Monday, January 10, 2011

MUTTON PASANDA CURRY AND TRAIN TO SANTINIKETAN

Dear Friends . HAPPY NEW YEAR ( I have already wished you all , still it is for 2011, as  it is too early to wish Happy New year for 2012)
 I am back after a 10 day trip to Calcutta, Sundarban and Santiniketan. The Sundarban trip was very memorable as few of my college mates met after many decades. My classmate came all the way from Houston with her husband. It was a 3 days 2 nights trip on boat to the dreadfully beautiful Sundarban. We did not see any tiger, ( normally no one can see them) and hopefully the tigers did not see me too, (or decided not to chew old bones), else I would have been writing from Hell. ( not Heaven ).
For 10days, it was marathon eating every where particularly at my in laws place in Santiniketan. Every where it was fish and more fish and it was 4  to 5 fish dishes for lunch and dinner. Oh God , I never imagined, I would ever get tired of eating fish!!!
So I thought I should cook a simple Mutton dish for a change and few vege dishes for SOMEONE who is a Vegetable freak.
THE RECIPE.
Here is a simple and fast dish for you ( Non-vege only). It can be cooked with mutton ( with or without bone), chicken, beef etc. The basic idea is to spend minimum time. Here I have used Mutton Pasanda. I made pasanda to make a pasanda biriyani, but was feeling lazy so made this curry after spending lot of time to cut pasanda from a chunk of meat. It was a criminal wastage of time, indeed. You need not use Pasanda for this fake dish.
This dish will be cooked with all the spices , onion garlic etc added together with a seasoning. 
PASANDA. Many of you must be knowing what is pasanda . This is just to refresh. It is cut in long strips from a chunk of thigh meat  and about 1/4th inch or less thick. The technique needs lot of skill. It is like peeling an orange continuously with out breaking. The flat pieces are then hit lightly with the sharp edge of the knife to make grooves and then further smashed to flatten.  . Indian Butchers are expert in cutting Pasanda. It is a base material for many dishes, from Kebab, Biriani, to cutlets, stir fries, crispy lamb fry with honey and sesame etc etc. The size of the pieces will depend what pasanda dish you are making. Pasanda, being very thin and smashed, picks of the marinade very nicely.
PASANDA 
 CLOSE UP VIEW, PASANDA



INGREDIENTS
Mutton Pasanda 500 gms, cut to 1 X 2 inch pieces.  ( or 750 gm mutton with bones or 500 gms without bones, 3/4th inch chunks)
for the marinade
Fresh curd 3 heap tbsp ( about 50 gms)
2 onion chopped fine ( 11/2 inch size)
2 level tbsp chopped garlic ( you can use more)
2 level tbsp chopped ginger ( you can use more)
1 heap tsp Coriander powder.
1 level tsp roasted and powdered cumin. ( if you dont have roasted one , use raw powder) 
1 tbsp mustard oil
1 heap tsp turmeric powder.
2 cardamom,  1/2 inch cinnamon powdered coarsely by slashing. ( optional) 
Seasoning
Cinnamon 11/2 inch long broken to pieces
Cardamom 4 , peel ruptured
Black pepper 10 
Bay leaf 2
2 green chili chopped to 1/4th inch
Other ingredients
Tomato 1 chopped fine ( about 2 inch size)
Red chili powder 2 tsp (more the merrier)
1 onion thin and uniformly  sliced. 
3 -4 tbsp mustard oil
Salt as required
Sugar 1 level tsp ( this is for taste and not for sweetening)


PROCESS.
Cut Pasanda into 1 inch by 2 inch pieces.
Whip the curd and mix all ingredients mentioned under marinade then mix the meat.
Keep aside for 1 hour. 
Heat oil to smoking in a pressure cooker, remove from fire and give seasoning of bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, green chili and black pepper.
Add the sliced onion and fry to brown. ( just 2 shades below dark brown), add tomato immediately to prevent over frying of onion.
Soute for 5 minutes.
Add red chili powder stir for 30 seconds and add the marinated meat along with the liquid.
Mix well. Add salt , sugar and 1/2 cup water.
Pressure cook for 6 minutes . (Count time from 1st whistle and reduce heat.).
Open the cooker after the pressure becomes normal, and boil to drive off water and the gravy should be of thick consistency.
Eat with rice, Paratha, roti.
Finished dish, Mutton pasanda curry


 TO SANTINIKETAN
Santiniketan is my in-laws' place, have been travelling there since 1970s. Apart from Tagore connection, one loves to be there to spend some time, repeatedly.
I dont want to write a travelogue on this ( too much on the net already). Here I give a compilation of video clips on train to Santiniketan.
I like the bengali folk songs called Baul. Most of you will not understand the meaning but enjoy the train ride and the rhythm of the song.


47 comments:

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Wonderful post and nice dish.. tempting one even though i don't eat it..the color is tempting.

Unknown said...

Notun bochhorer onek shubhechha roilo Ushnishda...Amra india back korchhi next month..tai khub busy with packing, cleaning et al....Pasanda recipe darun...Ami kintu pasanda mane jantam na....thanks for the info...
Santiniken e kobe jabo akhon thekei din gunchhi...apnar video ta dekhe mon ta aro kamon jano hoe galo....bhalo thakben....

Madhu said...

Welcome back from the vacation! Mutton is my all time favorite dish. this looks mouth watering.

Padmajha said...

Welcome back Ushnish.Nice to read your post[no matter if its veg/non veg :)].Will come back for the videolater,my net is giving me some problems.

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

ahha bari jabar age puro mood toiri hoe gelo. pasanda mane ami jantam na. apnar post ei aj janlam. bookmarked recipe for hubby.

Priya Suresh said...

Such a tempting and fabulous looking mutton pasanda curry..glad to see u back..

Unknown said...

welcome back after vacation...and mutton recipe is new for me...but looks delicious :)

Cham said...

Welcome back! Actually I never tasted pasanda before so now I have ur recipe to try out probably with chicken.
I never get tired of fish , gosh i am jealous u got spoiled with loads of fish dishes!

Jaya M said...

Ushnish da,
ami ek baar fake paneer pasanda baniyechilaam LOL jeyi take naam diye chilaam paneer manpasnda ..kinto ami jani mutton passanda aro bhalo khete..Baul Giti shune onek din hoye..sehshe ekta shune chilaam-"Paban Das Baol er konthe ...eyi link ta dilaam youtube theke--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO9LrNj3IR8&feature=related

Amar in-laws ra onek din agey Santiniketan e giyechilo onader bhishon bhalo legechilo ..asha kori apni eyi trip er chobi share korben amader sathe..bhalo thakben regards

Namitha said...

Glad to know that you had a nice vacation, meeting up so many dear ones :-)Cute song (though i didn't understand anything ):-) Really miss the train rides here..We used to travel from Hyderabad to Kerala in train, though they are tiring those rides used to be very nice with all the village views :-)

Mutton curry looks so delicious

? said...

Ushnishda Greetings to you in the new year with many more delightful posts in the coming days! :-D
Thankyou for the compliments too..
I cannot wait to visit the 'dreadfully beautiful' Sunderbans! :-D
Your post is very inspiring but to find such good mutton here is impossible and drooling is easier!
Bookmarked to 'eat' for our next trip to India.

Nandinis food said...

The curry looks very groovy and tasty. I'd try it with chicken some day. Belated new year wishes, lol.

Gouri Guha said...

Happy New Year Ushnishda. Wish you have a great year ahead...and many many more to come:)
jamai charchar por aapni mangsho khawacchen. theek ache.
Never cooked pasanda, always watched the butcher at work. Can try it out.
Keep coming up with more cooking and sharing for now you have come back without even getting a scratch from the tigers...The Royal Bengals... of the Sundarbans. Never been there...would love to go there someday.
Nice post.

Jaisy James said...

thank u for ur comments. this curry looks yummy. will try soon

MJ said...

I cant tell you how happy I am to have found such an amazing blog!! That mutton looks delicious...came here googling for junglee maas from Cooking Delights of the maharajas! but couldnt take my nose of with out running all over your blog...hehhee...! I'll be back...n u have been rolled into my blogroll!

Rumana Rawat said...

Such a tempting recipe :)

Malar Gandhi said...

Dear Ushnish,

Welcome back, started missing your recipes:( Mutton Pasanda looks awesome. And I like travel stories...they are fun to read:)

Arti said...

Welcome back Ushnish...
Will wait for a vegetarian recipe to comment!!
The video is great, though I did not understand anything!! Waiting for some pics and stories about Sunderban trip...
Have a wonderful weekend:-)

Vikis Kitchen said...

How are you Ushnish ji? I am so glad to know you too celebrate a festival like Pongal. In Tamilnadu its a festival associated with farmers, cows and Sun God. As these are common to all, every house celebrates it with great enthu:) Its my favorite festival from childhood. I like that rangoli (art in soil using color powder) and the way we do the pongal preparation like a camp fire along with the entire family:) Nowadays people are doing it inside houses in pressure cooker also:) Here also I am making Pongal tomorrow, with whatever I have at hand:)

Your video and the song are nice. Tagore comes to our imagination, whenever we talk of Shanthiniketan.
Glad that your inlaws are there. Historic place....

I don't know of pasenda. I think we call it as mutton chops in Tamil-English , a combo language:) The curry looks very tempting. The meat we get here are not so tasty like India's. So your dish makes me crave now:)

Happy Pongal.

Sutapa said...

It's great to know you spend some fine and fun time!
Your Pasanda recipe is awesome!
Excellent video! You know it or not that you catch a hit Baul number and many modern Bengali band is singing this song and I am also looking for this song and I am lucky to get it-
Hird majhare rakhibo....
Chere dila sonar gaur aar to pabo na....nana na chere dibo na!

Indrani said...

Ushnishda,
sorry for late new year wish....from this January, My twins have started their nursery, so busy like hell...wish you and your family a delightful prosperous new year..mutton pasanda darun dekhte hoyeche, jive jal ese gelo, amra singapore e ekdom bhalo mutton paina..:(, any way, ek kathai darun post,...apnar anek gulo post miss korechi..Kerala trip er post tao excellent, click gulo beautiful, amar Kerala dekha hoye gelo apnar post theke....Kichu Microwave recipe pathan amar event e...ami santiniketan gechi 15 years ago, darun legechilo, eto peaceful jaiga bodh hai kothao nei aar, satti sanitiniketan....bhalo thakben, boudi keo happy new year

Shilpi Bose said...

Happy New Year Ushnish. Welcome back to my blog. I am sure you have had some wonderful foodie experiences in Shantiniketan. About the kachori, I am really surprised to learn from you that people nowadays add garlic and coriander leaves. My mum for instance gets very irritated if she finds anyone using both panch phoron and garam masala in the same dish. But I guess people like to experiment with different flavours.

Shilpi Bose said...

Incidentally the quality of mutton in the photographs is excellent. I am sure the pasanda turned out yum.

Siddhi Shirsat said...

Hi uncle,
Hope u n aunty r fine...this mutton dish is vry nice...will try it with chicken as i dnt eat mutton:-)...so hwz life gng?...whn u n aunty r cmg 2 goa?...hope u had a wonderul time in sundarbans, upload sme pics of it is pos...ur nxt trip must be surely to Goa uncle.I was little busy so dint nt gt tym 2 c ur last few post...i missed all tempting recipes...gv my regards to aunty

Jaya M said...

Ushnish da,
aapnar rangamatir deshe part -2 dekhlaam ebong amar DH ke O deke ene dekhalaam, bhishon bhalo laglo ..gaan and the train journey both..well that makes me homesick..bhalo thakben..regards

aipi said...

Hi Ushnishda, glad to see you back.I sat through your entire video with a flashback playing in my head. I prefer train rides to flying anyday..hope to sit in that train to Shantiniketan..someday!

US Masala

Anonymous said...

Hello Ushnish Da,
Happy New Year to you too.
I hope you are doing great and had a lovely trip.Its been long since I got got quality mutton here.Your curry looks super with all those spices.Its been so long since I traveled in a train.Loved your video

veena said...

wish you a great year ahead and thanks for stopping by

Devasena Hariharan said...

i thought pasanda was some kind of sweet dish made, until i read the meaning.

The folk song is different and makes me feel somewhat.

Joyti said...

Thanks for the recipe. The technique does indeed sound a bit difficult.
I did listen to the Bengali song. I did not understand it, but it was beautiful...

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

welcome back Ji,
Hope you had a wonderful time..
Mutton dish sounds awesome ...wanna try asap..
Tasty appetite

Unknown said...

Wow ....i am totally fell in ur recipes..u have a wide collections ........Lov ur clicks........that too love ur kumarakom pics.......following u...

Rajani said...

Hi da,Happy new year and happy blogging to you!Nice idea of putting up train ride video,can escape into it when i feel like travelling!How about posting your meeting wiht the 'gentle inmates' of the Sunderbans too!
No comments on pasanda, as i dont eat.....
Waiting for your veg versions...

Subhie Arun said...

wonderful post with lovely dish!..lov ur clicks..

Oriyarasoi said...

Fabulous pasanda curry!!Most of your dishes are well-researched and one can replicate them easliy if one follows the steps !!

Hayley said...

Hello dada
lovely post with lovely dish ...

Mary Bergfeld said...

Welcome back! It sounds like you had a wonderful holiday. I love your recipe for pasanda. It sounds delicious. I hope the new year brings you a full measure of health and happiness. Blessings...Mary

Lav said...

Wonderful post dear....am doing great....how have u been...missed many of ur posts too...will go thro now :)

Lavanya

www.lavsblog.com

Adelina said...

Happy New Year to you too- I only read in books about Sundarban, and seen on our India Channel in Moldova- believe it or no, we have it! You missed the tiger, but did not the lamb:) ,looks gorgeous, I admit!- i confess I miss fish every now and then, and tasted it years back in the home of a Bengali friend of mine- wow! Now if I miss i come to yur blog: keep it up!

Hasna said...

tempting one!! never tried ths one...though luv mutton at any time...

hasnasdelights.blogspot.com

Fathima said...

you have given a good explanation for making pasanda.. I have not made or had this before... sounds interesting.. looks like you had a great trip with your friends... :-)

Unknown said...

Dear Ushnishda, How r u?? pasanda sounds excellent..love any dishes with mutton..Loved ur travel stories and glad to know that u had wonderful time with ur friends!

Parita said...

Hi UshnishJi,
Hope you are doing fine...thanks for leaving comments on my blog :) I too have become quite irregular in the blogging world due to personal and official commitments :( but will try to post something soon :)
take care!

Poonam said...

Hello Ushnish,
Thanks for stopping by blog and leaving a nice comment (and of course liking my recipe). Yes, it has been a big break for me. We were in India for 6 weeks. Came back last week and the whole family fell sick with viral! Will get back to blogging world very soon.
Take care
Poonam

sangeeta said...

Nice post but the recipe disappointed me to be honest...after all this hard work a nice grilled pasanda would have justified better :)

The flavors of the curry are great and it was time saving i know ;)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sangeeta
LOL....U are right ...I received many e mails from friends saying " It was a criminal wastage of time and an insult to Pasanda ha ha"
May be if I dont make the pasanda Kebab..I shall make Khaibari biriyani of Sailana maharaj.
will be off blog till end march

momsnetwork said...

Wow! Really good one! I like the pic too. It is nicely taken. Food looks yumm.
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