Rumi's Recipes : Indian Food Recipes

Chicken Chettinad

2010-03-15T13:29:00.002+05:30

Chettinad is a small area in Tamilnadu state of South India. Perhaps, Chettinad is more famous for its mouth watering, spicy non-veg cuisines than its geographical importance. The specialty of Chettinad cuisines are freshly ground spices and any dish topped with a poached egg. Chettinad is a comparatively dry area, surprisingly opposite to the hot and humid Tamilnadu. This environmental factor is also reflected in their cuisine. As with other South Indian dishes, Chicken Chettinad is prepared with coconut, coconut oil and curry leaves. But if you are not comfortable with any preparation with coconut oil, you are free to use any white oil. The killer combination of rice and Chicken Chettinad is one of the hot cuisines in South India. It is also taken with rice based supplements like idli, uttapam, dosa, appam etc.
Now start making this exquisite preparation and note down the ingredients –

Difficulty Level – Easy

Serves for – 4 persons

Marinating time – ½ hour

Preparation time – 1 ½ hours

Ingredients –
Chicken – 800 grams (with bone, skinned), cut into small pieces
Onion – 2, medium sized, finely chopped
Tomatoes – 2, large sized, finely chopped
Red chili powder – 2 teaspoonfuls
Turmeric powder – 2 teaspoonfuls
Lemon juice – 15 ml
Oil – 30 ml
Water – 2 cups
Fennel – 2 tsp
Cumin seed – 1 tsp
Black pepper – 1 ½ tsp
Poppy seeds – 3 tsp
Desiccated coconut powder/ fresh coconut – 5 tsp
Cinnamon – 2 Nos
Cloves – 2 Nos
Cardamom – 3 nos
Star anise – 2 petals
Curry leaves – 10 Nos, big size
Green chili – 2 Nos, chopped
Split roasted gram – 2 tsp
Garlic – 10 cloves (make a paste)
Ginger – 1 ½ inch (make a paste)

Marinade
Marinade the chicken with lime juice, half of the turmeric and salt for half an hour.

The Procedure
• Heat a frying pan. Dry roast fennel, cumin seed, black pepper, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise and split roasted gram. Put all of them in a grinder and make a powder. Add ginger and garlic paste into it. Add some water. Make it a thick paste.
• Put a thick bottom pan over the flame. Add oil into it. Fry the onions till they become golden-brown.
• Add the curry leaves, green chili, chopped tomatoes, the spice paste, red chili powder, coconut powder/ finely chopped fresh coconut and remaining turmeric into it. Fry the whole mixture for 2-3 minutes or till oil moves out from the mix.
• Add the chicken marinade into it. Mix the spice and the chicken thoroughly. Cover the lid of the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes in medium heat. Make sure that spices do not get burnt by mixing them one more time.
• When the spices get dark brown in color, add the water and salt. Cover the lid. Cook it till the chicken pieces become tender.
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Sprinkle some coconut powder and lemon juice over it.
• Serve hot with rice.

Tip
• If your taste suits, you can add a little more chili powder.
• If you find it difficult to get fresh curry leaf, which is one of the most important ingredients, you can get dried curry leaves in any store. Soak it in some warm water before use.

Pulao/ Pulav

2009-06-11T11:13:00.002+05:30

Pulav or commonly known as Pulao or Polao is again a Mughlai preparation. It is basically a sweet steamed rice preparation mixed with dry fruits and other condiments. Best goes with Mutton Korma or Mutton Curry.
Pulao has its ancestors in the Persian rice recipes and its primitive form was also well liked by Alexander the Great. Pulao is present in cuisines of almost all the East European countries and South East Asian countries it its local form. Pulao can also be made with beef, mutton and chicken in its non-vegetarian form and potato, peas and soy chunks in vegetarian form. But here we shall discuss the original Mughlai preparation.
Serves – 4

Difficulty Level – Easy

Preparation Time – 45 minutes

Ingredients –
Gobindobhog/ badshabhog rice – 500 grams
Dahi/ Curd – 200 grams
Ginger paste – 50 grams
Sugar – 250 grams
Water – 1 liter
Garam masala – 10 grams
Green chillies – 5-6 pcs
Sa Jira/ white cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Ghee/ Clarified Butter – 200 grams
Javitri (Mace) – 50 grams
Bay leaves – 4-5 cloves
Jafran color/ kesaria color (Saffron color) – slight
Cashew Nuts – 100 grams
Raisins – 50 grams
Almonds – 25 grams
Pistachio – 25 grams
Salt – to taste

Method –
Wash the rice with water and spread it over a newspaper. Keep it for 30 minutes to make it dry. Then mix the ginger paste, curd and the saffron color to it. Mix well.
Pour the ghee into a pressure cooker and heat it lightly. Keep the gas in simmer. Then add bay leaves, garam masala, javitri, and Sa jira.
Add the dried rice into this mixture.
Add 1 liter of water, not more than that.
When the water turns to hot, add the salt, sugar green chillies and ¾ of the cashew and raisins to the mixture. Close the lid tightly.
Before the pressure cooker starts making noise (when there is enough steam inside but it is not released yet), put off the gas burner. Keep the pressure cooker in this position for 10 minutes. It will help the rice to become soft (Dum preparation).
Open the lid. Mix them well. Add the pistachio and rest of the cashew and raisins to it. Mix them again. Close the lid.
Serve hot.

Tip –
The amount of water is important so as to make the pulao better. The rice grains will be separated from each other.
If you like a sweeter taste, add another 1-2 tsp of sugar.
Goes well with Mutton korma and chicken curry. If you are vegetarian, you can take it with Sahi paneer.
You can find the ingredients of Garam Masalahere.

2009-06-08T17:50:00.001+05:30

I am lately thinking putting names of some of the good e-books containing Indian recipes. Here goes one.

Indian Mutton Curry

2009-03-26T16:48:00.003+05:30

Indian mutton curry is a finger licking preparation prepared from Indian lamb or goat meat. It goes very well with rice, pulao, mutton biryanis, rotis, puris and naans. I am showing you an easy and less time consuming method of cooking this delicious dish.
Serves-2-3
Cooking time - 60 minutes
Difficulty level – easy
Preparation time - 60 minutes
Ingredients –
Mutton pieces of medium size - 1/2 kgs
Yogurt-200 gms
Green papaya grated 3-4 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder-1/3 tsp
Garam masala powder or hot spice mix-1 tsp
Green cardamom pods-4
Black cardamom- 1 pod
Cinnamon sticks- ½ inch pieces-2-3
Cloves-2-3
Bay leaves-3
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Dry red chilly- whole 2 pieces
Green chili-1 crushed
Ginger paste-2 tsp
Garlic paste-2 tsp
Sugar-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Onions two medium sized-chopped
Tomatoes-two medium size puree
Hot water- 500ml
Cooking medium- mustard oil or white oil- 100 ml
Ghee-1tsp
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Method
1.Marinate the mutton pieces with the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, grated papaya, green chilly and all the powdered spices except the Garam masala for about 50 minutes.
2.In a thick bottomed pan put the oil. When it is hot give the sugar and heat it till it turns into caramel. This gives a rich color to the gravy. Then give the cumin seeds, bay leaves, and the whole red chillies. After the seeds crackle, pour the chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
3.Then pour the meat (without the liquid portion of the marinade) first and cook for about 7-10 minutes in a medium to high flame. Then reduce the flame and cover with a lid.
4.Cook for another 25 minutes in a low flame with occasional stirring.
5.When the oil starts to separate fry the mutton spices well. Then pour the leftover liquid marinade and the tomato puree and cook covered in a low- medium flame for another 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
6.Now add hot water and transfer the whole into a pressure cooker.
7.Pressure cook for about 10 minutes till the meat gets soft.
8.When done, add the garam masala powder and the ghee and cover again for five minutes.
9.Garnish with coriander leaves (optional) and serve hot.
Tips
1.Grated papaya used to marinate, makes the meat softer and takes less time to cook.
2.In place of yogurt you can also use 3 tsp of white vinegar. The yogurt makes the gravy richer and more flavorful.
3.Garam masala powder is mainly a mixture of green and black cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.

Indian Chicken Curry

2009-03-25T16:55:00.002+05:30

It is a delicious yellow colored Chicken curry loved greatly by the people of Northern part of India. The specific flavor and the aroma of the preparation with the melting softness of the chicken pieces is a delightful dining experience. It goes very well with the Indian flat breads (Nan, chappathis, puris) and steamed basmati rice. Some like it with Mutton Biryani also. I will show you the easiest way to prepare this curry at your home.
Serves-3-4
Preparation time - 25 minutes
Cooking time - 50 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy
Ingredients - Cooking medium – Mustard oil or white oil-50 ml,
Chicken pieces (skinned, bone-in and medium sized)-750gms
Onions-two large or three medium sized finely chopped,
8-10 cloves of garlic half crushed,
2 tbsp of ginger paste
1 tsp of turmeric powder,
1 tsp of coriander powder,
½ tsp of cumin powder,
1 tsp of cumin seeds,
150 grams of yoghurt
2 medium sized tomatoes made into puree
White sugar ½ tsp,
Salt 1tsp
Red chili powder ½ tsp
2 green chilies chopped,
3-4 bay leaves,
4-5 green cardamom pods,
2-3 cloves,
2-3 small cinnamon sticks
Garam masala powder or hot spice mix
Hot water- 300 ml
Clarified butter or ghee-1tsp (optional)
Handful of chopped coriander leaves (optional) for garnishing
Method
Marinate the chicken with the yoghurt, ginger- garlic paste, turmeric powder, cumin, coriander and chilies for about 15-20 minutes. This will make the chicken softer, and the aroma of the spices will be absorbed well into the chicken pieces.
Heat oil in a wide and thick bottomed vessel. Add the sugar first and heat it till it turns into brown colored caramel. This will give the curry a rich, natural brown-yellowish color. Then add the bay leaves, cumin seeds, cloves and the cardamoms till the aroma comes out. Then add the chopped onions and fry in a medium flame till it is golden brown. Then put the chicken with the marinade into it.
Cook the chicken in a medium- high flame for 5mins. Then cover the pan and cook in a low flame stirring occasionally. After 10 -15mins of cooking add the tomatoes and the salt and stir again so that it mixes well with the chicken. At this time the chicken will be runny again. Cover it again.
Continue cooking till all the water dries up and the oil starts to separate. Occasional stirring is necessary to make the spices well fried and avoid sticking in the pan. Then pour hot water and cover it again.
Continue to cook in a low flame as slow cooking makes it tastier.
After 20- 25mins check with the help of a fork whether the pieces are tender. If you want some more gravy you can add some hot water again and give it a boil. Or if you want it to be dry open the cover and increase the flame till the water dries up. Then add the garam masala powder and the ghee (optional) and the coriander leaves and cover the vessel for a few minutes. This standing time is required so that the aroma of the spices go well into the chicken.
Serve hot.
Tips
1. Ghee enriches the flavor of the preparation.
2. You can also use boneless chicken pieces; the cooking time will be less but the ingredients will remain the same.
3. If you do not want to marinate the chicken with the yoghurt and the spices, you can also add the spices and beaten yoghurt one by one after adding the chicken into the fried onion. Marinating makes the chicken softer and lessens the preparation time.
4. Do not use salt in the marinade as it dilutes the mixture of chicken and the spices.

Mutton Biryani/ Mutton Dum Biryani

2008-01-26T12:36:00.002+05:30

Mutton Biryani or Mutton Dum Biryani is a famous preparation in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is also well liked in the Muslim countries of Middle-East. Mutton Biryani is a delicious dish made from Mutton (meat of lamb or goat) chunks cooked with different spices and steamed with ‘Basmati’ rice.

It was invented by one of the royal Muslim bawarchis (cook) during the late hours of Mughal reign in India. According to the history, ‘Biryani’ was invented in the Hyderabad city of Southern India. At that time, people were suffering from severe famine. Some day, one royal cook of the then ‘Nawab’ (King) had discovered a new recipe. To reduce the wastage of foodstuff, he prepared a dish with ‘Basmati’ rice, mutton, vegetables and spices- all put into a big deep bottom pan and cooked in steam. This was the ancestor of Mutton Biryani. Very soon, this unique preparation became popular all over India. Gradually, many combination of spices were invented giving different styles.

At present, two distinct styles of Biryani recipes are popular-

· Hydreabadi style, and

· Lucknowi style

The Lucknow style biryani is a bit dry preparation and Hydredabadi style is juicy one.

Difficulty level- medium

Serves for- 4 persons

Marinating time- 6-7 hours

Preparation time- 1 ½ hour

Total time- ~ 8 hours

Ingredients

Basmati rice- 500 grams

Mutton- 500 grams (Cut into medium pieces)

Onion- 400 grams, chopped

Tomato- 200 grams, chopped

Ginger paste- 2 tablespoon

Garlic paste- 2 tablespoon

Mint leaves (paste)- 2 tsp

Clove- 12 pieces

Cardamom- 12 pieces

Black cardamom- 3 Nos

Cinnamon- 8 strips

Black pepper- 15 Nos

Bay leaves- 5 Nos

Javitri (Mace) powder- 6 grams

Jaiphal (Nutmeg) powder- ½ tsp

Saffron- 2 grams

Cumin powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1 tsp (find the content in the bottom of this recipe)

Ghee (Clarified butter) - 250 grams

Dahi (Curd) - 100 grams

Rose water- 10 drops

Cashew- 10-12 Nos

Salt- to taste

The Marinating procedure

Wash the Basmati rice and keep it soaked under water for 20 minutes. Wash the mutton chunks and add the curd, ginger paste and garlic paste, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly. Keep it under refrigeration for 6-7 hours.

The Procedure

· Boil the mutton until it becomes half done. Keep the stock aside.

· Heat the 50 grams of ghee in a pan. Add half of the amount of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bay leaves and black pepper. Stir fry until the spices become golden brown. Add 750 ml of water and 2 tsp salt into it. Add the soaked Basmati rice into it when the water turn to boil. Cook the rice till it is half done.

· Heat 100 grams ghee in a pan. Add the rest of the of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bay leaves and black pepper. Stir fry till it becomes light golden in color. Transfer the chopped onion and stir for 5-7 minutes in low heat or till the onion becomes golden in color.

· Add the chopped tomato and stir fry for 2 minutes.

· Transfer the marinated and boiled mutton chunks.

· Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder; rest of the red chilli powder, garam masala powder and mint leaves paste. Sauté for 15 minutes in low heat.

· Add a little amount of water if necessary. Cover the pan.

· Cook until the mutton becomes ¾ done.

· Soak the saffron with 20 ml of hot milk.

· Now, take a ‘Handi’ (deep bottom pan with round neck and opening with a lid). Brush ‘ghee’ all through the inner surface.

· Transfer half the amount of cooked ‘Basmati’ rice to the ‘Handi’. Spread some cashew, fried onion, 2 tsp ghee, javitri, jaiphal, and half the amount of rose water over the rice.

· Transfer all the mutton chunks with the spices over it.

· Add rest of the ‘Basmati’ rice over it. Spread the rest of the cashew, javitri, jaiphal, fried onion, 2 tsp ghee, saffron and rose-water over it.

· Transfer 500 ml of the mutton stock to the ‘Handi’.

· Cover the ‘Handi’ properly, so that steam can not escape from inside.

· Keep the ‘Handi’ inside the oven for 20-25 minutes under 250˚ C.

· Your ‘Mutton Biryani’ is ready. Serve hot.

Note

· ‘Garam masala’ contains three ingredients- equal amounts of clove, cardamom and cinnamon.

You can try ‘Chicken Biryani’ if you like chicken. Get the recipe of ‘Chicken Biryani’ here.

Tip

· You can make layers of rice, spices, mutton then again rice and so on, if you are dealing with greater amount of ingredients.

· ‘Mutton biryani’ best goes with ‘Mutton Rezala’.

Chicken Biryani

2008-01-25T18:58:00.000+05:30

Chicken Biryani is a ‘Mughlai’ dish. It is a mouth-watering preparation made from chicken chunks mixed with spices and steamed with ‘Basmati’ rice.

It was invented by the Muslim bawarchis (cook) during the late hours Mughal reign in India. It is said that ‘Biryani’ was invented in the Hyderabad city of South India. At that time, India was under attack of severe famine. Some day, one royal cook of the then ‘Nawab’ (King) had come up with an idea. To avoid wastage of foodstuff, he made a dish with rice, mutton, vegetables and spices- all put into a big deep bottom pan and cooked in steam. This was the precursor of Chicken Biryani. In no time, this unique dish became popular throughout the India. Later, numerous combinations of spices were invented giving different styles.

At present, two distinct styles of Biryani recipes are popular-

· Hydreabadi style

· Lucknowi style

The first one is juicy and the Lucknow style biryani is a bit dry preparation.

Difficulty level- medium

Serves for- 4 persons

Marinating time- 5-6 hours

Preparation time- 1 hour

Total time- ~7 hours

Ingredients

Basmati rice- 500 grams

Chicken- 500 grams (Cut into medium pieces)

Onion- 400 grams, chopped

Tomato- 200 grams, chopped

Ginger paste- 2 tablespoon

Garlic paste- 2 tablespoon

Clove- 12 pieces

Cardamom- 12 pieces

Black cardamom- 3 Nos

Cinnamon- 8 strips

Black pepper- 15 Nos

Bay leaves- 5 Nos

Javitri (Mace) powder- 6 grams

Jaiphal (Nutmeg) powder- ½ tsp

Saffron- 2 grams

Cumin powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1 tsp (find the content in the bottom of this recipe)

Ghee (Clarified butter) - 250 grams

Dahi (Curd) - 100 grams

Rose water- 10 drops

Cashew- 10-12 Nos

Salt- to taste

The Marinating procedure

Wash the Basmati rice and keep it soaked under water for 20 minutes. Wash the chicken chunks and add the curd, ginger paste and garlic paste, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly. Keep it under refrigeration for 5-6 hours.

The Procedure

· Heat 100 grams ghee in a pan. Ad the rest of the of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bay leaves and black pepper. Stir fry till it becomes light golden in color. Transfer the chopped onion and stir for 5-7 minutes in low heat or till the onion becomes golden in color.

· Add the chopped tomato and stir fry for 2 minutes.

· Transfer the marinated chicken chunks.

· Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, rest of the red chilli powder, garam masala powder. Sauté for 15 minutes in low heat.

· Add a little amount of water if necessary. Cover the pan.

· Cook until the chicken becomes ¾ done.

· Soak the saffron with 20 ml of hot milk.

· Now, take a ‘Handi’ (deep bottom pan with round neck and opening with a lid). Brush ‘ghee’ all through the inner surface.

· Transfer half the amount of cooked ‘Basmati’ rice to the ‘Handi’. Spread some cashew, fried onion, 2 tsp ghee, javitri, jaiphal, and half the amount of rose water over the rice.

· Transfer all the chicken chunks with the spices over it.

· Add rest of the ‘Basmati’ rice over it. Spread the rest of the cashew, javitri, jaiphal, fried onion, 2 tsp ghee, saffron and rose-water over it.

· Cover the ‘Handi’ properly, so that steam can not escape from inside.

· Keep the ‘Handi’ inside the oven for 10-15 minutes under 250˚ C.

· Your ‘Chicken Biryani’ is ready. Serve hot.

Note

· ‘Garam masala’ contains three ingredients- equal amounts of clove, cardamom and cinnamon.

You can try ‘Mutton Biryani’ if you like mutton. Get the recipe of ‘Mutton Biryani’ here.

Tip

· Alternatively, you can boil the chicken until it becomes half done. Keep the stock aside. While transferring the ‘Basmati’ rice to the ‘Handi’, add some chicken stock to it. Rest of the procedure is same.

· ‘Chicken Biryani’ best goes with ‘Mutton Rezala’.

SUKTO

2008-01-23T19:53:00.000+05:30

It is a traditional Bengali recipe and most popular in the Bangladesh and West Bengal district in India. SUKTO is sweet-bitter in taste, but I am sure if you try for a single time, you will surely love it.

Best goes with steamed rice. Conventionally, SUKTO is taken at the start of the main meal. The vegetables used to prepare this dish are available all through the year. So, you can eat this customary Indian- Bengali recipe any time you want.

Difficulty level- easy

Time taken- 30 minutes

Serves- 4 persons

Ingredients

Potato – 1 medium sized (cut into medium sized pieces)

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) - 1 medium sized (cut into medium sized pieces)

Drumstick- 3 Nos. (Cut into medium sized pieces)

Bitter gourd/Bitter melon- 2 Nos. (Cut into medium sized pieces)

Parwal (Pointed gourd) - 3 Nos. (Cut into medium sized pieces)

Brinjal/ Eggplant- 1 No (cut into medium sized pieces)

Green banana- 1 (cut into medium sized pieces)

Pumpkin- 150 grams (cut into medium sized pieces)

Green papaya- 150 grams (cut into medium sized pieces)

Radish- 1 (cut into medium sized pieces)

Milk- 150 ml

Badi (Bari) - 10-12 Nos. (It is a sundried small cake made from urad dal batter)

Mustard oil- 150 ml

Ginger paste- 1 tablespoon

Mustard paste- 1 tablespoon

Ghee (Clarified butter) - 2 tablespoon

Panch Phoron (see below) - ½ tsp

Mustard seeds- ½ tsp

Sugar- 2 tsp

Jeera (Cumin) paste- 2 tsp

Dried red chilli- 3 Nos

Salt- to taste

The procedure

· Grind the ‘Panch phoron’ after dry heating over a pan.

· Heat mustard oil in a pan. Fry all the vegetables till half done. Keep them aside.

· Again heat 50 ml oil. Add the mustard seeds and the dried red chillies to it. Sauté for a minute.

· Add the ginger paste. Stir fry for 3 minutes.

· Transfer all the fried vegetables and stir fry for 5-7 minutes. Then mix the content well adding 150 ml of hot water and salt.

· Add the ‘badi (bari) pieces. Do not stir.

· Now, it’s the time to add the milk, sugar, ghee and mustard paste. Mix well.

· Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes in low heat.

· Remove from the flame.

· Sprinkle the ‘Panch phoron’ powder over the dish. Your SUKTO is ready.

· Serve hot with steamed rice.

Tips

· ‘Panch foron’ is a combination of spices used primarily by the Bengalis and it contains five types of condiments; these are equal amount of cumin seeds, fennel, black cumin seed (Bunium persicum), radhuni (wild celery) and a little less amount of fenugreek seeds.

· To make a mustard paste, you may add 1-2 green chillies. It will help to remove the bitterness.

· Cut all the vegetables in 1 ½ inches long to make ideal SUKTO.

Mutton Rezala

2008-01-21T21:07:00.000+05:30

This is a Mughlai preparation. Best goes with Biryani.

Difficulty level- Medium

Marinating time- 1-2 hours

Preparation time- 90 minutes

Total time- 3 hours

Ingredients: -

Mutton (Meat of lamb or goat) - 1 kilogram

Onion paste- 100 grams

Garlic paste- 2 tsp

Ginger paste- 2 ½ tsp

Clove- 5-6

Cinnamon- 6-8 pc

Black Cardamom- 2-3 pieces

Cardamom-6-8 pieces

Bay leaves- 5-6 pieces

Curd (Yogurt) - 250 grams

Whole Milk- 250 ml

Raisins- 10-12 pieces

Cashew nut- 10-12 pieces, make a thick paste

Sugar-1tsp

Black pepper- 3 grinded

Ghee (Clarified butter) – 3 tablespoon

Mace- 2/3 tsp

Saffron- 1pinch

Red Chilli (Whole) - 5 pieces

Keora (Saffron) water- 1 tsp (optional)

Salt- to taste

The marinating procedure: -

In a large bowl, blend the mutton, curd, half of the onion paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, cashew paste, and both the varieties of cardamoms, mace powder, sugar and salt. Keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

The procedure: -

In a pan, heat ghee. Then add the red chillies and the bay leaves. After a little frying, add the rest of the onion paste. When the paste becomes light brown, add the garlic and ginger paste. Fry it for 3 minutes.

Add the mutton pieces into the pan. Mix thoroughly with the fried spices. Cover the lid tightly. Cook for 15 minutes in low heat. Stir the mixture in every 5 minutes to ensure against the charring of the mutton or the spices.

Heat the milk in another pan. Reduce the quantity to 150 ml. Add the rest of the cashew paste and the raisins to it. Mix thoroughly. Again cover the lid for another 30 minutes.

Take the saffron in a cup. Add 1 tablespoon of warm milk in it.

When the mutton becomes tender remove it from the flame. Add saffron and the Keora water. Cover it again.

Serve hot.

Tip: -

Although Mutton Rezala best goes with Biryani, you can take it with Naan and Dhania (Coriander) chutney.

Mutton Rogan Josh

2008-01-20T11:55:00.001+05:30

Mutton Rogan Josh is a popular ‘Mughlai’ dish in all over India, although this recipe is a delicacy in the Kashmir region. It is also well liked among the Muslim population in the world.

Difficulty level- Medium

Total preparation time- 60 minutes

Ingredients

Mutton- 1 Kilogram

Onion- 3 standard sized, finely chopped

Garlic paste- 2 tsp

Ginger paste- 2 tsp

Cumin paste- 2 tsp

Coriander paste- 2 tsp

Coriander leaves- 3 tablespoon

Kashmiri Red Chillies- 6 pcs, seeds removed

Red tomatoes- 4 medium sized, finely chopped

Clove- 10 pcs

Black cardamom- 1 piece

Cardamom- 10 pcs

Black pepper- 1 tsp

Nutmeg- ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

Khus Khus (Posto/ Poppy seeds) - 1 ½ tsp

Mace- 4 blades

Dahi (Curd) - 200 ml

Ghee (Clarified butter) – 200 ml

Coconut powder- 2 tablespoon

Almonds – 10 pieces, blanched

Salt- to taste

The procedure

· Cut the mutton into big pieces and wash properly, keep it aside.

· Make a paste by mixing the onion paste and the coconut powder.

· Heat ghee in a Degchi (deep bottom pan with a lid that can be properly fitted). Add the onion- coconut paste, stir fry for 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the spices and mix thoroughly. Stir fry for 15 minutes in low flame.

· Put the tomatoes and fry again for 3 minutes.

· Add the dahi and continue frying till the ghee separates from the spices.

· Then transfer all the mutton pieces to the pan. Add salt to taste. Mix thoroughly. Cover the lid for 5 minutes. Then open the lid and stir again as to ensure that no part of the content is getting burned. Cook for 30 minutes.

· Add 175 ml of hot water. Cook for another 10 minutes or till the mutton pieces become tender.

The garnishing

Garnish the ‘Mutton Rogan Josh’ with ring onion pieces and chopped coriander leaves.

Tips

· The key to better cooking is the stir frying the mutton pieces with spices in low heat. So be patient and cook till the mutton pieces become semi tender.

· Serve with hot Paranthas or Kulchha or Nun.

Paneer Dilbahar

2008-01-17T21:57:00.000+05:30

Paneer Dilbahar is a Paneer (Soft cheese) dish and it is vegetarian.

Difficulty level- easy

Total time- 20 minutes

Ingredients: -

Paneer- 500 grams

Cashew nut paste- 200 grams

Ginger paste- 75 grams

Garlic paste- 75 grams

Sá marich (White pepper) powder- 2 tsp

Sá jeera (White cumin) - 1 tsp

Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

Jaitri/ Javitri (Mace) Powder - ½ tsp

Tomato (cut into small pieces) - 1

Capsicum (cut into small pieces) - 1

Onion (cut into small pieces) – 1

Doi/ Dahi (Curd) – 100 grams

Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove- 3 each

Green chilli- 4 pieces

Sunflower oil/ Soya bean oil (White oil) - 200 ml

Fresh cream – 100 ml

The process: -

Cut the Paneer into small square pieces. Heat 90 ml of oil in a frying pan. Deep fry Paneer pieces until they are light brown. Keep it aside.

Boil ¾ part the the onion and make a paste from it. Heat the 100 ml oil again and add the cinnamon, cardamom and clove. Fry for 1 minute. Then add onion paste, ginger and garlic paste. Fry for 3 minutes. Sá marich (White pepper) powder, Cardamom powder, Jaitri/ Javitri (Mace) Powder and green chillies are to be added thereafter. Stir fry for 5 minutes.

Then add doi/ dahi (curd). It has to be added evenly. Cover the pan for 10 minutes. Then add the cashew paste.

Heat 10 ml oil in a separate pan. Add Sá jeera (White cumin) and sir for 1 minute. Fry the tomato and capsicum pieces. Transfer the previous content from the 1^st frying pan into it. Add the fried paneer pieces. Sauté for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the flame.

The garnishing: -

Garnish with the fresh cream and serve hot.

Tips: -

Best goes with hot parantha, kulchha and naan.

Doi Ilish/ Dahi Hilsa

2008-01-12T11:58:00.000+05:30

It’s a traditional Bengali preparation. Ilish Machh (Hilsa,Tenualosa ilisa; to know more about Ilish, click here) is cooked with Doi (Dahi/curd) and other spices. Conventionally it is prepared in Mustard oil.

Difficulty level- easy

Marinating time- 10 minutes

Cooking time- 15 minutes

Total time- 25 minutes

Ingredients-

Ilish machh (Hilsa fish) - 500 grams

Doi- 200 grams

Mustard oil- 150 grams

Ginger paste- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 2 tsp

Mustard seeds- ½ tsp

Green chilli- 8 pieces

Salt- to taste

Marinating process-

Wash the Ilish fish pieces. Mix turmeric powder and salt thoroughly and keep it aside for 10 minutes.

The process-

Grind the mustard seeds with a pinch of salt and a green chilli with some water to make a thick paste. Heat oil in a frying pan for 2 minutes. Add rest of the green chillies in it after slicing vertically. Then add the ginger paste to the oil and stir fry for 2 minutes. Make a thick paste of the turmeric powder with little amount of warm water. Then add to the pan while stirring continuously. Add 250 ml of warm water and salt to taste. When the curry will start to boil, add the Ilish fish pieces in it. Prepare a mixture of the doi (dahi/curd), ½ tsp turmeric powder and mustard paste. Add this mixture to the pan when the fish pieces become tender. Be careful that the mixture should be added evenly.

When the curry starts boiling again, remove it from the flame.

The garnishing-

Add 2 tsp mustard oil and 3 uncut green chillies and cover the pan with a lid.

Tips-

Traditionally this preparation is done with the raw Ilish fish pieces. But if you don’t like the smell, fry the pieces lightly in low heat.

The mustard seeds should be finely grinded along with the green chillies and salt to avoid bitterness.

Rui Machher Jhol

2008-01-11T18:34:00.000+05:30

It’s a traditional Bengali style fish recipe. It is a very popular dish among the Bengalis and is prepared frequently. Traditionally it is prepared in Mustard oil. It goes well with plain steamed rice.

Difficulty level- easy

Marinating time: - 10 minutes

Cooking time: - 15 minutes

Total: - 25 minutes

Ingredients: -

Rui (Rohu) fish – 4 pieces Coriander Powder- 1teaspoonful

Tomato puree/ Fresh tomato paste- 1 large tomato. Turmeric powder- 1/3 teaspoonfuls

Onion paste- 2 large onions Red chili powder- ½ teaspoonfuls

Ginger paste- ½ teaspoonfuls Salt- to taste

Garlic paste- 2/3 teaspoonfuls Coriander leaves (chopped) – 2

Cumin powder- ½ teaspoonfuls Mustard oil- 50 ml

Sliced green chili- 3 Cumin seeds (Jeera)/Panchfodon- little amount

Bay leaf- 2 Garam masala powder- 1 teaspoonful (Optional)

Ghee (Clarified butter)-1 tsp. (Optional)

The process: -

Marinate the fish pieces with a dash of salt and turmeric powder.

Put the Mustard oil in frying pan and heat for 3-5 minutes. Add the fish pieces and shallow fry it until the color turns golden brown. Now take out the fried fish pieces from the pan and keep it in a bowl.

Add the cassia leaves and the cumin seeds and sauté for 1 minute (you may add panchforon if you like instead of cumin seed). Then add the onion paste in it. Stir fry it for some time until the color of the onion becomes light brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste, sliced chilies and all the other spices while stirring continuously (you may add some more mustard oil if necessary). Fry the ingredients for five minutes. Add tomato puree/ tomato paste in the curry and cook it for another 2 minutes. Add the fish pieces in it and stir in low heat for 3 minutes. Add ½ cup (150 ml) of warm water. Put the cover of the pan and cook in low heat until the fish pieces become tender. As warm water as much as it needs to make the curry. Cook in low heat while stirring occasionally. Put off the flame. Lastly, you may add ghee and garam masala and cover the lid again.

The garnishing: -

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Tips: -

You may add chopped and fried potato pieces, cauliflower pieces and green peas in the curry after frying all the spices.

Note: -

You can use any type of cooking oil according to your taste but traditionally the recipe is best made with Mustard oil.

Panchforon contains five types of condiments; these are equal amount of cumin seeds, fennel, black cumin seed (Bunium persicum), radhuni (wild celery) and a little less amount of Fenugreek seeds.

Garam masala contains Clove, Cardamom and Cinnamon.