Keema Matar or Keema Koraishuti

After a long long time I bought Goat keema today. Made fresh at the meat store.

It was natural that I would make a Keema Matar with it. What we call Keema Koraishuti.

That one dish serves a lot of purpose and also freezes well. So, today we are going to have just the keema matar with rice for lunch. Tomorrow, I will dry up some of it, add a boiled egg and make sandwich. On Wednesday I will defrost the portion I am freezing today, toss it with rice or something and concoct one more dish. If I am feeling particularly creative, I might also toss some pasta in it.

This is going to be an easy week. Good job Keema Matar.

The recipe is exactly same as my old one --  Keema Koraishuti. Only this time I used the pressure cooker.

Ma-in-law's Robibarer Mangshor Jhol -- Bengali Mutton Curry

Robibarer Pathar Mangshor Jhol - Bengali Mutton Curry

Sunday Bengali Mutton Curry | Robibar er Mangshor Jhol

This quintessential Bengali Mutton Curry is synonymous to Sunday lunch. This recipe of mutton curry or panthar manghso is from my Mother-in-law and has a thinner curry or jhol than my Mother's. Mixed with rice and some salad it is a very flavorful meal

Bengali Mutton Curry (Panthar Mangshor Jhol)

Goat Meat Curry in the Oven

This post is not about clouds.

It is about Manghsor Jhol -- Mutton Curry. The Sunday one. The Bengali home staple that has reached a mythical proportion simply by virtue of us bragging about it. And Robibarer Manghsor Jhol does give us bragging rights, the whole gamut of it. We have nostalgia woven with it.

Bengali Mutton Curry

But I have written paeans about it in my earlier posts so today I will talk about clouds instead.

Not that I know much about them. The only times I actually watch clouds is when I am stuck in traffic or more specifically when I am stuck in traffic with two kids in the back seat. Also when there is no traffic but a never ending road and two kids in the back seat, I often suggest that they watch clouds. Somehow it makes me feel like a very free spirited kind of Mother, the one who makes blueberry jam and then spreads it thick on coarse rye bread handing them over to her children who play in the meadows by brambles and thistles.

Sadly I am not that kind. I have never made blueberry jam and my kids refuse rye bread. And we will not even discuss brambles. But I digress.

So anyway this random "cloud watching" thing inspired a desire in Little Sis to spend an entire afternoon watching clouds and nothing but clouds. And she wanted it to be done in a proper setting. Not from cars. Lying down on a sleeping bag(no grass mind you)  set out in the deck on some balmy summer afternoon, LS wanted to watch them clouds.

Amazingly two summer months almost passed us by and we never got a chance to do that! So when summer was drawing to a close, I grabbed a late afternoon with a good measure of clouds and we watched. No proper setting, no sleeping bag, not even grass. While BigSis was attending one of her classes we sat on the ledge by the sidewalk outside her class and watched.

"Wow. Doesn't that one look like a teddy bear?", I said trying to be at my excited best.

"No. It looks like a monster", said LS.

"Now that one is like a cute little doggy", I said all cloying and sweet.

LS who was now more interested in the rocks on the sidewalk than any cloud, glanced and said  "Nope. It looks like a big dragon".

"Come on. This one surely is like a magic fairy's hair", I blurted out trying to salvage a sweet cloud watch moment.

"Oita dushtu lok er moton lagche (That one looks like a mean person)", concluded LS.

And with that we closed our "cloud watch' chapter and concentrated on rock tricks,

*********

Okay and before I go onto the mutton curry, I have to tell you this. Soon after turning four, LS seems to have discovered the words "girlish" and "boyish". I have no clue where she got them from but she has been scattering her conversations with those words.

Today hearing her Dad's voice over the phone, she declared "Baba sounded very girl-ish on the phone. Maybe he drank too much pink lemonade"

*********

Back to the mutton curry now which is my Ma-in-law's recipe this time. Her Sunday Mutton curry recipe is different from my Mother's Sunday mutton curry recipe and yet they largely taste the same with finer points to be debated on. The mother-in-law's recipe involves marinating the mutton with  mustard oil, all the spices, tomato, onion, garlic and ginger that makes the curry. If you can manage to do this single step of detailed marination, the night before, the actual cooking happens very fast the next day.

Now on days when you are rushing and a simple mutton curry will do you can side-step the "kashano" or "bhuno" part of this recipe and directly make the jhol in the Pressure cooker. That jhol is a bit runny and akin to something that the famous author Syed Mujtaba Ali would refer to as "Bangali'r Mangshor Maacher Jhol" which means a Mutton Curry which is as runny as plain as an everyday fish curry.

If you spend 30 mins of your time in "kashano",then the same mutton curry becomes richer and more regal looking. Take your pick and have a lovely Sunday lunch of Mutton curry and rice. Oh yes, do cook the rice in the same pressure cooker with remnants of the mutton gravy to flavor it and little ghee. My daughters love that rice as much as the curry.

Ma-in-Law's Sunday Mutton Curry

Wash and clean 2lb of goat meat.

Make a paste of following
2 cups of chopped red onion
6 fat clove of garlic(12 regular)
2" of ginger peeled and chopped

Roughly pound 5-6 hot Indin green chili.

Chop 1 medium sized tomato. If the tomatoes are the tough. commercial kind just puree them or get a better tomato.

Chop 3 potatoes in half

In a bowl marinate the meat with
onion+garlic+ginger  paste
the tomato
1 tbsp Cumin Powder (sometimes I replace this with Meat Masala for a richer taste)
1 tsp Red Chili Powder or Kashmiri Mirch
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Mustard Oil
1-2 tbsp yogurt
salt to taste
Ideally overnight marination is good but even 3-4 hours works well.

Half an hour before cooking toss the pottaoes along with the meat in the marinade.

When you are ready to cook, get your pressure cooker. If you don't have one, do not panic, we can also do it in a regular heavy bottomed pan, only it will take longer.

Heat about 2tbsp Mustard Oil in the cooker. Add a tsp of sugar and caramelize it.

Next temper the oil with
4 Green Cardamom/Elaichi
4 Clove/Laung
1 Bay leaf/TejPatta
a 2" stick of cinnamon

Once the oil is flavored add the marinated mutton and the potatoes. Add the pounded green chilies.

Mix everything well together and let it cook for some time. Stir intermittently so that the meat does not stick to the bottom of the cooker. The meat will also release some water. Wait for the water to almost dry up and for the meat to change color.

For a richer version of this curry, the meat is kasha-oed for about 25-20 minutes till you see the oil surfacing. But in my Ma-in-law's everyday version, we do not wait for the oil to surface. Once the meat has changed color and no longer looks raw, we give a good stir, and add enough water so that the meat pieces are submerged. Then I adjust for salt and spices and close the Pressure Cooker lid.

Once the Cooker starts going "Phissssssshhh", I wait for about 8 minutes or so and then switch off. I have a Futura cooker and it does not whistle so I am not sure of the number of whistles.

Make a wet paste of
2 green cardamom
2 clove
small stick of cinnamon
in a mortar-pestle
Once the pressure has been released, open lid and add this fresh garam masala paste(kaaNcha garam mashla bata) along with little ghee. Close the lid again and open only at time of serving. Thanks UshnishDa for this tip.

A's Saturday Night Mutton Biriyani -- cut and paste

Last week I went to the library.

And then I checked out 3 books.

One of them was "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". Now this book I have been hearing about for a while now. However I never checked it out. "The name sounds intriguing" is as far I went.

I have a difficult time when it comes to choosing a book at the library. Gone is the time when I would pick up any written word and read through it with baited breath. Gone are the days when many a summer afternoon in absence of anything worthy of reading,  I would flip through the frail pages of the "Beni Madhab Sheel Ponjika" -- the Bengali almanac, its jacaranda cover fluttering helplessly like the fine petal of Nayantara, and read through muhurtams and lewd advertisements on the back cover without any idea of what they were trying to sell. Those were times when, if the librarian of our small town sent home a word about their newest consignment, I would rush to inhale the fragrance of fresh ink and paper without losing a minute.

Now, not so much so. I just cannot read "any thing" these days. At least not on print. Anyway I read so much of "anything" and "nothing" on the web that when it comes to a book I want something which I can feel happy about later. Like a good biriyani. One that will not make me gulp down pepto-bismols in retrospect.

So when I check out a book from the librray I want it to be something I look forward to going home to. Last month it was "Fried Green Tomatoes at the WhistleStop Cafe". I have not seen the movie and I don't review books but all I can say is I enjoyed reading it immensely. A couple of months before that was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", again another wonderful book(thanks I for reminding).

Last week it was "The Guernsey...". And it is a book that not only makes me want to rush home, put up my feet and start reading (which does not happen everyday) but it scares me as to what will I do once the numbered pages are over. It is a book I want to go on forever. I don't know if it happens with you but it often happens to me. I panic about a book getting over, I panic hearing about an author slowing down and not writing enough. I still remember the immense sadness I felt when I had finished reading all of what Lila Majumdar had written and published. When the series "Ruku-Shuku" in Anandomela had winded down I had moped around for one whole month. When I closed shut "Gone With The Wind" I did not know what to do.

"The guernsey..." seems to have that kind of an effect on me. I do not want it to get over and when I do finish the last few pages I am going to be a very unhappy soul.

If I think of it deeply, it is a lot like a good biriyani or a heavenly egg roll or a bowl of Tom Yum soup.

Now given that I have spent my free time reading, I did not cook  a biriyani. In fact I rarely ever cook a full fledged biriyani. Most of my biriyanis are short cut affairs. The husband man however cooks a mean Biriyani following a friend's recipe and the fact that the friend's recipes is of US fame makes sure that his is pretty good. However once, with a sidelong glance, I happened to see the ghee that he puts in that Biriyani.That made certain that  I never dared to try my hand at it.

That Mutton Biriyani we will talk about another day.

This Biriyani today is sent by a dear friend, a friend of long ago whom I lost touch with and then connected again over the blog. Strange Stories. Amazing facts. Now since I am a very nice person(ahem!) and only keep nicer company(amen to that), it was only natural that my friend took time from her busy life to not only cook a Biriyani but also take pictures and send it to me. I mean she sent the recipes and pics, not the biriyani, though the latter would have definitely been much welcomed.

Over to her for the recipe as well as the pictures. I loved it how she split the work between two days and wrote the recipe accordingly, makes planning easy. I have no contribution to this recipe's deliciousness other than "cut and paste". Also she cooked this dish at her home in India so the microwave settings etc. might differ from other region.

Aditi's Mutton Biryani (North Indian style)

Ingredients & Preparation:

1. (Friday evening)

Mutton (front leg preferable for tenderness) –  750 g
Plain Curd (prefer Nestle) – 300 gms

Wash mutton pieces carefully with hot water to remove skin and hair. Marinate with half of the curd and keep in refrigerator (not freezer) overnight. Should be taken out well ahead of cooking and be in room temperature while cooking.

2. (Saturday morning)

Ghee – 6 tsp
Shah Jeera (Black Cumin) seeds – ½ tsp
Onions – 2 large finely chopped
Red Chili powder – 1 tsp
Garlic paste – 2 tsp (generous)
Ginger paste – 2 tsp (generous)
Coriander seeds – 2 tsp roasted and freshly powdered
Salt – 1 ½ tsp
Curd – ½ of section A beaten with half tsp ready made Shahi Garam masala powder (Shahi garam masala by sunrise is the best)

Heat ghee in a non-sticky wok or pressure pan.  Put shah jeera as phoron. Add onion and fry in high heat stirring constantly to nicely golden brown, take care they do not get burnt. Add red chili and garlic. Saute till fragrant. Add ginger and saute. Add coriander powder. (May sprinkle a little water if required). Stir and then add mutton. Saute well till muttons are brown and oil separates (do not overcook as they may dry up – its better to use a lid while kashano). Add the salt towards the end of kashano. Add the curd and saute well. Add sufficient water. Boil and pressure cook for 15-20 mins in low flame. Open the lid when pressure drops and boil to evaporate any residual water (there shouldn’t be any residual water at all or the biriyani will get messy). 

3. (Sat day afternoon)

Long grain basmati rice (best quality) – 375 gms
Salt – 1 ½ tsp
Bay leaves (1-2 pcs)
Black Cardamon – 1
Green  Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon – 2 inch * 2 pc
White pepper corn – 8 pcs
Cloves – 8 pcs
Mace (javitri) – 2-4 pcs (sizewise)
Nutmeg – ¼
Wash the rice very clean and put them in a strainer, for 30 mins.

Boil sufficient water in a deep container with lid. Add salt. Add the spices (can make a bouquet garni if possible, if not, use a slotted spoon while removing) and boil in the water (covered) in low flame till the colour of the water turns light brown.  Remove the spices.

Pour washed and strained rice into the boiling water and stir immediately once. Boil for 11-12 mins approx (rice breaks but not fully done when checking) in the open container. Close the lid and drain the water carefully, very fast. Drain till the last drop possible. (Best way is to hold the container with two cotton-gloved hands over the support of the faucet). Shake the container, tuck the lid and spread the rice immediately on flat trays. You may cover the rice with a net and put under a fan to cool. The rice should not bend or break in the whole process and get completely cool.

4. (Once the rice cools)

A microwavable earthen / ceramic pot with lid
Indian Saffron – quantity depends on freshness
Full cream milk – 50 ml
Kewra water – 1 tsp
Mughlai scent (edible) – 3-4 drops (this makes the difference)
Whole wheat dough – 1 ball (to seal the lid)
Edible Saffron colour – a few drops

Heat milk in a microwave oven and add saffron. Boil in micro high for 15 sec. Mix with the colour. Sprinkle the milk on the rice unevenly.

Take a sufficient sized ceramic microwavable bowl. Place 1/4 of rice. Arrange 1/4 mutton with gravy. Place next layers the same way. Final layer should be only mutton. Spread the remaining gravy with ghee (from the pan) on all the sides. Mix kewra water and scent. Sprinkle on whole top of the bowl. Close the lid to lock the aroma - seal with flatten wheat dough like a ribbon.

Put the bowl in micro 10% (not more) for 70 mins till the seal becomes hard. Break the seal. Mix up once and serve immediately. Enjoy.

K's Dal-Gosht -- meat cooked with lentils

The last weekend we went visiting a friend whom we have known since donkey's years or whatever years that makes sure that you can sleep in late at their home while the kids are running amock.

Perfect place to sit with a book and a cup of chai

Now we visit them often, taking on a journey of 3hrs ever few months for their house is a haven where I can rest my weary soul and be jealous of other people. But somehow we have never made it during the summer months for one reason or the other. So this year before making any other plan we had set aside this weekend, right at the start of summer for a visit to K, M and M's home. They in turn had guaranteed a resort like retreat for relaxation.

Well, it was way above anything any resort could ever provide.

Other than the hours of adda and amazing good food that came one after another starting from luchi and ending in Thai taking a circuitous route through Ilish and Dal-Gosht in between, there was bird-watching right at their backyard.

Birds from glowing gold-finch to tiny hummingbirds, red cardinals to blue birds all flock their backyard. K and M have many bird feeders hung up and that is what attracts these tiny birds out of thin air. They clearly love all the bird watching and have different kinds of feeds depending on the birds' choice. The American Gold Finch apparently favor Thistle seeds. The hummingbirds prefer sugar water and love red colored feeders. The blue bird is omnivore and prefers insects in its diet. Pheww, picky they are.

I have never been with birds so close before unless we take into account my paternal grandparent's sprawling and old home where birds lived along with humans in a peaceful co-existence. Well by birds I mean mostly "House Sparrows".

They made their nests in the skylight---ghulghuli as we said, laid eggs and ate rice and fish curry off the dining table. It was not totally unnatural to find straws of hay in your charchari as the arduous male sparrow carried raw material to repair his nest. If it was not hay, it was twigs, or a piece of cane from the rocking chair. The male of the species were always flapping wings around the outer verandah appearing to be very busy in one home improvement project or the other.

The female sparrow lived a more relaxed life and I am sure took long naps because many a summer afternoon we would have to sweat out in the sticky heat unable to switch on the ceiling fan because a spoilt sparrow child had chosen that moment to fly across our bedroom in a game of tag. My Thama, who had otherwise accepted the birds as a legacy, would at times get exasperated with the mess they made and get one of those broomsticks with a long handle to shoo the birds away. She never threw away their nests or did anything that would permanently ban their return though. The birds therefore stayed in that house, being neither nurtured nor watched, but living a comfortable life and feasting on fish curry-rice.If I recall I harbored no special feeling towards them. Just like the cats who sat around our feet munching on fish head, or the crows on the banana tree who cawed so deep that it broke the silence of an otherwise sleepy afternoon, the sparrows belonged to that house as did we.

Now, after many years, I watched birds. By Choice. I took my tea and sat out there in the mornings watching those colorful birds, the sophisticated cousins of my once home's "house sparrow". But as is my norm, I did not take my camera along and was not able to capture good pics on the camera. Some of the bird pics are from K from another day.

The food T the K's home as I have said was gorgeous and the Dal-Gosht that K made on Sunday was something I have never had before. Goat meat cooked with chana dal to a softness that is downright sinful, it is a beautiful dish. K said he had followed the recipe from this youtube video. I watched the video and it was pretty simple to follow.

However we do not eat a lot of meat at our home and so I wasn't going to try out this recipe for a while. But it was so good that I thought some of you might be interested.

I therefore decided to post the recipe, roughly as K said which actually religiously follows the You Tube video except for the amount of Oil. Since K's goat meat had fatty pieces he let it cook in its own fat instead of adding too much oil. At least that is what he told me.

Wash and clean about 1.7-2lb(approx one and quarter kg) of goat meat.

Soak 1/2 Cup of Chana Dal in hot water for 2 hour

In a pressure cooker
add goat meat
1 cup warm water
2 tomatoes roughly chopped
1 cups of onion chopped in large chunks
6-8 fat cloves of garlic (half a head of garlic roughly)
1 tsp of Red Chili Powder
1 tsp of Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp of Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of Turmeric Powder
Salt
Cook the meat for about 4-5 minutes at full pressure.

While the meat is cooking in a mortar ground
1 tsp whole black pepper
1"of whole peeled ginger

Also heat about 3 tbsp of oil and fry 1/2 cup of thinly sliced onion

Once the meat is done open the lid add
the chana dal
about 2 cups of warm water
the ground paste
Close lid and cook for 2 more minutes.
Don't cook too much else the dal will be mushed. Check to see the meat should be cooked by now.

Now do the tadka by adding to above the fried onion and the oil. Mix and let it cook for a couple more minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves

Chicken in Mint, Coriander and Coconut Gravy

This year I have had no time for any gardening. It saddens me for I love seeing things grow but then I have realized I need to prioritize instead of taking up too many things and then not doing any of them right or rather simply delegating. Yes, I love delegating and if it is the husband who is at the receiving end I can turn into a full tyrant nagger. Unfortunately the husband has had not much time himself and after cleaning up the weeds and planting three cabbage plants which BS lugged from school he has refused to take my orders.

My family does not seem to understand the value I bring into their life. $#%$#%. And it does not stop at the other adult alone .My girls seem to follow the same route.

The other day I was particularly mad about something and told them --" You do not listen to me, I am going to go away and be some other kids' Mommy".

A statement which according to new age child psychologist would have scarred a child's formative mind and stunted their mental growth.
Nothing like that happened. My girls were not even bothered.

Instead the next day LittleSis comes and asks me, "Mommy, if you are going to be other kids' Mother, what is going to happen to their Mommy ? Are they going to have two Mommies? Won't their house get too crowded?" !

Nary a thought about her own Mother being gone was discussed.

But not to worry. For I still have neighbors.

I mean I cannot delegate my work to them or make them understand my billion dollar worth but I can borrow their Mint. And there is no dearth of it. Come summer their Mint bush grows and spills over and creates havoc as if she had Persephone's number on speed dial. They are only too happy if I snip off some. And no doubt that is what I do.

For a couple of weeks, every Saturday or maybe even Sunday I have been making this chicken curry with mint, coriander and coconut.We are trying to eat more fish and vegetables and less meat these days. Definitely very less of mutton or any red meat. But at least two days a week it is chicken curry for us and more for LittleSis who is a big time meat fan. With this kind of a curry you need to make little else and along with a rice and salad it makes for a nice weekend lunch.

The idea of this curry came from Srivalli's(who blogs at Cooking for all Seasons) Mutton Semi Gravy or Mutton Gojju. That it was Andhra style nailed it for me. To it got added the mint-coriander masala paste I make for Pudina Dhania Chicken  which was inspired by Aayis Recipes.Following Sri's idea I also added some coconut to the paste. The chicken curry was really very good.We all loved the gravy so much that I have made it several times now.

The best part is you can also use the same recipe for fish or Paneer and it tastes awesome

Chicken in Mint, Coriander and Coconut Gravy  

Marinate 2lb of chicken with 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder and 2-3 tbsp of thick yogurt.


In a blender jar add
1/2 cup of coriander leaves 
1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves 
4 green chili(optional)
 
2 tbsp of chopped garlic 
1 tbsp of chopped ginger 

1" stick of cinnamon 
4 clove 
1 small piece of Star Anise 

1/3 cup of thick coconut milk or grated coconut
With a splash of water make a smooth paste.

Now heat Oil for cooking

Temper Oil with
4 green cardamom 
2 clove 
small tej-patta 
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds.
Add 1 tsp of sugar and caramelize sugar

Next Add 1 onion roughly chopped. Fry till onion turns soft and brown on the edges.

Add the marinated chicken pieces and saute till chicken pieces lose their raw coloring and turns golden yellow with brown spots.

Add
the green masala paste
1 small tomato chopped,
1/2 tsp of Kashmiri Mirch,
and 2 tsp Coriander powder
Mix well and cook the chicken in the masala for 10-15 minutes. If any water is release from the chicken let it evaporate. Finally when you see oil seeping out at the edges add about a cup of warm water.

Mix well and add salt to taste.A sprinkle of rock salt or beet noon enhances the taste.
Also add 6 green chili slit if like me you had not added chili to the paste. Add a few more mint leaves and cover and let the chicken cook You can do this step in the Pressure cooker too.

Chotoder Chicken Stew -- Chicken Stew with Vegetables

A couple of months back...

Me to BigSis: Have you heard of Isaac newton ? Do you know who he is ?

BigSis : Yes, yes, he is the guy who said we should wash our hands twenty times with soap and water to kill germs.

Me: ????? Don't they teach anything at your school ? Newton was a famous scientist...

BigSis: Yes, that is why he said to wash hands !!!

Me, now confused, maybe Newton said something about washing hands after all, who knows: Well, that is fine but more importantly he was the one who explained gravity, apple falling from tree... F=G..blah, blah, blah

Big Sis: Okay...

A few weeks back, little neighbor girl has come over to play.

Me, with my favorite question: Have you heard of Isaac newton ? Do you know who he is ?

Little NG: Uh, Oh
Big Sis very interested : Yes, yes, he is the guy who said we should wash our hands twenty times with soap and water to kill germs.

Me, now exasperated: Didn't I tell you that he was a famous scientist and apple falling from tree...blah, blah...gravity...blah, blah

Little NG: BM Aunty, Yes, apple will always fall down from tree, will not go up but Hand washing with soap and water really kills germs.

Now really who is this guy. Where in the Principia did Sir Newton tell us to wash our hands ? For now I am washing my hands off this and cooking up a chicken stew with loads of vegetables. You do too. A warm bowl to cool a hot mind.

I make a chicken stew(you can make with mutton too) with loads of vegetables every week. Little S loves chicken and this stew, Big Sis at her current stage not so much chicken but still likes the broth part. Every week the vegetables change, the spices change but the stew is always there.Till about 6 months ago I would puree the vegetables like this egg curry. Now I just put everything in the pressure cooker. The aroma is divine. With a hot green chili, it makes a lovely dish even for the adults.

There is no set recipe that I have. I go along with the flow and some week is just better than the other. The spice mix I used a couple of weeks back was different, a bit unusual and I liked it. That is the only reason I am putting the recipe here. Now tell me, what is your child's favorite everyday food ?

Hope you all had a Happy Eid and a lovely Ganesh Chaturthi.

Read more...

Chicken Stew with Vegetables

The measurements etc. are totally eyeballed, go with your instinct.

Marinate 2-2&1/2lb of whole cut up chicken (skinless with bones) with 1 tsp of Garlic Paste, 1 tsp of Ginger Paste, a little turmeric powder, salt and lime juice

Toast
1 tsp of whole Corriander Seeds
1/4 tsp of Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp of Fennel seeds
6 Cloves/Laung

Make a paste of the
above spices
4 cloves of garlic
1" piece of peeled and chopped ginger

Heat Olive Oil or butter in a Pressure cooker or a deep bottomed pan

Temper the oil with a thin 2" stick of cinnamon and 3-4 green cardamom (gently crushed in the mortar)

Add about 1 small onion chopped fine and fry till onion turns brown on the edges. Add the masala paste and 1 chopped tomato. Fry covered till the oil is separating from the masala and the tomatoes are all mushed up.

Add all the vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini, green beans, few leaves of spinach, a beet maybe), sprinkle a little salt and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Next add the marinated chicken pieces and saute till the meat is no longer pink.

Add enough warm water so that the meat and vegetables are fully covered. Add a fistful of fresh coriander leaves.Pressure cook for about 5 minutes at full pressure. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and lime juice. Serve as a soup or with rice.
Note: For grown ups add a couple of hot Indian Green chili for a spicy kick

Mutton Rogan Josh -- any which way

Last week when I decided to cook Mutton Rogan Josh I found that it was as disputed as Park 51 if not more. There were several manifestations of the dish depending on where you came from.None radically different from each other but differing in subtleties that was enough to cause mayhem. Every one looked down upon the other Rogan Josh and there was much confusion about the authentic version.

For all you know Rogan Josh could be God.

From the several sites I visited I could narrow it down to the following.
Not God, Rogan Josh !

1. Authentic Rogan Josh -- This is the version created by the Kashmiri Brahmins, a clan who ruled India after the Mughals and Brits. Kashmiri Brahmins have the same food philosophy as Bengali Brahmins and are happy to eat meat as long as it is made satwik way with no onion or garlic. This version of the Rogan Josh has no onion or garlic but has Hing/Asafoetidia. The red color of the dish is brought by a root known as "Ratan Jot" found only in the Kashmir Valley. Recipe is here and here and here...

2. British Indian Rogan Josh -- This is the version created by HaraCurry Singh Patak in Glasgow, UK. This version was cooked like any other mutton dish with onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes in the small galley kitchen but was given a brand new name. It was made mild so as not to upset the Brits who loved curry and HaraCurry. Soon it became popular among Indians and non-Indians living abroad and depending on the heat tolerance quotient(HTQ) of the clients the dish was made Red with Red Chili Powder, Red with Kashmiri Mirch or Orange with Food Coloring, the last being the most popular.

3. North Indian Rogan Josh -- Exactly same as British Indian Rogan Josh, made popular in Delhi by HaraCurry Singh Patak's second cousin Dhaba Singh Telwala. The cousins share the exact same recipe and this version only differs in the amount of oil floating on top of the dish. Grease being not a problem in India and available cheap the chef uses all kinds in this dish.

4. South Indian Rogan Josh -- This recipe was a novel creation by Swami Idli Iyer who had fallen in love with this dish on his tryst with the Brits in the late 1940's. Swami never told his mother Rasam Amma that he ate meat, smoked tobacco and never took his meals at Chennai Tiffin while in London.Instead he told her Rogan Josh-a was made with Jackfruit and was offered as Prasadam at the Balaji temple in UK. His version has fragrant curry leaves and grated coconut and is popular in Udupi restaurants.

5. Bengali Rogan Josh -- This version was created by Mishti Kumro Mukherjee who on her visit to Delhi was as impressed by the height and physique of the Punjabis as she was with the Red Fort. She took to feeding her "roga"(thin) son Rogan Josh every day at lunch since she felt that is what made the Paanjabi "mota"(fat translates to strong in Bengali) and not "roga" and also gave them "Josh"(fame & money). She added a good amount of sugar to this dish to make it mishti and marinated the mutton in mustard oil. No news of the son was ever reported.

6. Madhur Jaffrey Rogan Josh-- Whether this version was created by Madam Jaffrey, her mother's cook or a cook at Sitar I cannot tell. This version has onion and garlic but no tomatoes. It is made by people who blog and are not sure of what is the exact way to make Rogan Josh. The recipe is from here and it says Preparation Time :0:00, whatever that means.

*Recipe Number 2 to 5 are partly figments of the author's demented mind who has lots of time on her hand today. They do exist though.

If I am honest and look deep down in my heart and squint through the arteries, blood vessels, muscles and whatever they have there I should tell you that I wanted to make Rogan Josh as per Recipe Number 1. The only reason why Number 1 tilted my favor is it does not have onion. I can go any lengths to not chop an onion. I am lazy that way.

However I was supposed to take the mutton dish to a Bong Picnic and anyone who has been to a Bong Picnic knows how important a role food plays there. Bongs do not play badminton, antakshari, cricket or dumb charade at Picnics. They eat and chat and eat in a vicious cycle. I couldn't take risks at such a place. I have never cooked mutton sans onion & garlic. If my mutton dish faltered, I could as well be ousted and denied the Luchi, Alur Dom, Lyangcha which also featured on the menu. So I chose recipe Number 6, simply because of the brand name which backed it.

Recipe Number 6 was actually great. Even the measures worked perfect. I however added Fennel seed Powder from Recipe 1 to this one because I thought it would give this dish the unique flavor. In the end it was not a whole lot different from any other mutton curry but it definitely was one more great mutton curry. Go cook your own version of Mutton Rogan Josh or just follow this one. If you don't eat mutton substitute with chicken or jackfruit(kathal), really.


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Mutton Rogan Josh

This is an easy dish to cook and the only factor is time taken to cook the mutton. Do not use pressure cooker to cook the meat, the flavor comes out only on slow cooking.

What You Need

Mutton(Goat meat) or Lamb ~ 2 &1/2 lb, shoulder or front leg cut in medium pieces
Marinate the meat for 2-3 hours in 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 2 tsp vinegar or lime juice, a little turmeric and salt

For Gravy

Fresh Ginger peeled and chopped ~ 2"
Garlic ~ 8 fat cloves

Onion ~ 2 cups finely chopped

Yogurt ~ 6 tbsp

Salt
Oil for Cooking

Spices in Gravy

Cumin powder ~ 2 tsp
Corriander Powder ~ 1 tsp
Fennel Seed Powder ~ 2 tsp
Kashmiri Mirch ~ 1 tsp or more to get the coloring
Red Chili Powder ~ 1/2 tsp to start and then to taste

Pepper powder ~ 1/4 tsp
Garam masala ~ 1/4 tsp

For Tempering

Green Cardamom/Choti Elaichi ~ 6-8 pods
Black Cardamom/Badi Elaichi ~ 2 pods
Bay Leaf/Tej Patta ~ 2 small
Clove/Laung ~ 6 whole
Whole Black peppercorn/Kali Mirch ~ 10 whole
Cinnamon/Dalchini ~ one 2" stick
Mace/Javetri ~ 1/2 tsp

How I Did It

Marinate the mutton as instructed for 2-3 hours in 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 2 tsp vinegar or lime juice, a little turmeric and salt

Put the ginger, garlic and very little water in a blender and blend well into a smooth paste.

Heat White oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium-high flame. Add the meat in a single layer and saute till they are browned. Add a dash of Kashmiri Mirch while frying the meat. Remove and set aside.

Temper the same oil with all spices listed under tempering. Wait a few seconds for the spices to sizzle.

Now add the onion. Fry the onions to a medium brown color.

Add the ginger-garlic paste that you made and saute for the next minute or so.

Now add the dry spices the Cumin Powder, Corriander powder, Fennel powder, Kashmiri Mirch and red Chili Powder. With a sprinkle of water fry the masala till you see oil separating from the edges.

Now add the browned meat cubes along with the meat juices. Mix well so that the meat is coated with the masala. Now lower the heat and put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt and stir and fry for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time in the same way. Stir and fry for another 3-4 minutes at low heat.

Add 1&1/2-2 cups of water and salt to taste. Mix everything well, scraping the sides and bottom of cooking pot. Bring the gravy to a boil.Check to see if salt and red chili powder is in correct amount. If you need it more hot add more chili powder.

Cover, turn heat to medium-low and simmer for about an hour or two until meat is tender. Every 10 minutes give the pot a good stir to prevent burning. If the gravy is becoming too dry add some more water.
When the meat is tender, take off the lid, turn the fire to medium high and boil off some of the excess liquid, stirring all the time, until the sauce is thickened.

Sprinkle the garam masala and black pepper over the dish and mix them in just before you serve it.



Trivia: Rogan means oil in Persian, while josh means heat, hot, boiling, or passionate. Rogan josh thus means cooked in oil at intense heat. Another interpretation of the name rogan josh is derived from the word rogan meaning color and josh meaning passion, hot or red. So this is a meat dish which is red in color.

Mutton Rezala -- well almost

Mutton Rezala

The typical Bengali style rezala is a subtly spiced, fragrant with whole spices and kewra, yogurt-based stew with chunks of meat. It owes its origin to Mughlai cuisine. This is my recipe of Mutton Rezala, which is not exactly like the muslim restaurants in Kolkata but close.

Chicken Rezala Recipe

I had never thought I would make a Mutton Rezala at home. Heck, I didn't even know how to make a Rezala. All I knew was that Mutton Rezala was a very fragrant stew kind of mutton dish that could be found at Sabir's in Kolkata. It was heavenly but with years the taste had ebbed its sharpness and I couldn't recall how exactly it tasted. All I could remember is the anticipation and the fragrance when Baba would get Biryani or Paratha-Rezala from Sabir's on some days back home. But then I had the same excitement when he got chicken roll from Nizam's or pastries from Flury's or Khasta Kachuri from neighborhood Mahaprabhu.

So you see the tastes weren't distinct in my memory anymore and I had learned to live with the fact that Rezala was that one more unattainable thing from the past. It was a dish fit for the Nawab's who led a very luxurious and sedate life style and had no place in the new age Western World.

I still thought Mutton Rezala was not something you made at Home. Hey, even Sabir's chef thought it was impossible and he would know.
"According to Ahmed the secret of the taste lies in the preparation. Anis Ahmed, another partner, however, disclosed the recipe. The ingredients are simple. Made out of mutton breast, the spices include dahi, ghee, poppy seeds (posto), zafran, and jaitri. the proportionate mixing of the spices gives it the right taste. “this is where most people go wrong,” said Ahmed. even if you are closely correct in the proportion you will never get the right taste at home. the trick, he said, is in the fuel. “you can never get the taste unless you cook it in charcoal fire,” said Ahmed

Read more: A taste of Rezala at Sabir’s - Calcutta Times - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1885223942.cms#ixzz0vqR8u3Z9
"

And then I saw Kalyan making a Chicken rezala at home. That was the thing that set me on track about this whole Rezala thing. And then I see Mr.Ghosh our UshnishDa making not only Mutton but Paneer and Aloo Rezala at his very own home.

Hmmm...so I guess Rezala can be made at home after all. If all these male of the species have done it successfully, the female power could do it better I thought.

Did I say better ? Ok, kidding, I did not mean better. Why would I say better ? I mean how can it be better than Anis Ahmed's slow cooked rezala on "charcoal fire".

We are the liberated, powerful, modern female. We do not use charcoal fuel. We know better. Ok what is this with better, dang, not better, best. We know best and Rezala might not be one of them. Who cares ?

But my gas cooked, pressure cookered, first attempt Mutton Rezala was really gorgeous. It was fragrant, the mutton tender and soaked with all those spices, the gravy light but spicy and everything that I could possibly ask for in a Rezala. The flavor of this dish comes from the whole spices, the cardamom, the javetri and then the magical drops of Kewra water. Everyone who had it loved it. I am not sure if they recognized it as a Rezala but they loved it none the less.

Get this recipe in my Book coming out soon. Check this blog for further updates. 

Since I was making this for a small lunch gathering, I made it richer and spicier. For an everyday Home Version you can choose to go light.
I have mostly followed this recipe but have also taken pointers from this and this. I have made Mutton Rezala but you can easily substitute Mutton with Chicken or even make a Vegetarian Rezala.


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Mutton Rezala

Serving size : This serves about 10-12 adults when served as a part of a complete meal
Time Taken: Prep :15 mins; Marination:8-12 hrs; Cooking Time: 30-40 mins
Level of Difficulty: Medium

What You Need

Mutton/Goat Meat ~ 5lb

Onion ~ 4-5 cups of chopped red onion (4-5 medium sized onion)
Garlic ~ 12 cloves
Ginger ~ 2" piece

Yogurt 1.5 cup for marinade + 2 cups for later

Grind to a Dry Spice powder

Cardamom ~ 4 big black + 10 green
Mace/Javetri ~ 1 tbsp
Clove ~ 10
Pepper Powder ~ 1 tbsp
Nutmeg/jaiphal - a pinch of nutmeg powder


For Gravy

Onion ~ 1/2 of a large thinly sliced (Optional)

Ginger Paste ~ 2 tsp (optional)

Garlic Paste ~ 2 tsp (optional)

Cashew ~ 4 tbsp soaked and then made a paste

Kewra Water ~ 1 tsp (must for the fragrance)
Meetha Attar -- a few drops adds to the beautiful fragrance (I usually never have this but a reader suggested so adding here)
Milk ~ 4 Tbsp
Saffron ~ few strands

Salt ~ to taste
Oil ~ Cooking oil preferably Canola or Ghee
Ghee ~ 1 tbsp

Whole Spices for tempering

Bay Leaf ~ 5
Whole Red Chili ~ 15 -- Do not crack the red chili, use whole, this brings you the smell of the spice without excess heat. Depending on your spice level decrease this quantity
Black Peppercorn ~ 3 tsp whole is better or use 1 tbsp of pepper powder
Cardamom ~ 2 Black + 5 green
Clove ~ 10
Cinnamon Stick ~ 1 stick

How I Did It

Step 1

Grind to a dry powder the spices listed under "Grind to Dry Powder"

Step 2

Heat Oil

Lightly fry the 5 cup of onion + 12 clove of garlic + 2" piece of ginger until onion is soft and pink
Cool and make a paste.
Add to this 1 cup of yogurt and blend well

Traditional Route: Don't fry onion, garlic, ginger, just make a paste of above. However my raw onion paste sometimes gets bitter so I prefer this.

Step 3

In a big large mouthed bowl (or use an aluminum tray) add the washed and cleaned mutton pieces.
Add the paste + yogurt from Step 2
Add the dry spice powder from Step 1
Add salt to taste
Mix well
Let it rest for 2-3 hours, overnight is better.

Step 4

Heat Oil + 1 tbsp Ghee in a heavy bottomed large pan

Temper the Oil with all spices listed under Whole Spice. Add about 1/2 tsp of sugar.

When the spices sizzle add 1/2 of an onion sliced thin and fry till onion starts to brown
Add 2 tsp of Ginger Paste + 2 tsp of Garlic Paste and fry for couple of minutes
Traditional route: Skip this step

Remove the meat pieces from the marinade, shaking off any excess liquid and add to the pan. Saute the meat pieces till the raw pink coloring is gone. A lot of water will be released at this point and it will smell heavenly.

In a bowl beat about 2-3 cups of yogurt + cashew paste. I also add a little sugar to the yogurt. If your yogurt is very thick, add 1/2 Cup of water to thin it out.
Lower the heat and add this along with the remaining marinade to the pan. Mix everything nicely. Note: Use 3 cups yogurt for a lighter gravy, 2 cups for not too soupy one.

Add salt to taste.

Transfer everything to a Pressure Cooker.If you think that the liquid is not enough, add some water.Add a tsp of Kewra Water. The Kewra Water is important, DO NOT skip it, you can use Rose Water or a little Meetha Attar if you don't have Kewra Water.

Now close the lid of the pressure cooker.  Keep heat at medium and cook till Mutton is tender. Do not over cook. Since I had marinated the meat for close to 18 hrs, mine was done in 10 minutes after full pressure build up.
Note: If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can cook the meat in the pan but it will take about 45-60 minutes. You will also need to stir in between and add water if necessary to avoid the meat from sticking to the bottom.

In a small bowl heat 3-4 Tbsp of milk. Add a few strands of saffron to the warm milk and mix. Once the meat is done and you can open the lid of the cooker add the milk+saffron and close the lid again.

Let it sit for 30 minutes and then serve with Rice, Biryani or Naan.



Similar Recipes:

Hyderabadi Maraag

Patha'r Mangshor Jhol

Mutton Stew for Kids



Trivia: The Mughal influence in Bengali Cuisine was reinforced in the Raj era, when Kolkata became the place of refuge for many prominent exiled Nawabs, especially the family of Tipu Sultan from Mysore and Wajid Ali Shah, the ousted Nawab of Awadh. The exiles brought with them hundreds of cooks and masalchis (spice mixers). These highly accomplished cooks came with the knowledge of a very wide range of spices (most notably jafran saffron and mace), the extensive use of ghee as a method of cooking, and special ways of marinating meats.
Specialties include chap (ribs slow cooked on a tawa), rezala (meat in a thin yogurt and cardamom gravy) and the famous kathi roll (kebabs in a wrap)

Bengali Mutton Curry | Pathar Mangsho'r Jhol

Bengali Mutton Curry | Pathar Mangshor Jhol

The Bengali Mutton Curry made with Goat meat is synonymous with Sundays and daytime naps. Made with potatoes and spiced with garam masala, this rich and spicy Mangshor Jhol is best enjoyed with rice.

Sunday Mutton Curry

Mutton Curry in Oven

Phissssssssssh went the pressure cooker, not once or twice but 5-6 times. With each whistle the appetizing fragrance would trace the room, trying to find its way out of the wide windows. The sun would be high up by then and the drapes drawn in while the Rasna Kids sang aloud happily on the Tele. As Spiderman saved the world the mind wandered in anticipation of lunch.

Ma would be busy in the kitchen, her cotton saree damp and smelling headily of all the spices. If you dug your face in her coolness, today would smell different. It was Sunday and you would smell Mangshor jhol (Mutton/Chicken Curry). A Sunday Lunch menu that once united almost all Bongs, it was a tradition of sorts to have nothing but mangsho'r jhol & bhaat for Sunday lunch. The meat could vary, it could be patha'r mangsho(goat meat) for the more traditional, archaic family or murgi(chicken) for the noveau ones.

The recipe wouldn't vary much. It would revolve around the same core with potatoes and lots of gravy. You wouldn't see a Murgh Malai or Lamb Chop i.e. just any preparation of meat would not do. Those were stuff for evenings, maybe dinner but Sunday Lunch was different, it was always the same mangsho'r jhol that had Bangali Sunday Lunch written in bold all over it

My grandparents were strict Brahmins and adhered to Bengali Brahmin norms. That didn't mean much except that the only meat that was allowed in their home was patha'r mangsho (goat meat) and not murgi (aka chicken). So Sunday lunch was almost always bengali mutton curry and rice. I wasn't very fond of goat meat then but loved the gravy and the potatoes in it.

I vaguely remember a particular period of our life, a couple of months maybe, my parents were going through some difficult financial situation. My grandma was not well and I think the food budget was adjusted in lieu of her treatment. I was too young(maybe 6 or 7) to understand but I do remember the Sunday mangsho'r jhol was off the menu and there used to be fish for lunch instead. One such Sunday I was visiting friends and the familiar smell of Mangsho'r Jhol at their home triggered the latent longing in me. I don't remember what I told my Ma but I do remember that the familiar smell was back at our kitchen next Sunday onwards. Maybe my Ma cooked meat just for me or maybe the finances solved themselves but that is how mangsho'r jhol is woven into crevices of my memory

Mangshor Jhol | Bengali Mutton Curry

Times have changed. We hardly eat goat meat or any red meat that much. There is no fixed menu for a Sunday lunch at my home to weave memories. But Patha'r mangsho or goat meat still holds a lofty place and is cooked on special occasions. So that is how this got cooked when friends were visiting some weeks back.

On a leisurely Sunday we had a delectable Patha'r mangsho'r jhol (goat meat curry) with white rice amidst much laughter and adda(gossip), spending hours sucking the juicy marrows over a lazy delicious lunch

What was/is your Sunday lunch tradition ?


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Patha'r Mangshor Jhol ~ Goat Meat Curry

Prep: Dry Roast 8 Green Cardamaom/Elaichi, 8 Clove/Laung, one petal of mace/javetri, 1" stick of cinnamon, 3 Dry Red Chilli on a stove top or pop them in the oven for a couple of minutes. Grind them to a fine powder. This acts as my Garam Masala and this is the masala that will be used in this mutton curry

Marinate 3lb of mutton(goat meat) with 2 tsp of ginger paste, 2 tsp of garlic paste, a little turmeric, 1 tbsp of Vinegar, 1 tsp of Mustard Oil and salt for 3-4 hours or overnight

Start Cooking:

Step 1

Heat Oil in a deep heavy bottomed pan

Fry 2 &1/2 - 3 cups chopped red onion, 2 fat clove of garlic chopped, 1 medium tomato chopped and 2" piece of peeled and chopped ginger till the onion is soft and pink and tomatoes are softened

Cool and grind the above to make a onion+tomato+garlic+ginger paste

OR

Make separate paste of onion and a separate ginger + garlic paste. Amount remains same. My Ma does it this way.

Step 2

Heat Oil in a heavy deep bottomed pan

Temper the oil with whole spices as follows: 4 Cardamom/Elaichi, 4 Clove/Laung, 2 Bay Leaf/Tej-Patta, 2" cinnamon stick/Darchini

As soon as you get the fragrance of the spices add the onion+ginger+garlic+tomato paste. If you have made separate pastes, add the onion paste first and fry till onion is a nice pinkish brown, then add ginger+garlic paste and fry for 1-2 minutes and then add the chopped tomato

Fry with 1/4 tsp of sugar till oil separates from masala

Meanwhile in a small bowl make a paste with 4 tsp yogurt, 1 heaped tsp Cumin Powder, 1 heaped tsp Corriander powder, 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder (adjust according to your level), the Dry Masala you made and 1 tsp of garlic paste(optional)

Lower the heat and add this masala paste. Add 1 more medium tomato finely chopped

Fry for 2-3 minutes

Add the mutton and mix the mutton nicely with the masala

Add salt, lower the heat to medium and let the mutton cook in its own juice. Stir in between to facilitate the meat to soak up the spices

While the mutton is cooking in a separate pan fry 1-2 potatoes that had been peeled and quartered with a little turmeric. The potatoes will not be cooked but just take on a nice golden color. Do not cook further and keep aside.

Step 3

When the mutton has lost its raw coloring and it smells nice you can transfer the whole thing to a pressure cooker along with the potatoes and cook it in the pressure cooker.

OR

If you have time on hand do this. Cook the mutton at low heat in the covered pan itself. Remember to stir in between and add water if necessary. Some water has to be added for the gravy, adjust the amount of water according to your wish. You can use a slow cooker if you have one and cook the mutton in it too.

If you are cooking in the pan, check when mutton is near to be done and then add the potatoes.

Cook till mutton and potatoes are done
Check for seasonings and adjust to taste. You might need to add a tsp of garam masala. I sometimes add juice of half a lime and finely chopped coriander at the end.

Enjoy this delicious mutton curry with any kind of rice or bread

Though not the usual trend you can garnish this dish with chopped corriander. Also when I am having this mutton curry with rice I like to squeeze a little lime juice on it and have onions as a side.

Update: I forgot to add that D (the husband) makes a goat meat curry which is simpler and yet very flavorful. Shall post that next time he cooks.
Also wanted to add that instead of making onion paste many times my Ma would use finely chopped onion too. For a larger crowd I find it easier to make a paste than chop fine