Kheema Kofta Pulao (Spiced Mince Dumplings in a Aromatic Pilaf)

As  a family, we love entertaining guests. Call it the Sequeira genes or the Indian ethos of “Atithi Devo Bhava” (Where guest is god), we are happiest when we have guests, friends or family come over. The fact that near about all the family stays within a  few blocks of each other also helps. So, really we don’t need an occasion to congregate somewhere and start the banter.  After all, isn’t life made up of all these small yet very precious moments?

Now, usually when we have guests coming over, I prefer making something light and  that gets done quickly, this way I have more time to spend with my guest. So the other day when we had a few guest coming over from Mangalore, the menu was set, Fish Cutlets and Crispy Fried Squid for starters, Kheema Kofta Pulao for the main course and Mango and cottage Cheese snowballs in Custard Sauce for desserts. Long list right? Trust me, my guests more than expect a kings spread by now. I promise I’ll put the recipes shortly.


As for today, the dish is question is the Kheema Kofta Pulao. Honestly, not something new and may be you would have tasted it at some point in time. A Mughlai dish heavily spiced  and oozing with oil and ghee. Considering the Mumbai heat and the fact that my guest don’t really like spicy food, my notes for the revised recipe went something like this, mince, hint of cheese, lightly flavored with spice, whole spices in rice, cook, add koftas.. done. The idea was not giving one big burst of  flavour, but to try and marry a couple of flavours and bring them to gether.

This turned out to be an nice fragrant, superbly flavored, not heavy but good enough to satiate. My guest lapped it up with élan and so did the two taste queens, which made me feel I have passed the test. The best compliment always comes from them right? What is good about the recipe is that though is a not the original version, it comes as close to the original in terms of the flavour.

My guest did enjoy the spread. We enjoyed the time we spent with them, memories of which we will cherish for long.  After all, like the famous ad slogan says “There are something’s money can’t buy”. Family is one such thing!

Ingredients:

To make the Kofta (the below quantity will yield about 25-30 small sized koftas)

• 600 grams mince (use any meat of your choice, preferably with a little bit of fat on)
• 2 small cubes of processed cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon red chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon garam masala powder
• 2 tablespoons corn flour (powder)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste

For the Pulao

• 400 grams long grained basmati rice
• 5 large onions, finely sliced
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 black cardamoms
• 5 cloves
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 10-12 peppercorns, crushed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 large tablespoons oil ( Another 3 tablespoons oil to fry the onions)
• 40 grams of mixed nuts, roasted ( I used almonds and cashews)
• 2 sprigs of mint, roughly chopped
• 4 Sprigs of corriander leaves, finely chopped
• Juice of half a lemon, to be sprinkled while serving
• 30 ml milk
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
• 7 cups of water to cook the rice 
• salt to taste

Procedure:

For the koftas:

• Combine all ingredients for the kofta; except the oil for frying.
• In a pan, heat the oil required for frying on a low heat
• When the ingredients are evenly combined, wet your palm with a little water (this will prevent the meat from sticking to your palm)
• Roll the mince into small spheres and keep aside.
• Once done, fry the koftas on a medium heat till they get a light reddish colour. I used chicken mince, so mine got done in about 7 mins a batch. The cooking time may be more or less depending on the quality and kind of meat you use.
• Take out and drain the oil using an absorbent paper.
• Try not to skip the cheese in the koftas since the melted cheese gives a nice coat to the koftas and also prevents it from moisture loss. 
• Do not over cook the koftas, they may turn dry and hard.

For the Pulao:

• Heat oil in a pan and add the onions and fry for a while
• Once the onions start to cook, add in the sugar and salt and mix once
• When the onions start to brown, take out and keep aside on an absorbent paper.
• Meanwhile, wash rice with several changes of water till the water is clear.
• Dissolve the turmeric in the milk and let it sit for a while
• In a large vessel, add oil, and the whole spices. 
• When the oil starts to heat and the spices start to release an aroma, add in half the brown onions and the rice. Stir well so that the spices, onions and rice integrate well
• Add the water, salt and give it a gentle mix and allow it to cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. The time may differ depending on the rice.
• Once most of the water has evaporated, reduce the heat to low and allow to cook for about 2 more minutes.
• At this point there will be almost no water left in the rice. Switch off the heat. Sprinkle the milk with saffron and give it a light mix. Be careful not to break the grains of rice while mixing. Cover the vessel and let it rest for some time. Remember the cooking process is on since the steam will cook the rice some more.
• After about 10 minutes, remove the lid and add the koftas, mint, coriander, nuts and once again give it a mix gently.
• Just before serving drizzle the lemon juice and the remainder of the caramelised onions.
• Fragrant, aromatic and bursting with subtle flavours, Kheema Kofta Pulao is ready to serve. Savor each bite!!! 

Baby Corn Manchurian!!!

Hello Everyone!!!! I’m back after a short vacation to my hometown Mangalore. Shortly, I will put up a post chronicling my Mangalore tour. I cannot put in words what an awesome tour it was, I am still reminiscing the memories. And on returning to Mumbai, it was back to the usual grind; office work, sorting out the vacation laundry and a pile of other stuff. With all this blogging has taken a hit for a while now.  Worry not, my dearies, I am back now with a whole load of sumptuous recipes from Mangalore and much more ready to flood your inbox shortly. Also, I want to say a big thank you to all of you who have written on email and on the facebook page enquiring on where I was all the while. Thanks a ton guys, for all the love and support you have shown to the bog. And a special thank you to my friend Stephane from My French Heaven for writing and asking about my next post. Do check his wonderful blog here

As is the case with most holidays, we ate and ate and traveled and tanned. One resolution we made on the way back home was go light on the food (no prizes for guessing why… Lol) over the next few days.  That is perhaps why, you will see a nearly stir-fry dish making it to the blog today. But, to understand today’s recipe you need to understand a cuisine called Indo-Chinese. A cuisine that’s perhaps a cross between the Indian taste and Chinese stir fry. Honestly, any Indian would swear by this; proof of which is the millions and millions of carts (and small dingy restaurants) with their trademark glaring red colour and signs saying “Authentic Chinese served here”. One of the most famous dishes of the Indo-Chinese is the Chicken Manchurian very simply bite sized chicken bits covered in a batter deep fried and thrown into a tangy sauce. But folks, the only way to stay in the game is through product diversification and so, considering the huge Indian appetite for vegetarian food all sorts of vegetarians options started coming up, the most famous among them being “Gobhi (cauliflower) Manchurian” and followed closely by “Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Manchurian”.  For today, the humble baby corn basks in glory.           

We had it with Sichuan Fried Rice. But goes well with steamed rice as well.

Baby corn Manchurian

12-15 Babycorn, diced into bite sized pieces

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

7-8 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch ginger, minced

2 Tablespoons Soya Sauce

2 tablespoons, tomato ketchup

1 tablespoon white pepper powder

3 tablespoon cornflour and some more for the gravy

2 tablespoons oil, some more for frying

1 cup vegetable stock/ or plain water

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Cut the babycorn into bite sized pieces. Coat them with cornflour and keep for 10    minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the baby corn till just about a golden brown. Remove and drain on an absorbent paper. Sprinkle very little salt and some white pepper powder powder and keep aside.
3. Now, heat the remaining 2 tablespoon oil and add in the garlic. Saute till reddish brown. 
4. Add the onions and saute. Once done, ad the soya sauce and tomato ketchup. Stir for a minute.
5. Add the baby corn and mix well so that the sauces cover them well.
6. Add in the stock or water and let it boil. Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining cornflour in some water and keep aside.
7. Once the stock comes to a boil, add in the dissolved cornflour and stir well
8. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot.

Egg Biryani!

There are a few questions that mankind has been to find answers to. Will Sachin Tendulkar ever quit playing cricket? Will we ever find a renewable bio fuel? Is there life elsewhere in the galaxy? Another such question is what came first, the chicken or the egg? And so, while the debate goes on who came first, almost all of us would agree to the fact that eggs in any manner taste delicious.

At my place, we have eggs at least once a week. This usually happens we want to have a non-fussy & simple dish that still gives you that “I-have-had-the best-meal” feeling. Remember my post on the “Aloo Saunfiyana”? Where I had spoken about the humble potato winning the most versatile ingredient award in the veggies category, I guess the more suave egg would win hands down in the non- vegetarian category.

I have always confessed how much we as a family love any biryani. And when it combined with the goodness of eggs, it doesn’t get any better. Please don’t get intimidated with the long list of ingredients, they are all easily available in the kitchen. Add some love coupled with lots of efforts and you will have a biryani that will remain in your hearts for a long time to come. The one that I made certainly did!

Egg Biryani

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• Oil for frying

For the rice

• 250 grams long grained Basmati rice
• 2 Green Cardamoms
• 1 Black Cardamom
• 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 Tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• 50 ml Milk
• 1 tablespoon tumeric powder (haldi)
• Salt

For the gravy

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped (Increase the quantity if you want it spicier)
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 250 ml thick curds
• 2 tablespoons Biryani Masala Powder (I used Everest Biryani Masala)
• 1 tablespoon tumeric powder (haldi)
• 1 tablespoon garam masala powder
• 1 large tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 Green Cardamoms
• 1 Black Cardamom
• 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt - to taste
• 2 stalks of corriander, chopped
• few mint leaves

For the Garnishing

• 2 large onions, sliced finely
• 10-15 cashews
• 10 -12 raisins
• Ghee/ Oil to fry
• Few Mint leaves
• 1 lime, quartered

Procedure:

• To prepare the garnishing, heat the ghee/ oil in a pan. Now fry the sliced onions on medium heat till they turn reddish brown in colour. Take out and drain on an absorbent paper.
• In the same oil, fry the cashews and raisins until they change colour to reddish brown. Once again, Take out and drain on an absorbent paper.
• Keep both aside while we shall begin work on the rice.

To prepare the rice:

• Soak the rice in water for about 15 mins, then wash and drain till the water runs clear.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large vessel and add in the whole spices (Cardamoms, Cinnamon and Bay leaf).
• When the spices begin to splutter, add the rice and fry for a while.
• Now add in water that is double the quantity of rice. E.g. for 1 cup rice you will require to use 2 cups water. Add salt and let the  rice cook.
• When the water begins to boil, lower the heat and allow the rice to cook till you have large and fluffy grains of rice, each separate from the other.
• Once the rice has reached that stage, drain using a colander. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee and mix well
• Separate a handful of rice from the colander. Now, mix the milk and turmeric and sprinkle over the rice you have separated.
• Your rice is ready

To prepare the eggs:

• In a large vessel heat water and add the eggs and bring to a boil for 10-12 minutes.
• Once the eggs are done, peel them and cut each into half, lengthwise.
• Heat the oil in a pan, and lightly fry the eggs on each side till they get a light brown colour. This step is optional, however, I do it to give the eggs slight texture.
• Remove and keep aside. 

For the gravy:

• In a large vessel, heat the ghee and add the whole spices and allow them to splutter.
• When the spices begin releasing aroma, add the chopped onions and let them cook till they turn golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic pastes along with the chillies.
• Once the onions are done, add the chopped tomato and cook till it it is limp.
• Beat the curds well and add. Once the mixture has simmered well, add in the masalas (red chilli powder, biryani masala, turmeric powder, garam masalas)
• Now, add the eggs and mix well so that the eggs are covered well with the mixture
• Once done, add the chopped corriander& mint leaves.

To assemble the biryani:

• Line a large vessel with ghee.
• Add the gravy mixture. Now add in half the onions we had fried earlier and some of the fried cashews and raisins.
• Layer the gravy mixture with the cooked rice. Sprinkle the surface with the rice that was mixed with the milk and turmeric.
• Finish the layering with the remaining fried onions and dried fruits.
• Cover the vessel with a lid that fits perfectly. Or you could cover with aluminium foil so that no steam escapes.
• Place the vessel on a tawa and cook for 20 minutes. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes even after you've turned off the gas.
• Serve hot with raita.

Bunt Style Chicken Sukkha (Authentic Manglorean Style Recipe)

If there was one cuisine that I would have for the rest of my life, without a doubt, it would be Mangalorean. I am not being partial since I am from Mangalore, but come on, as they home is where the heart is.

Here is another recipe from one of Mangalore’s famous sub- cuisines, called the “Bunt Cuisine”.  The Bunts are a trading community primarily from the Udupi and Dakshin Kanada districts of Karnataka credited with being the pioneers of the ubiquitous Udupi hotels in Mumbai.  As you would have guessed by now, their cuisine is to die for.

This is one recipe that I would have eaten it a zillion times and yet, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My mum makes it in the most awesome manner and I tried it for the first time. As the pictures below will tell you, it was lip- smacking.  The mandate (from the taste queens) when I made it was to go easy on the spice, which I tried my best to do. You could replace the chicken with mutton and get the same result.

Do give it a try, I am sure you will want to make it again and again 

Bunt Style Chicken Sukkha

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg Chicken (on the bone)
• 2 Onions (Medium Sized, finely chopped)
• 1 Tomato (Large Sized, Finely chopped)
• 2 Green Chillies, Cut into 2 parts
• 2 Tablespoon Garlic Paste
• 1 Tablespoon ginger paste
• 4 Tablespoons Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Bafat Masala
• 1 Tablespoon Red Chilli Powder
• 3 Sprigs of Curry Leaves 
• Salt- to taste

Grind to a coarse paste

• 1 Coconut Grated
• 7-10 Red Chillies
• 1 Tablespoon Cummin Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
• 2 Green Cardamoms
• 8-10 Peppercorns
• 1/2 cup Cashewnuts
• 3 Cloves
• 1 Inch stick of Cinnamon

Procedure:

• Grind together all the ingredients mentioned under the head "grind to a coarse paste". The texture has to be coarse but make sure ingredients have integrated well with the coconut. Add a little water when you are grinding.
• In a pan, add oil and let it come to its smoking point. Once it does, add the curry leaves.
• When the curry leaves begin to change colour, add the onions and allow them to caramelise. This is an important step so let the onions cook well.
• Add in the ginger-garlic paste and stir for a while.Once the smell leaves, add in tomatoes and cook till tomatoes turn soft.
• Add the coconut paste and stir well. You may need to add some water at this point so that the paste doesn’t stick to the base of the pan. Cook till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
• When the oil begins to leave the sides add the green chillies, bafat, powder, red chilli powder and stir well.  Keep a watch that the paste is not getting to dry and judiciously add water.
• Once the masala’s are mixed well add the chicken and salt.
• Cover and cook over a medium flame. Should be done in about 15-20 minutes

Malai Kofta (Cottage Cheese Dumplings in a rich tomato gravy)

What’s in a name?” quoted Shakespeare. “Lot’s”, I’d say, if the name is “Malai Kofta”. And so, as promised on my facebook page, here is the recipe for this culinary equivalent of the hydrogen bomb.

I must not hesitate to admit that this was one of the more difficult dishes I’ve made. What sets this dish apart this that it is that although it is extremely popular (almost a “cannot-do-without) at wedding functions and large festivals. This mildly spiced, almost sweetish gravy is a combination of finely blended spices and enriched with cream, onion and tomatoes. Can I see you salivating already?

Let me tell you, making this dish is a long drawn and elaborate process; however, it will be worth the effort when you have a soft, perfectly fried koftas covered with creamy gravy, that you will want to share with your family and friends.

The taste queens loved it, and I’m sure you will as well.

Go ahead, indulge!!

Malai Kofta

For the Koftas:- (will yield about 18 medium sized koftas)

•          220 grams Paneer (Cottage Cheese)
•          80 grams dried fruits; roughly chopped (I used almonds and raisins)
•          1 tablespoon corn flour (and some more for dusting)
•          Oil for frying
•          Salt to taste

For the Gravy:-

•          1 cup boiled onion paste
•          1½ cup tomato paste
•          2 tablespoons tomato puree
•          3 tablespoons cashew paste
•          2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
•          2 green chillies, roughly chopped
•          1 teaspoon cumin seeds
•          1 teaspoon red chilli powder
•          1 teaspoon turmeric powder
•          1 teaspoon garam masala powder
•          3 tablespoons ghee (Clarified butter)
•          1 cup fresh cream (I skipped this)
•          Whole Spices (2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 small bay leaf)
•          Salt to taste
•          Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Procedure:

To make the kofta’s:-

•  Heat a pan on a low flame, dry roast the almonds and raisins till they change colour. Once done allow them to cool and then chop them roughly.

•   In a bowl, roughly grate the cottage cheese, add 1 tablespoon corn flour, salt and mash it together such that it forms a single lump

•  Now take a lemon sized piece and roll it well between your palms. Then make a small well in the center and fill in some of the chopped dry fruits. Cover the well and roll it once again between the palms of your hand. Repeat the process with the other Koftas. Dust each kofta with corn flour and keep aside.

• Fry the koftas in oil on a low flame till they are bright orange in colour. Frying on a slow flame will ensure that the Koftas are cooked right to the center and pass the ultimate test of being crisp on the outside and soft inside.

•  Once done remove and drain on an absorbent paper.

     For the gravy:-

•     In a heavy bottomed pan heat ghee, and add in the whole spices. Sauté spices till you have a fragrant aroma from them.
•      Once the spices are done, add the onion paste and allow it to cook till the oil leaves the sides. Now, add the ginger garlic paste and stir well, allowing to cook.
•     Add the cashew paste and mix well till the onion and cashew paste have integrated well. This will take time. You will know it’s done when the mixture moves around the pan in a single lump.
•     Now, add the spice powders, green chillies.
•     Once the spice powders have integrated well, add in the tomato paste and puree & salt. Allow this to cook well. If required, add in a cup of water at this point.
•      If you are using cream, add it in at this point.
•      Add the koftas in the gravy and give it a stir.
•     Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and  accompanied with parathas