Tag: Mutton

Lamb Chops Masala – Without a drop of oil!

I am battling with three issues : 1. Weight management  2. Withdrawal symptoms from quitting cigarettes and 3. Stress. To manage stress I usually cook. But this stress management method sometimes plays havoc with issues 1 and 2. Particularly when issue 2 plays havoc with issue 1. This is a recipe that partially dealt with all the issues.This is a recipe I adapted from two recipes that I read and tried with varying degrees of success. Most importantly, this is a healthy recipe that was a major hit with my guests! The recipe is simple, hassle free and very importantly has no added oil!

Image

Ingredients

24-25 Lamp Chops, cleaned
4 Medium Onions, chopped
4 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
1-1/2 cup Yoghurt
3 tbsp Garlic Paste
4 tbsp Ginger Paste
2 tsp Red Chili Powder
4 tsp Coriander Powder (Dhania powder)
4 tsp Cumin Powder (Jeera powder)
2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
Salt, to taste

For the garnish

Ginger juliennes
Lemon juice
Chopped Coriander (optional)
Garam Masala Powder

Procedure

  1. Clean and dry the lamp chops
  2. In a pan mix the lamb chops with all the ingredients except cumin powder, garam masala powder and the garnish.
  3. Place the pan on the gas and cook on high flame until the mixture comes to a boil.
  4. Cover and simmer until the lamb chops are half cooked. Add cumin powder and garam masala powder. Mix.
  5. Continue to simmer until the gravy thickens, envelopes the lamb chops. Cook until the lamb chops are fully cooked.
  6. Garnish with ginger juliennes and chopped coriander. Sprinkle lemon juice.

Serve hot with rotis/phoolkas/parathas or simply devour as a stand alone protein fest – without the guilt!

Yusuf’s Kate Masale Ka Gosht

 My father-in-laws secret recipe revealed!

This is a recipe that my father-in-law Yusuf Husain has perfected. It is his secret recipe – one which he rarely shares with others! Even if he does share it you can be sure that he will leave out some important detail.   I have ‘cracked’ the recipe after many unsuccessful attempts and after much cajoling. It was cooked last night and everybody loved it. Yusuf saab approved of the preparation and finally welcomed me to the family secret!

Ingredients

1 kg Mutton / Lamb, big pieces
10-12 Medium Onions, thick slices
12 Garlic cloves,  roughly chopped
3 tbsp Ginger, chopped
2 Bay Leaves (tej patta)
5 Black Cardamoms (badi elaichi)
2  Cinnamon Sticks (dalchini)
15 Whole Black Pepper Corns (kali mirch)
12 Whole Dried Red Chillies
Salt, to taste
75 gms Yoghurt, beaten
4-5 tbsp Ghee or Oil

Procedure

  1. Heat ghee/oil in a saucepan. Take approximately half the quantity of onions and sauté until golden brown.
  2. Add mutton, bay leaves, black cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, pepper corns, red chillies and 1.5 tsp salt.
    Sauté on high flame until the meat changes color.
  3. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
  4. Add the remaining onions. Mix well and sauté for about 1 minute.
  5. Seal the vessel. Cook for approximately 45-50 minutes on low flame. In case you are using a pressure cooker, wait for 3 whistles and then let the meat rest while pressure is totally released from the cooker.
  6. Open the lid and you will see that onions are totally liquefied and the meat has been simmering in the liquefied onions.
  7. On medium heat sauté the meat until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  8. Reduce heat and add yoghurt. Mix well. Cover the vessel once again (not under pressure) and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the meat is totally done.
  9. Let the meat rest for at least 15-20 minute before serving.

This is perhaps one of the most delicate, delicious and wholesome meat recipes I have come across. The cooking of meat in the onion gravy is the key to a successful result.

You can also follow the same recipe for Kate Masale Ka Chicken. With chicken you have to be careful that you do not overcook and that onions, ginger and garlic are chopped into smaller pieces to allow the onion gravy to form faster.

The red chillies and browning of the onions lend this dish its distinct reddish color. Excessive browning will make the dish very dark and some people prefer it that way.  You can add approximately 1 tbsp roasted and roughly pounded coriander seeds after adding the yoghurt. This adds a little extra bite but many people do not enjoy the distinct coriander flavor. Try it or give it a miss, but this is one recipe that you must try!

Enjoy this with rotis, naan or steamed rice. I prefer devouring this recipe without any of these!

Rogan Josh – straight from the valley!

roganjosh

Ingredients

1 kg Mutton, cut into large pieces
1 tbsp Garlic, ground
2-3 large Onions ground into paste
5 tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi)
8 Green cardamoms (Chhoti Elaichi)
8 Cloves (Laung)
5 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, mixed with 1 cup water
¾ cup Ghee
2.5 litres Water
a few strands of saffron, mixed in warm water
½ tsp Black Pepper powder (Kali Mirchi Powder)

Procedure

  1. Fry the onion paste in 3 tbsp Ghee/Oil until golden brown. Keep aside
  2. Boil the mutton in water. Keep removing all the scum with a ladle.
  3. Once the water is clean, add salt and ground garlic. Boil until mutton is half cooked.
  4. Remove the mutton pieces from the water and wash in running cold water. Keep aside.
  5. Strain the water through a fine sieve and pour into a fresh pan.
  6. Bring this water to a boil and add meat to it.
  7. Heat the ghee in another pan. Add cloves (laung) to the hot ghee.
  8. When the cloves begin to crackle, sprinkle around 1 tbsp water and immediately cover the pan. (This has to be done very carefully and quickly) . Keep the pan covered.
  9. Now add green cardamoms, clove flavored ghee, turmeric powder and fried onion paste (prepared in step 1) to the mutton.
  10. Mix and bring to a boil. Boil for approx 10-12 mins on high flame.
  11. Now add the kashmiri red chilli mixed in water to this. Mix well. Bring to a boil.
  12. Cover and cook on simmer until the mutton is totally cooked.
  13. Add the saffron and black pepper powder. Mix well. Cover and simmer for 10 mins.
  14. Keep the pan covered and let the mutton rest for approximately 20-30 minutes before serving.

The totally authentic Kashmiri preparation includes the very Kashmiri ingredient mawal (dried cockscomb flower) heated with around 1 cup water. I was unable to find this in the market and hence omitted this. The recipe was a huge success last night. We had our friends Mukul and Shalini over from Delhi. Lots of the excellent Sula Dindori Shiraz and then sumptuous Rogan Josh with simple steamed rice. Wonderful meal that was completed by some amazing gazak that my father-in-law had ‘procured’ from Lucknow. Mazaa aa gaya – kasam se!

Chana Dal Gosht – A great recipe from Pakistan!

chana dal gosht-1

INGREDIENTS

For the Bhuna Gosht

1 kg Mutton/Lamb (with bone)
4 Medium Onion, peeled, finely chopped
4 tsp Garlic paste
3 tsp Red Chilli powder
Salt
3 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Cumin powder
½ tsp Turrmeric powder (haldi)
5 Medium Tomatoes, pureed or finely chopped
4 tsp Ginger paste
1-½ cups Water
¼ cup Oil / Ghee

For the Chana Dal Gosht

1 cup Chana Dal (split chick peas)
2 tsp Red Chilli powder
2 tsp Garam Masala powder
4-5 tbs Fresh Cream
1 Onion, sliced, fried until brown and kept aside
2 Green chillies, lightly fried
A handful of mint leaves
Lemon juice

PROCEDURE

  1. Put mutton, onions, garlic, salt, chili powder, ground coriander, turmeric and water in a heavy based saucepan or pressure cooker. Cook for 20 minutes on high flame, stirring continuously (bhunaoing) or until all the water including the water from the chopped onions has dried up.
  2. Add tomatoes and ginger paste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
  3. Add oil and cook for 10 minutes, again stirring all the time. Add one or two tablespoons of water to prevent gravy from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  4. Shut the flame when oil separates from the gravy.
  5. Add the chana dal and red chilli powder to the bhuna gosht prepared above.
  6. Add water to this. Make sure that the water covers around 1 inch above the level of the dal and meat.
  7. Simmer under pressure for 3 whistles. Alternatively cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the dal and meat are fully cooked.
  8. Open the lid. Sprinkle garam masala powder, adjust the salt and mix thoroughly. Cook on medium flame for around 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Turn off the flame.
  9. Add fresh cream and mix into the Dal Gosht. Cover and let it rest for around 10 minutes.
  10. Serve with lemon juice, fresh mint and brown onions.

This is a wonderful recipe that I have got from the great singer/composer and my brother from Pakistan, Shafqat Ali. The dish is attractive, delicious and a massive hit with everybody. The trick is to ensure that Bhuna Gosht is made correctly with a lot of stirring to ensure that gravy does not get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

You can make a lot of variations to this dish. Change the dal – try red lentils, kidney beans or soaked Bengal gram or a mixture of all the dals. Instead of dal you can also add vegetables like okra, cauliflower, potatoes, yam or turnips to the Bhuna Gosht to get delightful dishes! Cooking times of course will vary. You can also replace the tomatoes with yoghurt. Keep trying and serving. That is what passion is all about. Happy cooking!

Mutton Kolhapuri – nothing subtle about this one!

mutton kolhapuri -3INGREDIENTS

1 kg Mutton, medium sized pieces
3 large Potatoes, cut into large pieces
1 ½ tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbs Ginger-Garlic paste
5 large Tomatoes, chopped
3 large Onions, chopped
½ Coconut, grated
10 pcs Cloves (Laung)
8-10 pcs Whole Red chillies
2 tsp Poppy seeds
2 tsp Fennel seeds (saunf)
2 tsp Coriander seeds
2 tsp Peppercorns
½ cup Oil
Salt, to taste

PROCEDURE

  1. Thoroughly mix salt, turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste into the meat. Keep aside for at least  45 mins.
  2. Heat 3-4 tbs of oil in a pan. Add the poppy seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and red chillies. Fry until the poppy seeds just begin to turn brown.
  3. Add the chopped onions. Fry until light brown.
  4. Add the grated coconut and fry for about 1 minute.
  5. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry (bhunno continuously) until the oil begins to separate from the masala.
  6. Cool the masala. Blend to a fine paste. Kolhapuri Masala is now ready.
  7. Heat the remaining oil in a pressure cooker. Add the marinated mutton pieces and potatoes. Fry until they turn brownish.
  8. Add the Kolhapuri Masala prepared above. Mix well. Add approximately 2-3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover.
  9. Cook the mutton under pressure on low heat for around 4-5 whistles (depending on the tenderness of the meat).
  10. Wait for all the pressure to be released, then open the lid.
  11. Add chopped fresh coriander and mix.

 While I enjoy subtle flavors and aromatic cuisines, this Mutton Kolhapuri was a welcome change. There is nothing subtle or gentle about it but it is simply delicious. You can use the Kolhapuri masala for chicken, vegetables  or paneer but I think the robust flavors come out best with red meat. Eat this with the traditional Maharashtrian bread bhakri or the sinful, deep fried wada. As usual I prefer it with my staid, slightly crisp phoolka.

Jowar Bhakri
Jowar Bhakri

Cooked this mutton kolhapuri for my wife last night. I  was showered with a lot of rekindled  love, affection and a much needed foot massage. Maybe it was the poppy seeds! Or the excellent new wine from the Dindori region of Nashik. This region produces some excellent grapes and the wines from here are excellent. Sula Dindori Reserve and Chateau d’Ori are two brands that use grapes from this region. While the Sula Reserve is truly the pick of Indian wines, this new one is also quite good. Cheers!

Nahari Gosht

Delicious lamb dish. Has always been a major hit with guests. Mildly spiced, aromatic and delightfully traditional. Does not require any of the nonsense masalas available in the market.

Nahari Gosht - Never fails.

INGREDIENTS

750gms Leg of Spring Lamb
450gms Lamb chops
125gms Ghee
1-1/2 cups Onions
5 Green Cardamoms (Chhoti Elaichi)
5 Cloves (Laung)
2 Cinnamon sticks (Dalchini)
2 Bay Leaves (Tej patta)
2 tsp Coriander Powder (Dhania powder)
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi powder)
Salt
4 tbs Ginger Paste
3 tbs Garlic Paste
150g Yoghurt
2-3 tsp Flour (Atta)
2-3 tsp Gramflour
2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Mace and Green Cardamom (Jaivitri and Chhoti Elaichi) powder
3-4 drops Vetivier (Kevda)

PROCEDURE

1. Slice half the onions.
2. Chop the remaining half of the onions
3. Whisk the yoghurt in a bowl
4. Clean lamb pieces
5. Heat 100gms Ghee in a  handi, add the sliced onions.
6.  Saute the onions until golden brown
7. Add lamb, chopped onions, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. The onions will begin to liquify. Saute on high heat until all the liquid has evaporated.
8. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Stir.
9. Immediately add ginger paste and garlic paste. Saute on high heat until fat leaves the masala.
10. Add yoghurt, bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat.
11. Saute for approximately 10-12 minutes. The yoghurt will reduce considerably.
12. Add 3 cups (approx 750 ml) water and bring to a boil.
13. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Wait until the lamb is tender. If cooking in a pressure cooker, bring water to boil and cook under pressure for not more than 2 whistles.
14. Remove the pieces of meat from the gravy and keep aside.
15. Take the remaining ghee in a separate handi. Add the flour and gramflour. Saute briskly over low heat, stirring constantly, until light brown.
16. Add the separated gravy to these flours. Mix well, ensuring that there are no lumps.
17. Pass the thick gravy through a strainer into its original handi (clean the handi to ensure a smooth gravy)
18. Add the lamb pieces to the thick gravy. Bring to a boil.
19. Add the garam masala powder, mace and cardamom powder. Stir. Adjust the salt.
20. Add vetvier (kevda), cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
21. Remove to a bowl and serve hot.

I prefer eating this with a nice, fluffy and slightly crisp phoolka. Keeps the meal light and the emphasis remains on the excellent meat!

%d bloggers like this: