepan and heat over medium-low. Add 2 teaspoons of turmeric, 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar, and ½  teaspoon of salt into the oil and stir. Gently place all the tomatoes along the outer edge of the pan, with their top side down in one layer. Gently place the onions into the middle of the pan with their seam side down in the same layer as the tomatoes. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt over the tomatoes and onions. Cover and continue cooking for 15 to 25 more minutes until the filling is cooked through and the tomatoes and onions are tender.

8. Once ready, uncover the pan and sprinkle the remaining lemon juice over the vegetables. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.

Rice Pilau

Makes: 6 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
1½ teaspoons salt
3 bay leaves
5 cloves
5 cardamom  pods
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 cups boiling water
1 carrot, peeled washed and grated
1 cup fresh green peas or frozen peas, defrosted

Preparation
1. Place the oil into a medium pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the rice and gently fry it until the grains  become clear, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the salt, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric to the pot and stir well. Cook for another 30 seconds.

3. Add 2 cups of boiling water into the pot or enough water to just cover the rice. Increase the heat to high and bring the water and rice mixture to a boil. Immediately place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 18 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Keep the rice covered and set it aside for another 10 minutes. 

4. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the carrots and peas into the rice. Gently mix until the carrots and peas are distributed evenly through the rice. 

5. Serve hot.

Aloo Makala (Fried Potatoes)

Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Total Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients
3 pounds small golden potatoes, peeled
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups vegetable oil 

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot filled with water ¾ the way up to a boil over high heat. Add the turmeric and salt and mix. Gently place the potatoes into the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a boil and partially cook potatoes for about 5 to 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and let potatoes dry on a paper towel lined tray.

2. Heat the oil in a deep 2-quart pan or sauce pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is simmering or a thermometer placed into the oil reads 350 degrees, gently place the par-cooked potatoes into the oil using a slotted spoon. Fry the potatoes over high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, rotating the potatoes often until a light golden crust develops on the potatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, lightly turning the potatoes to prevent sticking, until they start to wrinkle, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Just before serving, increase the heat back to high and fry, turning the potatoes often until they are evenly cooked and deep golden brown in color and crispy, about 10 more minutes. Transfer the fried potatoes with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined tray.

4. Serve hot with a side of halba.