Buknu: A Versatile Spice Mix from Uttar Pradesh

Buknu is a condiment native to homes in Uttar Pradesh, made with a unique blend of spices and herbs, many of which can only be sourced from small stores in the local market. Shriyanshi Shukla’s family has been making buknu for several generations. Here, she shares a closely-guarded recipe that is at least four generation old.

It's funny how certain family traditions often remain shrouded in secrecy. I’ve noticed that family secrets are always closely-guarded. My own family is no exception to this rule. Curious about my family's history, I would often pester my father for stories. One day, he decided to open up an old trunk that was a treasure trove of memories. Inside, we found my grandfather’s published writings, his diary, some fragile, yellowed property papers, and a bundle of random sheets. Inside these, we stumbled upon a well-kept, long-forgotten family recipe for buknu — a condiment that’s a staple in almost every household in Lucknow, and in UP, but, is rarely mentioned elsewhere in the country.

India is home to many beloved spice mixes, which differ from region to region but are similar in their traditions and flavours. From the beloved South Indian mulga podi, to Maharashtrian metkut. Buknu is one such versatile spice mix from Uttar Pradesh. It is a condiment traditionally eaten as a side with onion paratha, regular paratha, or poori; the North Indian equivalent of karam podi, if you will. It complements nearly everything. It makes a great dry chutney for parathas. It is fantastic for digestive health, and the best way to eat it is smeared with a generous dollop of ghee on a day-old roti. In my family, roti buknu is served at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

As my dad pulled out the recipe, he remembered how his grandmother perfected the proportions to create the ideal buknu. My great-grandmother had intended to keep the recipe within the family, a legacy cherished across generations. My dad sourced these hard-to-find ingredients from a local pansari shop in Lucknow, and my mother recreated the recipe. After tasting our buknu, if a relative or neighbour asked about the recipe, my parents would just grin sheepishly and side-step the question. They guarded the family recipe like spies. Until, they understood the vanity of the act. It took months of convincing, 10 rounds of approvals from the family elders, and a whole lot of praying to my ancestors, to finally retrieve the recipe from my parents.

This here is my great-grandmother Ramdulari Agnihotri’s recipe.

SHRIYANSHI SHUKLA’S FAMILY RECIPE FOR BUKNU

Ingredients

250 gm choti harad (small myrobalan)
100 gm badi harad (big myrobalan)
50 gm baheda (terminalia bellerica)
50 gm each of cumin, fennel, ajwain, sonth (dry ginger)
200 gm turmeric
100 gm black salt
50 gm rock salt
10 gm hing
100 gm salt
50 gm vidanga (embelia ribes)
50 gm marood phali (helecteres isora)

Method

Dry roast all the ingredients, until slightly fragrant.
Grind slowly, in batches, and allow it to cool in a dry place.
Store in clean, air-tight containers and it will keep for up to 4-5 years.

Note: It is important to make the buknu in dry season; the damp will spoil it quickly.

Shriyanshi Shukla is a communication professional who gets her serotonin from food and aims to mix her love for food with her penchant for writing in the long term.

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