Non-Vegetarian | Aapplemint

Mutton Rara

May 022011

Mutton Rara … the name makes you think, doesn’t it? Why Ra-ra? Why not Ba-ba? Or Fa-fa? There’s definitely got to be a story behind it. And so the legend goes … The Chhota Nawab of Awadh, and the Rajkumari of Jaipur were madly in love with each other. They wished to be together but life had other plans. They had a clandestine love affair and their families found out. The princess was whisked away to a fortress surrounded by deep waters and guarded by an evil witch. The prince yearned for his ladylove, but was unable to get in. The witch was clever and unforgiving, but she had one weakness: mutton. The prince called down the finest bawarchis of his great empire for one task only: to create a mutton dish so delicious that it would render the witch powerless. And so the dish was prepared near the moat of the bewitched castle … Cooked slowly and patiently in whole spices – spices that had made Hindustan famous all over the world – black cardamom, green cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole black peppercorns, star anise, cumin seeds and Kashmiri red chillis. They cooked and they stirred and as the masalas roasted the deep sensuous aromas arose and wafted through to the fortress. The meat simmered and began to tenderize, and the witch could not control herself and magically transported the pot to her chamber. She loved the preparation so much, that she actually gave the Rajkumari away to the Chhota Nawab and blessed them with eternal happiness. The magnanimous prince named the magical preparation after the witch, whose name was Rara … hence Mutton Rara.

Or so I’d like to believe. But the truth is, it’s most probably a concoction some North Indian dhaba-wala created for customers trudging across the Grand Trunk Road. No princely love story! The dish, however, is royal and extravagant in every way. It is a double whammy of meat – chopped up mutton leg and minced mutton, and needs to be made with a lot of love and a little bit of effort.

Ingredients

1 cinnamon stick
2 whole black cardamom
4 green cardamoms
4-5 whole black peppercorns
2-3 cloves
1 star anise
1-2 bay leaves
7-8 dry whole red kashmiri chillis – deseeded, soaked in hot water and ground to a paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
250 gms Mutton mince
500 gms leg of lamb cut into cubes (with bone n all)
2 onions finely chopped
3-4 tomatos finely chopped
2 tbps thick curd
1?2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp corriander powder
1?2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
3 tbs olive oil
corriander to garnish

Take a kadai with a heavy base, pour in the olive oil. As the oil begins to smoke, fry all the whole spices till fragrant, and add the onion, ginger and garlic. Sautee till soft and add in the mince, frying it well and continuously, till you can see each grain of the mince. Add the tomatoes and keep frying the mixture. You can very lightly beat the mutton pieces with a kitchen hammer if they are too big and the meat tough. Since a little mini kitchen makeover I did using kitchen ideas from My Hammer, I have all these wonderful new tools for tenderizing. Now add the mutton pieces as well as the remaining spices, and give it a good stir. Keep stirring till you see the tomatoes break in, absorb the spices, and start to form the gravy. Cover with a lid and let it simmer slowly for about 40 minutes, adding water when necessary. When the meat is tender and you begin to see the oil separating from the gravy, add the thick curd, stir, and turn off the heat after 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with Tandoori Rotis.

Vimto Chicken … One of its kind recipe !

All, Featured, Non-Vegetarian 16 Responses »

Apr 192011

Who writes the rules in cooking, who writes the Do’s and Dont’s ? In baking sweets yes I agree you need to follow a recipe to a certain extent. Baking needs that perfection, the right quantities the right temperature to achieve the perfect result, but with general cooking, you can just about do anything. We all own so many cookbooks, there are zillions of recipes out there … stuff we browse through, when we’re in book stores, books we order online. This one time I got some really good books from this site OLX Classifieds. And all these books showcase the authors and cooks style, recipes they created … they followed some rules, and made some of their own. Each one of us have that in us. We can all create … play a little God in the kitchen. And then pray to the real one up there that it turns out okay. As long as all the flavours come together, there is a balance of ingredients and everyone is smacking their lips n licking their fingers at the table, I guess everything is allowed. So all this start up is for a reason. Brother in law over in town, the whole family was eating together … Saturday lunch … scratching my head as to what I should make … leafed around a couple of magazines, but didn’t quite like anything .You know how we all go through, “I want to make something different today” days.’ Started faffing around my pantry looking for something new to add to my chicken … pulled out some spices, then some veg, n then I thought, why not add lentils? We Indian’s only use our lentils in Dal’s so this would be new … and then that extra something to turn the dish around, I thought Pomegranate molasses would be just perfect. But I just couldn’t find that bottle, instead I spotted a bottle of Vimto Cordial. And suddenly I thought why not ? Vimto is concentrated juice blend of grapes, raspberries, blackcurrants, herbs and spices. Not sure of how it might go on the table I added a tiny bit first, and it didn’t taste so bad. So then one more tablespoon, and it was just right. I knew that with the blend of all the spices, veg and lentils, this would end up being a delightfully different dish. And delightfully different it was ! How everyone fell on top of that chicken and polished off ! After lunch, when everyone couldn’t stop praising the chicken, I asked if anyone could guess the secret ingredient. They came up with all sorts of things, but no one could guess it. When I revealed it … no one could believe that Vimto in chicken could taste so good. I sat back and smiled …

Ingredients

1 full chicken – cut into 8 pieces with skin on
2 tsp cinnamon pd
2 tsp cumin pd
1 tsp crushed black pepper
4 star anise ground in a motar and pestle
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp fresh oregano
juice of 1 lime
1 cup puy lentils
1 big carrot
2 small potatoes
6 red chillis ( the not so spicy variety ) slit and deseeded
1 stalk celery
2 tbsps Vimto
salt to taste

Start with marinating the chicken. 1 hour is sufficient. In a mortar and pestle, crush the star anise to a fine powder and add to it the cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, fresh oregano, chilli flakes, salt, ginger , garlic, lime juice and give it a good stir. Rub this marinade on the chicken massaging it well for about 5 mins. Take 2 table spoons of the Vimto cordial and pour it over the chicken and give it one more good mix. Please do not hesitate to use your hands. Your meat needs that tender loving care from you. Let it sit outside for an hour. Meanwhile chop up the potatoes, carrots and celery. Boil the lentils in a sauce pan with plenty of salted water. When just about half done turn of the heat and pour off the excess water leaving behind some. Will need that while baking the chicken. Preheat the oven to 240 C . Taking a baking dish, and spread a layer of the lentils first along with some of the water. Then place the chicken pieces and squeeze in the veg evenly. Now sprinkle over the remaining lentils and bake for 20 mins on 240 C and then cover with foil and further bake at 160 C for another 20 mins or till the veg is soft and chicken cooked through. Garnish with the chopped up leaves of the celery stalk and fresh oregano. Serve with some extra lime and hot steamed rice.

Potato, Celery & Chicken Soup

All, Featured, Non-Vegetarian 25 Responses »

Jun 262010

Addiction. There are so many kinds. Some good for you some bad. Obsession. There are too many of those too. Few that could do you good and few that could make your life a living hell. Is there a difference between the two ?? … I think there is. One is a state of mind and the other a physical craving … or so I’d like to believe … Well not that any of that is connected to my Celery and Potato soup I was just thinking so I thought I’d think out a bit loud. Maybe get to hear what you have to say. What are your obsessions? What are you addicted to ? Are you in control of them ?

As for the soup … Its raining outside , its gloomy and cold … might be running a slight temperature too. Times like these call for a light n clear ‘Get Well Soon Chicken Soup’ … tried that, but the taste buds are numb too … Now its got to be something a bit hearty and comforting. And I think this one just did it for me. A rich bodied potato soup with a refreshing celery flavour + all the goodness and nourishment of a chicken soup. And the seasoned potato croutons are the perfect topping to the subtly flavoured soup.

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 medium sized red onion finely chopped

2 large potatoes peeled and chopped- fine dice ( 1 for the soup and 1 for the croutons)

2 large stalks of celery with the leaves

1/2 liter of a rich homemade chicken stock/or veg (with carrots, bay leaves, black peppercorns, celery stalks, spring onions …)

100 gms of the boiled chicken –shredded (opt out for veg versions)

A knob of butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt n Pepper to taste

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp Chicken Bullion powder (optional)

Start with making the chicken stock. Boil together the jointed/skinned chicken with the veggies for about ½ hr to 40 mins on slow fire. Once the stock is ready, strain it and de-bone some of the chicken for the soup. Take a heavy bottom saucepan. Pour in the olive oil and butter together. Sautee the onions till they turn soft and pink, add the potatoes and celery stalks and further fry till they are almost done. Add the shredded chicken and the stock. Let this boil well for about 5 mins and then blend it in the liquidizer to form a smooth consistency. Strain it and make sure you push the pulp well through the sieve. Bring back to a boil. Taste the soup and season it well. For the croutons, fine dice the potato and soak them in salted water for 5 mins. Deep fry till golden brown. Remove on a kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil and then toss them in some salt pepper and dried sage. When ready to serve, top the soup with these croutons and some of the celery leaves. Have it hot !

Beer Batter Prawns

All, Featured, Non-Vegetarian 44 Responses »

May 042010

Don’t we all wish at some point or the other, that we didn’t have to spend so much time in the kitchen. Specially on those days when someone comes over unexpected and decides to stick around to watch that football match. Its at times like these that recipes like this come to the rescue. Absolutely no effort and time to make and yet you look like a star, ‘cuz men love fried food specially while watching their matches. And beer batter prawns with some chilled beer to go with it … You might just score some special points too :-p. Its really as simple as clean , dip and fry. Prepare the prawns by shelling them and de-veining them. Lightly salt them and keep chilled in the fridge. If you have the time try and chill the flour as well. All cold ingredients really help to make a crispy batter. The beer too needs to really cold, so give it 30 mins in the freezer. When ready, stir the beer in the flour, using enough to make a really thick batter that will coat the prawns. Put in hot oil and fry for 2 mins or till golden and crisp. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve immediately.

Ingredients

20 large Tiger Prawns – de-veined and shelled with tail on
200 gms 00 flour (strong flour)
Your choice of beer -preferably the light kind- a stout will definitely ruin the colour of the final product.
salt to taste

Baby Barracuda

All, Featured, Non-Vegetarian 19 Responses »

Apr 102010

When you think Barracuda, what comes to your mind ? … ( no not the song by Heart ! ) … the fish – big, long, vicious, sharp teeth, ugly but nice chunky meat, barbecue And then you come across Baby Barracuda … small, delicate, kinda cute, soft edible bones, deep fried !!! Yup these little babies can give anchovies a run for their money. Add a couple of spices to flour, toss them in it and deep fry … an instant hit and I promise you , once you start you cannot stop eating these.

Ingredients

Baby Barracudas
100 gms all purpose flour
2 teaspoons corriander pd
2 tsps red cayenne pd
2 tsp dry mango pd
a teeny weeny pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
lemon wedges to serve
oil for deep frying

Clean and gut the fishes, but leave them whole. Pat them dry. Mix the spices and flour together. Toss the fishes in it and coat them well, making sure you get some of the flour mix in the belly of the fish too. Deep fry in hot oil, till crispy. Drain on kitchen towel, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

And please don’t write me off as an obnoxious rude gal who’s stopped dropping by your wonderful blogs. I’m in the midst of shifting homes and travelling. Will drop by as soon as I settle in.

Tandoori Prawns for Rasa Malaysia

All, Non-Vegetarian 31 Responses »

Feb 202010

Everybody loves a good tandoori, but very few really know the history behind it. The recipe originated in the early 1900′s in Peshawar – then India. It started with chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, and then cooked in a ‘tandoor’. The tandoor is actually native to India dating back to 3000 BC. Small mud plastered ovens resembling Tandoor with a side door have been found in Harappa and Mohenjodero settlements of ancient Indus valley. But it was the Moguls who in the 1900′s made it portable, carried it everywhere they went and thus found its way in India from Persia. The far famed tandoori chicken is from the recent times comparatively. Created by a chef in the Moti Mahal restaurant in 1948, it was a hit almost instantly. Cooked at a extremely high temperature in the tandoor the chicken remains succulent and juicy inside and a crispy outside with an aroma, that can bring the dead back to life, just to have a bite of that delectable chicken.

Over the time, the same marination has been used for different meats, including, lamb, fish, turkey, lobsters, prawns … almost any meat you fancy actually ! And it tastes wonderful no matter which meat you choose. Tandoori prawns are definitely one of my favourites. And they cook pretty fast too. And overnight marination is always recommended for tandoori, but for seafood a few hours works just fine. A good green chutney (corriander +mint), onion rings and yogurt is always a must with tandoori. And ofcourse if you can a tandoori naan would just be the prefect accompaniment. Tandoori food is always bright orange-red coloured. Obviously achieved by food colouring, but its the colour that distinguishes it as tandoori.

These Tandoori prawns have been made for a special reason. I have been given the honour by the extremely talented Bee of Rasa Malaysia to do a guest post. Technically I should be featuring her as she is a fantastic cook and a great photographer. There has never been a time I’ve seen some lovely recipe up at her blog and not wished I could have that off the screen. But she’s humble enough to ask me to be a guest on her blog, so yes it is an honour. If you haven’t already visited her marvelous blog , you must know that she has one of the most comprehensive blogs with tantalizing recipes from all over Asia and beyond. On her first trip to India, Bee tried some of the tandoori prawns and she loved them far more than the tandoori chicken. Not to mention she is a hard core fan of prawns … and so this was the first things that came to her mind, knowing my Indian roots

Tandoori Prawns

20 large prawns – shelled with tail on and de-veined
2 tablespoons yogurt
1 tablespoon of ginger/garlic paste
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tsp cumin powder
1-2 tsps kashmiri red chiili powder
1/2 tsp orange-red food colouring
1 tablespoon tandoori masala (optional)
salt to taste

It doesn’t get easier than this. Just mix all the ingredients, leave to marinate overnight or 2hrs minimum. Fire up a grill or can even use a griddle pan. Brush with oil and grill them for a few mins till done. Serve hot with some sliced onion, yogurt and chutney.

Rye Pita Bread

All, Non-Vegetarian, Vegetarian 30 Responses »

Feb 112010

I was ecstatic, enraptured, joyous … I was right there in the middle of the bakery section of the Lebanese supermarket, with my jaw dropped open n eyes popping out … I could not believe my eyes, I had just discovered, that they started making my favourite pita bread in rye too ! Quite a site that must’ve been of me holding the packet of bread in my hand, frozen in time, unaware of my surroundings and dreaming of the zillion things I could do with this bread. How does the bread taste ? … alright - now this is a really pathetic effort to describe it but – its tastes of rye ! Well ok … its dark, deep, intense, slightly sour n bitter … you know … a really good rye taste ! Obviously I’ll need to do atleast a 100 posts before I think I might have done justice to the bread, but you’d be bored out your wits so I’ll spare you for now, leaving you with just these …

Fattoush – Lebanese Toasted Bread Salad

toasted rye bread pieces
2 tomatoes – quatered or cut in slices
1 green cucumber – cubed in large pieces
1 red onion cubed ( optional )
ice berg/ romaine lettuce – roughly cut
parsley + mint – chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp sumac
2 tablespoon lime juice
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Start with toasting the pita bread in the oven . Roughly tear the pita bread, spread them out on a baking tray , drizzle some olive oil and bake them at 180 C for a few minutes or till toasted. Set aside. For the dressing mix together, the garlic, sumac, olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt, whisk together. For the salad, in a bowl toss together the tomatoes, cucumber , lettuce, parsley and mint. You could by all means use onions, they are always used in the original recipe, I just didn’t feel like having some this time ! Add the toasted bread and pour the dressing over and give it a good toss again. Serve immediately.

Reshmi Chicken Kebab with Cumin Raita and Rye Pita Bread

Right so now from Lebanon we hop right over to India. I thought the rye bread goes really well with these soft and creamy yet flavoursome kebabs. Just get them off the skewer, place them in the center of the bread with some raita/yogurt dip , some lettuce and finely slices onion with lime n salt … make a roll and you’re ready to go !

de-bone 2 chicken thighs, cut the meat in cubes
1 tablespoon of ginger+garlic paste
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons double cream
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp freshly ground toasted cumin powder
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Marinate the chicken cubes atleast for an hour better still overnight in all the above ingredients. Thread on skewers and you can either grill them on the BBQ or on a griddle pan with some olive oil. Cook for about 15 mins or till tender. Serve hot with chilled raita ( yogurt + salt+ freshly toasted cumin powder+ finely chopped mint leaves) and onion salad ( thinly sliced onion rings with salt and lime on top, and all of it mixed together).

And when really not in the mood to get fancy, simply enjoy the bread dipped in some luscious labneh with some red paprika n sumac sprinkled on top ! Simply Delightful !

Fish Taouk

All, Non-Vegetarian 28 Responses »

Jan 222010

This is one of those dishes, which after eating you give yourself a pat on your back n say ” Well done !”. I’ve eaten Chicken taouk, lamb n beef taouk but Fish taouk ? Never ! So I wondered how’d it be … and trust me when I tell you this … its bloody delicious ! The thing is you needn’t be fancy to make a delicious meal. I think the tastiest of foods are the simplest. This recipe takes hardly any time to prepare but the results are so rewarding. I used my most favourite fish ( well one of my most fav ) – Tilapia. Its a very popular fish here in Ghana, and think its ideal for grilling, its a fresh water fish and the flesh is firm and its not too bony like the snapper. You can start ahead by preparing the taouk spice mix. Honestly I’ve made this marinade before even without it and it tastes gr8 even without the spice mix, but hey a little extra flavour never hurt right The spice is a blend of White pepper, grated nutmeg, ground cloves, corriander power, onion powder, salt, cardamom, and red paprika.

Ingredients

Serves 2

1/4th cup olive oil
3 tablespoons good quality tomato paste
1 tablespoons taouk spice
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 fat cloves of garlic grated
salt to taste

Clean and gut the fish. Make gashes and lightly salt it. Smother the fishes liberally with the marinade and keep at room temperature for about an hour. When ready set them on the bbq and cook till done. Serve with pita bread and Lebanese pickles. East isn’t it ?!?

Stuffed Tomato with Tuna, Potato and Pickled Thyme Salad

All, Non-Vegetarian 21 Responses »

Jan 042010

Thought this would be the perfect time to do a healthy post. Not that I made any resolutions … but I’m sure there are many who are trying to cut out the sweet and bring in the healthy. I too would’ve made that resolution but it would be futile ! I love my sugar, but then again I also love everything else that’s healthy. Got to find the balance somewhere right. This salad has always been a favourite at my table. The variations to this one are endless and you can put just about anything you like in there. Different versions for every occasion. This one is with potatoes and pickled thyme (which i found at the Lebanese store) and some spicy pickled chillies, some green bell peppers and onion to bring in the crunchiness and a squeeze of lime to lift it all up.

Ingredients

Low Fat Mayonnaise
Canned Tuna in water
Boiled Potatoes, cubed
Green Pepper, cubed
Pickled Lebanese Thyme
Red Onion, finely chopped
Pickled Green Chilli
4 Whole ripe Tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lime

Half the tomatoes and scoop out the segments and seeds. Reserve for later. Mix in all the ingredients except the tuna. Mix that in at he last so it wont totally flake away and get lost in the salad. Stuff the tomato halves and garnish with some chillis and serve either cold or at room temperature.

Summer Salads – Savoury and Sweet

All, Non-Vegetarian, Vegetarian 34 Responses »

May 252009

As the days stretch and warm up, the sunny, enchanting outdoors just scream at you to get out n have some fun. This weather calls for, entertaining and having parties in your backyard or poolside, by the beach or carry a picnic basket to the park. Cool crunchy salads are especially inviting at such time. These two salads are just perfect for any such occasion. Pretty leafy salads, delicate summer berries and chocolates are all essentials, as are fresh and healthy ingredients. Quick to prepare and easy to eat, looks impressive too.

Prawn Salad with Quail Eggs

Serves 6

18 quail eggs
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp roughly chopped tarragon
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
9 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 raw tiger prawns, peeled
Juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
bag of mixed baby lettuce

Place the eggs in a small saucepan. Cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 mins then remove and cool under cold running water before peeling. In a small bowl whisk together the, mustard, tarragon, vinegar and 6 tbsps of olive oil. Season to taste and set aside. Clean the prawns – remove the heads and peel off the shells leaving the tail on. Run your knife down the length of the back and pull away the digestive thread. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Now set a frying pan over a high heat and add the remaining 2 tbsps of olive oil. Season the prawns and briskly fry them in 2 batches, turning regularly, for about 3 mins or until pink and cooked through. Remove and dress with the lemon juice. Now in a large mixing bowl, put the slices spring onions, mixed lettuce, halved eggs and dress with the vinaigrette. Gently toss the salad together, mixing them evenly. Serve in individual plates, getting equal amounts of prawns and eggs in all of them.

Chamomile Berry Salad with Chocolate Almond drops

Serves 6

200 gms white chocolate
100 almonds or walnuts
1 unwaxed lemon
200 ml water
3 organic camomile infusion tea bags
50 gms caster sugar
500 gms cherries and blueberries
800 gms strawberries hulled and sliced

Begin with making the chocolate almond drops. Lay some baking paper on a baking sheet. Break up the chocolate and place in a bowl and microwave for a minute, stopping in between to stir, as white chocolate burns easily. Mix in the nuts and using a teaspoon, drop 18 or more blobs of chocolate nuts onto the baking tray. Chill until set. Now finely pare the lemon zest with a potato peeler and place in a saucepan with 200 ml water. Bring to boil and cook briskly for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and add camomile tea bags. Leave to infuse for 5 mins, strain into another bowl and infuse the sugar. Once dissolved and cooled and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Stone the cherries and mix together all the berries. Add the camomile syrup and serve with the chocolate drops.

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