KEEMA HARI MIRCH KA DOPEEAJA ( with Vege option)

First of all I apologize for my long absence from the blog world . And I must say , I am delighted that none of you have deleted me from , your blog followers list.  Thank you ! I must say , without your support over last 3 years , I would have vanished from the food blog world. It has been a great experience , to learn from you,  many dishes . Most of the dishes, I learnt from you, I wont be able to cook in my life time , so what ?few I will be able to at least ...

No humorous preamble this time because I am emotional now. So lets get down to cooking business.

THE RECIPE..

The recipe comes from the book  by Maharaja of Sailana, and i have made bit variations within permissible limits . It is my elder daughter's favorite dish and cooked for her . She just arrived from Mumbai.

INGREDIENTS 

1. Mutton fine keema 500 gms 

2. Green chili 250 grams ( use the hottest to medium to low heat ones, your choice) 

3. Onion , thinly slice 150 gms 

4. onion chunks , 1 inch , 100 gms 

5. Garlic 50 gms ( about 3 pods and not 3 cloves) , KEEP WHOLE CLOVES. DO NOT CHOP.

6. Cumin seeded 11/2 tsp.

7, Curd . 120 gms 

8. Ghee 200 ml ( 180 gms) 

9. Turneric 4 level tsp ( dont reduce or add 6 tsp) 

10. Lemon juice 30 ml

11. Coriander leaves , chopped fine 2 tbsp, heaped 

12. Salt to taste 

Main ingredients , (Keema in yogurt, cumin, turmeric and salt), sliced onion and green chili, garlic

De-seeded chili,, onion chunks, garlic cloves ( whole ) 

PROCESS 

* Slit the green chilis , de-seed and cut to 1/2 inch pieces.

* Mix smooth, curd, Turmeric, cumin seeds, salt 

* add the keema to the mix and mix thoroughly, keep aside 

*  Heat ghee in a heavy bottom vessel and add the sliced onion. Fry to golden brown and immediately add the Keema mix.

* Mix thoroughly with heating.

* Fry for 5 minutes and add about 3 to 4 cups of water ( 450 to 600 ml)

* Cover and Boil for 10 minutes ( 1/2 cooked) 

* Add the green chili, garlic and onion chunks 

Green chili, onion chunk and garlic whole cloves added 

* Continue boiling , till the water evaporates out and ghee separates.

* Add lemon juice and coriander , mix.

* switch off burner 

Dish is ready

Devour with rice, roti or Paratha and if you dont have any of these , eat straight and finish it off 

VEGE OPTION....

Use soya granules , the quantity after soaking will be equal to 500 gms mutton keema. I wont be able to say how much dry granule it is . Ask our great Sangeeta Khanna 

PANI SANTULA ( an awesome dish from Odisha)

During my recent visit to Odisha, I had decided to eat only Odiya food and this dish Pani Santula was top of the list. Of course I often make this here based on recipes from my blog friends (reference given below)  , Both of them are very good in Odiya recipes and I often cook their dishes.

Now during my visit I picked up the finer points of making this simple dish, from my friend and his wife, both are very good cooks.

THE RECIPE. 

Most Odiya dishes are famous for their simplicity , , low use of oil and spices and down to earth dishes.

There are 2 types of Santula , I will give the recipe of pani santula here. basically many types of vegetables are boiled and a post tempering of garlic , onion , chili and spice is given.

THE INGREDIENTS 

Any vegetable can be used. in Varied quantity 

here I have used

Potato 1 cut to 3/4th inch

Ol kofi ( Kohlrabi ) 1 small cut to 1/2 inch

Radish 1 cut to 1 inch

Pumpkin cut to 1 inch 8 pieces

Brinjal 1 cut to 1inch

 cauliflower cut 20 11/4 inch 6 pieces 

Sim 6 cut to 1 inch

french beans 6 cut to 1 1/2 inch

Greens of radish, ol kopi and stems of matured spinch ( Sish Palak) . greens are normally not added. I just added instead of throwing them

(Other vegetables that can also be added , Papaya, drumstick, sweet potato, ridge gourd, Patol , green banana / plantain etc etc . You can use 1 or 2 tomato )

Turmeric powder 3/4th tsp

FOR THE TEMPERING 

Panch phodon 1 heap tsp

red dry chili 2 

green chili chopped 4 

garlic 8 cloves chopped 

small onion 1 inch dia , chopped fine.

Oil 2 tsp ( I use 2 tsp ghee) 

OPTIONS IN TEMPERING  

The following variation is also used in tempering , like use mustard seeds or a combination of mustard and jeera  in place panch phodon.

Some recipes use ginger in the tempering . All these variations give a slight different taste .

THE PROCESS.

Heat minimum water, add turmeric and salt, When water comes to boil add vegetables in order of their softening point. Like add potato, radish and Ol kofi 1st and after few minutes add the other ingredients one by one. Brinjal will go in last. Cover and boil. DONT OVER BOIL the vegetables. Sufficient Water will be left with the vegetables. 

In a Khadai , heat oil / ghee , give tempering of red chili and panch Phodon. When the aroma comes add garlic, green chili soute for few seconds  and onion. Fry on high heat for few minutes ( onion to become light brown.)

Immediately add the tempering to the boiled vegetables and cover. Mix the tempering. 
Eat with rice or roti. 

Further reading on this dish 

homeoriyafood by Sommu


mugdha-cookingfundas  by Mugdha

PRAWNS IN POTATO ONION WITH HOT RED CHILI POWDER (With veg option)

What is husband's privilege ? Well simple ..when wife calls and tells " cook something which I like and I am back home from clinic in 20 min... food should be ready ....I am hungry 

Any pronoun, like " something" if not preceded by a noun, puts me in a difficult situation...And more dangerous is to guess what is meant by " I like "....

well it is done ..a bong dish with green prawns, potato , onion and a typical bong tempering and a dash of lemon to add that tang which ladies like ...

After a long time I had dressed some shrimps ( remember my tigers?) , to eat them raw with a Wasabi dip fortified with raw garlic and extra hot green chili paste and a dash of vinegar and light soya ...

But the fate ,of my darling tigers  and mine too were else where ....

So had to use the shrimps in a phony dish , in 18 minutes flat... 

THE RECIPE : Nothing new , a traditional Bong dish of prawn cha-chadi , with little modification in sombora ( tempering) . The recipe is destined for piping hot rice.

INGREDIENTS 

1. Dressed green shrimps 200 gms 
2. Potato , one medium 
3. Onion , one large, sliced to 3 mm thick.
4.green chili 4+3  ( hot) 
5. Red chili powder extra hot 1 level tsp.
6. Kashmiri chili powder ...1 heap tsp.
7. Turmeric 1 level tsp
8 . Mustard oil 3 tbsp ( more the merrier). + 11/2 tsp to be added raw
9. Lemon juice 30 ml ( optional) 

For Tempering 
1. Nigela ( Kalo jeere) 3/4th tsp
2. black pepper 6, just smashed flat and broken
3.  green chili 3 
--------------------------------------
PROCESS 
marinade prawn with salt and turmeric ( 1/2 tsp) 
Cut potato into 7 mm X 7mm , long pieces
Slice onion thin

Ingredients 

 Heat oil in a Kadai to smoking , cool a bit , add the tempering. When the green chili change color, add the onion  

Tempering and onion added 

Saute the onion to translucence ( dont fry to brown) and add the potato

Potato added

Saute for 3-4 minutes and add the red chili and turmeric powder and salt and fry for few minutes

Spice added and saute

Add water , to submerge the potato and cover. 

Water added

When the potato is almost cooked , add the prawns and bring to high heat . 

Prawns added 

Add green chili. It should dry up in 2-3 minutes. Dont over cook the prawns . Add lemon juice and remove.

Almost ready 

Now eat as it is or with hot rice 

Vege option 
You can try, fast fried Tofu julienne, long strips and 8mmX8mm 
Also fast fried paneer goes well with this recipe...
Or just use the potato 

BHINDI -ALU FRY

This is for my Vege -vegan friends ( by default it is for carnivores also) . I am continuously cooking but not much worth publishing. A vacation in kitchen,  is worth million $ and I am earning it!!! 

Not much preamble today because my dentist is waiting in ambush to extract the healthy teeth,  by mistake first , then apologize and then extract the ailing ones....in the bargain he earns faster and I gain,  because sooner or later I will spend it per tooth extracted into all teeth. May be it is good...with inflation at 8% , I gain , by spending for future,today..

THE RECIPE 

Well this is a time proven recipe , Bhindi -alu fry ...nothing great about it ...I will just give one of the many variation I use ..a sour tinge and absence of strong spices ( other than used in tempering ) .

 INGREDIENTS 

* Bhindi ( DhyaDoNs in Bong) , Ladies finger, Okra etc 250 gms 

* Potato 1 medium ( about 75 gms) 

*  green chili 4 -6 

* am chur 11/2 tsp ( dry mango powder , anar powder, lemon juice ) optional 

*red chili powder extra hot ( optional) 

*Oil 2-3 tbsp

* Popy seeds 2 tsp ( optional) 

*turmeric 1 tsp 

Salt 

Hing, ( asafoetida)  ( 30% powdered), 1/2 tsp

*for tempering ...panch  phodon , 1 tsp  (if you dont have it , use 1/2 tsp each of fennel and methi ( fenugreek). Dry red chili 2  

PROCESS

Wash and cut the bhindi to 1 inch pieces 

Cut potato to 5 mm thick,  half moon 

Heat oil to smoking and cool slightly 

add the tempering and  add the potatoes and fry to off color 

add Hing, ( asafoetida), poppy seeds and immediately followed by the bhindi..

All ingredients added 

Add turmaric and fry

Add salt when the volume shrinks 

Cover for 5 minutes and cook at slow heat.

Uncover and Stir fry at high heat till the oil comes out.

Add red chili powder ; amchur or any other  souring agent, stir fry for 1 minutes .

Switch off heat 

Eat with rice , Paratha or puri ( as u know, I dislike roti )

FRIED BATA FISH IN MODIFIED BESARA SPICING

It has been ages since I could open my blog or yours, thanks to the very slow Internet deep in side Sahara deserts. Back home on a short vacation and trying to make up in kitchen and reading missed blogs. 

Fish is a staple diet for most bongs. Hence trying to make up for the fish I did not get to eat. Only fish I got to eat in the desert were shrimps, some fish stakes, flown in from the  Mediterranean  coast, 1800 KM away

This fish, Bata is one of my favorites . It is small and extremely bony but very tasty . I decided to try a fried version with a very well known spicing of Odisha , called the Besara. 
THE RECIPE.
 The besara is cooked with vegetable or a combo of vegetables, fish or dry fish. The spicing is simple . a combination of cumin and mustard paste and a sour note is added through dried raw mango ( called ambula or amsi) , very sour lime or tomato. Traditionally it is dried mango . This is a temple version without garlic or onion and tomato is also not permitted in temple version. Green chili,, red chili powder and turmeric is used as usual.
In a non vege version ( with or without fish) , garlic paste is added to the spicing . The final product will have a curry consistency and may be runny. Here I have dried up the spice to stick to the fish.
INGREDIENTS 
Bata fish ( any fish , small or big will do ) 2 pcs cut to half 
cumin powder 3 tsp
mustard seeds 4 tsp wet ground and filtered 
garlic 6 cloves  paste 
Red chili powder (hot) 1 tsp or more 
green chili 4 
Turmeric powder 1 tsp.
Tomato , one medium , grated to a pulp.
Mustard oil ( preferred) or any other oil 

PROCEDURE 
Marinade the fish in turmeric and salt, keep aside for 30 min.

 ( The lioness share is on the left and the lions share ( the tiny one) is to the right )

Shallow fry the fish to brown on both side. ( one can use raw fish if a Besara curry is made). I like it surface fried and bit hard fried.

Mix the cumin,  chili , turmeric powder, garlic and mustard paste , with 5-7  tbsp water and set aside.
Add 3 tbsp fresh oil or the left over oil from fish frying and heat
Add tomato pulp and fry for few minutes,

 then add the spice mix, green chili  and salt. 

Immediately add the fish , mix , lower heat and cover.

Stir gently from time to time. When the oil starts to come out , remove from heat .

Serve with steamed rice. 

As mentioned earlier, you can make a runny curry ( Jhol ) with all types of vegetables and dried mango as souring agent ..kokum or sour lime is also good .