CARPET PUDDING

CARPET PUDDING

Carpet pudding is an easy to make ‘No bake’, delicious pudding prepared by layering biscuits that have been dipped in coffee and thick cream flavoured with caramel. The Coffee and caramel cream makes it a delicious dessert. The layering and decorating could be done in different designs so as to resemble a carpet. Hence the name Carpet Pudding

 Ingredients:

2 packets Marie biscuit or any other digestive biscuits
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons gelatin
1/2 cup boiling water
300 ml whipping cream
50 grams caramel pudding powder or creme caramel

To Decorate:
10 Oreo biscuits, crushed
10 Digestive biscuits, finely crushed
2 tbsp desiccated coconut

In a bowl, add the gelatin and 1/2 cup of boiling water and stir well until the gelatin has completely dissolved or melted. Keep it aside to cool.

Prepare the coffee syrup by adding coffee powder and sugar in 1/2 cup of hot water.

Dip each biscuit in the coffee and arrange them in 2 layers in the pudding dish.

In a mixing bowl, add the whipping cream, creme caramel and cooled gelatin and beat together using mixer until fluffy.

Pour this mixture over the biscuit layer and spread it evenly.

Decorate the pudding with crushed Oreo biscuits, crushed tea biscuits and desiccated coconut in a Carpet design.

Leave it in the Fridge to set. Serve chilled

LAMB LIVER AND ONION FRY

LAMB LIVER AND ONION FRY

Ingredients

½ Kg lamb liver sliced thinly

4 large onions chopped

1teaspoon chillie powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder 

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin powder

 ½ teaspoon coriander powder

Salt to taste

Wash the liver and keep aside to drain. 

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions lightly. Add the sliced liver, ginger garlic paste, salt turmeric powder, chillie powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and pepper powder and mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat till the liver is cooked.  Add a little water while cooking if gravy is required. 

Serve hot on toast or as a side dish with steamed rice or crusty bread. 

GUAVA CHEESE

GUAVA CHEESE

Guava Cheese is a ‘Sweet Conserve’ made of ripe guavas and Sugar. It is a chewy Fudge like Sweet that is most always prepared at Christmas time. It is a cousin of the Portuguese desert ‘Goiabada’ or Guava Paste. It is also known as ‘Perad” in Goa. This is an old Anglo-Indian favourite and is relished by one and all.

 As per Wikipedia “Goiabada"  originated from the Portuguese word ‘Goiaba” which means guava, is a popular dessert throughout the Portuguese-speaking countries of the world, dating back to the colonial days in Brazil, where guavas were used as a substitute for the ‘quinces’ that were used to make ‘marmelada or quince cheese’.

 Ingredients

6 ripe guavas preferably the pink variety

¾ cup sugar

50 grams unsalted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

A drop of cochineal colouring

Wash and cut the guavas into quarters and boil them well in a little water till nice and soft.  Mash well, then strain through a thin cloth and throw away the skin and seeds.

Boil the strained thick juice with the sugar and keep on stirring till the mixture turns slightly thick. Add the butter, vanilla essence and cochineal. Simmer till nice and thick. Pour onto a buttered plate. Cut into squares when cold.

This recipe is featured in my Cookery Bo0ok A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN RECIPES

COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

COUNTRY CAPTAIN CHICKEN

An old Colonial dish that was cooked very often in Anglo-Indian homes in the olden days. There are many versions of the recipe for this delectable dish, but this recipe is from an old handwritten book of recipes of my grandmother. 

Serves 6   Time required: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken cut into medium size pieces     

4 large onions sliced finely

2 teaspoons chillie powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste

2 small sticks cinnamon

4 cloves

6 or 8 whole pepper corns                              

2 Dry Red Chillies broken into bits

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions cinnamon, cloves, red chillie and pepper corns till golden brown. Remove half the fried onions and keep aside. Add the chicken to the pan and mix in the ginger garlic paste and sauté for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the chillie powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well and stir fry for a few minutes. Add ½ cup of water and cook till the chicken is tender and the gravy is quite thick. Now add the remaining browned onions and mix well. Simmer for a few more minutes, then, turn off the heat. The gravy should be quite thick so that it coats the pieces of chicken nicely.

Note: This recipe can be adapted to meat as well. Left over Beef or Lamb Roast can be made into a delicious Country Captain Fry or a cold meat curry if desired.

STEAMED GINGER PUDDING

STEAMED GINGER PUDDING

Steamed Ginger Pudding is a legacy of the British Raj. It always made up the finale of a delicious dinner menu combination with Mulligatawny Soup, Roast Lamb and Roasted Vegetables during Colonial Times. There’s nothing better or heart warming than ending a meal with a slice of Warm Ginger Pudding topped with more jam or Fresh Cream

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened,

3 tablespoons flour 

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon dry ginger powder

3 tablespoons sugar (use more if you want it sweet)

1 large egg, beaten

¼ cup milk 

4 tablespoons apricot jam or any other jam of your choice

Butter a pudding bowl suitable for steaming.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and ground ginger in a small bowl.

Add the butter, bread crumbs and sugar into the bowl and mix well, Mix in the egg. Add flour mixture and milk and mix until just combined. Spoon the jam into the bottom of the buttered Pudding bowl. Pour the batter on top, then smooth with a spatula. Cover the bowl with a lid and steam the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes till done.

Leave aside to cool for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around edge of bowl then invert the pudding onto a plate.

Serve warm either with more Jam on top or with fresh cream

(Alternately the Ginger Pudding could be baked for 30 minutes at 180 Degrees instead of steaming it) 

MEAT AND LADYFINGERS (OKRA) CURRY / ANGLO-INDIAN BANDYCOY CURRY

MEAT AND LADYFINGERS (OKRA) CURRY / ANGLO-INDIAN BANDYCOY CURRY 

Anglo-Indian Cuisine over the centuries took on many regional influences and a lot of local ingredients were added depending on the region. Many local words were incorporated in their conversations and new names were given for almost everything depending on how they were able to pronounce the vernacular words. One example would be The Tamil and other South Indian word ‘KAI’ meaning ‘vegetable’ which eventually became ‘Coy’ in English. Vegetables such as ‘BANDICOY’ for lady fingers / Okra”’ from the Tamil Word ‘Vendaikai, or the Kannada word ‘Bendaykai, etc, became part and parcel of Anglo-Indian Cuisine 

Ingredients

½ kg beef or mutton / lamb cut into medium size pieces

½ kg tender Ladyfinger / Okra / Bandycoy 

2 onions chopped finely

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

2 teaspoons mild chillie powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 

2 medium size tomatoes chopped

1/2 cup coconut paste or coconut milk 

2 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

Wipe the lady’s finger / okras with a dry cloth then cut them into 2 inch pieces. Discard the ends. 

Boil the meat with sufficient water and a little salt till tender. 

Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and fry till golden brown. Add the tomatoes, chillie powder, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder and ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few minutes till the tomatoes turn pulpy and the oil separates from the mixture.

Add the coconut paste or coconut milk and stir fry for 2 or 3 minutes.

Now add the lady’s fingers / okra and the boiled meat and mix well. Add the left over meat stock / soup or 1 cup of water and cook on low heat till the lady’s fingers / okras are just cooked, taking care not to overcook them. 

Serve as a main curry with rice.

ANGLO-INDIAN BEEF MINCE CUTLETS

BEEF MINCE CUTLETS

Ingredients

½ kg fine beef mince

1 teaspoon chopped ginger and garlic

1 medium sized onion chopped finely

2 green chilies chopped finely

1 teaspoon pepper powder

Salt to taste

A few mint leaves chopped or ½ teaspoon mint powder

3 tablespoons oil

1 egg beaten

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

3 large potatoes                  

Boil the potatoes, remove the skin and mash well.  Keep aside. 

In a pan add the mince, ginger, garlic, onions, mint, green chilies, pepper powder and salt with a little oil and cook till the mince is dry.  Remove from heat and cool for some time. 

Mix it well with the potatoes.  

Form into oval or round shaped cutlets, flatten and dip in the beaten egg then roll in the breadcrumbs. 

Heat the oil in a flat pan and shallow fry the cutlets on low heat till golden brown on both sides.

PLANTAIN AND COCONUT FRITTERS

Plantain and coconut fritters - a favourite teatime treat

200 grams plain flour / maida 
2 tablespoons sugar
2 overripe bananas (the long green skin variety) mash well 

1/2 cup grated coconut 
1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 cup of water 

A pinch of salt 

1 teaspoon vanilla essence 
Oil for frying
Mix all the ingredients together to get a smooth thick batter without lumps. (Add a little more water if the batter is too thick). Heat oil in a deep pan till smoky. 

Drop a tablespoon of the batter at a time into the hot oil and fry till golden brown. 

Sprinkle some coconut and powdered sugar on top.

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream
Note: The same batter can be used to make fritters with other fruit as well such as pineapple, apples, strawberries, melon etc or just plain fritters as well

BRINJAL PICKLE

ANGLO-INDIAN BRINJAL PICKLE

½ kg tender long purple or green brinjals
2 tablespoons chillie powder
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon powdered mustard 

1 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds roasted and powdered
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 cup Gingerly (Til) Oil or Refined oil
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons salt
A few curry leaves (optional)
Wash and dry the brinjals and cut them into medium size pieces

 Heat the oil in a pan. Add the curry leaves, chopped ginger and garlic and sauté on low heat for a few minutes. Add the chillie powder, mustard powder, fenugreek powder and turmeric powder and fry for a minute. Now add the brinjals and salt and fry for 5 minutes on low heat. Add the vinegar and sugar and mix well. Cook till the sugar dissolves and the Brinjals are just cooked. Cool and store in bottles.
This pickle will last for a month.

DAK BUNGALOW MUTTON CURRY

DAK BUNGALOW MUTTON CURRY

A rustic and tasty meat dish cooked in the old Dak Bungalows from the days of the Colonial British Raj. The same recipe could be used for cooking Wild Boar, wild duck etc. 

Serves 6      

Ingredients

1 kg mutton or lamb cut into medium size pieces

1 teaspoon spice powder or garam masala powder

3 teaspoons chopped garlic                     

1 or 2 teaspoons chillie powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder 

3 onions sliced                                          

Salt to taste

1 or 2 green chillies sliced                                          

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon pepper powder                      

2 or 3 tablespoons oil                            

½ cup curds /yogurt (optional)

Wash the meat and add all the ingredients mentioned above to it. Marinate for about 1 hour in a suitable pan. 

Place the pan on medium heat and cook closed for about 5 to 6 minutes. Open and mix well. 

Lower the heat, add enough water and then simmer for about 40 to 45 minutes till the meat is cooked and the gravy is thick.

DRUMSTICK AND DAL CURRY

DRUMSTICK AND DAL CURRY

Serves 6  

Ingredients

1 cup Tur Dal or Masoor Dal

4 drumsticks peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces,

1 or 2 teaspoons chillie powder, depending on how spicy you want it 

1 teaspoon coriander powder,                     

½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 

1 teaspoon cumin powder,

2 tomatoes chopped, 

1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 

Salt to taste, 

1 teaspoon mustard,

2 red chilies broken into bits,

 A few curry leaves, 

1 tablespoon oil

Wash the dhal and cook it along with the tomato, chillie powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder with sufficient water in a pressure cooker.  

When done open the cooker, add salt, drumsticks and some more water and mix well.

Cook without the lid for 6 to 8 more minutes or till the drumsticks are just cooked. 

In another pan, heat oil and add the mustard, broken red chilies and smashed garlic and fry for some time. When the mustard starts spluttering pour in the cooked dhal. 

Serve with rice.