Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh

A very popular mutton dish which uses very simple ingredients and is not loaded with spices. The mutton is stewed in a yogurt based curry with the main aromatic spices being fennel and dry ginger powder.

Ingredients

1.2 kg mutton, cut into pieces

5 tbsp curd

For tempering

A pinch of hing powder/asafetida

3-4 black pepper

2 small pieces cinnamon

Make a powder of

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 cloves

3 dry red chillies

1 tsp saunth/dry ginger powder

Seeds of 3 black cardamom

1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.

Add the asafetida powder, cinnamon and black pepper.

Add the mutton pieces and fry on high flame to brown the mutton.

Mix the curd and the dry spices powder.

Once the mutton pieces look nicely fried add the curd mixture and fry for 5 minutes.

Now add 1 ½ cup of water and close the pressure cooker. Reduce flame after one whistle and cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Hyderabadi Mutton Korma

Hyderabadi Mutton Korma

800 gm mutton with bones

3 large onions, boiled and made into a paste

3 tbsp garlic paste

3 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp white pepper powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp red chilli powder

Salt t taste

½ cup yoghurt

½ cup milk

4 tbsp cream

For tempering

4 green cardamoms

4 cloves

2 bay leaves

 Make a paste of

8 almonds

1 tbsp magaz seeds

Heat some oil and add the whole garama masalas. Add the onion paste and fry till it becomes brownish.

Add the ginger and garlic pastes.

Fry for 2 minutes and then add the mutton pieces. Fry till they brown.

Add the salt, white pepper powder, garam masala, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Fry for 5 minutes.

Add the curd and almond-magaz paste. Sauté on high.

Add 1 cup water, bring to boil, cover and cook till done. Alternately you can, at this stage, put it in a pressure cooker and give two whistles.

Once the mutton is cooked add the milk and simmer for sometime. Garnish with the cream and chopped fresh coriander.

Tahini Paste

Tahini paste

1 cup hung curd

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 tbsp lime juice

3 pods garlic, crushed

 Grind together all ingredients to make a thick paste. 

Kasuri tikka

Kasuri Tikka

There are times when you feel so hungry and you are watching some food channel or food show..the host is tucking away to glory and in your hunger induced haze you can almost smell those mouth watering aromas. This happens to me very often and I actually drool at the sight of those pizzas, gelatos, batter fried fish (sluuurp)…and I feel like having something deep fried, crunchy, spicy Right Noww!!!

After one such episode I decided to make some Chilly Chicken. I took some boneless chicken and left it to marinate in ginger garlic paste. Then after the hunger pangs subsided I started getting some guilt pangs. Sure Chilly Chicken tastes good but just consider the amount of oil needed to deep fry…

But the tummy was still growling..the chicken was still marinating.. What to do?? I opted for a healthier option. I made chicken tikka with the same chicken pieces. They are not deep fried at all. I usually cook them in a pan with just 1 tsp of oil and they taste real good.

Ingredients

500 gm boneless chicken

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

4 tbsp yoghurt

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp kasuri methi

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Few drops yellow food colour

Marinate the chicken pieces in the rest of the ingredients and keep aside for at least an hour.

Now take 1 tsp oil in a saucepan. Sauté the chicken pieces on high heat for a minute, turn down the flame, cover and let cook.

You do not have to add water as there is enough moisture from the yoghurt. The chicken will be cooked in about 15 minutes.

Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves.

Shahi Ghosht Biryani

Gosht Biryani

To simplify the recipe let us do it in stages.

Stage 1 is making stock to boil the rice. 

Pressure cook the mutton with 2 cups of water. 

Strain the water and keep aside. Now make a potli of masalas.

To boil the rice you require

1 small onion , cubed

1 tbsp chopped ginger

Few strands of javitri/mace

4-5 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2-3 green cardamaom

2 black cardamom

Boil the stock with this potli and salt. While the stock is boiling wash 2 cups of basmati rice well to get rid of all starch. Once the stock comes to a boil add the rice. Parboil the rice and then spread it out to dry.

Stage 2 is to make the Shahi Korma

800 gm mutton

4 onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

2 tbsp cumin powder

1 tbsp ground mace

½ tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp red chili powder

1 cup yoghurt

½ cup fresh cream

Heat some ghee. Sauté the onions till they turn a caramel colour. Be careful not to burn them. 

Add ginger and garlic and sauté. 

Add cumin, coriander, mace, cinnamon, garam masala and chili powder.

 Now add the mutton pieces.

 Fry on a high flame till the meat is evenly browned. 

Add beaten yoghurt, cream and salt. 

Fry some more, add some water, cover and cook till the mutton is coated well with spices. Since we have already pressure cooked the mutton this will not take much time.

Now you can make it on dum in a degchi. Slow cooking on stem ensures that each grain of rice is infused with the flavour.

 However if you are running short on time you can make it in an automatic rice cooker also. Since the rice has already been cooked in mutton stock it has its own distinct flavour. 

Simply layer the rice and mutton and add some ghee. Dissolve a few strands of saffron in milk and add to the biryani. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Paneer Dahiwala

Paneer Dahiwala

Paneer is a staple of Indian food. Being historically an agrarian society we are still wholly dependent on milk and milk products. No meal seems complete without curd. Milk is to be had twice a day. And if nothing else then paneer is always there to complete the menu.

Paneer is a must have for all my vegetarian friends. I keep browsing through recipes to think up something new and exciting every time. The recipe here is simple but believe me the simplest things are the tastiest. It is never a good idea to overpower the dish with myriad condiments. What should stand out in the dish is the simple flavour of a few ingredients. 

We tend to be a bit heavy handed when it comes to spices. The paneer dishes I have in restaurants are usually smothered in ghee and roasted spices. The tadka flavour stands out and finally you don’t get to taste the actually paneer. In this recipe the paneer is simmered in a very simple onion and cashew gravy so that the taste permeates the paneer slices.

Paneer dahiwalal

Ingredients

400 gm paneer

10 cashews

4 cloves

2 bay leaves

4-5 dry red chillies

1 cup fresh yoghurt

4 onions

4 cardamoms

1 stick cinnamon

3 green chillies chopped

Quarter the onions and boil in water for 10 minutes. Blend along with the cashews. 

Heat ghee. 

Add onion paste and fry.

 Add the green chilies. 

Pound together red chilies and coriander seeds.

Add to the gravy.
Add beaten curd.
Season with salt and sugar and fry till the oil separates.
 Add the paneer pieces, little water and simmer till you have thick gravy.