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.

COCONUT BISCUITS / COCONUT COOKIES

COCONUT BISCUITS / COCONUT COOKIES

Makes 30 

Ingredients

300 grams flour

200 grams desiccated coconut

200 grams butter

200 grams powdered sugar

3 eggs beaten

100 grams cashew nuts finely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Cream the butter and sugar together in a suitable bowl. Add the beaten eggs, desiccated coconut, cashew nuts and vanilla essence and mix well. Fold in the flour a little at a time. Add a little milk if the mixture is too thick. Grease two baking trays and place teaspoonfuls of the batter on each, leaving enough space between them to allow the mixture to spread during baking. Bake in a moderate oven for about 15 to 20 minutes till golden brown.

ANGLO-INDIAN CHICKEN PEPPER FRY

ANGLO-INDIAN CHICKEN PEPPER FRY

Serves 6   Preparation Time 30 minutes

A simple wholesome chicken dish that could be prepared in a little while. It brings out the subtle flavours of the Chicken and the aroma of pepper

Ingredients

1 kg chicken cut into medium size pieces     

3 large onions sliced finely

2 teaspoons pepper powder                           

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 tablespoons oil                                             

salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions lightly. 

Add the chicken and mix in the pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt. 

Add ½ cup of water and cook on low heat till the chicken is tender and semi dry.

(Alternately, the chicken can be par boiled with a little water and then added to the sautéed onions and pepper)

Garnish with more crushed pepper and onion rings 

Serve as a side dish or a starter

CHRISTMAS CAKE

THE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Christmas time is that very special time of the year signifying happiness, caring and family togetherness. Preparation of the traditional cakes and sweets that are a part and parcel of Christmas starts a month in advance, filling the house and neighbourhood with enticing smells. For many people, one of their strongest childhood memories, is the enticing aroma of baking at Christmas. This is the time, when the whole house is in a festive mood, with the anticipation of Christmas, and everyone in the family chips in to help prepare those heavenly delights, such as  the traditional Christmas Cakes, kalkals and Rose Cookies, many other sweets and goodies that are prepared specially for Christmas. Christmas cakes are the best place to start if you want to get in the Christmas spirit nice and early. Christmas cakes are delicious if you make them in advance and feed it your chosen liquor gradually over the weeks leading up to Christmas. Most Anglo-Indian families have their own recipe for the Christmas Cake, that  is usually handed down through generations. Candied fruit, plums, currants, raisins, orange peel etc are dexterously cut and soaked in Rum or Brandy a few weeks in advance.  Nuts are peeled and chopped and the whole family comes together to make the cake. Jobs are allotted to everyone -  one to whip up the eggs, while another creams the butter and sugar, the flour is sieved, cake tins are lined, and a strong pair of arms are requisitioned to do the final mixing and stirring. After the cake batter is poured into the tins, the real fun starts with everyone fighting to lick the leftover batter in the mixing bowl and from the spoons and spatulas --  Here is a recipe for Christmas Cake that I’ve been using for many years. It may not look very dark but its rich and tasty.

Ingredients:

500 grams refined flour or plain flour              

300 grams dark brown sugar

500 grams unsalted butter

500 grams mixed dried fruits (equal quantities of black currants, raisins and sultanas) which have been chopped  finely and soaked in rum or brandy before hand

100 grams chopped orange / lemon peel          

1 tablespoon Zest of lemon or orange
¼ teaspoon salt                                          

½  teaspoon nutmeg powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

4 eggs beaten well                                             

4 tablespoons milk (optional)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla essence / extract

2 tablespoons Black Currant Jam or Orange Marmalade

2 tablespoons Black Treacle Syrup or Date Syrup  (optional)

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 150°C

Remove the chopped fruit from the rum, drain and keep aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and salt together.

Dust the orange / lemon peel and the chopped soaked fruit with a little flour.

Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the beaten eggs, treacle / date syrup, vanilla essence, orange / lemon zest and mix well. Now add the Black Currant Jam / Marmalade, orange / lemon peel and chopped fruit. Slowly add the flour and mix gently till all the ingredients are combined well. If the mixture is too thick add a little milk.

Pour into a greased and papered baking tin or dish and bake in a slow oven (150°C ) for about one hour or more. (Check if cooked by inserting a tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out clean, your cake is ready. Bake for some more time if still raw inside)

Remove from the oven when done and set aside to cool.

When the cake is completely cool, poke all over with tooth pick and drizzle brandy or rum all over the cake, (repeat once in every week or ten days). Wrap in foil paper, and store in an air tight container. This cake will last for months if stored in an air tight container. 

ROSE COOKIES / ROSA COOKIES

. ROSE COOKIES / ROSA COOKIES / ROSETTE COOKIES

Rose Cookies are delicious fried Anglo-Indian Christmas Treats. Though named as Cookies, they are not cookies in the strict sense as they not baked but deep fried in hot oil. Rose Cookies are also known as Rosette Cookies, Rosa Cookies, etc and are prepared with a sweetened batter consisting of Flour, Eggs, Vanilla Extract and Coconut milk. Believed to be another culinary legacy left by the Portuguese in India, they are known as Rose de Coque or Rose de Cookies in Portugual. (They are also known as Rosettes in Sweden and Norway). The crisp cookies are made by plunging a special hand-held ‘Rose Cookie Mould’or ‘Rosette Iron’ lightly coated with a sweet batter into hot oil. The Rose Cookie Mould or Rosette Iron is a long handled gadget with intricately designed iron moulds of different flowers such as roses and daisies. The Mould or Iron is heated to a very high temperature in oil, dipped into the batter, then immediately re-immersed in the hot oil to create a crisp shell around the hot metal. The mould or iron is shaken slightly, till the Rose Cookie gets separated from it. The delicate golden brown, light and crispy cookie thus separated from the mould /iron floats to the top and is taken out from the hot oil with a flat porous spoon. Though a time consuming and laborious process, Rose Cookies are incredibly delicious. 

RECIPE FOR ROSE COOKIES

Serves 6   Preparation time 1 hour

Ingredients

½ kg refined flour 

250 grams rice flour (optional)                               

1 cup coconut milk

200 grams sugar                               

6 eggs beaten well

½ teaspoon salt                         

1 litre oil for frying

1 teaspoon vanilla essence       

1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix all the ingredients together to form a smooth slightly thick batter. 

Heat oil in a deep pan till it reaches boiling point. Now place the rose cookie mould into the oil to get hot. When the mould is hot enough dip it half way only into the batter and put it back immediately into the boiling oil. Shake the mould gently to separate the cookie from it. Heat the mould again and repeat the process. Fry rose cookies till brown. Continue in this way till the batter is finished. 

Note: The batter will stick to the rose cookie mould with a hissing sound only if it is sufficiently hot otherwise it will just slide off the mouldhi 

CHICKEN PEPPER FRY

CHICKEN PEPPER FRY

This is one of the easiest chicken recipes with minimum ingredient and with almost no effort you get a tasty chicken dish in no time at all. Garlic and Pepper combine to give this Chicken dish an out of the world taste.
This recipe is featured in my Cookery Book ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST 

Serves 6   Preparation Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg chicken cut into medium size pieces     

3 large onions sliced finely

2 teaspoons pepper powder                           

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons oil                                             

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions and chopped garlic lightly.

Add the chicken and mix in the pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt. Fry for a few minutes till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Add ½ cup of water and cook on low heat till the chicken is tender and semi dry.

Alternately, the chicken can be par boiled with a little water and then added to the sautéed onions and pepper

You could add boiled potatoes towards the end and mix it with the chicken.

Serve with Bread or as a side dish. This is a good starter for Parties as well.

RUM BALLS / CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS

CHRISTMAS RUM BALLS

Rum balls are a truffle-like confection of sweet, dense cake or biscuit material flavoured with chocolate and rum. They are roughly the size of a golf ball and often coated in chocolate sprinkles, desiccated coconut, or cocoa. Rum Balls are rich in flavor and have a fudgy texture. Rum balls are one of the Christmas season's easiest and most delicious treats. Fruit cakes are normally used as they are already packed with fruits, nuts and spices. However chocolate cake or vanilla cake could also be used. The Rum balls can also be made with digestive biscuits instead of cake

RECIPE FOR CAKE BASED RUM BALLS

Ingredients

300 grams Fruitcake (or chocolate or vanilla cake)

100 grams cooking chocolate broken into small bits

100 grams Icing sugar for binding and rolling

3 tablespoons butter

½ cup dark rum

100 grams glaze cherries or any nuts such as almonds or walnuts chopped

Cocoa powder for dusting

Chocolate sprinkles or desiccated coconut for decoration (optional)

Crumble the cake into smooth crumbs without lumps.

Heat the butter and chocolate in a pan. Cook on very low flame stirring all the time, till the chocolate is melted

Remove from heat and cool for a little while. Add the cake crumbs, glaze cherries / nuts  and Rum and mix well. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until just firm enough to handle.

Take small portions of the mixture and roll into balls using the icing sugar to bind them. (use more icing sugar if required to make the balls firm).

Now roll the balls in the cocoa powder to coat them well.

You can serve the rum balls like this or coat them with Chocolate sprinkles or desiccated coconut for decoration (optional)

Refrigerate till required to serve. 

SOOJI COCONUT SWEET

SOOJI COCONUT SWEET
This is an old Anglo-Indian favourite. Made mostly at Christmas time and even at other times as well. The roasted sooji (Semolina) gives a nice robust taste to the Coconut Sweet.

Makes 30 pieces    

Ingredients

2 cups grated coconut                           

1 cup roasted fine soogi / semolina

3 cups sugar                                         

1 cup milk

½ cup condensed milk                           

1 teaspoon ghee

½ teaspoon vanilla essence                  

½ teaspoon food colour either pink or green

Roast the semolina with one teaspoon ghee till it gives out a nice aroma. Remove from heat and keep aside.
Melt the sugar with the milk and condensed milk in a thick bottomed vessel. 
Add the grated coconut and mix well. Cook till the coconut is soft. 
Add the semolina, essence, food colour and ghee and mix well. 
Simmer on low heat till the mixture becomes thick and leaves the sides of the vessel. 
Pour on to a greased plate and cut into squares.