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).

Shahi Methi-Matar

 

This is a wonderful recipe to impress your guests at a dinner, but that does not mean that you cannot include it in your normal weekend meals.Every region you go has their own interpretation of a popular recipe. Take methi matar malai, for example – depending on where you go, you’ll find several versions, ranging from simple onion or  cashew -based gravy to a rich and exotic Mughlai-style curry made with cashew and cream.

 

 Ingredients

1. 2 cups fresh Green peas
2. 1/2 bunch or 2 cups of fresh fenugreek/ methi leaves washed and drained and chopped finely.
3. 1/4 tsp turmeric (Haldi)
4. 2 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
5. 1 tsp Garam Masala
6. 1tsp white pepper powder
7. 1 tsp cumin seeds
8. 1/2 cup fresh cream (malai)
9. 1tsp sugar
10. 1 cup full fat milk
11. Cooking Oil
12. Salt

For the paste:

1. 10 cashewnuts
2. 1 large or 2 small onions – chopped fine
3. 1″ long piece ginger
4. 4 – 5 cloves garlic
5. 4 green cardamom
6. 4 green chilies
7. 2 tsp poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Mix some salt in chopped Fenugreek leaves and keep them aside for 10 minutes.
2. Boil green peas in 4 cups of water till soft and drain.
3. Take onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic, cashewnuts, poppy seeds and green cardamom, grind them all into a fine paste using little water. Consistency of masala should be fine.
4. After 10 minutes, squeeze the excess water out from fenugreek leaves. This helps to reduce the bitterness of fenugreek.
5. Heat 2tsp of ghee in a pan. Add fenugreek leaves and fry for a few minutes.
6. Keep the cooked fenugreek leaves aside. 
7. Same pan add 2 tbsp oil to it. Add cumin seeds, let it splutter. when cumin seeds gets roasted, add white paste, turmeric (Haldi) and salt, cook for 2 minute.
8. After White Masala gets roasted add garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, sugar, green peas, cooked fenugreek leaves , cream, milk and salt.
9. Mix all the ingredients well and cook them for 6-7minutes.
10. Methi Matar Malai is ready to be served
11. Enjoy this delicious preparation with pooris or rotis.

Spicy Malabar style King fish fry Jo's way!

 

It's one of my favourite fish recipe. This dish was born out of sheer boredom! Actually wanted to make steamed fish using green masala but I couldn't get good banana leaves. Besides I was tired of my usual dishes. Wanted little twist, so decided try this recipe using lots of curry leaves.

An experiment that turned out to be a perfect main course and a winner at many dinners!

 Ingredients:

1. 500 grams King Fish steaks ( About 5-6 )
2. ½ cup coconut or Vegetable Oil for shallow frying

For the Masala*:

 

1. 1-2 sambar onions
2. 10 Kashmiri or Byadagi Chillies
3. 1 teaspoon black pepper corn
4. 1 small marble sized ball of tamarind
5. 15 cloves garlic
6. 2 tablespoon rice flour
7. 1 teaspoon turmeric
8. salt to taste
9. 2 spring curry leaves

For Garnish:

• Juice of a lemon
• Onion Slices
• 2 spring curry leaves

Method:

• Grind all the ingredients listed under masala* to a smooth paste in a blender adding half a cup of water. Make a really smooth paste and set aside.
• Wash and clean the king fish steaks and apply the masala* paste on the fish making sure to rub it well on both the sides well with the hands. Let it marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Heat vegetable oil in a non stick pan until really hot. Add 2 spring curry leaves and wait till it gets crisp. Take it out and drain on a paper towel.
•  When the oil is hot, gently place the fish pieces and fry for 1.5 - 2 minutes on one side. After 1.5 - 2 minutes, carefully flip the fish and cook on the other side for another 1.5 - 2 minutes or  Cook till you get a lovely golden brown color on both the sides.
• Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.Garnish with fried and crushed curry leaves and squeeze some lemon juice on the fish and serve hot with some sliced onions.

Tips:

• Place only a few pieces of fish in the pan at one time so that they are not crowded. Frying too many at one time cools the oil down too much, causing the fish to absorb more oil. Fry consistent size pieces together so they cook evenly. 
•  Fish steaks or fillets should not be thicker than 1 1/2 inches. Slice any pieces over 1 1/2 inches thick into thinner fillets. When frying, cook pieces with similar thickness together so that they cook evenly.
• You can use any fish of your choice.

Nilgiri Style Chicken curry

Nilgiri style Chicken curry is a delicious curry bursting with flavors.It  is cooked in typical south indian style.I got this amazing recipe from FoodFood TV channel  has featured on cook smart. I saved this post in the draft for a rainy day.These kind of foods will help us enjoy the monsoon in the best possible way. ... The chill which the rain brings is best complemented with hot, tangy, spicy curry.

Ingredients

For main dish;

1. 1kg-Chicken on Bone cut into medium sized pieces on bone  

2. 
   

   3-Onions Finely chopped

3. 6 tablespoons-Yogurt 

4. 2 tablespoons-Oil

5.  4-5-Cloves

6. 1 tablespoon-Ginger-garlic paste 

7. 1/4 teaspoon-Turmeric powder 

8. 1 teaspoon-Coriander powder 

9. Salt to taste

10. A few thin strips of red capsicum for garnishing

11. A few thin strips of ginger for garnishing

For paste;

1. Spinach blanched 1 medium bunch

2. 1/2 bunch-Fresh mint leaves roughly chopped

3. 1/2 bunch-Fresh coriander leaves roughly chopped 

4. 10-Green chillies roughly chopped

5.  1 teaspoon-Fennel seeds (saunf)

6. 1 cup-Scraped fresh coconut 

Method :

• For the paste, put spinach, mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies, fennel seeds and coconut with a little water in a mixer jar and grind to a fine paste.

• 
  

  Heat oil in a deep non-stick pan, add cloves and onions and sauté for a minute. Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chicken and salt and mix well. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.

• Add the ground paste and mix well.

• Add yogurt and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

• Transfer into a serving bowl and serve hot garnished with red capsicum(here i have used fresh red chillies) and ginger strips.

Sweet jackfruit dosa/ponsa polo

 

It's jackfruit  season,and I just had to try something different. So thought  of giving  little twist to my favorite dosa. Jackfruit  whether ripe or raw can be used in a myriad of dishes. This dosa is one of them.This is a quick and easy dosa and no need to ferment this batter. An interesting sweet treat, especially for children! these dosas taste very nice when served warm with a dollop of butter.

Ingredients :

1. 2 Cups Dosa rice 
2. 1 cup jaggeey
3. 1 cup de-seeded jackfruit bulbs
4. 1 cup Freshly grated coconut
5. 11/2 tsp salt 
6. Baking soda 1/2 tsp  
7. Ghee for preparing dosa

Metod :

Wash the rice and ,then soak it in water for at least 2 hours.

Grind all ingredients(except the ghee) till you get a fine batter. The batter should  be thick like idli batter.

Heat griddle/ nonstick pan,pour a ladle full  of the batter onto a hot  pan and spread a portion of the batter to get a mini dosa of 75 mm. (3”) in diameter. Drizzle a little more ghee and cover with a lid and cook on medium flame for two or three minutes . Then cook uncovered till you see the tiny little holes on it. flip and cook till it is light brown in colour from both the sides.

 Remove  and serve hot with a dollop of homemade butter .

Healthy Oats-horse gram doddak/dosa

Doddak is a GSB style thick pancake/dosa made with fermented batter usually
made of lentil and rice. I have used the same recipe and made it more healthy by adding oats. Eating a healthy diet is getting more popular these days specially with the rise in obesity. One of the best ways to get fiber into our diet is to eat whole grains.
       Horse gram is a reddish brown legume with many health benefits. it's not only filling, eating horse gram will make you feel fuller for longer. Along with horsegram ,i have also used oats. I use oats at least 3 to 4 times a week for making different foods like dosa, porridge, upma, masala oats and different types of soups . Most of these easy oats recipes are a good alternate to an elaborate meal. 

Ingredients :

1. Horse gram-1 cup
2. Rice(dosa)-2 cups
3. Urad dal-1/4 cup
4. 0ats-3 cups (i've used Quaker Oats)
5. Salt to taste

Method ;

• Wash & Soak urad dal and Horse gram for 5-6 hours in 4-5 cups of water.
• Soak rice separately  for an hour. 
• First grind urad-Horse gram with the 2 cups of water(use the same water in which you have soaked urad and Horse gram ).You can add more water if needed.The batter should be light and fluffy.
• Next in the same jar add soaked rice and Oats  and grind to smooth paste.
• Now mix both the batter and let it stand overnight or at least 7-8 hours for fermenting.
• Next day add salt to taste and adjust the batter with little water if it is too thick.
• Heat a non stick pan or iron griddle. Apply ghee and then pour two ladles of dosa batter in the center. If the batter has fermented well, when the dosa starts to cook, holes will form on the surface, this is what you are looking for that perfect doddak/dosas. Cover it with a lid and let cook till one side is done. Now turn the dosa and cook again till both the sides are golden brown.
• Remove it on a plate and serve hot with chutney of your choice.

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.

Healthy Ekpani/Brahmi/Ondelaga Thambuli

Brahmi leaves are known to rejuvenate the mind, enhance memory, improve concentration, and to directly influence the quality of consciousness.
This "Brahmi Thambuli" is a best way to beat the heat as it is prepared using buttermilk as one of the main ingredient.

 Undoubtedly buttermilk considered as the best summer soother, buttermilk or chaanch or chaas, is a wonder drink that goes beyond quenching your thirst and refreshing you. Being a by-product of the process of churning cream into butter, low calorie, most of the beneficial properties associated with milk are retained in buttermilk too.Buttermilk is a natural probiotic, which means that it provides the “gut friendly” bacteria that aid in digestion. It also helps to reduce frequent heartburn, and regulates the acidity that usually follows a spicy meal.

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup Brahmi leaves
2. 1/4 cup Grated coconut
3. 1 Cup Sour butter milk
4. 3-4 Green chillies
5. 1/2 tsp Jeera
6. 1 inch piece Ginger
7. Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash brahmi leaves under running water and drain well.
• Now grind all the ingredients to smooth paste using little buttermilk at a time.
• Serve chilled along with rice right in the beginning of lunch.
• If you wish to drink this thambuli then dilute it with some more buttermilk and mix it well and serve.