Tags:
Journalism of Courage
MUTTON STEW
As a hardcore Dilliwala, for me hospitality is a matter of faith. I am not a foodie myself, but I love to cook for my friends and family. Cooking is also a kind of stress-buster for me.
Earlier, this dish used to be called Khade Masale ka Korma, but over the years Muslims have started calling it stew. It is a traditional Mughlai dish, good in winters because it contains a lot of herbs and whole spices, which have warming properties and provide a lovely aroma. It is a very simple dish without much gravy and cooks very fast, but we don’t have it too often because it’s slightly rich. On Bakra Id, we have it with roomali roti or khamiri roti. I am very particular about mutton cuts, so I go for put (from the backbone) and chops.
Ingredients
1/2 kg mutton
1 small cup curd
200 gm tomatoes
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
3 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds
1 tsp garlic paste
4-6 cloves
8-10 peppercorns
4-6 1-inch-long cardamoms
6-8 whole red chillies
salt to taste
200 gm onion sliced into quarters
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
a quarter cup refined oil
Method
Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, add the garlic paste and saute the mutton for five minutes. Add all the other ingredients, and coat the meat well with the spices. Cook under pressure for 20 minutes. (In the old days, we used to cook the dish on a low flame, which takes ages.) Then take off the lid and stir well. The dish is done when the oil rises to the top.
Serves 4-6
TURNIP PICKLE
One of my favourites for the winter is an easy to make turnip pickle, which goes very well with matar pulao. Turnips are very good for the eyes and, as a seasonal vegetable, a must-have. Since it can be stored upto six months, the quantity of ingredients is up to you.
Ingredients
Turnips
garlic paste
red chilli powder
salt
mustard seeds (rai)
Method
Slice turnips into quarter-inch rounds. Bring them to boil and then drain the water. Spread on a tray and smear the turnips well with garlic paste, red chilli powder and mustard seeds. Let it sun for a day or two. Then boil two jugs of water, add to the turnips in glass jars and sun a couple of days more. And enjoy!
TURNIP BHUJIA
A turnip bhujia would make your meal complete.
Ingredients
1 kg turnip
red chilli powder
chopped garlic, salt
green chillies
cumin seeds
pinch of haldi
coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Peel the turnips, boil them and mash well. Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients according to taste and saute for a minute. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Your turnip bhujia is ready to serve.
Serves 6
