COLONIAL ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - TRAINING WORKSHOP AT THE TAJ VIVANTA WHITEFIELD BANGALORE

Training Workshop on Colonial Anglo-Indian cuisine at the Taj Vivanta Whitefield, Bangalore
Railway Lamb Curry, Mint and Corriander Lamb Chops, Grandma's Country Captain Chicken, Colonial Pepper Chicken, Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry, Mullagatwany Soup, Bengal Lancers Shrimp Curry, Kedegeree, etc etc

ANGLO-INDIAN GINGER WINE - ALSO KNOWN AS OT (THE OTHER THING)

GINGER WINE

 Ginger Wine is also known as OT or the ‘OTHER THING’ – the temperance drink for teetotalers. In the olden days, temperance drinks were not only seen as delicious non- alcoholic tipple, but were also thought to have health benefits. Ginger wine was advocated as a good digestive and for soothing nausea but also good for sore throats and colds.

(Ginger Wine and other temperance drinks were actually served in special Temperance Bars in the early 20^th century. These Temperance Bars advocated abstinence from alcohol, often asked their patrons to sign a no-booze pledge and renounce the demon drink!)

Ingredients

 200 grams fresh ginger

1 kg white sugar

6 limes or lemons (extract the juice)

3 pieces cinnamon

1dry red chillie (remove the seeds)

3 litres water

Peel and wash the ginger and cut into thin slices. Make lime juice and keep aside. In a large clean vessel put all the above ingredients together with the water and bring to boil. Boil for at least 2 hours first on high then on low heat till the decoction is slightly thick. Remove from heat and add the lime juice. When cold, strain through a thin cloth. Bottle the wine and use whenever required.

GINGER WINE also Known As OT -THE OTHER THING for Christmas

GINGER WINE (also known as OT ot The Other Thing - the non-temperance drink for Teetotalers) to wash down all the rich food over Christmas

200 grams fresh ginger,
1 kg sugar,
6limes (extract the juice),
3 pieces cinnamon,
1 Red chillie (remove the seeds),
 3 litres water

Peel and wash the ginger and cut into thin slices. Make limejuice and keep aside. In a large clean vessel put all the above ingredients together (ecxept the lime juice) with the water and bring to boil on high heat. Boil for at least 2 hours on low heat till the decoction is slightly thick. Remove from heat and add the limejuice. When cold, strain through a thin cloth, then bottle, and use whenever required. This is a good digestive.

ANGLO-INDIAN CHRISTMAS DINNER MENU

SUGGESTIONS FOR AN ANGLO-INDIAN CHRISTMAS DINNER MENU

Here are a few suggested dishes for a typical Anglo-Indian Dinner Menu.  I’ve suggested 4 dishes each under ( a) Beef / Lamb / Mutton  (b) Chicken / Turkey / Duck  (c)  Pork  (d) Baked Dishes and Casseroles (e) Veggies and Accompaniments and (f) Desserts. You could mix and match and choose the dishes that you would like to have for your own special Anglo-Indian Christmas Dinner.  All the Dishes could be accompanied with Bread, Rice or any Indian Bread of your choice.  Simple and easy recipes for all these popular Anglo-Indian Dishes are featured on my website www.bridget-white-kumar.com (http://anglo-indianrecipes.blogspot.com)

a) BEEF / MUTTON / LAMB

1. BEEF ROAST WITH GRAVY

2. MUTTON / LAMB CRUMB CHOPS

3. BEEF / MUTTON / LAMB VINDALOO

4. BEEF PEPPER STEAKS

b) CHICKEN / TURKEY / DUCK

1. COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

2. CHICKEN DUMPLING STEW

3. TRADITIONAL STUFFED TURKEY OR CHICKEN ROAST

4. NANA’S SPECIAL DUCK ROAST

c). PORK

1. ANGLO-INDIAN PORK VINDALOO

2. ANGLO-INDIAN PORK ROAST

3. PORK BUFFAD

4. PORK CHOPS

 d) BAKED DISHES AND CASSEROLES

1. STEAMED MEAT LOAF

2. SHEPHERD’S PIE

3. GRILLED whole FISH

4. CHICKEN CASSEROLE

e). VEGGIES AND ACCOMPANIMENTS

 1. GRILLED TOMATOES

2. BAKED VEGETABLE PLATTER

3. CAULIFLOWER OR BROCCOLI WITH BUTTER AND GARLIC SEASONING

4. MASH POTATOES

 f) DESSERTS

1. TIPSY TRIFLE PUDDING

2. BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

3. CARAMEL CUSTARD

 4.  POACHED PEARS AND APPLES IN RED WINE 

DODOL OR DHOL DHOL (BLACK RICE HALWA) - an Anglo-Indian Christmas Sweet

DODOL OR DHOL DHOL (BLACK RICE HALWA)

Dodol or Black Rice Halwa is a delicious Christmas Sweet purported to be another legacy of the Portuguese to Anglo-Indian Cuisine. The Main ingredients in Dodol are) Black Rice (Burmese Puttu Rice) powder, Almonds or cashew nuts, Coconut Milk and lots of ghee or clarified butter. This Christmas Delicacy takes hours to prepare and requires many hands for stirring it. The men of the house are usually roped in to help stir the black bubbling mass till it turns into a delicious and mouth watering Halwa. The Dodol that is prepared in Anglo-Indian homes  is usually made with white sugar. However, the Dodol which is very popular in Goa uses jaggery or brown sugar instead.  Dodol is also very popular in other countries such as Srilanka, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines etc. Here is an old and easy recipe that my mum used for many years.

DODOL (A coconut and rice flour based halwa)

Makes 30 pieces      Preparation time 2 hours

Ingredients

1 kg Black Puttu Rice flour or Red Rice flour

1 kg sugar                                                     

300 grams almonds

200 grams cashew nuts

1 cups roasted fine semolina or soogi or semolina           

½ kg ghee

5 cups thick coconut milk

Boil the sugar and coconut milk together in a fairly big vessel till it forms thick syrup. Mix the rice flour and semolina together and add to the syrup a little at a time and mix well. Add the ghee, cashew nuts and almonds. Keep stirring continuously and cook on low heat  till the mixture is thick and leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and pour onto a greased plate. Cut into squares when cold. (The Dodol will be black

MICROWAVE RECIPE FOR DODOL / DHOL DHOL

The total time taken for microwaving is 8+8+8+4 minutes = 28 minutes

1 cup of black (Puttu) rice flour
   400 ml Coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond essence
2 dessertspoons of butter

2 cups caster sugar
Mix together the flour, sugar, salt to the coconut milk in the microwave safe dish in which you intend to cook the dhol dhol. Mix well by hand till smooth and darkly glossy.
Microwave on medium for 8 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir well. Repeat.

The mixture will have begun thickening at the edges, mix in, and ensure that it is smooth.
Add the butter and mix in well, this will be a little difficult, but perservere.
Microwave on medium for 8 minutes. Remove and mix well.
Microwave on medium  for 4 minutes. Remove and mix well, it will be a jelly like mass. Beat smooth. Add almond essence and mix in quickly.
Spread halwa onto the greased tray, you will need to smoothen it out into an even layer.
Toss slivered almonds over the top and cut into squares. Don’t worry if the butter is oozing out of the dhol dhol, just tilt the plate a bit, and pour out the excess.
Store in a closed container on baking paper, or brown paper in the fridge.  Make it a week or so before Christmas.