Thursday, September 30, 2004

Malpoa

Ingredients:

wheat flour
saunf
sugar
black pepper
cooking oil
Method:

Make a thick pourable batter with atta and sugar, Add saunf and freshly crushed blck pepper Let it stand for 1\2 to 1 hour. Heat oil in a FLAT frying pan The oil should be just about 1\2 to 3\4 inch deep. Heat the oil and then lower the flame. Pour the batter in ladlefuls one at a time. The trick is to start pour in from about an inch above the oil and take the hand up to about 6 to 8 inches high. the poa will become round. Turn it once and take it out on a paper towel when it is nice and brown.

Best eaten hot but may be reheated in an oven-- NOT in microwave.

Mango Puris

Ingredients:
1 cup atta
1 cup sooji
salt
4 tablespoons castor sugar
white til
mango pulp
cooking oil
Method:Rub in enough oil into atta and sooji to represent bread crumbs. Add a pinch of salt and 4 tblespns. castor sugar. Some white till (sesame ) seeds. Mix well and knead to a stiff dough with ripe mango pulp. Roll out into 2" puris and deep fry till golden brown.Sprinkle some chat masala on the puris and serve as a tea-time snack, if preferred with green chutney. or khatta achaar. Can also be eaten with whipped dahi.

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Marshmallow

Ingredients:
2 level tblspns gelatine
2 egg whites stiffly whipped
10 ozs. sugar
1 tblspn glucose
essence
colouring
Method:
Dissolve sugar in water and boil till a drop hardens in cold water. (To test - drop a little syrup in a saucer of water. If it does not spread, it is ready) Add glucose. Then gradually add the egg white and well dissolved gelatine. Continue beating this mixture to which desired colour and essence is added, till it is stiff. Turn out on a greased plate. Cut into pieces and when it sets well roll the pieces in a little icing sugar.

Mawa stuffed Karela

Ingredients:
Mawa (residue from malai after making ghee)
Karela, Kothmir, onion, adrak, green chillies, dhana-jeera powder, haldi,
chilli powder, garam masala, little sugar, lime juice and salt to taste
Method:
Peel and roll Karela with your palm to loosen the seeds. Then boil in salted water till it changes color and is partially cooked. Cool. slit on one side and remove the seeds.In the Mawa mix, kothmir, onion, adrak, green chillies all finely chopped. Add dhana-jeera powder, haldi, chilli powder, garam masala, little sugar, lime juice and salt to taste. Mix well addling a little of the karela seeds/pulp. Stuff this mixture into the karela.Now prepare a thick paste/batter with atta and water and seal the slit side of the karelas with this, instead of using thread.Heat oil and slip in the karelas, slit side downwards and fry till golden brown. Serve with parathas or puris. Since these karelas keep well for two/three days and taste good even cold they can be taken while travelling.

Friday, September 24, 2004

Minty Mutton Rassawala

(Naniji style)Ingredients:
1\2 kg mutton with bones2 onions sliced semi circular wise2 tblespns of adrak-lasun-green chilli ground together in equal proportion
salt
Hand ful of mint leaves
2 tblespns of oil
Haldi
chopped corriander for garnish
2 whole potatoes may be added (optional)
Naniji sometimes also added brinjals cut into fours lengthwise just before it finished cooking. In this case potatoes may be avoided.
Method:Heat oil. Saute onions till glassy. Add mutton and saute till it changes colour. Then add the potatoes, if used, the masala paste, haldi and salt. Mix well. Add water and cook on pressure. Just before it is ready add the brinjals, if used, and put on pressure for one more minute. Add the mint leaves and mix them in well. Garnish with chopped corriander. Should have a good amount of "rassa"\soup\shorba. Tastes well with rice or Satpadi Rotlis or thick chapatis

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Moola ko achar (Nepali)

NOTE: Kakro ko achar (cucumber) can also be made in the same way.Ingredients:
Mooli/ cucumber
dry red chillies
ginger
timur (schezuan pepper)
haldi
lime juice
salt
cooking oil ( preferably mustard oil)
methi
jhimmu (Nepali herb)
green chilliesMethod:Cut mooli into cubes. Crush the cubes lightly. Roast some dry red chillies. Grind to a paste with ginger and timur. Apply haldi, lime juice, salt and ground paste to the mooli.Heat oil and give tadka of either methi dana or jhimmu and slit green chillies. Mix well and serve. Do not heat - served at room temperature.
NOTE: In Nepalese cooking - achars do not have preservatives like pickles. They are accompaniments to a main dish and cannot be preserved.

Sunday, September 19, 2004

Mughlai Coconut Sauce/ Gravy

Ingredients:
Coconut milk
Ghee
Onion
Jeera
Chilli Powder
Garlic
Salt
Sugar
Saffron
Method:
Extract thin and thick milk from one coconut OR use coconut milk in packet. Dice one small onion very fine and fry to an even light golden colour in ghee. Grind to a very fine paste 1\2 tspn jeera, 1 tspn chilli powder., 2-3 flakes garlic and add to the onion and fry well Add the thin milk and bring to a boil. Add thick milk just before removing from fire. Add salt to taste, pinch of sugar and some saffron. Serve with rice, pulao. khichrie.

Friday, September 17, 2004

Mutton Curry ( different style)

Ingredients:
mutton
onion
ginger
garlic
methi (fenugreek)
ajwain
hing
mustard oil (preferable)
haldi
chilly powder
salt
tomatoes
Method:
Grind onion, ginger and garlic. Powder a little roasted methi, ajwain and hing. Heat oil. Fry masala paste till brown. Add haldi, chillies powder and salt. Add mutton cubes. Fry till oil separates. Add chopped tomatoes and powdered masala. Mix well and pressure cook. Necessary amount of water may be added.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Mutton Korma Jhal Fareizee

Ingredients:
1/2 kg mutton
2 large onions
1" stick cinnamon
4 small elaichi
4 cloves
bay leaf
salt
cochineal colour (optional)
curd
khoa / cream
Method:
Fry two large sliced onions with mutton pieces. Add cinnamon, small elaichi, cloves and bay leaf. Add salt to taste. Cook on slow heat till mutton is cooked. Add a little cochineal colour, hung curd whipped smooth and a little khoa or cream. Serve with nan or paratha.

Mutton Pickle

Ingredients:
Mutton 1kg boneless cut in small pieces
Onion 250 grms grind coarsely
Garlic 250 grms " "
Garam masala 3 tblspns( cloves, big elaichi, dalchini, black pepper, jeera roasted and powdered)
Mustard oil 750ml
vinegar
chilli powder 3 tblespn
salt
Method:Apply half the ground masala to the meat with salt and leave aside for 1 hour. Pressure cook till half cooked. Heat oil, and fry the meat till brown. Remove. Then fry rest of the ground masala in the same oil till golden. Then add the meat and cook till oil floats on top. When cool, add the garam masala, chilli powder and vinegar. Taste for sourness and adjust quantity of vinegar. Bottle.
N.B. Sometimes I add 250grms of coarsely ground adrak also.

Mutton Potato Chops

Mutton potato chops
Ingredients:
mutton chops
ginger paste
garlic paste
green chillies
haldi
salt
cooking oil
onions - sliced
chilli powder
vinegar
sugar
garam masala
potatoes - boiled and mashed
maida
cornflour
milk
bread crumbs
Method:
Marinate meaty mutton chops in paste of adrak lasun, green chillies, haldi and salt for atleast one hour. Heat little oil. Fry sliced onions till golden. Add the chops with marinade, chilli powder, little vinegar, sugar and garam masala powder. Cook till water dries up and mutton is cooked well.
Prepare some mashed potatoes. Add little maida / cornflour to bind it. Cover chops when cold with this potato to resemble lollipops. Dip in maida, then milk and then fresh bread crumbs. Bread the chops and keep in fridge for sometime before frying. Deep fry till golden.
Serve with tomato sauce and green chutney.

Sunday, September 12, 2004

Nepali Fish Masala

Ingredients:
fish slices
lemon juice
Salt
Haldi
Ginger
Garlic
Red Chillies
Dhaniya
Jeera
Cooking oil (mustard oil preferable)
Green chillies
Method:Marinate fish slices in lemon juice, salt and haldi for at least one hour. Remove from marinade and deep fry to a nice golden colour.In the lemon juice marinade add pastes of adrak lasun, red chillies, dhaniya, jeera. Mix well. Remove excess oil from karai and fry this masala in the remaining oil, sprinkling little water from time to time, till masala is well cooked and oil separates. Now add the fried fish slices and coat them well with the masala. Little water may be sprinkled. Add some slit green chillies. Cover and cook on dum on slow fire till fish becomes little soft to touch.Alternate method: Boil fish slices in very little water with haldi, lemon juice and salt.Drain and separate bones from fish carefully, taking care to keep the slices as intact as possible. Now deep fry these pieces to a golden colour and till crisp. Use the same masala as above with lemon juice and proceed in same manner. Use any left over water from boiled fish to moisten the masala.

Nepali Pulao

Rich and heavy. Made generally in winter time.Ingredients:
4 cups Basmati rice
750 gms. mutton
ghee
dalchini
cloves
small elaichi
big elaichi
sliced onions
salt
250 gms ginger
200 gms flake of garlic
cashewnuts (optional)
almonds (optional)
Bouquet garni: chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chopped onion, dhaniya seeds, jeera seeds, big elaichi, whole red dry chillies, dalchini, tej patta and cloves tied in a muslin cloth.
Method:
Soak rice for 1/2 an hour. Boil mutton with bouquet garni and salt. Strain, squeeze out all liquid from bouquet garni. Should make about 7 cups of stock. Separate meat from bones.
Heat ghee. Add dalchini, cloves, small and big elaichi. Then fry sliced onions till golden brown. Add soaked rice. Saute till it starts sticking. Add the stock - check for salt and cook till done.
In a separate frying pan, fry 2 sliced onions till brown. Cut 200 gms of ginger into thin round slices and fry till brown. Fry 200 gms of garlic flakes till brown. Fry the meat as well. Each item has to be fried separately. If desired also fry some cashewnuts and blanched sliced almonds.
Now gently mix all the fried ingredients into the rice and serve.