Bhugal teenwad / Bhuna Gosht / Goat Meat

Slow cooking brings out the best flavors when cooking goat meat. This recipe has been patented by ,The Bhagia" family I think :) My brother will enjoy meat cooked in this particular fashion and no other. Mahir on the other hand is always open to trying new recipes. On my last couple trips to India I closely watched my bhabhi cook this meat and I was fascinated by the amount of time it took to prepare this and get the desired color and aroma it emanates when slow cooked for hours at end. I also asked her to pack me the"sipri" made of thick cast  aluminium which she uses to  specially cook this meat. The ingredients  for this recipe are very basic,the key to its excellent taste is the amount of time that goes into its cooking. It is absolutely OK to prepare this in a pressure cooker,you will still achieve the desired results.I call this literally the labor of love,and use no pressure whatsoever :)

Time It takes To Cook: Approximately 2 hours

Ingredients:
Tender,young goat meat: 1 pound  mixed pieces
Red Onions: 3 medium chopped fine
Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1 tbsp
salt: to taste
Red Kashmiri pepper: 1 tsp or more
garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 1/2 tsp
Tomato's: 3 medium chopped
yogurt: 1 cup
Olive oil: 5 tbsp

Take the meat and mix it nicely with the yogurt & half of all the dry spices and half of ginger & garlic paste.Let it the meat stay in the marination for at least 30 minutes.If you find the time,you can marinate it for longer. Do not add the garam masala to the marination.


Take a dutch oven or anything which is heavy and made for slow cooking. Heat the 5 tbsp oil to smoking point and then add the chopped onion along with salt.After sauteing it for a few minutes,cover the dutch oven for 5 minutes,till the onion turn pink and soft. Take off the lid and slow cook the onions without the lid on high flame and do not leave the onions unattended.

Now take the marinated meat and add this to the onions. There will be enough liquid in the beginning and you can leave it alone for the first 20 minutes but checking on it once or maybe twice.

When  all the liquid starts to get absorbed & dry ,the onions will start to get a golden color. You can reduce the flame to medium now and continue to scrape the bottom every now and then,this will give the onions a nice deep rich brown color.

Now add the remaining ginger and garlic to the meat and onions. Continue to cook on medium flame. every now and then when the onions stick to the bottom,sprinkle some water and scrape the bottom. Every time you do this you will notice the onions and meat will get a deeper color.

By this time you would have cooked the meat & the onions for 1 hour and also achieved the desired deep dark brown color. Now add the chopped tomato's and add the garam masala & the remaining dry spices .Continue to cook for more time ( 30 minutes or so) everything should by this time come together and you will start to see oil appear at the edges.

Now add 2 to 3 cups of water and if you are pressure cooking halve the quantity of water and pressure cook for 15 minutes and then drop the pressure by covering it with a wet towel. If not pressure cooking than add 2-3 cups water and cover it with a well fitting lid and leave it on low flame for 40 minutes to 1 hour or till the meat is tender and easily comes off the bone. garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve with garam rotis.

 

Mushroom Matar Makhanwala- The best :)!!!

Sangeeta and I had been to PF Chang's last night and we had brought home lots of left over food from there,I enjoy their lettuce wraps a lot and between the two of us we had 4 each and were full by the time I had finished half bowl of the hot & sour soup so the entrees had to be packed. We were saving room for the dessert-which was carrot cake and lime cake...ooooh...that was good and yes- I have to mention we enjoyed dinner after having watched Kings' Speech- An excellent movie wherein Colin Firth has stolen many a hearts with his English accent stutter-Wow!!! I have watched him in Pride & Prejudice,Bridgete Jones and love actually etc and now this-His acting skills are phenomenal and he always does complete justice to the character he plays. I just hope he wins the Oscar's today*finger crossed* He totally deserves it .

Today Manasi is back from Chicago and on her special request I am making her most favorite Daal Chawal,something she always seems to miss when she is away from home for more than a week . No- I don't mean to post that now,I will be doing that soon though for Mahir,he needs to look at it and prepare it in my absence.That reminds me I have to do it soon before I stay back in India and he and Manasi fly back here. There is still time and being the procrastinator that I am-Think it will wait till the last minute :0

So today's post was technically prepared in Schenectady NY( Sangeeta's house) but is being published from CT. We were in no mood to eat PF Chang's food again ,moreover on our way from NY city we had stopped at Hannafords to pick up veggies ,so we were keen on exausting those while they were still fresh. I looked at the mushrooms and pictured something rich and creamy,I had a good  40 minute gruelling workout in the morning and wanted to reward myself :) I looked through Sangeeta's pantry and found everything I would need so Mushroom Makhanwala it had to be :) Very easy to prepare,no complicated steps,and turns out this dish is super delicious and goes very well with tandoori roti or even plain phulka. This is also a great main course dish for those who are fond of entertaining friends & family, fetches lots of compliments and it is hard for people to belive that it was prepared at home and not some topnotch resturant :)

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
serves 3

Ingredients:
almonds: 15-20
Onion: 1 medium sized sliced thin
Ginger paste: 1 tsp
Garlic paste: 1tsp
white Button Mushrooms: 1 packet  about 20 mushrooms washed and halved
Green peas : 1 cup
Cinnamon: 1 inch piece
Green cardamom: take the seeds and save the skins for tea or something alike
fresh Cream: 2 tbsp optional
Olive oil or butter: 3 tbsp
Turmeric: Little more than a pinch
Kashmiri Red pepper: 1/2 tsp or to your taste
salt: 1/2 tsp or to your taste
Honey: 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi: 1 tbsp roasted ,cooled & then crushed on the vegetable as a finishing touch

Take a pan and heat the 3 tbsp oil or butter.
When the oil is hot add the cinnamon and cardamom,when it starts to emanate the aroma add the sliced onions and saute till they turn translucent.
Now add the ginger and garlic paste along with salt,turmeric and red pepper.
Take the almonds and grind them in the coffee grinder to a fine powder and add this to the onions. Add 1/2 cup water and turn off the flame.When cooled puree this in a smoothie maker. Turn it in to the same pan.
Now take a seprate pan,add 1 tsp oil and add peas and mushrooms to this saute this for 5 minute or till cooked but still crunchy to the bite.
Add these to the puree and put it back on the flame ,at this stage you can add a tsp of honey and blend it well ,and if you feel like add some fresh cream and serve with either tandoori roti or phulka or naan .

Masala Bhindi Rajasthani/Okras From Rajasthan

Bhindi,okra,lady fingers :) This vegetable does offer tremendous versatility and I love to experiment with it even though I know Manasi will have it just one way-which is chopped and deep fried. Manasi is away in Chicago and I am on a holiday with Sangeeta at her house,so this was jsut the right time to make Rajasthani Bhindi-Inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor but I have made changes to suit my taste and the availability of ingredients in Sangeeta's pantry :) Me and my friend enjoyed this preparation over dinner ,it had a nice blend of flavors from fennel and mango powder mixed with  split gram flour and dry spices. The final touches were a dash of lime juice-The bhindi's tasted immensely good and went so well with  plain rotis and moong daal. Here is the recipe- I am sure all you bhindi lovers will give this a shot :)

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Okras/Bhindi/Ladyfingers: 250 gms
Onion: 1 medium sized thinly sliced
Split gram flour: 3 tsp
Mango powder: 1 tsp
Paprika: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
salt: 1/2 tsp
Corrinader powder: 1tsp
Garam masala: 1/8 tsp
Fennel seeds: 1tsp
Kalongi/nigella seeds: 1tsp
Olive oil:  4 tbsp

Method:
take the okras wash them and dry them nicely and snip off the ends. Make clean slits through the centre for stuffing the masala. Make sure the slits are not very deep because you do not want to cut the okra in two halves.
Keep these aside.
Take a bowl and  add all the dry spices except the nigella seeds and take just 1/2 of the fennel seeds and keep the rest for later use. Add the gram flour and 1 tbsp oil  to the dry spices and mix this well.
Now stuff this masala in the okras.
Take a frying pan and heat the 3 tbsp oil,when hot add the  remaining fennel seeds & nigella seeds,when it starts to spultter add the sliced onions and saute for couple minutes. Now add the stuffed okras and let them cook on medium flame without any cover for first couple minutes then cover it with well fitting lid and cook till the okras are cooked. Remove the lid in-between to check on them.

Squeeze some lime juice just before serving and garnish with cilantro and enjoy with roti's and daal :)

Shahi Mutton Korma

Cooking goat meat is always a special occasion for me as it does not happen very often the reason being -There are not enough Indian grocery stores in the vicinity and the ones that do carry goat meat are not selling it fresh,they actually buy it from New Jersey and freeze it,which does not always taste as good as the fresh cut. Mahir was in New Jersey a few weeks back and volunteered to stop by at a good halal shop . I was looking to try some new recipes and after browsing through a ton of recipes,I liked this one ,for its simplicity and the very few ingredients the recipe called for-I was surprised to read the recipe did not call for tomato's and my favorite part was-there was not too much of slow cooking the onions. The meat is first marinated in yogurt along with dry spices and cooked in almond paste and finished with fresh cream and kewra water...mm..mmm this dish tastes creamy and so delicious and the after notes of kewra will not want you to stop....you will ask for second and third helpings. Trust me-This is a must make recipe !!!

Preparation Time: 2 1/2 hours including 2 hours marination Time 
serves: 4

Ingredients:
Goat Meat: 1 pound
Almond: 3 tbsp paste ( take the almonds use the blanching method and remove the skins and grind them to a fine paste)
Coriander seeds roasted & ground: 2 tbsp
Onions: 1 big thinly sliced
Olive oil: 4 tbsp
Ginger paste: 1tbsp
Garlic: 1 tbsp
Turmeric: tip of a tsp
Paprika: 1 tsp or to your taste
garam Masala: tip of the tsp
Salt: to your taste
Kewra water: 3 -4 drops
fresh cream: 1/2 cup
Yogurt: 1/2 cup

Method:
Take the goat meat and in a bowl beat yogurt along with salt,half of ginger & garlic paste,turmeric & coriander powder (fresh roasted & ground) paprika & almond paste and leave the meat in this marination for 2 hours.

Meanwhile take a pressure cooker and heat 4 tbsp oil,when the oil turns hot add the thinly sliced onions and saute them till they turn pinkish brownish. Now add the remaining ginger garlic paste to this and saute it for 3 -4 minutes.

Now add marinated mutton in the onions  and fry the meat for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.

Add 1/2 a cup of hot water to this and pressure cook the meat on high flame first and then reduce the flame to slow and cook for 15 minutes or until the meat is tender. remove the lid.

The meat should be tender & the gravy should be thick and creamy,if there is too much liquid,cook on high flame and allow the gravy to become thick.

Now add the fresh cream,and add the kewra drops and sprinkle garam masala,enjoy this with naans or tandoori roti's

 

Cup Cake - To Enjoy with Your Valentine

I was going through recipes to find a perfect cup-cake for Valentine Day. When I skimmed through the ingredients for this Chocolate bourbon Cup cake,I knew my search had ended.

This cup cake has Irish whiskey along with coffee and roasted coconut & roasted almonds & some baking chocolate. I was not interested in the regular fair,I was looking for some complexity and this cup cake recipe sounded very promising. My first bite and I was completely thrown back by how wonderfully all these ingredients had worked. The cup cake keeps unfolding with every bite you eat.The first bite is so addicting with notes of Irish whiskey,infused with notes of instant coffee & dark chocolate.The roasted coconut and almonds give it the desired crunch and you don't want this love-affair to stop .  Enjoy this with your valentine-Serve three on a plate you both eat one each and  share the third one, after all loving is sharing :)

Ingredients:
All purpose flour: 1 cup
baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
Instant Coffee: 1/2 cup
Bourbon or any other whiskey: 2 tbsp ( I used Irish whiskey )
Unsweetened chocolate: 2 1/2 ounces chopped fine
Unsalted Butter: 1 stick
Vanilla: 1/2 tsp
Egg: 1large beaten lightly
Sugar: 1 cup
Sweetened Coconut flakes toasted and cooled: 3/4 cup
Almonds: 1/2 cup chopped,toasted & cooled

Method:
1.Sift together flour,baking soda and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
2.In another bowl set over barely simmering water,combine the coffee,butter,chocolate & whiskey and heat the mixture until the butter & chocolate has melted and the mix looks glossy and evenly mixed.
3. Remove the bowl from the pan and whisk in the flour mixture,the vanilla,the lightly beaten egg,sugar,coconut and the almonds.
4. Divide the batter among 12 1/2 cup paper lined 10  muffin tins and bake  in a preheated 350 d f oven till a tooth pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

 drizzle some chocolate sauce and enjoy these yummy cup cakes :)

Dabka Kadi / Sweet & Tangy Soup & Manasi's Bithday pictures !!!

Even as I write this I am watching  the breaking news on CNN- Egypt Is Free !!! We have all watched the political uprise in Egypt for 18 days  now. I watched it even more closely as our friends from the states were also in Egypt on a holiday around the time the uprise just found its voice.Egypt's freedom  is a historical moment for all, I hope this outcome leads to a peaceful democratic Egypt . Oh yes-Our friends were back last to last Sunday and all is well with them:)

I noticed I have not been posting as regularly as I started out in the beginning, there have been too many distractions but I promise I don't forget to take pictures of everything I prepare and also upload them from time to time.So I have a good amount of dishes to choose from now. Today I choose to write a post on Dabka Kadi,this is a Gujarati kadi and I especially like it for its very healthy preparation. The base for the kadhi is curd and gram flour and the main fair here is the unfried moon daal balls. This tastes absolutely delicious with rice and is also very light on the stomach. I love to make this on days when I am tired of eating daal with rice, I also use curd which has turned a little sour,this gives the kadhi a nice tangy flavor.If you are using the store bought curd then I recommend you use some lime juice .

ingredients for kadhi
Besan/Bengal Gram Flour: 2 tbsp
curd: 2 cups
ginger & chilli paste : 1 tsp
sugar: 1/2 tsp
salt: 1 tsp or to taste
chopped corriander/cilantro: 2 tbsp
Lime juice: 2 tsp

ingredients for dapkas:
 Moon Daal/split green gram: 1/2 cup soaked for 4-5 hours
oil: 1/2 tbsp
Ginger & chilli paste: 1/2 tsp
sugar: 1/4 tsp
Eno fruit salt:1/4 tsp
salt to taste

tempering:
oil: 2tbsp
cumin/jeera: 1tsp
Mustard seeds:1/2 tsp
Asfoetida a pinch
Dry Red Chilli: 1 broken

Method:

1.Drain the saoked daal  very well and grind it to a  very fine paste in  a blender.
Add the oil,the ginger chilli paste,eno fruit salt and salt to taste and beat well  till light and keep aside for 2 -3 minutes
2. take the curds and besan/gram flour and beat well with 3 cups of water. ( add the lime juice now)
3.add the green chilli & ginger paste and salt and sugar and put this to boil in a kadai/pan,stirring occasionally.
4.When the kadhi starts to boil add the dapka batter a little at a time using your fingers to form dumplings. Let the kadhi boil on medium heat till all the dapkas float and get cooked,about 12-15 minutes. Remove kadhi from the fire and keep aside.
5.heat the oil for tempering and add jeera,hing and rai/mustard seeds.When the jeera turns golden take it off the fire and add the broken red chilli bits .
6.Add the tempering to the hot kadhi and garnish with  chopped fresh cilantro.Enjoy kadhi with rice and if you wish add a dollop of desi ghee on your rice and then mix the dapka kadi and enjoy this wonderful meal with your family :)

 

World Nutella Day & Cupcakes with Nutella & Nusco topping

It is funny-I have never started  writing a post until I have tasted what I am sharing with the rest of the world. The nutella cup cakes are still in the oven and there are a good 15 minutes before they come out for the final testament. They looked good when they went inside and I am positive they will come out  swell :)

Today happens to be the World Nutella Day ,so I knew I had to celebrate this for my daughter lest she call me insipid ...no ..actually I knew I had to do something special as her birthday also happens to be 2 days from now,I could serve these to her friends along with some of her other favorites (only if I still have some  of these left ,till then)

I have to share this with everyone that I was completely unaware of this decadent,rich & creamy bread spreads existence for a very long time.
I was in Hyderabad, when one of our  friend's sister  who was married  to a German guy and lived in Germany , was visiting India and  she got  bottles of Nutella for her family. Her niece was Manasi's friend and this is how Manasi first got introduced to Nutella. Manasi was very excited and asked me to look for this wonder spread in the stores. I checked with some of my friends who had already been living in Hyderabad much before we moved there and they led me to this fancy store which carried many exotic products  from other countries. The bottle was very expensive and I used to use the spread very frugally on the bread :0

OK the cup cakes are done and they look as light as a feather,the frosting is not the traditional frosting  nevertheless the nutella self frosting  cup cakes look and taste marvellous. The nutella hardens up in the oven and the texture is that of any  traditional  frosting. I did swirl it up a little with a metal toothpick  before I put them in the oven and I must say these taste incredibly soft and buttery with all the nutella goodness the Nutella day calls for.

Thanks to Amy  of Playing House who finds her own unique ways of baking and cooking,I am in love with this simplified self frosting nutella cupcakes. BTW Amy I  too have very little Patience with icing bags and frosting, they do fall under the high maintenance category for me .So I instantly grabbed this one .The moment I layed my eyes on this,I knew this was my kinda recipe.

Manasi has gone to Manhattan to celebrate her  pre-birthday party with her friends,she is in for a surprise when she gets back tonite,I will have these on a tray in her room by her bedside table :)

Here is the recipe for these cup cakes:
Notes: I have mixed Nusco which is also a duo hazelnut spread a product of Holland with Nutella.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour: 1 and 3/4 cup
Butter: 10 tbsp (140 gms)
white sugar: 3/4 cup
eggs: 3
Baking Powder: 2 tsp
vanilla: 1/2 tsp
salt: 1/2 tsp
Nutella: 1/3 cup approximately

Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. This mix will make 12 cupcakes.
Pre-heat the oven at 325 d farenheit

Method:
Beat the butter and sugar till light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well till well incorporated. Take the flour with baking powder & salt and seive.
Now add the flour a little at a time and fold in with the creamed butter & sugar.When all the flour is well incorporated add the vanilla. Mix it well, and scoop out a tbsp and a half  of the batter and fill the muffin tins upto 3/4  level and top it with a tsp of nutella and make a swirl pattern with a fork or a toothpick and let some of it mix with the batter.

Bake these for roughly 20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.