BEEF COUNTRY CAPTAIN

BEEF COUNTRY CAPTAIN - Country Captain is usually prepared with chicken. However it can be prepared with any left over cold meat as well. Hence the name Cold Meat Curry

Serves 6            

Preparation Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1kg beef from the shoulder portion cut into small pieces

8 medium size onions cut finely

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 teaspoons chillie powder

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon butter or ghee

Salt to taste

Boil the beef in sufficient water with a little salt and a pinch of turmeric till tender. Remove from heat and cool. Mix the chillie powder, turmeric powder, salt and garlic paste with the boiled beef pieces and keep aside the soup.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

Now fry the marinated boiled beef in the same pan adding a tablespoon of butter or ghee and cook till the meat begins to look dry. Mix in the fried onions and simmer on low heat for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice or bread and a few steamed vegetables.

Note: Country Captain is usually prepared with chicken. However it can be prepared with any left over cold meat as well. Hence the name Cold Meat Curry

GREEN MASALA CHICKEN CURRY

Serves 6   Preparation time 45 minutes

Ingredients

½ kg chicken cut into medium pieces 
2 medium size onions chopped              

2-teaspoons ginger garlic paste

4 green chilies                                                             

1 cup chopped coriander leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 2 pieces of cinnamon             

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste                                                                   

3-tablespoons oil

½ cup coconut paste                                                   

3 potatoes pealed washed and cut into quarters

Grind the green chilies, coriander leaves, coconut, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and cumin seeds to a smooth paste in a blender. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the chicken and turmeric powder and fry for some time. Now add the ground masala and salt and mix well with the mutton.. Keep frying on low heat till the oil separates from the masala.  Add the potatoes and sufficient water and pressure cook for 15 minutes.   Serve hot. 

This curry is good with ghee rice or Palau rice.

SHROVE TUESDAY OR PANCAKE TUESDAY

Do you know the significance of Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday?

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 COCONUT 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.

Make the coconut Pan Rolls by placing  a spoon of sweetened grated coconut 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.

BAKED LAMB / MUTTON CHOPS

BAKED LAMB / MUTTON CHOPS an old Anglo-Indian favourite

Serves 6

Ingredients:

½ Kg good lamb / mutton chops

1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste

1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon chillie powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons lime / lemon juice

Beat each lamb chop on either side with a cleaver or kitchen knife. Marinate the chops with all the ingredients for 2 hours. Wrap each chop separately in foil paper and bake in a moderate oven for 10 minutes on either side. Serve each chop separately with roast potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Note: The chops could be cooked in a pan instead of baking them. 2 tablespoons of oil could be added to the marinade and then cooked.

ANGLO-INDIAN BONE PEPPER WATER

BREAST BONE PEPPER WATER is the Anglo-Indian Version of "MULLIGATAWNY"

Serves 6   preparation Time 45 minutes

½ kg soup bones and pieces of meat preferably from the breast portion                        

1 teaspoon cumin powder                    

2 teaspoons chilly powder                  

1 teaspoon pepper powder                   

2 teaspoons coriander powder              

½ teaspoon turmeric powder                

2 large onions chopped                        

2 large tomatoes chopped

Salt to taste                                            

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

½ cup tamarind juice                             

 ½ cup coconut paste or coconut milk (optional)

Cook all the above ingredients with about 4 cups of water in a pressure cooker first on high heat then on low for ½ an hour till the meat and bones are soft and the pepper water is quite thick. Season with mustard, curry leaves and chopped onion. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with plain rice and any chutney.

KALKALS / KULKULS

KALKALS or KULKULS are prepared all over India at Christmas time. A variant of ‘Filhoses Enroladas’ a Portuguese Christmas Sweet, Kalkals, (always referred to in the plural) are crunchy inch-long curled or shell shaped sweetened fried dough Sweets. Sugar and flour are combined with eggs, milk and butter to a soft dough and then small marble sized balls of this dough are rolled on the tines of a fork or a comb to form a shell or a scroll, then deep fried in hot oil. The dough is sometimes rolled out and cut into different shapes such as hearts, spades, diamonds etc with cutters or a knife and then deep fried in hot oil. The Kalkals / Kulkuls are later frosted or coated in hot melted sugar syrup.

Making Kalkals is a time consuming process and thus requires many hands in its preparation. Hence a few days before Christmas, a separate day is designated as ‘Kalkal Day’ when every member of the family spends a few hours rolling out his/her portion of the kalkal dough. While one doesn’t know how the name ‘Kalkals / Kulkuls’ got its nomenclature it is probably because of the “curls” of this particular Christmas Sweet.

KALKALS  (Fried sweetened balls of dough)

Serves 6  Preparation time 1 hour

Ingredients

I kg refined flour 

6 eggs beaten well

2 cups thick coconut milk                

½ teaspoon salt                              

300 grams sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder             

Oil for deep frying

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together. Add the coconut milk and eggs and knead to a soft dough. Keep aside for an hour. Form kalkals by taking small lumps of the dough and roll on the back of a fork or a wooden kalkal mould, to form a scroll. Alternately, roll out the dough and cut into fancy shapes with kalkal or cookie cutters. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry as many kalkals as possible at a time. Keep aside.

To frost the kalkals, melt 1 cup of sugar with ½ cup of water and when the sugar syrup crystallizes pour over the kalkals and mix well. Store in airtight boxes when cold.

ROAST TURKEY WITH STUFFING

                                                                                                     Serves 6   

Preparation Time 1 hour

1 Whole small dressed Turkey

¼ cup vinegar

3 teaspoons pepper powder

2 cups bread crumbs

2 teaspoons dried mint powder

2 eggs beaten

1 cup of boiled peas and carrot  

 ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind

½ cup oil   Salt to taste

Wash the turkey and rinse the insides well and keep aside.  Wash the liver, heart, gizzards and other edible internal parts of the turkey well.  Cook all these parts with a little water, salt and pepper powder till soft. Remove and chop into very tiny bits. This is known as the Turkey Giblets mince. Mix the cooked giblet mince with the eggs, bread crumbs, vinegar, mint powder lemon rind, salt and the boiled carrots and peas.

Now slit the turkey near the neck just above the chest and fill it well with the giblet mince mixture packing it firmly and tightly. When the turkey is stuffed well, close the opening Rub oil well all over the turkey. Place the stuffed turkey in a large vessel or pressure cooker and add sufficient water.  Cook till the turkey is tender. Keep simmering till all the water dries up and the turkey turns a lovely golden brown all over. (The stuffed turkey can also be roasted in an oven if desired).  Serve hot or cold with boiled vegetables and mash potatoes and Bread.

Feature on me in MINT -CAKE RUSH

Feature on me in Mint today http://www.livemint.com/2011/11/10203233/Christmas-baking--Cake-rush.html

 

 

PRESERVING ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2571530697921&set=a.2571524377763.177223.1543866568&type=1#!/angloindiancuisine

STICK CURRY / KEBAB CURRY / HUSSAINY CURRY

Serves 6                

Preparation Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1 kg beef or mutton cut into small cubes

1 cup curds / yogurt

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon ginger paste

2 teaspoons chillie powder

2 onions sliced

10 or 12 thick broom sticks / bamboo sticks or thin skewers 4” in length

3 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

Marinate the meat with a little turmeric powder, salt and a little curds for one hour.

Heat oil in a suitable vessel and sauté the onions for a few minutes. Add the ginger and   garlic paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the chillie powder, turmeric powder, remaining curds and salt and stir fry for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Meanwhile pass the broom sticks / bamboo sticks / skewers through the marinated meat. About 5 pieces should fit on each stick. Place the sticks of meat in the curry that is boiling. Close the vessel and simmer on low heat till the meat is cooked. Serve without removing the sticks.

HOT & SPICY TRIPE (BOTY CURRY)

Spicy Tripe or Boty Curry was a very popular dish with the community. In olden days It used to be prepared with freshly roasted and pounded ingredients. The Boty or the tripe would be washed well and cut into long thin strips then cooked in sufficient water for hours till tender over a firewood oven. Now with a pressure cooker, the same dish can be prepared in just 45 minutes. It was served with bread or rice and sometimes as an accompaniment with drinks. Tripe tastes delicious with coconut rice too!!!

This recipe is featured in my Cookery Book  ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST 

Serves 6   

Preparation Time 40 minutes

 Ingrredients

1 kg Tripe either beef or mutton sliced thinly

2 large onions chopped

1teaspoon chilly powder

½ teaspoon pepper powder 

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

Salt to taste

2 green chillies slit lengthwise

1 teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ cup cudla dhal ( Bengal gram dhal)

Wash the tripe well. Cook it in sufficient water with the cudla dhal and a little salt in a pressure cooker till soft. Drain and keep the soup aside. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions lightly. Add the sliced tripe, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and pepper powder and mix well. Add the soup. Cover and simmer on low heat till the gravy thickens. Serve hot with rice or bread.  

SCRAMBLED FISH ROE (FISH EGGS)

Serves 6 

Preparation Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

½ kg Fish Roe 

2 onions chopped finely

2 green chillies chopped    

1- teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper powder    

3 tablespoons oil or butter

Wash and cut the Fish Roe into thick slices about an inch in thickness. Coat it with the salt and pepper. Heat oil or butter in a pan till smoky and fry the onions and green chillies till golden brown. Mix in the fish Roe slices and fry till golden brown. Break up the Roe as it fries. It will taste like scrambled egg. Serve with  buttered Toast