Thursday 20 June 2013

Mutton Chukka / Fry

My husband is an amazing cook. He gets wild ideas when it comes to cooking. He is very good at non vegetarian dishes. Every time we buy mutton, he cooks it. Here is the lip smacking version of his mutton fry, enjoy!
 Ingredients
Mutton - 1 kg
Onion ( medium ) - 2 ( finely chopped )
Tomato ( big ) - 1 ( finely chopped )
Green chilli - 2 ( slit lengthwise )
Ginger garlic paste - 2 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup ( finely chopped )
Mint leaves - 5 ( finely chopped )
Water - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Whole Spices
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 2 sticks of 1 inch thick
Cardamom - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1/4 Teaspoon
Bay leaves - 3
Whole Black Pepper - 5 corns
Masalas
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 Teaspoons
Coriander powder - 2 Teaspoons
Mutton masala powder - 1 Teaspoon ( optional )

Method
1. Pressure cook the mutton along with the whole spices, half the measure of the masalas, half of the salt, water, 1 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste and green chillies.
2. The fat will float in the cooked gravy, you can either fry the mutton along with it or completely discard the fatty gravy. But I suggest to use half of the gravy to retain the flavour and can discard the rest.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry until they are translucent. Then add the mint and fry until the raw smell goes away.
4. Add the remaining ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away and then add the tomato followed by salt and the remaining masalas. Cook until a beautiful tomato gravy is formed.
5. Now add the mutton along with half of the gravy from the pressure cooker to the pan and mix thoroughly.
6. Check for salt and cooked the mutton covered in medium or low flame for another 30 minutes until the gravy is completely reduced.
7. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.
            Yummy mutton fry is ready to be served!

 Note
* If the mutton is very old and tough, you can add a teaspoon of fresh green papaya paste to soften it.






Wednesday 19 June 2013

Tomato Rasam

Tomato rasam is a simple yet mouthwatering dish which can be had as a soup or as an accompaniment with rice. Whenever we have fever or cold, tomato rasam comes to our rescue at home. Ther are different varieties of rasam among which tomato rasam is my all time favourite. There had never been an afternoon lunch at home without the rasam. Such is a role played by this simple dish, Enjoy!


Ingredients
Tomato (large) - 2 (roughly chopped)
Green chillies - 2 ( split lengthwise)
Garlic pods - 4 ( roughly crushed)
Curry leaves - 10
Coriander leaves - to garnish
Mustard seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Pepper corns - 5
Cumin seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Tamarind - lemon sized
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Water - 2 to 3 cups
Salt - to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Then add the green chillies, garlic and curry leaves.
2. Once the garlic is cooked add the tomatoes and salt and cook until it is completely smashed.
3. Make a fine powder of the pepper corns and cumin seeds and add to the cooked tomato.
4. Extract the tamarind juice with water and add it to the pan and mix thoroughly. If the rasam is thick add some more water.
5. Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the coriander leaves and close the pan for 5 minutes. The coriander leaves will be cooked in the heat and releases a beautiful aroma when the lid is opened. 
     Serve hot as a soup or with rice and pappad.

Note
* The rasam powder can be made in advance and stored in an air tight jar. Take 1:2 ratio of pepper corns and cumin seeds and make a fine or coarse powder for the rasam mix.
* Boiled toor Dahl ( yellow lentils) can also be added to the rasam in small quantities for additional flavour. 

Mushroom Biryani in Pressure Cooker

The word biryani would sound like a nightmare for many but I bet it is an easy one pot hassle free dish. Though the pre-prep time is a little longer the actual preparation takes not more than half an hour for any vegetable biryani. Enjoy the recipe!



Ingredients
Rice - 2 cups ( washed and soaked in water )
Mushroom - 500 gms ( diced into big chunks )
Carrot - 1 ( peeled and diced )
Potato - 2 ( peeled and diced )
Beans - 10 ( cut into1inch thick )
Onion ( medium ) - 2 ( cut lengthwise )
Tomato ( medium ) - 2 ( diced )
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 Tablespoon
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup ( finely chopped )
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup ( finely chopped )
Green chillies -  4 ( slit lengthwise )
Lime juice - juice of 1/2 lime
Water - 3 1/4 cups
Yoghurt -  1/2 cup
Oil - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Ghee - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Whole Spices
Cloves - 5
Cinnamon - 3 sticks of 1 inch thickness each
Bay leaves - 4
Cardamom - 3
Cumin seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Whole Black Pepper - 4 corns
Masalas
Chilli powder - 1 1/4 Teaspoons
Coriander powder - 2 Teaspoons

Method
1. Heat the oil and ghee in a 5 litre pressure pan and add the whole spices when the oil is hot.
2. Add the green chillies followed by the onions and cook until they become translucent.
3. Add the mint leaves and cook until the raw smell of the leaves go away.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the tomatoes along with little salt and cook until they are completely mashed. Now add the masalas and cook until the raw smell of the masalas go away.
6. Add the yoghurt and give a stir. Then add the mushroom, carrot, potato, beans and coriander leaves and mix them well with the tomato gravy.
7. Add the rice and water and stir well. Add the lime juice and check for salt.
8. Cover the pressure pan with lid and put the weight on. Reduce the heat to medium and allow 2 whistles and then turn off the heat.
9. Once the pressure is completely released, open the lid and give a quick stir.
     Serve the mushroom biryani with onion raitha.



Note
* 1:1 ratio of water and coconut milk can be added instead of just water for additional flavour.