MEAT PEPPER FRY

Serves 6 Preparation Time 45 minutes


½ kg Meat (Beef / Mutton / lamb)

3 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 big onions sliced finely

2 tablespoons oil

3 large potatoes

Salt to taste




Wash the meat and keep aside. Wash the Potatoes, peal and cut into quarters.


Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions and chopped ginger for a few minutes. Add the meat, salt, turmeric and pepper powder and mix well. Fry for 5 minutes on low heat turning the meat well till the pieces get firm. Add sufficient water and the potatoes and cook till done. Continue simmering on low heat till all the water is absorbed and the meat and potatoes are brown. Serve hot with bread or rice.

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP - CHICKEN MULLIGATAWNY

The original Mulligatawny Soup can be traced back to the early days of the East India Company in Madras to around the 18th century. It was originally a soup made with chicken or mutton/lamb stock. Mulligatawny Soup had no history in India before the British Raj. Supposedly, it was simply an invention to satisfy the Britishers, who demanded a soup course for dinner from a cuisine that had never produced one till then. The Tamil servants in those days concocted a stew like dish, that contained pepper and water on the lines of their local “Rasam” or “Melligu –Thanir. It was an interesting mix of East meets West, and was the nearest thing to soup in the cuisine of Colonial India. Mulligatawny Soup was actually the anglicized version of the Tamil “Melligu -Thani”. (“Melligu” meaning pepper and “Thanir” meaning water). As the name suggests it was originally just pepper in a watery soup.

In course of time a lot of other ingredients such meat, chicken, coconut, turmeric and other spices were added to give it a completely different flavour. A variety of “Mulligatawnies”, then came into existence which quickly became popular throughout the Common Wealth. Recipes for mulligatawny were quickly brought back to England by the British and its popularity spread through out the country. It has made a lasting impression on British cuisine right down to the present day, though it has undergone many changes. It is still an excellent “Comfort” dish on a cold rainy day and will surely lift the spirits when one is down in the dumps.
Mulligatawny Soup is now firmly entrenched not just in cookbooks but history books as well as a thick, spicy meat soup which is a wholesome meal in itself served with bread or rice. It has remained popular in the United Kingdom and is now available even in cans in some stores. The Mulligatawny Soup of today bears little resemblance to the original “MELLIGU -THANI”. And despite the name, pepper itself is not an important ingredient in the dish.
Though purported to be a classic Anglo-Indian dish since it came into existence during the Colonial Era, and was very popular then, Mulligatawny is not a typical Anglo-Indian dish. The real dish we Anglo-Indians call "Pepper water" is actually closer to the Tamil Rasam than Mulligatawny. Mulligatawny ultimately culminated into our very own Breast Bone pepperwater and various other variations such Shrimp Pepperwater, Dal Pepperwater, Horsegram pepperwater, etc.

Here’s a recipe for Chicken Mulligatwany Soup. Enjoy!!!!!!!
CHICKEN MULLIGATAWNY SOUP
Serves 6 Preparation time 45 minutes
½ kg chicken chopped into medium size pieces
1-teaspoon chilly powder 2-teaspoons pepper powder
1-teaspoon cumin powder 1-teaspoon coriander powder
1-teaspoon crushed garlic 2 big onions sliced
1 cup coconut paste or coconut milk Salt to taste
2 cloves 2 small pieces cinnamon
2 cardamoms 1 tablespoon oil or butter
Cook the chicken and all the ingredients with 6 to 8 cups of water in a large vessel on high heat till it reaches boiling point. Lower the heat and simmer for at least one hour till the soup is nice and thick. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve with bread or rice.
(Mutton or Lamb could be substituted for chicken)

SIMPLE PANCAKES FOR SHROVE TUESDAY

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, i.e. the day before the commencement of the season of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year. The name Shrove comes from the old English word "shrive" which means “to confess”. In the Middle Ages, people used to go to confession and confess their sins on Shrove Tuesday, so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday.
Lent is a time of fast and abstinence and of making sacrifices and giving things up. The Church liturgy laid much emphasis on eating very plain food and refraining from food that would give pleasure during the period of lent. In many cultures, this meant no meat, dairy, or eggs. So in earlier times, Shrove Tuesday became the last chance for people to indulge themselves in good food on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and to make use of the items of foods that were not allowed during Lent.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Shrove Tuesday is more commonly known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day, as it is customary to eat PANCAKES on this day. Pancakes thus became associated with the day preceding Lent, because it was a way to use up all the rich foodstuffs in the house such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent began.
SIMPLE PAN CAKES
Serves 2 Preparation time 30 minutes
1cup flour (maida)
2 eggs beaten well
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1cup milk
Mix all the ingredients together to get a thin smooth batter without lumps. Heat a non- stick frying pan. When hot wipe all over with a piece of cloth dipped in a little oil. Pour a ladle of batter in the pan with a swirling motion and then shake the pan so that the entire pan is covered. Cook on both sides and remove. Serve hot with Jam or honey.
For Pan Rolls make the pancakes as above. Place a spoon of cooked mince, sweetened grated coconut or any vegetable side dish in the middle then roll them up. Serve hot.
For Fruit Pan cakes, add finely chopped fruit such as pineapple, banana, apple, etc., to the batter and make the pancakes as above.

Household Tips – The Kitchen

The Kitchen is the most important room of your household as it is the most used room and remains busy all the time with the mess of cooking, eating, storing and serving food etc. The cleanliness of this very busy place is that more important as it is directly linked to the health of people in your house.


When the kitchen is not cleaned for a long time or bacteria and germs take centre stage in it. These germs enter human being through cooking and eating in the dirty kitchen. It is always better to clean the cooking range, the slabs, utensils and wash basin after cooking every meal. If you cannot clean your entire kitchen every day for some reason, try to clean it atleast every alternate day. If the cooking range or gas stove and slabs are wiped clean with a wet cloth after cooking everyday, the less chances of bacteria and germs in your kitchen. Wash your kitchen floor regularly with soap and water to which a little disinfectant is added. This way you will have a neat and clean kitchen every time you come in to cook some food.

Apart from the cooking range, gas stove and sink that need to be kept clean, the other appliances in your kitchen such as the refrigerator, microwave oven, the mixie etc also need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Kitchen cupboards, cabinets and shelves need to be cleaned and dusted on a monthly basis. Containers containing the various ingredients also need to cleaned regularly and old powders and condiments that have passed their expiry should be disposed off. Wash the cutting Board and Knife as soon as the cutting is done.

The dust bin / garbage pail should be kept under the kitchen sink and closed with the lid to discourage flies. All vessels containing food should be kept closed to avoid dust, flies, insects or even lizards falling into it. Spray the kitchen regularly especially near the sink and other outlets to discourage cockroaches. All exposed leftovers and stale foods should be disposed off.

Keeping your kitchen safe is also just as important as keeping it clean. Ensure that the gas cylinder value closed after cooking is done. Matchsticks used for lighting the gas should be completely put out before throwing them in the dustbin. A small metal ashtray or a tin could be kept in the kitchen for this purpose. Avoid shelves containing kitchen ingredients and condiments above the gas range so as to prevent any untoward accident while stretching over the gas flame to reach them. Most of all avoid keeping the gas oven on the floor especially when there are children in the house.