Mutton Perathal (Mutton Gravy)

MUTTON PERATHAL

to marinate
1 kg mutton - cut into small bites
1 tbs of ginger garlic paste
4 tbs of yogurt
2 tbs red chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbs of chopped coriander leaves
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 green chilies - halved lengthwise
1 small tomato - chopped
1 tbs fennel powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1small onion chopped coarsely

for tempering
2 small piece of cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
3 star anise
3 cardamons
2 big onions-sliced finely
1 sprig curry leaves
2 green chilies - chopped small (optional if you prefer more heat)
1 small potato - cut in small cubes
3 tbs chopped coriander leaves

Preparation

1.  Wash and cut into bite size mutton, drain and set aside in a bowl.
2.  In the same bowl, add all ingredients for marination, season with salt and mix well all and set aside for minimum half hour.
3.  If using pressure cook, add the marinated ingredients and pressure cook for 2 whistle, also depending the cut and size of the meat.
4. While the mutton is being cook,  in a different pan, heat some oil. 
5.  Once oil is hot, add in cinnamon sticks, cloves, anise and cardamons.  Once it starts to pop add in potato cubes and give it a golden colour.
6.  Next add in onions and stir fry till soft on medium flame
7.  Add in green chilies and curry leaves mix well. Stir for a few more minutes.
8.  Add this tempered items to the already cooked mutton gravy, add in chopped coriander leaves and give a good stir and let it simmer for a few more minutes.
9. Ready to be served with hot rice or even chapatis.


Enjoy!!!

Mutton Bone Rasam/Soup

Mutton Bone Rasam/Soup

My son recently had a hairline fractured on his left elbow.  Friends suggested making home made mutton bone soup for a speedy recovery. Apparently the juicy from the bones have healing properties for the bones.  I used a pressure cooker to stew my soup.

Lets look at how to prepare this soup.

Item A
1 tsp of peppercorn
2 tsp of coriander
1 tsp of white peppercorn
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 dried chillies depending on the spiciness required
a few sprigs of curry leave

Item B
1 small onion
thumb sized ginger
3-5 cloves of garlic

Item C
1 tomato - chopped small
2-3 chilly  chopped coarsely

Item D
150 gms of mutton bones with fats
6 cups of water
1/2 tsp of turmeric

Item E
1 tbs of gingely oil - optional

Item F
a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

1.  Grind items A into fine powder and Items B into fine paste.
2.  In a pressure cooker/deep based pot put in all items except gingely oil and coriander leaves.  Cover the pressure cooker and let it on till 5 whistles.
3.  If not using a pressure cooker, stew/boil the soup for an hour or till the meat are well cooked.
4.  Add in gingely oil and chopped coriander leaves and leave it to simmer for another 10 mins.
5.  Ready to serve with bread or rice or just enjoy it as it is.

Enjoy

Sathiarani

Divali Day and the Food

Happy (belated) Divali to all my Hindu readers...

The celebration started with the day before, preparing the next days menu...Chicken Dalca, Mutton Perathal, Chicken Masala and Jeera Rice.  Eve of Divali lighted up tea candle lights instead the usual earthen lamp and oil. Needed the use up the tea candle lights (trying to figure up why I got them in the first place...)

The only food that I managed to take pictures was of Idli...Family photographer on school trip...The recipe for Idli is the same as Thosei...It is steamed  with a special mould and steamer, normally for a 15 mins depending on the size of your mould.  Remove the idli from the mould with a spoon and serve.

Dalca is combination of meat and lentils with some vegetables and curry powder with sambar powder.  Tradionally it is cooked with mutton, I changed it to chicken as my hubby and kids are less fond of mutton.   I added drumstick, the fruity part of Muringa Tree and eggplants

Chicken Dalca

What you need..

2 cups of toor dhal
2 tbs of ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp of tumeric powder
2 eggplant - quarter
2 long drumstick - cut into bite size.
1 big tomato - quartered
1 bowl of chicken pieces - preferable the one with bones.
1 big onion - sliced finely
2 sprig of curry leaves
1 green chilly-slit lengthwise
2 tbs of chicken masala powder
1 tbs of sambar powder
*2 cardamon
*1 tsp cumin
*1 tsp fennel
*1 cinnamon
*3-4 cloves
*3-4 aniseed
*1 bay leave
chopped coriander and or mint

p/s : you can add potatoes, carrots, long beans if you wish.

How to do...

• Wash and pressure cooker the dhall with ginger garlic paste and tumeric powder and tomato.
• When the dhall is cooked add in green chilly,eggplants, chicken meat and drumstick and any other vegetables that you like.
• Once the vegetables are cooked, add curry powder and sambar powder and salt to taste
• In different wok/pan, heat oil and saute all marked * till aromatic, add in onions and curry leaves, bay leaves.  Fry till the onions are soft.
• Pour into the dhall, stir well  and let it boil for a few more minutes.  Remove from fire and add coarsely chopped  mint/coriander.
• Serve with rice, thosei, idli or chapatis/puris.

Chicken Keema

Emm today is a medley of food combination a little of this and that. I had wanted to try out keema, an Indian/Pakistani dish. Keema is actually minced meat and normally the main ingredient will be mutton/lamb/beef.

As both my kids and husband are not mutton/lamb lovers, I opted to try out with minced chicken, hence Chicken Keema. I was made to understand that many versions of keema existed, some with grean peas and some with potatoes, sometimes with both in. So I thought of making something authentic served the net as usual and found a hyderabad cuisine. Lets look at it.

Keema
source : http://hubpages.com/hub/Hyderabadi-Keema by skyfire

Ingredients:

1 lbs Lamb Mince
1/2 cup yogurt
4 tablespoon oil
1 Boiled Egg
2 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped ginger
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup Chopped Coriander Leaves
1 tablespoon garam Masala
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon green chili paste
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
Salt as per taste

Method
In a bowl, add salt, yogurt, turmeric powder, garlic paste and mix it well with the mince chicken/mutton/lamb. Marinate for an hour or so.

In a frying pan, add 4 tablespoon of oil in it. Add garam masala and allow it to crackle. Also add chopped onions and let it heat till onions change color to slightly brown. Now add chopped ginger, coriander powder, red chili powder, green chili paste into pan and let it cook for 2 minutes. Again if you don’t want to make it too spicy then either skip green chili paste or add 1/2 tablespoon of green chili paste. ( I skipped the green paste)

Add chopped tomatoes and let it cook till fat leaves masala. Tomato can also be skipped if anyone wants to but it adds to the original recipe taste so if possible add it. Now add marinated lamb mince into the pan. Let it cook till you see the thick gravy. Add slice of boiled egg before you serve in plate.When it comes to serving add coriander leaves and serve it with lukmi, puri or roti. You can even flavor this dish with traditional charcoal seasoning

I skipped the charcoal part and I serve them with rice instead.