If cooking Indian recipes in a slow cooker sounds somewhat strange, it’s because the history of dum pukht is not so well known. Dum pukht is a cooking technique two centuries old, which could be the predecessor and oldest ancestor of all crock-pots in the world.
Dum means steam, and pukht, to cut off. “To cut off steam” is a way of cooking foods in a very heavy pot on a very slow flame over charcoal. The unique feature is that this pot would be sealed with a mixture of flour and water to prevent the steam from escaping –hence “cutting it off”.
It is believed by historians that this way of cooking food came from the Indian royalty around 1770 during the Mughal Empire when famine killed 5% of the population of India. A ruler from the North East part of India decided to feed his subjects from the food he had in his own kitchen, and the food was cooked in dum pukht.
Once the famine passed, this way of cooking became very popular. Stewed meats, beans, lentils and other legumes were cooked in these sealed pots, but unlike the modern crock-pot, they couldn’t stay unattended or else they could burn. Royals could have the luxury of foods gently simmered for hours, and that’s something you can think about when cooking your Indian recipes in a slow cooker: you’re giving yourself a royal treatment!
Dum means steam, and pukht, to cut off. “To cut off steam” is a way of cooking foods in a very heavy pot on a very slow flame over charcoal. The unique feature is that this pot would be sealed with a mixture of flour and water to prevent the steam from escaping –hence “cutting it off”.
It is believed by historians that this way of cooking food came from the Indian royalty around 1770 during the Mughal Empire when famine killed 5% of the population of India. A ruler from the North East part of India decided to feed his subjects from the food he had in his own kitchen, and the food was cooked in dum pukht.
Once the famine passed, this way of cooking became very popular. Stewed meats, beans, lentils and other legumes were cooked in these sealed pots, but unlike the modern crock-pot, they couldn’t stay unattended or else they could burn. Royals could have the luxury of foods gently simmered for hours, and that’s something you can think about when cooking your Indian recipes in a slow cooker: you’re giving yourself a royal treatment!
