Kadhai Keema

Kadhai Keema

This mutton mince dish is from Pakistan. The cuisines from Pakistan are very close to that of Indian Cuisine, so this dish will be the best for any Indian Kitchen. I learnt about this from a dear friend of mine, who is from Pakistan. He used to cook this dish with beef mince. As most of the people in India do not eat or cook beef, hence I generally cook this with mutton or lamb mince and they do not alter much from the original taste. You can also cook this dish with Chicken mince, but that does not taste as good as red meat.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Marination Time  : 2 hours
Cooking Time      :
Difficulty              :  Easy
Serves                  :  4

Ingredients :

• 500 grams Ground Mutton / Lamb
• 2 medium sized Onions, finely chopped
• 4 small Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Ginger -Garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2 to 3 whole Cloves
• 1 to 3 Cardamom pods
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons Cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons Garam masala (This is a typical spice mix used all over Indian Sub Continent, you'll get packaged masala in any food store)
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
• 4 tablespoons Oil (use any vegetable oil)
• Salt to taste
For garnish :
• Finely chopped Cilantro (Coriander) leaves
• 3 tablespoons Lemon juice

        For marinade : Blend these ingredients together.

• Fistful Cilantro (Coriander) leaves
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon Curd (plain)

Method :

1) Wash, clean and Drain the Mutton/Lamb mince.

2) Mix the marinate with the mince very well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

3) Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat.

 4) Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaves , cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds and saute on medium high for a minute.

5) Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute till light brown.

6) Add the onions, fry them till they are translucent.

7) Now add tomatoes and saute till the oil starts to separate.

8) Add the all the powdered spices. Cook for a couple of minutes. During this time, you can also sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning.

9) Once the spices are cooked, and oil separates, add the ground mutton/lamb and mix well.

10) Cook for 5 minutes on high heat.

11) Add salt, simmer and cook till done.

12) Once the mince are well cooked, taste and adjust seasonings if required.

13) Pour in a dish and garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves) and serve with a lemon wedge for the tangy taste.

14) This dish goes well with any Pilaf or Flat Breads like Naan, Chapati, Paratha etc.

 

 

 

Greek Lasagne

Greek Lasagne

Like many people, I also did not know that pasta, specially lasagne originated in Greece and not in Italy. In old Grecian Era, the Greek had even a pan which was known as lasagne. It was specially used for preparing this dish. Pasta was introduced in Italy when Greek invaded the country. When I first heard this from a Greek colleague I was spellbound. But it is absolutely true. Though traditionally Greek never used tomatoes as it was not known to them, but I generously use it while preparing my dish, you can do it too. Now get ready and surprise everyone with this wonderful dish and the story behind it.

Preparation Time  : 40 minutes (including setting lasagne layers in pan
Cooking Time       : 25 - 35 minutes
Baking Time          : 1 hour
Difficulty               : Medium
Serves                   :  4

Ingredients :

• 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 250 grams Chorrizo/ or any spicy sausage, thinly sliced
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large Red Onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Clove
• 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1 kilo Lamb or Mutton, mince
• 1/2 cup White Wine (you can also opt for spiced vinegar, if you don't use wine)
• 3 tablespoons Greek-style Plain Yoghurt
• 1 cup fresh Parsley, roughly chopped
• 400 grams Greek kasseri cheese, grated (as this is not available in India, use any cheese that melts, I use Britannia Cheese cubes, grated)
• 100 grams Kefalotiri Raviera Cheese/ or any good Parmesan, grated
• 12 sheets (375g) fresh Lasagne sheets, if you can't make fresh ones, used packaged variety, it is equally good. Prepare them as per instruction on the pack.

Method : 

 1) In a Skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over a medium heat.

 2) Add the sausages and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the pieces are golden brown.

 3) Remove the sausages and keep them aside. Leaving the remaining oil in the skillet.

 4) Return the skillet to the heat and add the garlic, onion, spices, salt, pepper and the lamb mince.

 5) Keep cooking until the lamb mince is browned.

 6)  When they are properly browned, add the wine and cook the mixture over a low heat for a further 5 minutes.

 7) Take the mixture off the heat and add the yoghurt and parsley and stir through.

 8) In a bowl, add both cheeses and combine well.

 9) Preheat the oven to 180 degree Centigrade.

10) In another skillet or a oven proof dish, add the remaining olive oil and swivel around so that it covers the base.

11) Place three lasagne sheets on the bottom to cover the base of the skillet/oven proof dish. (Don't forget to boil and drain the sheets as per instruction on the packet).

12) Top with some of the lamb mince and spread the mixture out to cover the lasagne sheets.

13) Place three more lasagne sheets on top to cover the lamb mince mixture.

14) Scatter enough cheese to cover the lasagne sheets.

15) Continue this process until you are left with a top layer of the cheese.

16) Place the skillet/oven proof dish in the oven and cook for 1 hour until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.

 17) Serve hot with some green salad.

 

Reshteh Polo, The Persian Pilaf

Reshteh Polo, The Persian Pilaf

Reshteh Polo, is a Persian delicacy, generally cooked for Nawroz, the Persian New Year. I had the good fortune of being invited to a Nawroz dinner at a well known Parsi family's house in Mumbai. That is where I had this unique dish for the first time. After dinner I made it a point to praise the hostess and requested for the recipe. She very pleasingly introduced me to her personal Chef, who taught me the intricacies of this dish. This is slightly elaborate and slightly more difficult than the dishes I generally post, but I could not just stop myself from sharing this dish with my friends. My request to each one of you would be, try and prepare this dish at least once. I am sure you would be happy that you did it.

Preparation Time : 30 minutes
Soaking Time       : 2 -3 hours (for Rice)
Cooking Time      :  2 1/2 to 3 hours
Difficulty              : Slightly Difficult
Serves                  :  6

Ingredients :

2 or 3 tablespoons Oil 

2 cups Basmati rice

120 grams Reshteh or other noodles (see Options)

750 grams Lamb or Mutton cut into chunks

1 Onion, minced

2 teaspoons Cinnamon 

1 teaspoon Turmeric  

1 piece Orange Peel

Salt to taste 

Pepper to taste

1/4 cup Dates

1/4 cup Raisins

1/2 cup Warm water

Pinch Saffron (optional)

3 tablespoons Butter, melted

 

Method :

 1) Place the rice in a large bowl and add water to cover. Stir the rice and pour out the water. Rinse the rice this way two or three more times to remove the excess starch. Add water to cover by about 1 inch and set aside to soak for at least 2 to 3 hours.

 2) While the rice is soaking, add the oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat over medium flame.

 3) Break the reshteh or other noodles into pieces about 2 inches long. Toss the noodles into the oil and saute, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

 4) Add more oil the the pot if needed, and then stir in the chunks of meat and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.

 5) Add the onions, cinnamon and turmeric and saute until the onions are translucent and lightly browned.

 6) Add back the browned meat, 1 cup of water, the orange peel, salt and pepper.

 7) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and tender.

 8) Stir in the raisins and dates and simmer for another minute or two. Remove the meat mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

 9) Clean out the pot you cooked the meat in. Add a large amount of water to the pot, along with a big pinch of salt. Bring the salted water to a boil.

 10) Stir in the rice and let it cook for 2 minutes.

 11) Next stir in the toasted reshteh or other noodles and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

 12) Drain the rice and noodles in a colander lined with a clean towel and immediately rinse with cool water. Drain well.

 13) Soak the saffron in the warm water.

 14) Rinse out the pot you cooked the rice in and add the melted butter to cover the bottom of the pot.

 15) Pour half of the rice and noodles into the pot and spread it evenly over the bottom. Spread the meat mixture evenly over the layer of rice. Then spread the remaining rice evenly over the meat. Pour the saffron-scented water over the top layer of rice.

16) Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke 5 or 6 holes down into the rice all the way to the bottom of the pot (this allows steam to penetrate the rice).

17) Cover the pot with a clean dish towel and then tightly with a lid. Wrap the sides of the towel up over the top of the lid. The towel keeps condensed steam from dripping back down into the rice.

18) Place the pot on high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to low and steam for about 45 minutes.

19) Remove the pot from heat and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

20) Carefully invert the pot onto a large serving dish to pour out the rice.

21) Serve any crusty rice from the bottom of the pot, the tahdig , crumbled over the top. You can decorate the plate with heavy cream and Nuts and Raisins.

Options :

Noodles :Homemade noodles called Reshteh are traditional for this dish. Pre-made, pre-toasted reshteh are available these days at many Middle Eastern markets. If you can't find them, try substituting Italian pasta like vermicelli, spaghetti or fettuccine. Another very easy option is dried Chinese or udon noodles.


Filling Options:

The filling for reshteh polo is not very strict. They use both Beef and Lamb. I use mutton sometimes. It can be varied to your taste. You can also use ground meat/lamb instead of chunks or substitute with chicken breast.

Add ground coriander and cumin to bring a variation in taste. Stir in some peeled, diced potatoes or toasted pistachios. Eliminate the dates or raisins if you don't like that sweet taste. But personally I love the sweetness of dates and raisins against the salty meat and rice.