Zaiqa

The last week during my visit to the grocery mart, I had bought a few unripe mangoes and have been dishing out meals using this wonderful ingredient.

Unripe green mangoes ~ Kairi

Do Pyaza is an onion gravy preparation with a souring agent. Various main ingredients are used to prepare different versions of do pyaza. Tomatoes, Lemons, Gooseberries or Unripe green mangoes are the usual souring agents used. One can also prepare a vegetarian do pyaza without adding meat.

Kairi ka Do Pyaza

The acetic flavor of the unripe sour green mangoes in the current recipe adds a delicious kick to the curry which you will definitely savor. The following is my grandmother’s recipe.

Kairi ka Do Pyaza – Lamb meat in a spicy sour gravy

Lamb meat with bones – around 1 kg
Onions – 1, medium sized, roughly diced
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Canola oil – 1 tbsp (optional)
Sour, Raw and Unripe Green mango – 1, small, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup) (do not discard the stone)
Fresh Cilantro and Mint leaves – 1 tbsp

Method:

In a pressure cooker, add everything except the chopped green mango and also pour in about 1/2 cup fresh water and pressure cook until the meat is tender. Once done, add the green mango and mix well. Aldo add the stone and pressure cook for 2-3 minutes. Now open the lid of the cooker and cook stirring frequently until most of the moisture has been evaporated, 5-10 minutes approx. Garnish with herbs before serving. Scrape all the soft flesh and juices from the stone and add to the gravy and discard the stone, check seasonings and serve warm along with Parathas or Tandoori Naan.

This is my contribution to the “The Hyderabadi Bakr-Eid Food Festival-’09” that I am hosting on my blog. The event is on and you can all send me your Bakr-Eid special recipes before December 31, 2009, which is the day after tomorrow. So hurry up and send me your entries! Click on the link or the logo for more details.

Luv,
Mona

Some comfort for this wintry day today with this vivid, tart, sweet and spicy quick mix of fresh fruits. Get creative and use whatever seasonal fruits you can get your hands on and enjoy a yummy fruit chaat, usually prepared for Iftaar during the month of Ramadan.

Fruit Chaat – Fruit Salad
Serves – 2 or 3

Kiwi fruit – 2, peeled, and chopped
Fuji Apple – 1/2, cored and chopped
Clementine – 2, peeled, sectioned and halved
Clementine juice – 1 tsp
Granulated Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – a pinch
Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp

Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Cover with a plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hrs for flavors to blend. Serve chilled.

Which are your favorite fruit combinations for fruit chaat?

Luv,
Mona

An another after-qurbani special meat preparation that my Ammi used to prepare on Eid, which was a hit with us all as well as the guests.

A very simple meat preparation with lamb, onion, and basic flavorings, this dish will definitely become one of your favorites just it is my family’s. Lamb meat is enjoyed more than chicken meat in Hyderabad. Almost every Hyderabadi household has many versions of Talahua Gosht, which is a classic Hyderabadi Lamb preperation. I had also posted a different version here on my blog a few days back, and plan to post few more in the future inshallah.

There is no need to add oil while cooking for this recipe. Lamb with bone has enough fats that release after the meat is pressure cooked which help develop taste. I enjoyed this dish along with Khushka and Tamatar dal today on this cold snowy day.

Tala huwa Gosht~II – Braised Meat in aromatic spices and onion

Ingredients:

Lamb meat(with or without bone, preferably leg with bone) – 500 gms
Onion – 150 gms, roughly chopped
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Roasted Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice – 1-2 tsp (optional)

Method:

In a pressure cooker, add all the above ingredients except coriander powder and lemon juice and pour 1 cup water. Mix well and pressure cook until the meat is tender. Once done, add coriander powder, keep stirring and let it cook uncovered at medium high until there is no moisture left and the masala clings to the meat. Pour in lemon juice and serve warm along with roti or rice.

This simple lamb preparation is my contribution to the “The Hyderabadi Bakr-Eid Food Festival-’09” that I am hosting on my blog. The event is on and you can all send me your Bakr-Eid special recipes before December 31, 2009. Click on the link for more details.

Luv,
Mona

Tamatar Murgh

Today was one such day when I was out of ideas to prepare a chicken curry. Thats when suddenly I recollected the video that I had posted on my blog a while back where Rani Kulsum Begum was dishing out a delicious Tamatar Murgh curry. I tried her recipe today with a few changes of my own here and there and it was one ambrosial yet a simple curry to prepare.

Tamatar Murgh – Chicken simmered in crushed tomato sauce

Ingredients:

تيل/Canola oil – 3 tbsp
ثابت کلونجی/Nigella sativa seeds – 1 tsp
ثابت زیرہ/Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
میتھی دانہ/Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
رائی/Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
ادرَک لہسن مسالہ/Ginger-garlic paste – 3 tbsp
کری پتہ/Curry leaves – 2 sprigs, fresh
زیرہ پاوٴڈر/Dry roasted Cumin seed powder – 1 1/2 tsp
دھنیا پاوٴڈر/Dry roasted Coriander seed powder – 2 tsp
سرخ مرچ پاوٴڈر/Red Chilli powder – 2 1/2 tsp
پساہوا ٹماٹر ٹين والا/Canned Crushed tomatoes – 400 ml
نمک/Salt – 2 tsp
مُرغ/Whole Chicken with bone – skinned and cut into pieces (around 1.5 kg)
گرم مسلہ پوڈر/Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Method:

In a large non-stick saucepan or a saute pan at medium high heat, pour in oil and as soon as it warms up, add the nigella seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. As they begin popping and spluttering, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the curry leaves and fry them along for a few seconds. Add the dry roasted cumin and coriander seed powders as well as the red chilli powder and mix well. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and mix well, let cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Add salt and chicken and mix well. Spread the chicken so that it is in a single layer. Cook uncovered at medium heat for 5 minutes. Then, cover with a lid and let cook for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and well cooked, stirring it gently occasionally. Uncover the lid and cook until the oil is floating on top and the tomato masala is dry and clinging to the chicken, around 8-10 minutes. Add garam masala powder and mix well. Serve warm.

Note: If you like to have a saucy masala instead of a dry clinging masala, do not cook uncovered furthur in the last stages.

Luv,
Mona

Kurkuray Chanay – Crunchy Chickpeas

Curled up in my cozy comforter and browsing through food blogs on this gloomy, rainy and cold autumnal evening, I satisfied my cravings for something crunchy with these very addictive tale huwe chanay along with a cup warm chai.
Pure Bliss!

Kurkure Chanay – Crunchy Chickpeas

Ingredients:

Dried White Chickpeas/Kabuli Chanay – 1 cup, washed and soaked in surplus cool water overnight
Canola oil
Red chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
Amchur powder – 2 pinch (or) MDH Chaat Masala powder – to taste
Salt – to taste
Curry leaves – 8-10, fresh

Method:

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas and transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add 1/2 cup water and a dash of salt and pressure cook until they are soft but not mushy. Boil away the remaining water, or if there is too much water left and the chickpeas are thoroughly done, drain the remaining water and use it while preparing dal. Let the boiled chickpeas cool down for 10-20 minutes. Once cooled, spread them out on a paper towel for about 10 minutes so that they dry up a little bit.
2. Pour Canola oil to deep fry in a kadai. Once hot, add the cooled boiled chickpeas and deep fry for 5-8 minutes at medium high heat until they are golden brown in color and crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon into a wire mesh strainer.
3. Pour 1 tsp Canola oil in a frying pan and add the curry leaves. As they crisp up, remove using a slotted spoon into a platter and crush them using your hands. In the same warm oil, add the red chilli powder and remove the pan from heat. Add the fried chickpeas into the pan, also add the amchur powder and salt. Toss to coat evenly. Serve them as a snack.

Alternatively, if you want to avoid deep frying, after step 1: add 1 tsp canola oil/olive oil and the boiled chickpeas, red chilli powder, salt, amchur power and curry leaves in a mixing bowl and toss well so they thoroughly get coated with the mixture. Now spread these masala coated chickpeas in an aluminium foil lined rimmed baking sheet and bake in 425°F pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes until they are nicely browned, keep a close eye and do not burn them. Once done, cool the baking sheet, crush the toasted curryleaves and enjoy the baked chickpeas.

Luv,
Mona