Mutton Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh must be the most famous Kashmiri dish. Unfortunately every restaurant makes it differently. I looked for the perfect recipe in a lot of books, and all over the net, but I got different versions everywhere. All the recipes had onions, tomatoes and required the mutton to be marinated. Finally I got this original recipe from a Kashmiri. It was just great!! There is no need for onions or tomatoes or marination. And it is very simple to make.

Ingredients:

Mutton: 250 gms

Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch

Kashmiri Red Chili Powder(will give a good colour): 1 tbsp

Fennel/Sauf Powder: 1tsp

Ginger Powder: 1tsp

Whole garam masala: Cloves, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Black cardamom: all a few pieces

Curd: 1/2 cup

Mustard Oil  as needed

Method:

1. Heat mustard oil in a pressure cooker.

2. Add the asafoetida and then the whole garam masala.

3. When it starts spluttering, add the mutton.

4. Fry the mutton till it looks reddish. Lower the heat.

5. Dissolve the red chili powder in a few spoons of water and add it to the mutton, and let it cook in the chilly powder for 5 mins.

6. Next add the Fennel powder and the Ginger powder. Mix well and then add curd.

7. Simmer it till the oil separates from the curd.

8. Add water and pressure cook till the mutton becomes soft.

9. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Aloo Palak....My Way (Spinach with Potatoes)

Feels good to be posting after a really long time. I have been very busy with my two boys. Now that both of them are in school, I have a bit of time on my hands to blog mor often.
Todays post is about Aloo Palak. I generally make palak in a very simple way. Today I decided to make it differently.

Ingredients:
Palak/Spinach:   2 bunches
Ginger: Finely chopped
Garlic:  Finely chopped
Onion:  7 to 8 Baby/Madras onions
Potatoes: 2 medium Diced  
Chilly: 2 Slit
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Corriander leves: 3 tbsp Chopped
Cream: 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Corriander powder: 1 tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Salt: As per taste
Oil: As required

Method:
1. Blanch the spinach: Put the spinach in salted boiling water for 2 minutes and then put it in cold water.
2. Fry the diced potatoes for a 3 minutes. Keep aside.
3. In hot oil, add the cumin seeds. When it crackles, add the chopped ginger, garlic and slit chillies.
4. Saute for a bit and then add the baby onions.
5. Let it fry till the onions change colour.
6. Add the potatoes, salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder and  corriander powder.
7. Mix well. Add little water. Cover and cook on a low flame till the potatoes are soft and the water has been absorbed.
8. Add  cream and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Add the spinach and corriander leaves. Cover and cook on low flame till the spinach is cooked.
10. Serve with rice or roti.
8.    

Crab Curry

I am back...after more than a year. This time I really hope I will post more often than I did before. Today we got crabs, which were cooked by my mom, and they were so delicious that I decided that I had to put it here. The crabs were huge and so tasty. This is a Bengali style curry and spicy. Do not grind the red chillies to avoid a spicy gravy.

Ingredients:
Crab: 2kgs
Onion: 4 medium
Potato: 3 medium
Ginger: 1 1/2 inch
Garlic: 15 flakes
Tomato: 2
Red Chilly: 4
Bay Leaves: 4
Corriander Powder: 2tsp
Cumin Powder: 2tsp
Turmeric Powder: 2tsp
Garam Masala powder: A pinch
Salt: As per taste

Method:
1. Clean the crabs well.
2. Apply salt and turmeric powder to the crabs and keep aside.
3. Soak half of the the red chilly in a bit of water so that it makes grinding easy.

Cooking

4. Chop half of the onions and all of the tomatoes. Cut the potatoes in big chunks. 

5. Grind the rest of the onion, ginger, garlic and the soaked red chilly to a fine paste.

6. Fry the potatoes in a bit of oil and keep aside.

7. Fry the crabs and keep aside.

8. In hot oil, add the bay leaves the rest of the red chillies.

9. When they splutter, add the chopped onion and saute lightly.
10. Add the potatoes and let it cook a bit.

11. Then add the paste and bhuno by sprinkling water. (To bhuno means to fry spices and/or meat over a medium to high heat.)

12. Next add the chopped tomatoes and saute a bit.

13. Then add the turmeric powder, corriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Bhuno a bit more.

14. Add water to the mixture and let it boil. Once it starts boiling, add the crabs.
15. Cover it and let it cook for at least 15 minutes.
16. When the mixture thickens, add the garam masala powder and cook for two more minutes.