Indians For Guns

OK, so one of the excuses given for not sharing recipes was (see the game recipes thread ) - we have some nice ones but NOT for game! So here is your chance to share regular (non-game) recipes. Allow me to kick off the food fest with something I cooked today

Oranges & cape gooseberries are regular winter fruits in Delhi, so thought I would experiment a bit and it came out well, so sharing here. Credit to IFG member Shooter who treated me to chicken cooked in Oranges (circa 2007) which gave me the idea to try this out today.

Chicken curry in Orange & Cape Gooseberry

No marination, cook time about an hour with another 20 minutes of prep time (depends on how much help you have in the kitchen, could be less). Low/ medium spicy.

Ingredients
1 Chicken broiler - about a kilo - chopped into small pieces
3 Oranges - peeled & with the veins and pips removed, you can leave in the skin but NOT the peel or pips! Slightly tart oranges work best
4 Cape Gooseberries (Hindi name rasbhari) - chopped fine

6 green chillies (vary to taste) - with veins & seeds removed (to reduce pungency), vary according to the pungency of the chillies available. (remember short means hotter as does lighter green colour, longer/ bigger chillies have less bite as do the the dark green/ red & green coloured ones. Some first hand experimentation will allow you to get a better idea)
Tip: Seeding & "de-veining" green chillis can be hard on your hands/ fingertips, wear disposable polygloves! The removal of seeds & veins is essential to get the chilli flavour without the "bite"!

1" stick of cinnamon
6 green cardamoms
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
About 4 tablespoons of cooking oil
Salt to taste

optional ingredients

I used these, but you can omit based on taste

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 teaspoons ground coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
Fresh green coriander leaves (chopped) - for garnish

Method

Heat the oil in the cooking utensil
Add the cinnamon, green cardamoms and mustard seeds (optional) and wait for the mustard seeds to crackle (high heat)
Now add the oranges (prepared as outlined above) and cook the mixture on medium heat for about 7-10 minutes
Add the garlic ginger paste, green chillies & cape gooseberries (prepped as mentioned above) and continue cooking for another couple of minutes
Add the salt as well as the (optional) coriander powder & roasted cumin powder and cook for another 3-4 minutes

Stir every minute or two throughout the previously mentioned process, so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the vessel

Now add the chicken and stir everything in well
Put a pan of about 300 ml of water to boil on a separate burner
While waiting for the water to boil keep on stirring the contents of the dish
Once the water boils, add enough to just cover the entire contents and stir everything in well
Reduce the heat to low and cover the vessel
Allow to cook for another 20-30 minutes, stirring every few minutes and check to see when the meat is done with a fork
Once the meat is done, remove the lid and allow to simmer open top for a couple of minutes. Then shut off the gas and allow the dish to sit for 5 minutes or so.

Optional, now garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice


NOTE: I'd suggest tasting each fruit before use, as even one bitter fruit can ruin the entire dish! It's happened to me and you will end up having to chuck the entire batch!

Cheers!
Abhijeet

Nice! so when are you throwing us a party

Sounds interesting. I will have to try it once.Thanks for sharing,Abhijeet.


Best-
Vikram

I find that in fruit based recipes, try using ginger instead of garlic because garlic kills and overvehlmes the fruit taste. Just a suggestion. Well done Abhijeet.
Goes on to show what can be achieved when passion meets intelligence.

Wow, makes the mouth water! We don't get gooseberries easily in Mumbai, can you suggest any substitutes?

For something to wash it down, you can try: http://thevintagedrink.com/.

Cheers!
EssDee

spin_drift wrote:Nice! so when are you throwing us a party

Be happy to, so long as you volunteer to assist me in the kitchen (chopping & peeling)

Vikram wrote:Sounds interesting. I will have to try it once.Thanks for sharing,Abhijeet.


Best-
Vikram

Vickers, do let us know how it turns out and take Shooter's tip - use ginger in stead of garlic!

shooter wrote:I find that in fruit based recipes, try using ginger instead of garlic because garlic kills and overvehlmes the fruit taste. Just a suggestion. Well done Abhijeet.
Goes on to show what can be achieved when passion meets intelligence.

Thank you Shooter, your tip is indeed appreciated

essdee1972 wrote:Wow, makes the mouth water! We don't get gooseberries easily in Mumbai, can you suggest any substitutes?

For something to wash it down, you can try: http://thevintagedrink.com/.

Cheers!
EssDee

EssDee you can substitute a couple of medium sized tomatoes for the cape gooseberries. I used gooseberries for their tartness, to balance out the sweet flavour imparted by the oranges. In stead of tomatoes, you could also consider squeezing in some lime juice - don't be afraid to experiment!

Cheers!
Abhijeet

Will share momo recipe which I prefer and love to make often.

Abhijeet, thanks! I'll try the smaller tomatoes, they are quite tart! I remember my Mom used to make preserves out of the gooseberries when we stayed "up North".

Can we post links here to good recipes on the net? Or only DIYs qualify?

Suffix - waiting for your momos! My better half bought a HUGE momo steamer from Sikkim, unfortunately used it once in last 6 months! (I still remember the excess baggage fees )

Cheers!

EssDee

essdee1972 wrote:Abhijeet, thanks! I'll try the smaller tomatoes, they are quite tart! I remember my Mom used to make preserves out of the gooseberries when we stayed "up North".

Can we post links here to good recipes on the net? Or only DIYs qualify?

Suffix - waiting for your momos! My better half bought a HUGE momo steamer from Sikkim, unfortunately used it once in last 6 months! (I still remember the excess baggage fees )

Cheers!

EssDee

Tomatoes should work just fine!

IMHO Just posting a link to a recipe defeats the purpose, the idea is to post stuff you have cooked yourself - whether your own recipe or something you picked up from somewhere. BTW here is another mild chicken recipe, good for wraps/ bread or those who do not care for too many spices (made this for the kids last night, to fill up their fajitas wraps):

Chicken in spring onions, tomatoes & green cayenne peppers
Low spicy
cook time - under an hour

Ingredients
1 Kg chicken OR 750 grams boneless chicken (I prefer the former and after deboning, I use the leftovers to make my own chicken stock for use later - nothing is wasted in my kitchen ). Chicken pieces after deboning should be made small - preferably less than 1".
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper - you can go for even less qty, vary according to your palate.
6-7 green cayenne peppers (available all over the veg bazaar these days & sold as "mirchaas" for use in pickle) - de-veined & seeded, chopped into long strips
6-7 fresh spring oinions - onions chopped fine & leaves chopped and kept separate
The cores of 6-7 tomatoes OR 3-4 medium sized tomatoes - chopped fine
4 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste

Optional
Basil - 1/4 tsp
Oregano - 1/4 tsp

Method
Heat the oil & add mustand seeds
Once the seeds start to crackle add the chopped spring onions
Add the freshly ground black pepper
Stir fry on medium heat for 5-7 minutes and just before they start to brown add the chopped spring onion leaves, chopped (seeded & de-veined) cayenne peppers.
optional - Add Basil & oregano
Fry for another 3-5 minutes before adding the tomatoes
Fry till the entire mix till the oil separates
Now add the chicken pieces & stir them in till they are completely covered with the veggies
Add the required amount of salt - 1 to 1 & 1/2 tsps should be enough for most palates
Fry for 5-6 minutes and add 100 ml of boiling water (more if required - but no more than just enough to cover the chicken)
Cook on low medium heat with open utensil for another 15 minutes or so
Do another 5 minutes on high heat (if required) to boil off excess water and get the gravy to a thick consistency
Once the chicken is done turn off heat and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving

Best served with fajitas/ pita bread/ roomali roti or any other thin bread

As an accompanying bread spread use freshly hung curd mixed with basil & oregano - hang 2 cups of curd mixed with 1/4 tsp of basil & 1/4 tsp oregano for a few hours. Once the whey is out, place into a bowl & mix in 1/2 tsp salt and use as your bread spread.

Cheers!
Abhijeet

Very interesting Abhijeet - well done! I especially like "nothing goes to waste in my kitchen"

Mutton Rezala (you can use Venison, Desi Murga as well)

One leg of mutton, lamb, in one inch cubes

A : Marinade :

1. One cup Fried onions. The packaged stuff works best
2. 4 Green cardamom, 02 black cardamom, 5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, one javitri, crushed pepper corns 7 or 8, one tea spoon of saunf (aniseed). Dry roast these spices on a tava. When roasted and fragrant, grind to a powder.\
3. Plain yogurt. Try the packaged greek yogurt, but otherwise get the thick yogurt.
4. One bunch of fresh coriander leaves
5. About 20 mint leaves. Optional
6. One one inch piece of fresh ginger & 6-7 cloves of fresh garlic.
7. 15 cashew nuts. boil the cashewnuts in the water and grind to a smooth paste
8. Salt to taste.

Add some oil or ghee to the mutton and coat it well. This helps in the next process. Now add the ground spices and salt to the mutton and rub in with fingers. It will coat the mutton well. Your outdoor kitchen will get fragrant . Now in the pestle or food processor, add the fried onions, fresh coriander, the ginger, garlic, the mint leaves and some water and create a fine paste. Add this to the mutton and massage with your hands. This will now coat the mutton in the masala. At this stage, you will have no choice but to stick in a finger and taste the marinade....it will smell so good

Now whisk 2 cups of the yogurt with a fork. Add some salt to it. The yogurt will be smooth and aerated and add it to the marinade. Using your hands mix well to coat the mutton.

Finally add the cashew nut paste. Check seasoning in the marinade.

Leave to rest for an hour if you have the time.

B. Cooking :

Ingredients :

1. 2 onions & 3 or 4 green chillies put in the blender and get a smooth paste. You can add more chillies if you like it hotter.
2. 6 cloves of garlic, crushed & an inch of ginger, cut in fine juliennes
3. Whole Masala : 1 black cardamom, 4 green cardamom, 2 bay leaves, 5 cloves, 1 inch stick of cinnamon, 1 tsp shahi jeera (optional)
4. Masala paste : In a bowl, add 2 tea spoons of Coriander powder, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 2 tsp of kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp of turmeric powder. Add a little water and make a paste.

Cooking Process :

Take a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker (your choice...Pressure cooker is quicker).

Add enough ghee (nothing else will do) so that the entire base of pan gets covered and immediately add all the whole masalas. Let the masala get broiled as the oil heats up. Then, once the oil is fragrant and hot, add the onion & green chilli paste. Fry till the onion loses its raw smell. Add the garlic and ginger juliennes & some salt. Fry till the fat leaves the masala.

At this time, remove all mutton pieces from the marinade and add to the pan. Keep the marinade. it will be used later.

Fry the mutton. it will sear first and then it will lose some of its water. fry till all the water has evaporated. by now your kitchen would be full of the aroma of the rezala.

Add the masala paste to the mutton now. Fry some more till the fat leaves the masala and till you feel that the mutton has ben fried just enough. Dont burn the masala.

At this stage, add the rest of the marinade to the pan. Add some warm water as well to cover the meat and the right consistency of your sauce, as you would like it. Bring to boil.

Now, you can pressure cook it or let simmer in the lowest flame for 50 minutes. If you must pressure cook, please pressure cook at the lowest flame. There will be no whistles, but you can switch off the flame after 18 to 20 minutes and let the cooker lose steam by itself. The meat continues to cook at this time, even without the flame. This will take 15 minutes. I assure you that this is the best way to cook the meat.

After you have removed the lid, taste for seasoning. By now your neighbours have rung the bell, asking you if they can join you for dinner

Let the mutton rest for 15 minutes.

Serve with fragrant basmati or crisp parathas

Tip : If you forget to add the javitri, the magic is not going to happen

Let me know how it turned out

BHUNA KUKDA


Ingredients:

4 - 5 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
12 garlic cloves
20 red chillies whole
4 green cardamoms
2 inch cinnamon
1 kg chicken
2 tblsp mustard oil
1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup yogurt

How to make bhuna kukda :
• Clean and wash the chicken, cut into big size pieces.
• Take off garlic.
• Soak red chillies in lukewarm water for 1/2 an hour.
• Grind everything garlic, red chillies, cloves, green cardamoms, cinnamon and turmeric powder to a fine paste.
• Apply the prepared masala and salt to the chicken and keep it to marinate for 2 hours.
• Heat up oil in a kadhai, mix in cumin seeds, when they crackle mix in the marinated chicken and stir fry on high flame heat.
•When all the moisture has evaporated, mix in beaten yogurt, mix in a little water and continue cooking on high flame heat.
• Stir fry till all moisture has evaporated and chicken has cooked.
• Adjust salt and stir fry till the masala coats the chicken.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with coriander leaves.

Keema - Hari Mirch

Ingridents :

1/2 kg. Keema
115 gms Curd
25 gms Salt.
06 gms . Turmeric
03 gms.Cumin seeds whole
175 gms. Ghee
115 gms. Onions thinly & evenly sliced.
250 gms. green chillies.
115 gms. Onions cut into 1 piece
50 gms. Garlic whole
30 mls(01 oz) Lime juice
02 table spoon fresh coriander leaves chopped.

Slit green chillies & remove seeds.cut the green chillies into 1/2 pieces and keep aside

Mix thoroughly curd,salt,turmeric & cumin seeds into the meat.

Heat the Ghee & fry sliced onions to a goldern brown,Add keema and stir.Add about 04 cups of water & cook coverd,stirring occasionally.when meat is half cooked,add green chillies ,onion pieces and garlic and stir.when tender and water dries up.add lime juice and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with paratha or any bread of your choice.

Share and enjoy as the food tastes much more delicious when eaten with friends,family/shared together.

Cheers.

good one dragonfly. did you get it from the same place as i did?

shooter wrote:good one dragonfly. did you get it from the same place as i did?

I think so.The place and the kitchen where the royalties unite....yeyeyeye lets bhunao is together
Hey shooter!Would like to say hello(khamma?) to you buddy.Your posts and threads have been one of my favorites on this forum and it was one of your posts only that i found on google search which got me here apparently.Did not join the forum straight away in 2008 as did not have much to say/add and almost everything i wanted to know was available here and other forums like nitroexpress etc..Yes,love cooking,jeeps,guns,swords and here to share some and learn and gain more knowledge from the amazing members here.Cheers and keep on posting and sharing the good stuff that you do my good sir.Take care and see you around.