Trout & Green Mango Curry

As a child I always loved eating raw mangoes and also enjoyed them when cooked with fish or meat. Still cannot forget the taste of the fish curry with raw mangoes that my mom used to make for lunch on a hot summer day.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Trout or any other fish filets - 1lb
Green mango - 1 large
Onion - 1 large
green chillies - 2-3 small
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Vegetable oil - 2 tbs
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean wash and towel dry the trout or any other fish. Set aside.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauce pan, fry the sliced onion to golden brown.

3. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilly and coriander powder and salt. Stir and mix well. 

4. Peel the green mango and cut into 4 quarters and add them to the onion masala.

5. Then immediately add the trout filets too along with the green chillies. Turn over the fish pieces gently to mix with the masala. Cover and leave it to simmer on low flame till the mango becomes tender and the fish is cooked. Sprinkle a little water if the sauce is too thick.

6. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and let the sauce thicken a bit on simmer. When you start getting the  aroma, the fish is ready.

7. Garnish the trout curry with chopped cilantro and serve hot with boiled rice and enjoy!

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Red bell pepper & chicken meat ball curry

The sweetness of the red bell pepper in the chicken mince gives a new dimension to the dish. This is one of the chicken dishes which is quick and easy to make.

Here's the recipe:

 

Ingredients for the koftas (meat balls): 
1kg chicken breast cut into cubes
1 large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 a red bell pepper chopped
1 strand of cilantro
1 strand of parsley
1-2 small green chillies
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbs corn flour
3/4 tsp green cardamom powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp juice of lime/lemon
Salt as required

Ingredients for the curry:
1 large onion
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
4 green chillies
A little cilantro and parsley chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt as required.
Wholes spices (1/2" cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1bayleaf and 4 green cardamoms)

Yield: 15 Koftas

Method: 

1. Clean, rinse, towel dry the chicken breast, cut into cubes and keep aside.

2. Finely chop the onions, the red pepper,  cilantro, parsley, green chillies and keep aside.

3. Make ginger garlic paste.

4. Rub the chicken cubes with salt, lemon juice and leave to marinate in the freezer for half an hour.

5. Add turmeric, cumin, black pepper, green cardamom powder, ginger garlic paste, corn flour and all the chopped vegetables to the partially frozen marinated chicken.  Mince everything together in a mincer/grinder using the medium mincing plate. Sprinkle a little more salt for the vegetables before grinding.  It is easier to grind and get a good texture when the chicken cubes are a bit frozen.

6. Make round balls with the chicken mince. Set aside 2 tbs of vegetable oil for the curry and heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan with a handle.

7. Shallow fry the chicken meat balls quickly, 2 or 3 at a time by turning and tossing them over. Remove them as soon as they turn opaque. No problem if they are still raw inside as they are going to cook in the curry. This way they remain soft. They would harden if you over cook them.

8. Meanwhile fry the onions with the whole spices to golden brown in the reserved 2 tbs of oil in a sauce pan. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, coriander powder and salt, stir for a few seconds,  then add thick yoghurt. Mix well to make a smooth sauce. You could remove the whole spices and the green chillies and use a hand blender or just mash the onions with the back of a wooden spoon. All depends on how finely you slice the onions and how gently and slowly you brown them on medium to low heat which helps them soften easily and blend in with the other ingredients to make a smooth sauce. In that case you don't require a hand blender at all.

9. Now poke the meat balls lightly with a tooth pick and gently drop them in the curry. Sprinkle 1/2 a cup of water around the sides of the sauce pan, cover with a lid and leave it to simmer for sometime till they get cooked completely. 

10. Add chopped coriander and when the sauce thickens and reaches the desired consistency remove from the stove. Garnish with some chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or chappatis. Enjoy!

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Tangy sweet bittergourd masala

Ingredients: 

Bitter gourds - 4

Onions sliced - 1 large

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Dried red chilies - 1- 2 small

Chopped Ginger

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Brown sugar - 1/2 tsp

Vegetable oil - 2 tbs

Cilantro - 2 tbs

Method: 

1. Scrape the bitter gourds lightly, cut them lengthwise into two halves, scoop out the contents and cut into thin juliennes and keep aside.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauce pan, add the mustard seeds when they splutter add the dried whole red chillies, slit green chilies and curry leaves followed by the bitter gourd juliennes.

3. Add the dry masala - turmeric, cumin, coriander & garam masala powders. Mix well, sprinkle a little water, cover it with a lid and let it simmer on low flame for a few minutes, giving it a stir every one and then, till it is just tender. 

4. Add the sliced onions and chopped coriander.  Sprinkle some salt, lemon juice and lastly brown sugar, mix well, cover it with the lid and simmer for a few more minutes till the onions soften a bit.  Remove from the stove, garnish with chopped coriander and serve with chappatis or rice. 

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Lamb Suthriyan (Indian Pasta)

Suthriyan is a traditional muslim pasta dish made by the muslim community in Chennai. It is mostly made with lamb or shrimp and coconut milk. Whenever I make it here in Canada, it brings back to me vivid memories of my past of how we enjoyed eating Suthriyan at our family get togethers and picnics,  how we would all sit together around the pot of Suthriyan, heap up our plates and eat to our heart's content till we wiped off  the pot all clean. Oh, so delicious indeed were the lip smacking Suthriyan with the chunks of lamb melting in your mouth!

Suthriyan (indian pasta) are made with white flour and are available in the stores in Chennai. There is another kind of suthriyan made with chappati flour (finely ground wheat flour) which are made at home by rolling out flat breads, cutting them into diamond shapes and then drying them on a piece of clean cloth spread on the table or in the sun. These are a bit chewy and not as soft as the white suthriyan which melt in the mouth. 

Suthriyan should be first cooked in boiling water to which coconut milk is added before mixing in the gravy. This cooking technique not only enhances their flavour but also keeps them separate (does not make them stick  together in clusters) and helps them cook faster as well. If you add them directly to the gravy to cook them, they will not cook evenly and you will be left with some cooked and some half cooked ones. So it is sometimes better not to take short cuts.

The cut of lamb that you choose is also important. It is preferable to add a few pieces of lamb breast along with the lamb shoulder with the bones for this recipe. The excessive fat on the top should be trimmed off leaving the thick wedge of edible fat (which is hard and doesn't peel off) under which is the layer of soft meat on the bone and it should be cut into single short rib pieces. The soft and succulent shoulder pieces blend with the softness of the suthriyan pasta and melt in the mouth. The lamb breast is also soft and chewy and it adds more meaty flavor and taste. So delicious and yummy!

 Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Lamb Shoulder  1.5 kg (Shoulder meat plus some pieces of lamb breast)

Suthriyan - 1 kg
Vegetable oil - 1 cup

Onions - 5 large (1lb) thinly sliced

Tomatoes - 4 large (400gm) quartered.

Mint leaves - 1/4 cup

Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 6 whole
Fresh Lemon - 1/2

Ginger garlic paste - 200 gm
Yoghurt - 1 cup (3.5%) or home made from whole milk. 
Coconut milk - 2 cans ("Real Thai Coconut milk" or extract milk from 1 fresh coconut).
2 litres of Water for boiling Suthriyan

Cloves - 10

Green cardamom - 10

Cinnamon sticks - 2
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste.

1 small sliced onion to sauté for garnish
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 2 tsp

1. Remove the skin, trim the fat, clean and wash the lamb pieces well and set aside.

2. In a pot heat the vegetable oil, add the whole spices - cloves, cardamom and cinnamon sticks to the oil followed after a few seconds by the sliced onions. Fry them on medium heat.

3. When the onions turn golden brown add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric and red chilly powders.
Mix the spices then add the lamb pieces and roast them in the masala till they turn opaque and harden a bit.

4. Now add the quartered tomatoes, whole green chillies, salt followed by thick whisked yoghurt, mint leaves and chopped cilantro. Mix well and pressure cook for 15 mins or cook on low medium heat for 45mins - 1 hr till the lamb is soft and tender. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon after the lamb is cooked and let it simmer.

5. Add 1/2 a can of coconut milk (reserve the other half for later) and leave to simmer on low heat till the sauce thickens a bit and the oil comes to the top (another 10 minutes).

6. Meanwhile bring to boil 2 litres of water in a big pot. Add the Suthriyan slowly little by little while you keep stirring gently to keep them apart. Add 1 tbs of salt and the 2nd can of coconut milk. Cook till just al dente. Switch off the stove.

7.  Now add the cooked lamb with the sauce to the cooked Suthriyan. Simmer on low while stirring  gently from the bottom of the pot to mix well and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Add more chopped cilantro and the reserved 1/2 can of coconut milk, mix well and let it simmer for sometime. Adjust the consistency - simmer longer if too thin and if too thick add a little water. It thickens very fast so avoid cooking on high heat after adding the Suthriyan to the sauce.

8. The final seasoning is done with a tadka or tempering. Sizzle the sliced onion in hot ghee (clarified butter) till golden brown and pour it over the Suthriyan in the serving dish. Garnish with mint and cilantro. Serve hot with some mint chutney on the side. Enjoy!

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Sheekh Kebabs

Kebabs were not my specialty and I kept trying different recipes each time I made them but was never ever happy with the outcome.

 The kind of flavour and taste that came to my mind did not in any way match the recipes I found.   The rich taste of the ground meat should be in perfect harmony with the spice bland, the subtle flavour of the whole spices playing in the background with nothing overpowering anything.  All the recipes I came across used raw eggs for binding. Of all the things I hate the smell of raw eggs in cooking. Kebabs actually don't need any binding as long as the meat and fat ratio percentage is right. Then comes the technique of cooking which plays an important role in the taste, texture and flavour. I tried my best to incorporate everything. And at last they turned out exactly as I had imagined them.  Thanks to the Almighty, these kebabs were so flavourful that I couldn't believe that these were the best kebabs I ever made!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Lean ground beef - 1 kg (80% beef + 20% fat)

Onions - 1 large sliced, 1 medium chopped.
Green chilies- 4-6 (deseeded)

Ginger garlic paste -  1 tbs

Cloves -  6

Green Cardamoms - 6

Black Cardamom -1
Roasted cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon bark - 2 x 2 inch sticks

Veg oil - 3  - 4 tbs

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder -  1/2 tsp

Fresh mint leaves - 1/4 cup chopped

Fresh cilantro - 1/4 cup chopped

1. Rinse the ground beef under the tap in a strainer quickly and let the water drain. 

2. Slice the large onion and deep fry till golden and crispy. Do not let them darken as they would taste like coal. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

3. When the onions cool down add the whole spices and grind them. 

4. Chop the medium sized onion, green chilies, mint and cilantro separately. 

5. Heat one tsp oil and add the ginger garlic paste, red chilly powder and turmeric. Stir a bit till the raw smell goes and remove. and finely chopped green chilies, chopped mint and cilantro to the hot pan. Keep aside.  

6. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt on the ground beef, mix well. Add the ground brown onion mixture, fried masala, chopped onion, green chilies, mint and cilantro and mix everything well.  Allow to marinate for at least a couple of hrs.
 7. Oil the metal skewers. Take a small ball of the ground beef mixture and with clean wet hands shape it into a kebab on the flat metal skewers till it holds together. Repeat with the rest of the meat. 

8. Grill them on a hot barbeque until just done. They should be soft tender and juicy. Do not over cook. Enjoy with yogurt mint chutney.

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Bitter gourd masala

Ingredients: 

Bitter gourds - 3 - 4 or 2 cups sliced

Onions sliced - 1 cup or 1 large

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Dried red chilies - 2 small

Green chilies - 2 small

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

Red Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Brown sugar - 1/2 tsp

Vegetable oil - 2 tbs

Cilantro - 2 tbs

Method: 

1. Scrape the bitter gourds lightly, wash and soak them in salt water for at least 1/2 an hour. 

2. Rinse them again, scoop out the seeds and cut them into thin rings. Put them in a sauce pan with a little water and steam them till they change color and soften a bit. Remove and allow to cool.

3. In another sauce pan, heat the vegetable oil. When it fumes add the mustard seeds, dried whole red chilies, slit green chilies and curry leaves followed by the sliced onions.

4. Fry till the onions turn soft and lightly golden. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric and cumin. Add red chilly powder only if you want it spicy. I don't like to add more heat to the dish as I feel the heat from the red and green chilies is good enough to enjoy it.

5.  Add the steamed bitter gourd to the onion masala, turn over and mix gently. Sprinkle some salt and lemon juice and stir well to coat the bitter gourd with the masala. 

6. Lastly add the brown sugar, sprinkle a little water, mix well again, garnish with some chopped cilantro and serve hot with chappatis or rice.

Tips

1. The bitter gourd is soaked in salty water to remove the bitterness. But it has to be rinsed well before slicing into pieces. 

2. Do not throw away the juices left after steaming the bitter gourd. Add it to the masala with the gourd and it will dry up soon. 

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Butter Chicken, My Style!

The origins of Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken can be traced back to a man named Kundan Lal Gujral who opened a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, Old Delhi after fleeing from Peshawar in Pakistan during the partition in 1947. This is the man who first created the famous Tandoori chicken by trying to cook chicken in the tandoor (locally used for baking naans) and placed India on the culinary map of the world. Then came his next creation – the mouth watering butter chicken. It so happened that the cooks in his restaurant recycled the left over chicken juices in the marinade trays by adding tomatoes and butter and cooking it to make a creamy sauce and then tossing the left over tandoori chicken pieces in this sauce. Lo and behold,the butter chicken was born! Legend has it that the butter chicken was accidentally created by a punjabi house wife who had lot of left over tandoori chicken, so she prepared a tomato based gravy with fresh cream and added the tandoori chicken pieces to it and simmered for a while. The result was the great butter chicken which we enjoy to this day. Now if we connect this legend with history, who knows this punjabi woman could have been Gujral’s wife too. Kundan Lal Gujral is still remembered as one who would personally serve his guests, while his wife would begin each day by grinding the masalas, a closely guarded secret that went into the signature dishes. Visiting dignitaries such as John F. Kennedy, Soviet Premier Kruschev, Shah of Iran have enjoyed eating at the Moti Mahal restaurant in New Delhi.

My style of butter chicken evolved after trying and testing with different proportions and variations of ingredients. I prefer using whole spices as they give a subtle dimension of flavor to the dish compared to ground spices which lose their flavour quickly. It is better to use chopped tomatoes and soften them in the butter instead of using tomato puree for the richness in taste. Also it is true, as one great chef puts it, that”tomatoes lose their colour and tartness when pureed”. The method and ingredients described in the recipe below if followed exactly brings out the taste and flavor very close to the original dish as made in some of the famous restaurants in New Delhi where I have dined.

Butter chicken can be made with whole chicken or chicken breasts that is with or without bones though the original butter chicken when first created by Chef Gujral was made with whole tandoori chicken pieces.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

1.5 kg Whole chicken (cut into 12 pieces at the joints)

1/2 Cup Hung Yogurt

 4 Tbs Desi tandoori masala
1 Tbs Vegetable oil

1 Tsp Red chilly powder (Kashmiri mirch or resham patti)

Salt to taste

2 Tbs Lemon juice

For the butter sauce:
1 cup  Whipping cream
1 Tsp Fresh garlic chopped
1/2 cup Ginger juliennes
1 Tbs Kasoori Methi
1/2 Cup Diced onion
2 - 4 Slit green chilies deseeded
2 Black cardamom
2 Bay leaves
4 Cloves
1Tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 Tsp Mace (crushed)
1/2 Tsp Black pepper corns (whole)
1 large fresh ripe deseeded plum tomato (chopped) + 2 tsp tomato paste
2 Tbs Butter(substitute with 2 tbs olive oil if you are health conscious)

Method:

1. Clean, wash and drain the chicken pieces. Rub with salt and lemon juice and keep aside for 15 minutes.

2. Mix together  hung yoghurt, tandoori masala, chilly powder, salt and 1 tbs vegetable oil. Rub the chicken pieces well with this marinade and leave for 3 - 4 hrs in the fridge.

3. Bake the chicken in a preheated oven set at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 mins. Remove and allow it to cool. 

4. Meanwhile prepare the butter sauce. Take a sauce pan, set it on medium heat. Add 2 tbs butter and before it melts completely add all the whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel seeds, mace and lastly bay leaf) stir for 2 to 3 seconds and when you get a whiff of the aroma add the slit green chilies and chopped garlic followed immediately by diced onions. Stir for sometime, then add the chopped tomato plus 2 tsp tomato paste.

5. Cook on medium while stirring continuously till it blends in. Pour in 1/2 a cup of the whipping cream, give a quick stir and then add the chicken with all its juices to the sauce. Mix well, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 5 - 10 mins till it is nicely cooked and thickens a bit. (If you are health conscious then cook the chicken in 1/2 a cup of skimmed milk instead of the cream). 

6. Now drizzle the remaining cream on top of the chicken. Give the sauce pan a gentle shake and let it simmer for just 2 to 3 mins. Garnish with the ginger juliennes and serve hot with Naan or Basumati rice. 

 


Tips:
1. If you do not find Desi tandoori masala, you can try Minar or Kissan brands. Any other store bought tandoori masala would not be a good substitute. The best thing would be to use this home made tandoori masala paste for the marinade : 1/2 a cup of hung sour yogurt, 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp of coriander powder, 1/2 tsp of cumin powder, 1tsp garam masala powder and food colouring for marinating one whole chicken.

2. To give the tandoori chicken a barbecue flavor, smoke the chicken soon after baking. Take a piece of charcoal, light it and put it in a small tin foil cup (shape the tinfoil into a cup to hold the charcoal). Switch off the oven. Place the tin foil cup with the burning charcoal in between the chicken pieces, then add a blob of butter or ghee to it. When it starts smoking, cover the baking pan with its lid or foil and leave it to smoke for 5 mins in the oven. This gives a smoky barbecue flavor to the chicken.

3. If you want to cut down on the cream and butter, use skimmed milk and olive oil instead. But you will have to compromise on the taste. Butter chicken is not butter chicken without butter and cream.

4. As an alternative to brown sugar you could add a bit of tomato ketchup as a finishing touch in order to enhance the taste. 

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