Goan inspired Minced Meat Ball Curry

 

Goan food falls into the rich tradition of the Konkan coast, happily complicated and enriched over the years by two very different invasions: first the colonial Portuguese and then the hippies. For all that, it’s not one blended cuisine: Konkan Hindu and Goan Catholic have their distinct dishes, the former typified by the heavy use of coconut and fish, the latter by vinegar, pork and beef
Today i am here with a special goan style meat ball curry which i learnt from my friend Leena Fernandis who is from goa itself a passionate cook and a lovely human being ...<3

Try this juicy meat balls cooked in a coconut milk based Goan curry and let the magic of Goan food take over...

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:

1. 1/2 kg Minced meat (mutton or beef or pork)
2. ½ Teaspoon Pepper
3. 2 tsp red chilly paste or powder 
4. 1 Teaspoon Garam masala
5. ½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
6.  2 Green chillies chopped
7. 1 Teaspoon Ginger Garlic paste
8. ½ Teaspoon/ goan coconut vinegar or white wine Vinegar
9.  3 slices of Bread
10. 1 tablespoon maida
11. 1 egg white

For the Curry paste

1. 5-6 kashmiri red chillies 
2. 1 onion
3.  2 Tomato
4. 1 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic paste
5. ½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder 
6. 1 Teaspoon Coriander seed
7. 1 Teaspoon Cumin
8.  2 sticks  cinnamon
9. 5-6 cloves
10. 5-6 black pepper

for the main curry:

• 1 medium Onion
• 1 fresh green Chilly
• 2 cups Coconut milk
• Pinch Salt
• Fresh Coriander leaves or mint for garnish (optional)

 

Method:

For the minced  meatballs,:

•  Combine all meatball ingredients listed. Use only  egg white because otherwise the texture of the mass turns very wet and that amount is more than enough to make it stick together. Mix the whole content to a smooth paste in a blender. Keep aside and let rest for some time.

 For the masala paste:

• Heat the oil in a pan and add in cinnamon,cloves onion and stir fry until soft and translucent.Then add the diced Tomatoes and stir fry for another 2 minutes until soft, then add the red chilli , ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, coriander seeds,pepper and cumin. Stir fry for a minute,cool and grind to smooth paste.

For the main curry:

• Heat oil in a pan add onions and fry for couple of minutes till translucent.
• and then add the ground paste and season with Salt. Mix and let simmer covered for 5-7 minutes. 
•  Now add coconut milk,the Curry will have changed into a gorgeous bright orange. Now form your meatballs by pressing and turning them into round balls and place them into the curry. Let cook for 10 minutes and turn the meatballs in the curry so that they get equally cooked. Cover with a lid and simmer for another 3 minutes before removing the curry from the heat.
• Garnish with freshly chopped Coriander (which I left out this time on the pictures).

Rajasthani Jungli Maas

This time I have a fiery recipe for mutton lovers from"Rajasthan - The Land of Kings" .. Rajasthani food is usually spicy and makes use of loads of ghee .As the name suggests this recipe is  it has a burst of spicy flavors with a blend of aromatic spices. Hope you'll like this .
Jungli Maas is a fiery hot lamb curry cooked with lots n lots of dry red chillies along with some whole spices. Its tasty and smells heavenly. So, without wasting any time lets start with the simple recipe.

Ingredients :

For the marination:

1. 1 Kg mutton
2. 1 cup Yogurt
3. 3-4 tablespoons red chilli paste ( soak and grind about 20 chillies to smooth paste with little water)
4. 1 tablespoon Giger-garlic paste
5. Salt to taste

For the main dish:

1. 2 Bay leaves
2. 3 Black cardamoms
3. 5 Green cardamoms
4. 10 cloves
5. 2 one inch cinnamon sticks
6. 1/2 cup desi ghee
7. 2tsp Cumin powder
8. 2 tablespoons coriander powder
9. 3-4 whole red chillies,broken
10. 4 medium onions sliced
11. 5-6 cloves of garlic crushed
12. 1inch ginger crushed

Cooking method:

• Put mutton pieces in a bowl. Add yogurt, red chilli paste, ginger-garlic and
• salt. Marinate it for almost 2-4 hours.
• Heat ghee in a heavy pan, add all the whole spices.when they change colour add emit that warm flavour add the onions,ginger and garlic chopped and cook slowly till dark brown color.
• Now, put the marinated mutton in the masala that we have just made.Increase the heat to seal. once the marinade begins to dry out.Put crushed red chillies cumin powder,coriander powder and stir it ,let the masala coat all the pieces well.cover pan and cook slowly over low heat for 30-40 minutes.
• Stir it every now and then till it turns a nice dark colour and is almost dry. You may need to sprinkle water now and then during entire cooking process.
• Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves before serving.

Saoji mutton

Nagpur and Vidarbha has its own culinary treats. Nagpur itself has its own specialty cuisine like  “Saoji”. Nagpurians are known for their love for spicy food which is prominently evident in popularity of Saoji Food.  Saoji Mutton is cooked in a delicious gravy of dry coconut and whole garam masalas roasted and ground. The key ingredient in this recipe is " Saoji spice powder",which gives very robust flavour to this dish.

“Saoji spice power/garam masala powder” recipe is consisting of varieties of garam masala which enhance the taste of this mutton curry. This is one of best garam masala powder recipe which has best combination of Indian spices. Additionally dry coconut used while cooking brings extra thickness to mutton gravy. This recipe is also famous  because of its spicy flavor and aroma.The recipe may seem long, but is incredibly easy to make. Just make sure you have all the ingredients ready.This curry  powder can even be made a week in advance and stored in air-tight bottles.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 kg -Mutton,  (Cut that into small pieces of 1 inch with bone)
2. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3. Salt to taste
4. 2tsp Lemon Juice
5.  Saoji Garam Masala powder
6. Brown onion paste*
7. 3 tomatoes ,chopped
8. 2tbsp+2tbsp  Ginger Garlic paste
9. 1tsp byadgi chilli powder
10. 1/2 cup Coriander leaves chopped

Saoji Garam Masala powder*:

1. Oil- 3 tablespoons
2. Dry coconut- 1/2 cup ,grated
3. Black cardamoms- 1
4. Green cardamoms- 10
5. Coriander seeds- 4tsp
6. Shahi jeera- 1teaspoon
7. Cumin-1tsp
8. Cloves- 12
9. Black pepper- 1tsp
10. Cinnamon- 4 pieces of 1 inch each
11. Bay leaves- 2
12. Dry byadgi red chilies-10-12
13. Khuskhus (poppy seeds) 2 tsp
14. Stone flower (Dagad phool)- 2 tsp
15. Mace-1 small
16. Salt- 3tsp

Method for the saoji masala powder*

Heat oil in a shallow/heavy bottomed pan,add all the ingredient.Roast till copra turns to dark golden brown colour. Make sure to roast on very low flame to prevent burning of the spices.

Method of making brown onion paste:

Slice 3 onions and deep fry in oil till it changes to golden brown colour and drain the excess oil from onions and grind to a paste by adding little amount of water.

Method for the main curry:

1. Marinate the pieces of mutton with lemon and turmeric powder for about 3-4 hours
2. Now take pressure cooker add marinated muttton pieces and saute them on high gas till pieces get light brown.
3. Then add paste of ginger garlic and fried onions and mix well with the mutton pieces.
4. Once these pieces gets fried with both the paste add 1/2 of the Saoji masala powder * which is made earlier.
5. Add salt as per taste and 3-4 cups water and mix well and then cover the cooker with a lid.
6. Cook this mutton in pressure cooker till three- four whistles depending on the tenderness .
7. Meantime prepare one more masala paste by adding remaining Saoji masala powder,1/2 of the coriander leaves and tomatoes and grind it to smooth paste.
8. Take a pan add some oil and saute this ground masala paste and add 2tbsp ginger garlic paste and 1tsp chilly powder and saute till oil comes on top.
9. Now add the cooked mutton pieces and bring it boil,check the seasoning and cook for about 10 minutes on medium flame
10. Serve this mutton with bread/ pav or rice bhakri

Meat balls in hot garlic sauce

This hearty dish makes a simple and speedy midweek meal. I made it straight away after seeing it on Television .i think this is one of the best i have ever made!If it was up to me i would like to make this every weekend :)

Ingredients:

1. 300 grams Minced mutton
2. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
3. 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
4. 2tbsp corn flour/maida
5. 2 tablespoons minced fresh coriander
6. 2 garlic cloves, minced
7. 1 tsp soy sauce
8. 2 minced green chillies 
9. 1 teaspoon pepper powder
10. 2 tablespoons olive oil/ veg oil
11. Salt to taste

For the Sauce:

1. 10 garlic cloves, minced
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
3. 2 cups tomato puree
4. 2 to 3 cups water, divided
5. 1 tbsp tomato sauce
6. 1/2 cup minced fresh coriander/cilantro 
7. 1 tablespoon dried basil (optional)
8. 2 tsp chilly powder or Kashimiri red chilly paste
9. 2 teaspoons sugar
10. 1/2 teaspoon salt
11. 1/4 teaspoon pepper

for garnishing :

5-6 cloves of garlic fried

Cooking Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except mutton.Crumble mince mutton over mixture and mix well. Shape into 25 meatballs. In a large skillet, brown meatballs in oil on all sides and drain on a paper.

For the sauce

1. In a pan saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, and red chilly powder or paste ,stir till sauce turns to red in colour. Now add 2 cups water, tomato sauce , coriander, , basil and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; carefully ,add meatballs.
2. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, adding more water if needed to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. 

chefs tip:

1. For additional flavour Garnish with  grated cheese .
2. You can add little cornstarch for the sauce if you want smoother consistency .

 Yield: 6 servings.

Mysore style mutton saru/curry

Dussehra or VijayDashami marks as the Tenth Day (According to the Hindu Lunar Calender) of month Ashwin and Kartik. The first nine days of this month is celebrated as Navaratri and on the tenth day the “Dussehra” is celebrated. Dussehra festival is sign of (Triumph of) Good over Evil.

 Hindu’s observe the 10 Day fast of Navaratri and on 10th day ie On Vijaydashami day, at the culmination of a colourful 10-day celebration, the goddess Chamundeshwari is worshiped and then borne in a grand procession on a Golden Ambari or elephant-mounted throne through the city of Mysore, from the historical Mysore Palace to the Banni Mantapa. Banni is the Kannada word for the Sanskrit Shami, and Mantapa means "Pavilion". On this day in some cummunity Meat is heavily consumed after the sacrifice taken as the gift of god.

"Mamsa Mudde" is a much loved dish of Gowda community in mysore. This mysore style mutton curry is a complete bliss. In kannada, 'mamsa' means meat and mudde means soft cooked ragi balls

Ingredients :

1. 1kg Mutton,cut into medium size pieces
2. 1tsp Turmeric powder
3. 1tsp Red chilly powder
4. 1 Onion,sliced
5. 3 Tomato chopped
6. 2 Cinnamon
7. 5-6 Cloves
8. salt to taste

For the masala paste:

1. 1/2 Coconut,grated
2. 2 tsp Daniya powder
3. 1tsp Jeera powder
4. 6-7 Garlic cloves
5. 1 inch Ginger
6. 2 Cinnamon
7. 6-7 Cloves
8. 7-8 Spicy red chillies/guntur red chillies

For the main dish:

1. 1tbsp Ghee or oil
2. 1 onion,chopped
3. Salt to taste

cooking directions:

• Wash and clean the mutton.
• Pressure cook mutton pieces with turmeric,chilly powder,Sliced onion,chopped tomato,cloves cinnamon and salt.Add 2 cups of water and cook for 20-25 minutes or take 3-4 whistle depending on the tenderness of the meat.
• In the meantime grind masala with coconut,red chilly,cinnamon, cloves,ginger,garlic,coriander powder and jeera powder to smooth paste using 2-3 cups of water.
• Heat Ghee or oil in a big pan,add onion and fry until light brown.Add ground masala and saute for 3-4 minutes.
• Now add the cooked mutton and little salt (as we have added salt while cooking the mutton).The gravay should be medium consistency,if you want more water add about a cup of warm watre, Cover and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
• When done remove from the fire and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or ragi balls/mudde or plain basmati rice.

Kheema -Matar ( minced lamb- peas curry)

Keema- Matar is a aromatic minced lamb dish said to have originated in Persia but extremely popular in the Indian sub-continent. Other meats such as chicken , beef or turkey can also be used in this recipe. Try this delicious version with green peas and i am sure You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make.

Ingredients

1.  1 kg Minced mutton
2. 3 Black Cardamom Pods, crushed
3. 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
4. 6 Cloves
5. 6 Black Peppercorns
6. 2 1/2 Onions, diced
7. 6 cloves Garlic, crushed
8. 1tsp of ginger ,crushed
9. 2 tbsp Oil
10. 4 tsp Coriander Seed powder
11. 2 tsp Cumin Seed,  powder
12. 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
13. 1tbsp Chilli Powder
14. 1-2 tsp Salt
15. 4 Tomatoes, skinned & chopped
16. 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
17. 4 tbsp Yoghurt
18. 2 tsp Garam Masala
19. Handful of chopped Coriander leaves
20. 250 g Fresh or Frozen Peas

Method

• wash and drain the mince.
• Heat oil in a pan.Add minced mutton and the onions and cook until translucent – about 5 minutes.
• Add the cloves, peppercorns, black Cardamom  and whole cumin seeds and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Add garlic and ginger, cook for 30 seconds and add mince, coriander and cumin powder.Stir well for 5 minutes till the raw smell goes off completely and lightly browned. Then Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste and tomatoes. Saute till tomatoes are soft and mushy.
• Add peas and stir well and cover.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Add water as necessary to prevent from drying out.
• Stir in yoghurt and garam masala. Cook for a few minutes until oil comes on top, Stir well to heat through.Once the dish is almost dry and well cooked,take it off the fire 
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with bread or pav (local bread).

Rogan josh..A rich Kashmiri lamb Curry with Nuts

 

For years I have cooked this Kashmiri Rogan josh from my recipe book which i got from my aunty long back. Though it took a good hour and a half to make, it was worth it, because every bit was polished off with relish by whomever it was served to, family or friends. If there ever were leftovers, they did not lasted beyond the next meal. 

 

                 Rogan josh is a gravy dish with moist spices and lot of fat floating around the meat ."Rogan" means oil or fat which comes from the meat itself. Josh means intense heat that goes while cooking this dish. Kashmiri dishes are known for having aromatic and sometimes spicy flavors, and some dishes often contain liberal amounts of oil which contributes to a richer, fuller mouth feel and flavour. Brown cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, hing/asafoetida and saffron are the most commonly used spices in the making of a wide variety of dishes throughout Kashmir. Cumin seeds,coriander powder chilli powder, turmeric and bay leaves are also very popular Garam masala (aromatic spices) is a very popular blend of spices used in many kashmiri dishes. 

 

The original recipe demanded fatty lamb meat but here i have used a leg of a lamb approximately 1 kg 100 grams very tender and less fatty meat,which produces the same and often better results with way less oil and much less effort. I have cooked it three times in the last month each time with different garnishing. First time i used almonds only as mentioned in the recipe and second time i have prepared this only with cashew nuts and the thirrd time i used both cashew and almonds for garnishing,but each time the favour and aroma was just the same.

Cook time: Depending on the tenderness of the lamb
Total time: 60 mins
Ingredients

• 2 Onion( peeled and sliced)
• 10 Green cardamoms ( lightly crushed)
• 5-6 Black cardamoms
• 15 Cloves
• 3 Bay leaves 
• 4 1 inch pieces of cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 tsp Hing /asafoetida
• 1/2 tsp Ginger powder or fresh root ginger 2 inch piece( ground to paste)
• 10 Garlic cloves (ground to paste)
• 1 kg lamb,cut into cubes
• 2 tsp Cumin powder
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder
• 3 tsp Coriander powder
• 2 tsp saunf /fennel powder
• 10-12 Almonds chopped and blanched
• 3 tsp Poppy seeds ( soak in warm water and make paste)
• 2 cups Thick curd ( not very sour)
• 1/2 cup Ghee or oil

Cooking Directions

1. Fry onion in ghee or oil until lightly browned.
2. Stir fry cardamoms,cloves,bayleaf and cinnamon for a minute.
3. Add in ginger powder or fresh ginger paste,garlic paste stir and add meat.
4. Sprinkle on,one at a time,the dry ginger/saunt ( if you are using ginger paste then omit this powder) cumin,chilli,hing,coriander powder and fennel powder.Fry the mixture for about 2 minutes on high flame
5. Add curd and salt,mix it well ,cover and cook for 5-7 mins until dry and oil separates on low flame.
6. Add blanched almonds and poppy seed paste,stir fry for 2 mins and add about 1/2 litre or 3-4 cups,cover and cook for 30-40 mins gently simmering until meat is tender and the mixture is fairly dry.
7. Sprinkle with saffron.Cover again and cook for 5 more mins taking care not to burn the meat.Stir the mixture a few times to mix saffron.

Lucknowi Mutton curry

Lucknow city is famous for its monuments and delicious mughlai cuisine.Food is the soul of lucknow.People from all over the world come  here to enjoy the rich culture and historical monument along with delicious mughlai cuisine like kababs,biryani and dumphukth dishes which seal the aroma of the meat and the whole spices in which they are cooked.

                      Today i am here with famous lucknowi mutton curry which is my all time favourite mutton curry.You can add mutton leg/paya pieces also to this curry to get that thick gravy.

Ingredients:- 

Mutton-1kg

Tomatoes-2

Curd-1/2cup

Onions-5

Cashew nut-10

Poppy seeds-1/2tsp

Ginger-2(1"piece)

Cloves-6-7

Pepper corns-5-6

Red chilly-7-8

Garlic-2 pod

Cinnamon -3  pieces

Coriander leaves-1/2cup(chopped)

Oil-2tbsp

Salt to taste.

Method:-

• Marinate the mutton with curd and salt to taste.
• Roast  whole onion over the direct flame and keep aside.
• Dry roast poppy seeds,chillies,cinnamon,cloves and pepper corns.
• Now grind roasted onion,tomatoes , cashew nut and roasted masalas to a fine paste .
• Grind ginger and garlic to smooth paste and keep aside
•  Now heat the pressure cooker pan  and add oil.In that add ginger-garlic paste and fry for few seconds.
• Now add marinated mutton pieces and fry further 5mins.
• Now add the ground masala  and add 2 cups of water and cover the lid and cook for 20 mins or till done.
• Now open the and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with hot pulka or naan.

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani!

 

Hyderabad is famous for its Dum biryani.One of them is kacche ghost ka biryani which i have tried several times and it really come out well.It is very simple and easy to make.I got this recipe from one of the TV shows in which they clearly mentioned the step by step recipe.So i too started following that exact recipe and we all loved the  end result.
              Normally in other types of biryani precooked meat is used but in hydrabad they cook meat along with rice.That means the mutton cooks  in its own juice  which is also known as kacchey Ghost ka biryani. Mutton is cooked on slow fire in the steam which know as Dum( steam).The procedure of making this  biryani is very interesting.To make it  more simple  i have  clearly mentioned the steps with the pics.So lets start with the ingredients.

1st step

2nd step

                

3rd step

4th step

5th step

6th step

7th step

Ingredients:-

Basmati rice-1/2kg

Mutton-700gm

Onion-4(sliced)

Mint leaves-2 cups

Ginger-2 pieces

Garlic-1 big pod

Cloves-10

Cinnamon-4 big pieces

Cardamom-6-7

Coriander seeds-1tsp

Jeera(cumin)1tsp

Bay leaf-3

Green chillies-10

Chilly powder-1tsp

Curd-1cup

Oil or ghee-1cup

Kesar/saffron -a pinch mixed with a tbsp of milk

                  or 

saffron color-1/4 spoon mixed with a tbsp of milk

Method of marination:-

• First make masala for marination with 1 cup of mint,ginger,garlic,5 cloves,2 cinnamon,3 cardamon, jeera,coriander seeds,6 green chillies and curd.Grind all the ingredients to smooth paste. 
• Now marinate the mutton with this paste along with salt and chilly powder for about 1 hour.

1st step:-Fry onions  in 1/2 cup ghee till golden brown .Just before taking it out.add the chillies and fry along with onions for a few seconds or till raw smell goes.

2nd step:-Boil about 2 litre  water in a  wide  big hundi or sauce pan along with Bay leaf, remaining cloves,cinnamon, cardamom.and salt to taste .when water comes to boil add the washed rice and cook exactly for about 10 mins(if you are using kohinoor charminar basmati) on high flame or till 3/4 done.Now strain the water.

3rd step:-Transfer the cooked rice to a tray or wide plate.Let it cool for a while.


4th step:-Now start making layers for which you need 4 litre thick bottom vessel or the Pressure cooker( i have used pressure cooker) and  a thick lid which exactly fits to that handi/cooker.First put the layer of marinated mutton and then spread some fried onion on top and some chopped mint leaves.The same way finish the layers with the remaining rice.At last sprinkle some safron mixed in milk.


5th step:- Make soft dough using 1 cup of wheat flour.Now seal the handi with this dough as shown in the picture.


6th step:-Now seal the handi with a lid properly make sure it is tightly closed.


7th step:-Now cook it over the low flame for about 45 mins.After 45 mins swithch off the gas and  let it stand for about an hour so that let the rice absorb all the flavours .

                                                                                                                                                                   

Serve hot with salad or special biryani chutney or with mirch ka salan as traditionally served in Hyderabad.