COLONIAL ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE AT COCHRANE PLACE KURSEONG

COCHRANE PLACE, KURSEONG

I've just got back from the most amazing Food Event at the launch of the Gourmet Week at Cochrane Place Kurseong in the Darjeeling Hills. Conceived and curated by Dr Ashish Chopra who is India's top Culinary Historian, Author, Gourmand, T V Host, Flavour Analyst and Travel Writer. The launch of the Cochrane Place Gourmet Club, was a Week long festival celebrating the love of food. (Feb 14th to 19th). Cochrane Place Kurseong is the restored stately British Colonial home of late Percy Cochrane the District Magistrate of Kurseong. Perched on a ridge surrounded by lush tea gardens the building is set in stone, log and cast iron splendour offering panoramic views of the Himalayas, it was the perfect setting for a week of scrumptious Food.

I’m just repeating the words of Dr Ashish Chopra "Its all happening at COCHRANE PLACE,KURSEONG in the midst of Tea country this month .. Bridget White Kumar weaves her magic with Anglo Indian cuisine, Sohini Basu, Cordon Bleu Pastry chef does magic with her cup cakes, Susmit Bose, the legendary Urban folk musician enthralls us with his golden voice, Ramaa Shanker cooks up some soul food of tasty Vegetarian Dishes, Kaveri Ponnapa Kambiranda, the celebrity author, Anthropologist and Gourmand teaches us how to make a Coorg special and one of my favourites Pandi curry, Avijit Dutt, the grand theatre man and actor shares his travel and culinary experience, Yours truly Ashish Chopra musters up dishes from my forthcoming book Tribal cuisines of India and introduces the black bird kadaknath. GROVER ZAMPA joins in the fun and gets us to taste their wines and pair them with respective cuisines”

“On day One, our lunch began beautifully with a group of British Heritage Railway enthusiasts dawning upon Cochrane Place to savour a specially created Anglo Indian Railway menu served during the days of the Raj... With Bridget White Kumar cooking and Dhiraj Arora in assistance taking over the kitchen and mustering up a splendid meal consisting of Railway Chicken Curry, Egg Vindaloo, Railway Vegetable Cutlets, Vegetable Jal Frezi,Country Captain Beans, Mulligatawny Soup with a twist and the most awesome Pineapple upside down cake baked by Sohini Basu along with a Beetroot Carrot Halwa”

In like manner t he Menus were specially crafted each day to revisit the days of Colonial Raj Cuisine. A 2nd World War Army Camp Menu was specially created to honour 2 Army Generals of the Area who were the special guests at dinner such as the Army Camp Soup, Col Standhursts Lamb Curry, Bengal Lancers Mince Cutlets, etc. Other Colonial Anglo-Indian Dishes such as Pork Vindaloo. Dak Bungalow Mutton Curry, Grandma’s Country Captain, Inspection Bungalow Vegetable Stew, Chillie Pork Fry, Stuffed Aubergines, Brown Sahib Soup, Okra and Potato Pepper fry, Vegetable Jal Frazie Shepherd’s Pie, Vegetarian Cottage Pie, A variety of baked dishes, etc, etc, were on the menu and thoroughly enjoyed by the guests. The Chicken and Lamb Roasts were marinated in a Grover Red Wine Marinade and the Stews and soups were given a liberal dash of Grover White Wines. To round off all the Hot Food, we stuffed ourselves with decadent Desserts prepared by Sohini Basu and her two talented assistants from Mrs, Magpies Kolkotta Apart from the Gourmet Dinners, the Chefs and Kitchen staff of Cochrane Place dished up some delicious local dishes, Bengali Food and Chinese Dishes. They excelled in feeding us sumptuous Breakfasts, Snacks and Short Eats besides the endless cups of hot tea in different flavours to offset the cold weather. We were well and truly stuffed !!!!!

Once again in the words of Dr Ashish Chopra ”They say the success of any event is how good it has gone. ..In this case it was fantastic bonding ..A connect of each one of us ..Be it food. .music... great conversations. Spiritual ..emotional .. This was one event where we learnt from each other. .Our happiness quotient was 100 percent. .. We shared.. we cared.. and we are parting only to bond. .Thank you Susmit Bose Bridget White Kumar Kaveri Ponnapa Kambiranda Ramaa Shanker Sanjeev Pahwa Pooja Kapoor Narendra Vinni Gupta Dhiraj Arora Priti Sen Arora Prescilla Zinyu Sohini Basu aunty Rita dhiren gulati Mona Maliah Bholanath Majee Ballabh Maliah Naresh Ponappa and everyone. This list is endless. . Sanjeev Kumar Sharma Shalini Sharma Suraj Arora Malay Kumaryou were surely missed. .. We shall be back at Cochrane place very very soon. .. watch out for details”

Dhiraj Arora, Priti Sen Arora, Ashish Chopra, Ramaa Shanker, Sohini Basu, Prescilla Zinyu, Pooja Kapoor, Susmit Bose, Bholanath Majee, Kaveri Ponnapa Kambiranda,

ANGLO-INDIAN VEGETARIAN DISHES - DOL AND GREENS CURRY (DHAL AND SPINACH CURRY ), PEPPER WATER AND BEANS FOOGATH

ANGLO-INDIAN VEGETARIAN DISHES  - DOL AND GREENS CURRY  (DHAL AND SPINACH CURRY ), PEPPER WATER AND BEANS FOOGATH

                  1. DOL AND GREENS CURRY  (DHAL AND SPINACH CURRY )

 Serves 6            Time Required: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup Tur Dhal ,

1 cup of spinach chopped finely,  

2 green chilies slit lengthwise,

1  teaspoon chillie powder,

1 teaspoon coriander powder,                     

½ teaspoon turmeric powder,

2 tomatoes chopped,

1 onion chopped,

1 teaspoon crushed garlic,

Salt to taste

For the Tempering: 1 teaspoon mustard, 2 red chilies broken into bits, a few curry leaves and 1 tablespoon oil.

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

 When done open the cooker, add salt and  a little more water and mash well. 

In another vessel, heat oil and add the mustard, broken red chilies and curry leaves and fry for some time. When the mustard starts spluttering, pour in the cooked dhal. Serve with rice.

                                2. BEANS FOOGATH

Serves 6   Time Required: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

300 grams chopped string beans,

1 onion chopped finely,

1teaspoon mustard seeds,

2 green chillies chopped finely,

1 teaspoon chopped ginger,

2 tablespoon cooking oil,

2 tablespoons grated coconut,

4 or 5 curry leaves,

Salt to taste

 Heat oil in a suitable pan and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter add the curry leaves, chopped onion, chopped green chillies and ginger. Fry lightly for a few minutes. Add the chopped beans and salt and mix well. Add ½ cup of water and cook covered on low heat till the beans are tender but firm and the water evaporates. Mix in the grated coconut. Serve as a side dish.

                                          3. PEPPER WATER

Serves 6   Time Required: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon pepper powder  

1 teaspoon chillie powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

Salt to taste

½ cup tamarind juice extracted from a small ball of tamarind or 2 teaspoons tamarind paste   

 Cook all the above with 3 or 4 cups of water in a vessel on high heat till it boils. Reduce the heat and cook on low heat for about 5 or 6 minutes. Season as follows with the under mentioned ingredients which should be used whenever a dish is to be seasoned/ tempered.

                        FOR THE TEMPERING:

I small onion sliced

2 red chilies broken into bits

1 teaspoon chopped garlic crushed roughly

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

A few curry leaves

2 teaspoons oil

 Heat the oil in a sutiable vessel and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves, onion, crushed garlic and red chilies and sauté for a few minutes.  Pour the cooked pepper water into this and simmer for 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat.  Serve hot with rice and any meat side dish.

 Note: The pepper water can be prepared by using fresh red chilies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns ground in a mixer or blender instead of the powders.

CHICKEN LIVER AND GIZZARDS PEPPER FRY - AN OLD COLONIAL ANGLO-INDIAN DISH

CHICKEN LIVER AND GIZZARDS PEPPER FRY

A simple and tasty dish that is quite versatile. It could be served as a starter or snack or as a side dish with rice and curry. It tastes amazing with Bread and Fried Potatoes

Serves 6    Time required: 45 minutes

Ingredients

½ kg chicken livers and gizzards cut into pieces

2 large onions sliced finely

2 or 3 teaspoons ground black pepper / pepper powder

 2 green chillies slit

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons oil

Rinse the chicken gizzards and livers well. Boil them with a little water and salt till well cooked.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown.  Add the cooked gizzards and liver together with the slit green chillies, pepper powder and salt and keep frying on low heat till dry and brown.  Serve as a snack or side dish with bread or rice and fried potatoes 

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.

BRIDGET WHITE-KUMAR FEATURED IN FOOD LOVERS MAGAZINE WINTER 2015

Sharing a Feature on me on my efforts to preserve Anglo-Indian Cuisine in the latest issue of Food Lovers Magazine - Food Lovers - Winter 2015 (Vol 9 Issue 3). My sincere thanks to Kripal Amanna, Indulekha Surendranath and the Team for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I enjoyed my session with you all. God bless 
The winter edition of Food Lovers Magazine is now in stores across India! With features that explore the culinary landscape of Progressive Indian Cuisine in Dubai, with some of best Indian chefs across the globe; a first-of-its-kind pairing of wine and robust, rustic Indian fare, representing the length and breadth of our diverse gastronomic tradition; a study of India’s Anglo Indian Cuisine to tell a story of forgotten colonial influences in the kitchen; and a fascinating culinary investigation of Gaggan, Bangkok, the first Indian restaurant to make it to the top 10 in the list of the World's Best Restaurants.
For all this and more, get your copy of Food Lovers Magazine today. To subscribe for a physical or digital copy, log on to www.foodlovers.in/subscribe

HURRY-BURRY CHICKEN CURRY (Jaldhi Chicken Curry)

HURRY-BURRY CHICKEN CURRY (Jaldhi Chicken Curry) 

Just as the name implies, this delicious Chicken Curry can be made in a hurry. However, don’t be too much in haste to get it done as your ‘hurry-burry’ can spoil the Curry!

Serves 6     Time required: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

1 kg chicken jointed and cut into medium size pieces

2 tomatoes chopped finely

2 large onions chopped                              

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 or 3 teaspoons chillie powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

3 cloves

2 small pieces of cinamon

2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste                  

3 tablespoons oil         

Salt to taste    

2 tablespoons vinegar                                               

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Make a thick paste with the turmeric powder, chillie powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and vinegar. Apply this paste on the chicken and keep aside.

Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and add the onions, cinamon and cloves, Fry till golden brown. Now add the marinated chicken and chopped tomatoes, and fry for some time till the oil separates from the mixture. Add sufficient water and cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is thick. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice or any Indian Bread. 

A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN RECIPES

#Newbooka collectionofsimpleanglo-indianrecipes

‘A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN RECIPES’ is a revised, consolidated version of four of my earlier Cookery Books, namely Anglo-Indian Delicacies, A Collection of Anglo-Indian Roasts, Casseroles and Bakes, The Anglo-Indian Snack Box and The Anglo-Indian Festive Hamper.

 More than 350 Recipes of traditional, popular and well loved, Anglo-Indian Dishes have been specially selected from these earlier cook books and featured in this Omni-bus Edition. This single consolidated  Imprint of easy- to- follow Recipes of popular  Anglo-Indian Dishes  features Soups & Pepper Water, Curries & Fries, Roasts & Stews, Rice dishes & Pilafs, Foogath and Sambal, Pickles & Relishes, Casseroles and Baked Dishes, Short Eats, Nibbles & Finger food, Sweets & Desserts, Custards & Puddings, Christmas & Festive Treats,  Homemade wine, Curry Powders, etc.

 The huge selection of Recipes featured in this Cookery book will surely take one on a sentimental and nostalgic journey down  memory lane of old forgotten Anglo-Indian Delicacies. All the old dishes cooked during the time of the British Raj have now been revived to suit present day tastes and aplates. This Cookery Book would also serve as a ‘Ready Reckoner’ and a useful guide for teaming up dishes for everyday Anglo-Indian   Meals as well as for festive and special occasions.

 So what are you waiting for? Delve into this awesome collection and you’ll find simple and easy recipes for preparing your favorite Ox tail and Trotters Soups, Plain Pepper Water or Bone Pepper Water, Vindaloos and Curries, Devil Fries & Chops, Nana’s Special Duck, Chicken, Beef & Pork Roasts, Country Captain Chicken, Papa Pat’s Pork Chops, Mince Cutlets, Stews, Croquettes & Rissoles, Yellow Coconut Rice & Ball Curry, Junglee Palau & Vegetable Jalfrazie, Cabbage Foogath & Tomato Sambal, Brinjal Pickle, Fish Padda and many more ANGLO-INDIAN DELICACIES.

 Add that special ‘Anglo’ touch to your meal by baking a simple and tasty Shepherd’s Pie, a Pot Luck Casserole, a Pork Mince Pie or any of those old ‘one dish meals’  that your grandma baked in your childhood. Choose your favourite baked dish recipe from A COLLECTION OF ANGLO-INDIAN ROASTS, CASSEROLES AND BAKES. The very names of the recipes will make you drool. Round  it off with a creamy Caramel Custard, Bread Pudding, Strawberry Flummery, Apple Grunt or any other lip-smacking Anglo-Indian Dessert or Sweet from the vast selection that has been featured.

 Host a Party and serve your guests old Anglo-Indian Short Eats and Nibbles from

THE ANGLO-INDIAN SNACK BOX, that were the rage at ‘Parties, Soirees and Elegant Evening Gatherings’ in the olden days -  all innovated and made famous by the Mog Cooks of yore in the Tea Gardens in the Hills. Snack on Liver on Toast Squares, Scotch Eggs and Deviled Eggs, Cheese Straws, Mince Curry Puffs, Coconut Puffs, Mince Panthras, Fish Fingers, Fritters and a whole lot more,

 What’s your favourite childhood Christmas memory?  Do you associate Christmas with the smells, sounds and sights of the season?  This Cookery Book aims at just that. The separate section on THE ANGLO-INDIAN FESTIVE HAMPER features recipes of all the old Anglo-Indian Christmas favourites such as the Traditional Christmas Cakes, Plum Cakes, Mince Pies, Fruit Cakes, Kalkals, Rose Cookies, Coconut Sweets, the Christmas Pudding, Bole Cake, Semolina Cake, Dodol, Beveca, Marzipan Sweets, Peanut Fudge, Cashew nut Fudge, , etc, etc. It will awaken long forgotten magical memories of   childhood - Of  the smell of the decorated Pine Christmas Tree in the sitting room, the enticing aroma of Christmas Cakes being baked, the Kalkals and Rose Cookies being fried and the aroma of the other Christmas Goodies being prepared in the kitchen by Mama and Nana - Memories of the whole family sitting round the dining table on “Kalkal Making Day” rolling the kalkals on the back of a fork or fighting to lick the left over cake batter in the mixing bowl come flooding back.  Recreate the Christmas of your childhood with these recipes of all the old Christmas Treats. Then to round off the festive spread, you could make your own home-made Grape and Ginger Wine.

 The recipes in this book are simple and easy to follow and only easily available ingredients have been suggested. The easy-to-follow directions for preparing these old, popular, sumptuous dishes make cooking simple, enjoyable and problem-free. The pungency of the dishes can be adjusted according to individual taste by reducing or increasing the amount of chillie powder, spices or pepper powder suggested in each recipe. 

All the recipes in this Book are for 6 generous servings. If cooking for a smaller or larger number, the quantities should be adjusted accordingly.

The word “Everlasting” means ‘something, that once created, endures through time and never ceases to exist’. Anglo-Indian Cuisine is “EVERLASTING” and will endure forever and ever.