FEATURE ARTICLE IN THE HINDU (NEIGHBOURHOOD) 13TH MAY 2010

SWEET COCONUT PUFFS

For the Dough: 250 grams refined flour or maida, 50 grams butter, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ kg oil for frying.

For the Filling: 3 cups grated coconut and 3 tablespoons sugar mixed together

Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder. Mix in the butter and knead to a fairly stiff dough with very little water. Keep aside for 1 hour.

Take the dough on a floured board and roll out into a thin sheet. Cut squares of about 2 to 3 inches per side. Put a tablespoon of the sweetened coconut on half of the square. Fold the other half over in such a way to form a triangle. Seal the edges by dampening with a little water. Heat the oil in a deep pan till smoky. Slowly drop in as many puffs as the pan can hold and fry till brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and drain.

Note: These puffs can last for a fortnight if dry cocoanut or copra is used instead of fresh coconut.

BREAD PUDDING

8 slices of bread
2 cups milk
50 grams butter
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup chopped cashew nuts or walnuts
2 eggs beaten well.

Remove the crusts from the bread slices and break into small pieces. Take a baking dish and grease it. Spread the pieces of bread in it. Mix the milk, beaten eggs, sugar, vanilla essence and butter together and pour this mixture over the pieces of bread soaking them completely. Sprinkle the nuts on the top. Bake in a hot oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
Note: This pudding can also be steamed for 30 minutes instead of baking if desired

SPICY ANGLO-INDIAN PORK ROAST AND MUSTARD SAUCE

2kg pork (1 whole piece) from the shoulder portion
2 teaspoons pepper powder
4 dried red chillies broken into bits
3 pieces of cinnamon about ½ inch each
1 teaspoon chilly powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 or 3 onions sliced 1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste
Wash the pork and rub it well all over with the salt, pepper, chilly powder and turmeric powder. Spread the sliced onions evenly in a fairly large greased baking dish. Lay the chunk of pork on the layer of onions. Sprinkle the broken red chillies and cinnamon over it. Drizzle the oil all over the meat. Shake the dish so that it spreads evenly. Cook in a moderate oven (355 0 ) for about one and a half hours till the meat is soft and brown. (Turn the meat over every half hour so that it browns all over evenly).
Cut the pork into slices and arrange on a platter. Serve with mash potato, steamed vegetables, dinner rolls and Anglo-indian Mustard Sauce.
The Pork Roast could be prepared using a Pressure cooker instead of baking in an oven.

ANGLO-INDIAN MUSTARD SAUCE. 
This sauce can be used as a spread for sandwiches by mixing it with shredded meat, vegetables, mayonnaise etc. It can also be eaten as a side relish with any type of Roasted Meat, Chicken Turkey, Duck etc.
This sauce was an integral sauce on every Anglo-Indian table during the Christmas Season

50 grams ordinary black or brown mustard
10 grams white mustard
1 teaspoon chillie powder
2 teaspoons garlic paste
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt to taste
A small piece of Drumstick Bark
1 cup white vinegar
Grind all the above to a smooth paste. Add a little more vinegar to make the paste into a sauce like consistency. Refrigerate and use when required.
Note: In case the drumstick bark is not available substitute with a stick of cinnamon.

PORK / LAMB TROTTERS IN GRAVY

8-Trotters (mutton or pork) preferably the front ones
1teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2-teaspoons spice powder
2-large tomatoes chopped
3-teaspoons chillie powder
2-large onions chopped
1-teaspoon coriander powder
3-tablespoons oil
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and lightly sauté the onions. Add the trotters, spice powder, chillie powder, tomato, coriander powder and salt and mix well. Add sufficient water and pressure cook first on high heat then on low heat for half an hour till the trotters are well cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or bread or even dosas or hoppers.

ANGLO-INDIAN OX TONGUE ROAST

Serves 6
Preparation Time 45 minutes
1Large Ox tongue
1 big onion sliced
4 red chilies broken into bits
1 teaspoon whole pepper corns
2 cloves
2 pieces of cinnamon
2 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste

Wash the tongue well and then pressure cook it with 2 cups of water and a little salt till tender letting some soup remain. Open the pressure cooker and remove the boiled tongue. Let it cool for some time. When it is a little cold remove the white skin from the tongue and put it back into the open cooker and add the oil, onion, red chilies pepper corns, cloves and cinnamon and a little more salt. Mix well. Simmer on low heat till all the soup dries up and the tongue is nicely brown all over .Cut into slices and arrange on a plate along with the residue. Serve hot or cold with mash potatoes and bread. You can make very delicious sandwiches with tongue roast as filling.

JELEBI CARAMEL CUSTARD

6 Jelebis (available in any Indian Sweet stall)
3 eggs beaten
½ tsp vanilla essence
½ litre milk
6 tablespoons sugar
A pinch of salt
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon butter

Take a flat bottomed baking dish and grease it well with butter. Boil the milk and keep aside. Pre heat the oven till slightly warm. When the milk is slightly cold add the eggs, vanilla essence, flour and sugar and beat well till there are no lumps. Pour a thin layer of this mixture into the baking dish and let it set in the warm oven till it forms a base. Take out the dish and arrange the Jelebis in it. Pour the rest of the mixture over the Jelebis and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes till the custard sets and is golden brown on top. The custard should be moist and not dry. Garnish with sliced cashewnuts or pistachios.

SIMPLE TOMATO SAMBAL

4 large tomatoes chopped
2 green chilies chopped
2 large onions sliced finely
Salt to taste
1teaspoon chillie powder
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons oil
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, chilies, salt, chillie powder and lime juice. Simmer on low heat till the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp and all the water dries up. Serve with rice, chapattis, Dosa or Idlis

Corned Beef

2 Kgs tender beef from the “Round” Portion
1 kg Table salt or powdered salt
50 grams Saltpeter or Lime salt powdered
1 tablespoon moist brown sugar
Juice of 8 limes
2 teaspoons vinegar

Wash and dry the meat well. Puncture holes all over it. Mix the salt, saltpeter and brown sugar together. Divide this mixture into 4 parts. Rub the Beef all over with one portion of the salt mixture and juice of 2 limes. Turn the beef around so that the salt solution seeps into it well. Repeat this after every 2 hours rubbing it well several times during the day. Next morning remove from the old dish and place it on another dry dish, and rub into it the second portion of the prepared salt. Let it stand for an hour or so, then pour over it the remainder of the 2nd portion of the salt solution. Repeat the rubbing two or three times during the day, turning the beef continually. On the 3rd and 4th day repeat the procedure of placing in a fresh dish and rubbing the beef well with the 3rd and 4th portions of the prepared salt solutions and lime juice. On the 5th day boil or pressure cook the meat with all the residue of the salt solution for at least 1 hour on low heat. Cool and store. Use for sandwiches etc when required.

Fish in Mustard Gravy

1 kg good fish such as Hilsa or Trout
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
8 to 10 green chillies
Salt to taste

Make a paste of the mustard with about 6 tablespoons of water. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry the mustard paste and turmeric powder for about 5 minutes on low heat. Add 3 cups of warm water and mix well. Bring to boil. Add the fish, green chillies and salt and cook on medium heat till the fish is cooked and the gravy thickens a bit.

STUFFED FLAT BREAD / DHAL PURI

2 cups channa dal (Bengal gram)
½ tsp Turmeric powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
Salt to taste
4 cups flour
Ghee or Oil for deep frying
Wash dal and boil with turmeric and salt till its soft (but not mushy) in just enough water (2 cups) so that water gets absorbed when its done. Kneed flour with water to a stiff dough and keep aside. Strain and grind dal to a fine paste, add cumin powder. Adjust salt to taste. Divide the dal paste into equal portions for puris. Take a ball of dough, make a depression and add the dal paste. Close and then roll out to a thin puri or flat bread. Heat oil in a deep pan till smoky. Fry the stuffed dhal puris one at a time on a high flame for a few minutes till done. Serve with chutney