MUTTON / LAMB DUMPOKE ( MUTTON DUMPUKHT )

MUTTON / LAMB DUMPOKE (MUTTON DUMPUKHT)

‘DUMPOKE’ is the Anglicized name for “Dum Pukht” which literally means to cook over low heat in a tightly sealed utensil. Dum’ means to ‘breathe in’ and ‘Pukht’ to 'cook'. Dum Pukht cooking uses a round, heavy -bottomed pot, in which food is tightly sealed and cooked over a slow fire. The process of slow roasting gently persuades each spice / ingredient to release its maximum flavor. By cooking slowly in its juices, the food retains all its natural aromas and becomes imbued with the richness of flavors that distinguishes the dish. This dish was very famous in the olden days 

 Serves 6     Time required: approx 1 hour

Ingredients

¾ kg tender Mutton or lamb cut into medium size pieces

2 onions chopped finely

1 teaspoon chillie powder
1 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
3 green chillies
4 cloves

2 cardamoms
6 black pepper corns

2 one inch pieces cinnamon

2 bay leaves
1 cup cream or yogurt
Salt to taste

3 tablespoons oil
Marinate the meat with chillie powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic paste, coriander leaves, mint, green chillies, salt and yogurt / cream and leave in the fridge for about 6 hours or overnight.

 Heat oil in a suitable thick bottomed pan and add the onions, cloves, cardamoms, bay leaves, cinnamon, and pepper corns and sauté for a minute. Add the marinated meat. Stir fry for about 5 to 7 minutes till the pieces become firm and the oil separates from the mixture. Add 2 cups of water and close the pan with a tight fitting lid. cook on low heat without opening the pan for about 30 minutes till the meat is cooked and the gravy is a quite thick. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves. Serve with dinner Rolls or Bread and steamed vegetables.

 Note: You could substitute the Mutton or lamb with beef, veal, chicken, duck etc

BREAD PUDDING

BREAD PUDDING – THE POOR MAN’S PUDDING

Bread Pudding is an old fashioned dessert that had its humble beginnings in the 13th century in England. It was first known as a "poor man's pudding" as it was created as a means of making use of stale left over bread for poor people to eat. It was just moistened in water, to which a little sugar, spices and other ingredients were added.  Today after it has passed through so many centuries, we think of bread Pudding as a Rich Treat. For those unfamiliar with this dish, (which I’m sure there aren’t many), bread pudding is typically made the British way, by soaking slices of bread cut into cubes in a mixture of milk, egg, and sugar; adding raisins and spices and baking or steaming the mixture. Actually its taste is not that much different from French toast, except more moist. Bread pudding can also be made into a Savoury dish as well by substituting sugar and raisins with chopped tomatoes, green chillies or capsisums / chillie peppers etc. You could experiment and make your own tasty pudding. Of course, one’s choice of bread, the addition of optional ingredients, and the details of preparation can make bread pudding into art form. Bread pudding can be made into a rich heavy dessert or just a simple light dish that even an invalid can digest. The possibilities are endless. Try out the recipes given below. 

OLD FASHIONED BREAD PUDDING

Serves 6     Time required: 1 hour

Ingredients

3 cups Milk                                                      

8 slices of bread cut into cubes
200 grams butter

200 grams sugar
2 beaten eggs

 1/4 tsp salt
200 grams raisins and chopped nuts

1 tsp vanilla essence

Heat milk to scalding, and pour over the bread cubes. Set aside to cool for some time then add all the other ingredients. Add more milk if too dry. Pour into a buttered baking pan or dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Serve warm with Ice Cream or Vanilla Sauce 

The same pudding can be steamed in a pressure cooker as well.

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST BY BRIDGET WHITE

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST  BY BRIDGET WHITE

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST  is a comprehensive and unique collection of easy-to-follow Recipes of popular and well loved Anglo-Indian dishes. The repertoire is rich and vast, ranging from Roasts, Cutlets, Croquettes, Pasties, etc, to mouth watering Curries, Side Dishes, Spicy Fries, Foogaths, Biryani and Pilafs, Pickles, Chutneys etc, picking up plenty of hybrids along the way. The sumptuous Anglo-Indian dishes such as Yellow Coconut Rice and Mince Ball (Kofta) Curry / Bad Word Curry, Pepper Water, Mulligatawny Soup, Grandma’s Country Captain Chicken, Railway Mutton Curry, Dak Bungalow Curry, Crumbed Lamb Chops, Anglo-Indian Masala Chops, Pepper Steaks, Beef Country Captain, Ding Ding, Stews, Duck Buffat, Almorth, Brinjal Pickle, Salt Fish Pickle, Fish Padda, etc, which were very popular in the olden days will take one on an exotic nostalgic journey to Culinary Paradise. 

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST was selected as the ‘WINNER FROM INDIA’ under the Category: ‘BEST CULINARY HISTORY BOOK’  by GOURMAND INTERNATIONAL SPAIN, GOURMAND WORLD COOK BOOKS AWARDS 2012