Crab Curry

Ingredients :

 1 kg Crabs cleant

4. Onions medium sized- chopped finely

2 big ripe tomatoes- chopped finely

3-4 green chillies

Ginger, garlic & green chili paste – 1tbsp

1 tsp garam masala

Red chili powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder ¼ cup

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Coconut Milk- ½ tbsp

Method: In big container heat oil, fry onions till golden brown, after that add the ginger garlic chili paste & cook until raw flavor is gone. Now add turmeric, red chili, coriander powder & cook it by adding little water to the mixture. Make sure you don’t burn them. After the spices are cooked, add tomatoes (or tomato puree) and sauté for a while. Add garam masala. Add a cup of water and cook for about 10-15 minutes with a lid on. Now add the clean crabs, cover it with lid & cook it for 10 minutes. Now add the coconut mixture and cook for 5 minutes. This curry needs more chilly and salt. Cook it till you get your desired consistency. Garnish with coriander. It’s ready to eat.

Bihari Litti

INGREDIENTS

For Covering

Wheat flour – 2 cups

Ajwain- ½ tsp

 Oil- 2Tbsp
Salt to taste
Ghee- 2Tbsp

For Stuffing

1 cup roasted Besan (Gram Flour)
3  green chillies , finely chopped
1/2 tsp roasted Jeera

1Tsp ginger and garlic chopped finely
1/2 finely chopped coriander
½ tsp Amchur

1 tsp chilly pickle masala (Mustard oil – 2 tbsp, Salt to taste, 1tsp Turmeric powder, 2tsp saunf coarsely grounded 2tsp yellow mustard, 1tsp methi, pinch of hing)
1/2 tsp Ajwain

2 tbsp finely chopped onions (optional)
2 tsp mustard
water
salt to taste

Method 

For covering

Add salt,ajwain,kalonji,refined oil to wheat flour and knead dough..Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside.

For stuffing

Mix the roasted besan well along with all the ingredients required for the stuffing. Add little water. Ensure that the stuffing is neither too soft nor too dry

For litti

Make small medium sized balls with the dough. Flatten the dough, fill the stuffing then close the ball and flatten it. Heat oil in a pan. Add the littis till and fry till they turn golden brown.

Tribal style Pot Mutton Curry -Kunda Mamsam

INGREDIENTS

Mutton ½ kg

Turmeric- 1tsp

Onions- 2 chopped

Garlic – 10 cloves

Green chillies-6 (You can use more as we do not use chilly powder)

Oil- ½ cup

Salt to taste

Coriander- 1 bunch

METHOD:

Now grind all the above mentioned ingredients except oil…. coarsely.

Wash mutton and marinate the mutton with the ground masala and keep aside for 20-30 minutes

Take an earthen pot. Put it on the gas. Add the marinated mutton in the pot and add ½ cup oil. Let it cook on medium flame for 5-10 minutes. Take a banana leaf and heat it slowly on the flame, so that it can be folded easily. Add half a glass of water and cover the pot with the banana leaf and tie it with a thread. Cook for about 30 -45 minutes or till the meat is tender.

Your traditional pot mutton curry is ready.

(I added 1tsp poppy seeds soaked in warm water for 10 minutes

1tsp of coconut powder, so that we can get smooth and thick gravy and also a good texture. After you remove the banana leaf add this ground paste of poppy seeds and coconut and cook for 5-10 minutes.

SHEER KHURMA

INGREDIENTS:

·         2 litres milk

·         A handful of almonds, cashewnuts,1 tbsp pistas,  ( These have to be soaked in water for 4-5 hours, then slice them very thinly and let them dry completely.)

·         5-6 Dry Dates soaked in ½ cup milk. Deseed and cut coarsely 

·         1 cup sugar- (Can add more sugar as per your taste buds choice)

·         200 gms Condensed milk (My choice. Optional)

·         A handful of chironji, soaked and skins removed

·         ½ cup ghee

·         1 tsp rose water essence

·         2 cups seviyan (I buy roasted ones)

METHOD:

Heat ghee and fry the seviyan till they turn light brown, don’t burn them. Remove and keep aside.

Fry all the nuts in ghee except the pistas and dry dates.

Heat the milk. Allow to cook in low heat for 45 minutes till the milk reduced to three fourth it’s Volume. Add sugar, condensed milk and Ghee. Add saffron mixed in a tbsp of hot milk to the milk. After the sugar is completely dissolved add the seviyan. Continue cooking till the seviyan softens. Remove from flame. Now add the nuts and the rose water essence.

Serve it hot or serve it chilled. Tastes just Amazing….

Paya Shorba ( Lamb Trotter Soup)

INGREDIENTS

1kg Paya (Trotters)
2 tbsp Ginger and Garlic paste

FOR GRAVY

3/4 Onions (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Red chilli powder
1/4 tbsp Turmeric powder
(1tbsp of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, black pepper corn, green cardamoms 1-2 cinnamon stick,1- 2 bay leaves, 1-2 Aniseed flower – Grind and tie it in a muslin cloth) Potli Masala
1 tbsp Garam Masala
2-3 tbsp Curd
1tbsp Lemon Juice (optional)
2-3 Green Chillies
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Oil

FOR GARNISH
Fry Onions
Lemon slice
Coriander and Mint leaves (finely chopped)

METHOD

Wash Paya in cold running water properly and drain well. Add Paya, ginger garlic paste and Gram masala in a pressure cooker at medium high heat, and cook for about 10 minutes or till the Paya is tender.

In a large saucepan at medium heat, 
add 2 cups oil, add onions and fry to golden brown, 
(keep few fried onions for garnishing).
Then add Paya, red chilli powder, Turmeric powder, green chilli, lemon juice, salt, 
and mix well and water. Add the beaten yogurt to it. Drop the potli masala in the mixture

Allow to cook in low heat for about 45 minutes (You can use cooker and cook for 3-4 whistles) till the thin layer of oil appears on the bottom surface and till the gravy is thicken. Now remove potli ka masala from the broth. Garnish with Fried Onions, Coriander leaves (finely chopped), Mint leaves (finely chopped)
Tastes Awesome with NAAN…. smile emoticon

Bhindi Masala

INGREDIENTS

250 grams bhindi/lady finger
1 tspany garam masala
1 small to medium tej patta or bay leaf
1 tsp fennel seeds (badishep)

A pinch of Haldi/Turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder
1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
½ tsp cumin powder/jeera
2 tbsp oil for frying bhindi
2 tbsp oil for making gravy
½ tsp kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves, crushed
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta
salt as required

TO GRIND:
3 medium ripe red tomatoes 
1 large onion or 2 medium onions
½ inch ginger/Adrak About 5-6 garlic cloves

5-6 Cashew nuts (Soaked in warm water)
 2 green chilies/Hari mirch
2 tbsp yogurt/dahi

2 Lavang an Ilaichi, ¼th “Cinnamon (Can also use ground garam masala)


METHOD:
 Wash bhindi well in running water,then drain them completely in a strainer. Wipe each Bhindi with a napkin. Make sure there is no moisture on them.
Chop the Bhindi into 1.5 to 2.5 inch pieces and keep aside. Grind ingredients mentioned and blend to a fine paste

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add bhindi and saute them on a low flame. Stir and saute them till they are lightly browned from the sides. Keep aside


Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan; add tej patta and fennel seeds and fry for 4-5 seconds. Now lower the flame. Add pinch of turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp coriander powder and ½ tsp cumin powder, stir the spice powders quickly. Make sure they don’t get burnt. Now add the ground paste/masala and salt on low flame. Sauté till the masala paste thickens and you see oil leaving the sides.


Add about ½ cup water for thick gravy or 3/4^th water depending on the kind of consistency desired by you. Now add the sautéed Bhindi. Stir again. Let the curry simmer on a medium flame. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. If you cook the Bhindi for long, it’ll turn mushy. Finally add ½ tsp kasuri methi .stir and then garnish it with coriander leaves.
 I’ve added a dash of sugar to balance the spice.

Dal Fry

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Moong Dal or Toor Dal

2 Tomatoes, finely chopped

1 Onions, finely Chopped

2 Green Chilies, finely Chopped

1/2 Tsp. Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp. Ghee

Pinch of Hing/ Asefotidaa

Pinch of Turmeric Powder

Salt to taste

1/4 Tsp. Red Chili Powder

1/2 Tsp. Garam Masala

1 ½ Tsp. Coriander Powder

For Tempering/ Tadka

1 Tbsp. Ghee

2-3 Red Chillies

1/2 Tsp. Cumin Seeds

METHOD:

Wash and soak the dal in the water for 15-20 minutes. Boil this dal with water, salt and turmeric in pressure cooker till 3 whistles. 

Heat the ghee or oil in pan and add hing and coriander powder then add green chili and onions and cook till onions are translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till to soft. When oil comes around, add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well. Add this mixture to the Dal and adjust water as per your desired consistency.

FOR TEMPERING:

Heat the ghee in tempering pan, when it’s hot enough. Add cumin seeds when they splutter add red chillies and stir . Add this tempering to the Dal. Garnish with coriander leaves.