Dhaba Mutton Curry

Traversing north India through roadways I had the privilege of experiencing the taste of this delectable dish quite a number of times. Stopping by a roadside dhaba (small food joints along highways) and enjoying the lip smacking rustic flavours of the countryside is something sublime, divine. That is why I always prefer dhabas to plush restaurants/resorts while driving on highways.

 Intrinsically the dhaba flavour is associated with desi ghee/clarified butter, spices, tadka dal/lentils, mutton/chicken, hot chapatis which wafts around and tickles your taste buds making each moment of wait for the food seem like a year. The taste of a dhaba dal tadka and mutton/chicken curry is to die for because of the unparallel freshness. I searched the net for the authentic recipe of Dhaba Mutton Curry which will bring out the flavour of  rural Punjab and found Moumita Roy’s (a friend and fellow foodie, blogger)  recipe. Adjusted the recipe accordingly with some modifications to suit my requirement…here’s the recipe….

Dhaba Mutton Curry

 

Dhaba Mutton Curry

Dhaba Mutton Curry

Dhaba Mutton Curry

Dhaba Mutton Curry

Recipe:
 

Ingredients:

• 800 gms mutton cut in medium sized pieces
• 6-7 onions chopped
• 1 ½ inch ginger
• 1 whole garlic
• 2-3 green chillies
• ½ cup tomato puree/paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 5-6 green cardamoms
• 2 sticks of cinnamon 1 inch each
• 5-6 cloves
• 1 tsp Deghi red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• ½ cup ghee/clarified butter
• Salt n sugar to taste
• Some chopped green chillies and fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Dhaba Mutton Curry

Procedure:
 

Take ginger, garlic and green chillies, make smooth paste in a blender. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed skillet and fry the mutton pieces till they get a brownish hue. Take them out and keep aside. Toss the whole garam masalas and bay leaves in the same ghee or add more if you need. Wait for the crackle and add onions. Fry the onions golden and add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Saute and add the powdered masalas. Fry well. Add salt and the mutton pieces, mix with the masalas. Add 2 big cups of warm water and cover the skillet with a lid. Let the mutton cook on low flame till tender. This may take 1 hour to 1 ½ hours depending on the quality of mutton. Now add the tomato puree and sugar and cook for further 5-6 minutes. Serve hot garnished with chopped green chillies and coriander leaves.

Note: Add tomato puree after the mutton gets fully cooked or it will turn stiff and chewy.

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha (Dry Colocasia With Potatoes)

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha (Dry Colocasia with potatoes) is a pure vegetarian dish without onions and garlic. Cooked with minimum possible ingredients this is one of the tastiest veg dishes, can be made in barely 20-25 minutes and should be relished with hot fulkas (Indian bread) and the non calorie watchers may indulge in a dollop of butter on the fulkas to make it even more delectable…here’s the recipe…

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha

Recipe:

Ingredients:

 

• 250 gms arbi/colocasia
• 250gms baby/medium sized potatoes
• 1 inch ginger pasted
• 5 green chillies slit from the middle
• Chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 dry whole red chillies
• 1 pinch hing/asafoetida
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tsp (heaped) cumin powder
• Salt n sugar to taste
• Mustard oil as per requirement

Dum Aloo Arbi Sukha

Procedure:
  

Boil arbi and potatoes in a cooker upto 5 whistles. When the steam is released place them under running water to cool and then peel off the skin. If the potatoes and colocasia are of medium size, cut them horcizontally into halves. Now heat oil in a skillet and splutter cumin, whole red chillies, bay leaf, green chillies and hing. Add ginger paste, sauté for a minute and add turmeric, cumin powder, salt and a pinch of sugar. Stir the masalas and add the potatoes and colocasia. Mix well with the masalas, turn off the flame, cover and give some standing time before serving. Top it with some freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Masala Bhetki/Sea bass/Barramundi

Masala Bhetki

This is another brilliant fish recipe that I found in a cookbook. Immediately picked it up and gave it a try. Bhetki/ Sea bass/ Barramundi is a fish more frequently used for fries, not a favorite with curries as it is too soft and often ends up in a mess if not handled delicately. But there was something in the recipe that was hard to resist trying for a born fish lover like me. And that’s what it exactly turned out to be… an out and out superb dish with a fabulous texture, aroma and an astounding taste….this is a must try folks…here’s the recipe…

Masala Bhetki

Masala Bhetki

Masala Bhetki

Masala Bhetki

Masala Bhetki

Masala Bhetki

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 500 gms Bhetki/Seabass/Barramundi
• 2 onions pasted
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 11/2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp green chilli paste
• 1 big red tomato
• 2 tblspoons posto/khuskhus/poppy seeds
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp paanch phoron/five spices (black mustard seeds, cumin seeds/wild celery seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds)
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tblspns kasuri methi
• Salt n sugar to taste
• White oil as per requirement

Masala Bhetki

Procedure:
 

Marinate the washed fish pieces with lemon juice, turmeric, onion, ginger garlic and green chilli paste for 15 minutes. Soak poppy seeds in a little water for half an hour and add chopped tomatoes to it and make a fine a paste in a blender. Heat oil in a skillet and take out the fish pieces from the marination and fry well very carefully on both sides, do not haste or you’ll break the pieces. Take out and keep aside. Now in the same oil splutter paanch phoron and add the rest of the marinade. Saute well. Add the tomato and poppy seeds paste. Add the powdered masalas, salt and sugar (optional). Fry well till the oil separates.  Add half cup of warm water, bring to a boil, add the kasuri methi and the fish pieces. Let them simmer in the gravy for about 2-3 minutes covered. Turn off the flame, give some standing time for the flavours to blend nicely with the fish and serve with plain steamed rice. It will be a meal to remember…. J

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho (Spicy Bhuna Mutton of Golbari)

Wish you all Shuvo Bijoya and Eid Mubarak!! :)

Today I’m posting a very special, popular and traditional Bengali recipe Golbarir Kosha Mangsho. Bongs have weakness over mutton apart from fish and when it’s Kosha Mangsho (Spicy Bhuna Mutton) the name that’s spelled in the same breath is Golbari.

If you chance to visit the rich cultural and gastronomic heritage of Kolkata and want a comprehensive tour of its gourmet world, Golbarir Kosha Mangsho (Spicy Bhuna Mutton Of Golbari) and Parantha must feature in the list. Situated at the five point crossing of Shyambazar behind the Netaji Statue in North Kolkata, Golbari (‘Gol’ means round and ‘Bari’ means house) is a small restaurant which boasts of the best mutton in town.

People used to flock to this place from different parts of the city and queue for long hours just to get a taste of this delicacy. But I have heard sometimes back that the place had shut down and taken over by another owner (New Punjabi Hotel) who has failed to live up to the age old reputation of the place. They do have kosha Mangsho in their menu list but the old taste, class and flavour are all gone, the succulent juicy divine mutton chunks, the soft  well cooked meat falling most delicately off the bone, got replaced by chewy rubbery tasteless mutton.

 I was despondent about the news, the childhood memories, glimpses of my favourite, much loved restaurant quivered in my mind. This post is dedicated to all those who inspite of the grime and grease, plastic chairs and table more like a wall mounted desk, space crunch and walls blackened with soot, loved the place for the incredible taste it created and were deeply saddened by the termination of its operation. This is my humble effort to recreate the taste of Golbari in my kitchen, to stir up a nostalgia and was successful to a great extent in doing so according to my husband.

Now, providing you with the recipe of the famous dish….

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarair Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Recipe: 

Ingredients:

·        1 kg mutton (goat meat), be sure to have quite a few nalli pieces ( pcs with bone marrow)

·        7-8 onions

·        12-14 cloves of garlic

·        2 inch ginger

·        6-7 green chillies

·        6-7 green cardamoms

·        4 sticks of cinnamon (1 inch each)

·        6-7 cloves

·        2 bay leaves

·        1 tsp turmeric

·        3 tsp coriander powder

·        2 tsp of cumin powder

·        300 gms of yogurt beaten to a creamy consistency

·        Salt n sugar to taste

·        Mustard oil as per requirement

Golbarir Kosha Mangsho

Procedure: 

For Marination:

First make a smooth paste of two onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Marinate the mutton with yogurt, the paste, salt and 2 tblspns of mustard oil for at least 7-8 hours in the refrigerator.

For Cooking:

Thinly slice the remaining onions. Heat oil in a thick bottomed skillet and splutter the whole garam masalas and bay leaves. Add a little sugar and caramalise it. Add the sliced onions and fry them golden. Add the powdered masalas, stir and add the marinated mutton. Fry on high heat until the mutton is sealed and changes color to brownish. No red chilli powder and tomatoes please, because we want the colour to be dark/ blackish brown. Now cover with a lid. Let the mutton get cooked slowly on low flame. Do not try to pressure cook. The mutton will get cooked with its own juice and fat. It will take about 45 minutes – 1 hour for the mutton to get tender. Check at a gap of 10 minutes and stir.  Sprinkle a little water in between if the mutton gets too dry. Serve with hot paranthas/luchis/pooris and onion rings. 

Prawn Butter Masala (Amritsari)

#Pujo Special 2 –Prawn Butter Masala(Amritsari)
 

Here’s another exquisite dish specially to infuse variety into your palate. This is a real quickie can be dished within 15 minutes roughly but doesn’t compromise with the taste and flavour. So take some time out of your pandal hopping and serve this stunner as Ashtami lunch….The recipe…

Prawn Butter Masala

Prawn Butter Masala

Prawn Butter Masala

Prawn Butter Masala

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 500 gms medium to large prawns deveined and cleaned with warm water
• 2-3 onions finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tblspns cashew paste
• 150 gms yogurt beaten to a creamy consistency
• 3 green cardamoms
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 3-4 cloves
• 1/2 tsp kashmiri red mirch powder
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 2 -3 tblspns butter
• 2 tblspns fresh cream
• Salt n sugar as per taste

Procedure:

Marinate the prawns with a little turmeric and salt. Heat 2 tblspns butter in a skillet and sauté the prawns for 2 minutes and take out. Add the rest of butter in the same skillet and splutter whole garam masalas. Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste, sauté. Now add the cashew paste, salt, sugar keep stirring. Lower the flame and slowly add the whipped yogurt. Add Kashmiri red chilli powder and the prawns. Mix them well and let the prawns simmer for 4-5 minutes. Top it up with some fresh cream and your dish is ready to be served. Goes well with pulao/ steamed rice/ naans/ paranthas….

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

#Pujo Special 1- Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Durga Puja is round the corner. Amidst this festivity, to escalate the celebrations, here’s an outstanding chicken dish to delight your family for Saptami lunch. Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry has created a sensation in the Bong culinary world. An unbelievably easy dish needing only coarsely chopped basic spices and mustard oil, but scores with its amazingly simple rustic flavor. This dish is quintessentially Bangladeshi as it originated from the Muslim boatmen who used to row the mighty Padma overnight to take the passengers from Goalondo, a small town in Bangladesh and a major transportation hub to travel in the eastern parts of Bengal and Assam, to Narayanganj. Passengers had no other options to travel to Dhaka except the waterways because there was no railway track from Goalondo. This chicken curry was cooked by the boatmen on the steamer with whatever the available basic spices yet the freshest ingredients, gradually became popular with the passengers also who in turn have taken the recipe to the world and made it famous. Try this dish to taste what the Bengali gastronomic world is raving about.

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Recipe:

Ingredients:

·        1 kg Chicken

·        6-7 onions coarsely chopped

·        10-12 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped

·        1 ½ inch ginger coarsely chopped/grated

·        1 tsp turmeric

·        8-9 coarsely chopped dry whole red chillies

·        5-6 slit green chillies

·        ½ cup mustard oil

·        Salt n sugar to taste

Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry

Procedure:

Now it needs just two steps:

Step 1:

Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

After marination it would look like this

Step 2:

Heat a skillet and pour the marinated chicken, cover with a lid and cook on low flame until the chicken is tender. Stir in between just once. Serve Goalondo Steamer Chicken Curry with steamed rice….bliss

Chicken Kofta Curry ( Chicken Meatball Curry)

Chicken Meatball Curry or Chicken Kofta Curry as we often call it tastes best with pulao or fried rice. Though the love affair between these two is on since the time of the Nawabs you can give it a different color with lachha paranthas or naans also, but I personally prefer koftas with pulao. And above all good food completely changes the mood at the homefront with beautiful aroma wafting from the kitchen causing your tastebuds to tickle, you feel to be in for a special day. Try this awesome dish and see for yourself…..

Chicken Meatball Curry

Chicken Meatball Curry

Chicken Meatball Curry

Chicken Meatball Curry

Chicken Meatball Curry

Chicken Meatball Curry

Recipe:

Ingredients (for the meatballs/koftas):
 

• 500 gms Chicken Keema (minced chicken)
• 5-6 cloves of garlic chopped
• ½ inch ginger cut in small bits
• Coriander leaves finely chopped
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1 tsp shahi garam masala powder
• Salt n sugar to taste

Ingredients (for the curry/sauce):

• 3 onions finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 big tomato pasted or pureed
• 4 dry whole red chillies ( to be pasted along with the tomato with a little white vinegar)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Some chopped spring onions
• Salt n sugar to taste
• White oil as per requirement

Procedure:

How to make the meatballs?

First take the ingredients for the meatballs and grind them together into a fine paste in the mixie. Now take some of the ground chicken at a time and roll it into a ball shape with both hands. When all the chicken meatballs are made, put them in the refrigerator for 2 hrs to set properly. Heat oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs light brown taking proper care not to break them. Take out and keep aside.

How to make the gravy?

Now, for the gravy, add more oil if needed to the existing one remaining in the skillet. Add the chopped onions and fry them golden. Add the ginger garlic paste, sauté. Add the tomato and red chilli paste keep stirring. Add the seasoning, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, stir for 2 minutes and add a cup of water. Bring to a boil and add the fried meatballs to the gravy. Cover with a lid and let it get cooked for sometime on medium flame until the meatballs are nicely done and the gravy thickens. Serve garnished with chopped spring onions or chopped coriander leaves whichever you prefer.....