Zaiqa

This is one my family’s most loved dishes. Kofte ka Qorma is a tasteful dish in which the melt in mouth shallow-fried kofte/meatballs prepared from Shaami meat mixture are simmered in qorma, a spicy and fragrant yogurt masala gravy.

Kofte ka Qorma – Melt-in-mouth meatballs in a spicy fragrant sauce

There are usually two kinds of kofte/meatballs prepared. One type is that which is prepare from raw meat called as Kacche gosht ke kofte, in which raw meat marinated in spices and herbs are shaped into meatballs and later cooked to perfection in gravy; the other is the one which I am writing about today, when precooked delicate meatballs are simmered in gravy just before serving.

I prepare and store Shaami meat mixture in large amounts in zip lock sandwich bags and it lasts easily for around 3 months, but you store it for about an year frozen. I had earlier posted the method to prepare the shaami meat mixture here.

Round and small walnut size balls are prepared out of the cooked shaami meat mixture and shallow fried on all sides in a little oil. These are then left to simmer in the gravy. Be sure to add the meatballs just before you plan to serve them. If kept in the gravy to cook for a longer time before you serve, they may turn very soft and mushy as they already are delicate and velvety when shallow fried.

Kofte ka Qorma – Melt-in-mouth meatballs in a spicy fragrant sauce

For the Kofte:

Ingredients:

Makes 22 Kofte

Shaami meat mixture – 280 gms (the procedure to prepare Shaami meat mixture is given here)
Canola oil – to shallow fry

Right-Shallow fried Meat balls Left-Meatballs made from shaami meat
Behind – shaami meat in a zip lock sandwich bag

Method:
1. Take a small amount of the shaami meat and roll small walnut size balls out of it, gently between your palms. Continue until the entire mixture is finished. Arrange them all on a tray.
2. Shallow fry them in small batches in a small frying pan using a little amount of Canola oil until browned on all sides.

For Qorma (the masala gravy):

Ingredients:

Canola oil – 5 tbsp
Onions – 4, finely sliced
Yogurt – 400 ml, lightly whipped
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 1/2 tsp
Roasted Groundnut paste – 2 tbsp
Roasted Coconut paste/Coconut cream – 2 tbsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Chopped cilantro – 2 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp (optional)

Method:
1. Take a heavy bottomed non stick frying pan on medium heat and throw in the thickly sliced onion rings with no oil. Give them a stir and cover with a lid. Open the lid, and stir them again, add a few splaches of water and cover the lid again. Continue doing this until the onions are are caramelized and cooked. Transfer them into a blender container. Add the yogurt, roasted groundnut paste and roasted coconut paste/coconut cream and blend till it is a smooth puree.
2. Pour oil into the same pan, and add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute and add the pureed paste. Throw in red chilli powder, salt and turmeric and mix well. Cover and let cook for around 15-30 minutes on low heat until oil separates and floats on top while stirring occasionally in between. Add garam masala, chopped cilantro and pour in a about 1 1/2 glass of water and mix well (you can add more water if you prefer a thin consistency.) Half-Cover and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Pour lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve immediately along with Naan or parathas or along with a Pulao or plain rice.

For the final curry preperation:

1. Just when you want to serve the curry, gently drop the shallow fried Kofte into the Qorma and bring to a boil. Simmer and let cook for 3 minutes.
2. Serve warm with Roti.

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I would like to ask the readers of my blog before I sign off for today ..
a) Are there any magazines, published in Hyderabad, showcasing local Hyderabadi food and recipes in English, Hindi or Urdu languages? If yes, please let me know which ones are your favorite?
b) Or in a larger picture, any good food and recipe magazines about authentic Indian food published in India?

My current favorite food magazine is ‘Everyday Food’ by Martha. Just loving it! It is not about Indian food though.

Luv,
Mona

Fresh seafood always has the best taste. And lightly seasoned grilled fresh along with a light salad for a meal is just perfect.

Grilled Salmon Steaks

I tasted Salmon for the first time in Canada, and since then I have developed a great liking for this fish. I get a few fresh Salmon steaks, pep it with a few spices for flavor, then grill it, and there you go, healthy sea-food for your family. Pacific Pink Salmon is my favorite. Enjoy it with fresh crunchy salad on the side or savor it along with rice and a vegetable curry for a hearty meal.

Fresh Salmon Steaks ready to be marinated

Salmon fish has a unique taste, different from all other fishes. It is my favorite fish that I love to eat very often. It has a pink flesh due to pigments and is rich in proteins, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D, vitB3 and vitB12. Lipid lowering fats like the EPA and DHA present in this cold-water oily fish can help protect from cardiovascular diseases by lowering cholesterol if regularly included in diets. Always go for the fresh or frozen, locally caught, wild salmon or any other fish from the markets, as they are the sustainable and safe option compared to the farm raised kinds, because the farm raised Salmon or any other fish for that matter are said to be fed with industrial chemicals and synthetic pigments.

Grilled Salmon Steaks

Ingredients:

Salmon Steaks – 4
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Canola oil – 1 tsp

Marinated Salmon Steaks

Method:

1. In a small bowl, make a paste of red chilli powder, salt, lemon juice and ginger garlic paste. Rub this paste on the salmon steaks and let marinate for about 15 minutes at room temperature.
2. Heat your stove top grill pan on medium high. Sprinkle a few drops of water on it, if the water sizzles, the pan is ready.
3. Brush the grill pan with oil using a silicone brush so that the fish doesn’t stick. Gently place the salmon steaks on the grill pan and let cook 8 minutes per side or until flaky.
Note: Discard the skin after cooking, do not consume it, as it quite fatty and hence unhealthy. I usually cook the fish for 8 minutes per inch of thickness.

You could even grill them on your charcoal grill for a smoky flavor, or using the gas grill, or in the broiler, the same way.

I was reading an article in a magazine and it listed a few fish that are good in nutrition as well as good for the ocean:

Anchovies
Atlantic Mackerel
Farmed Rainbow Trout
Farmed Oysters
Alaskan or Canadian Sablefish
Wild Alaskan Salmon
Arctic Char
Yellowfish Tuna
Sardines
U.S. farmed Shrimp

Luv,
Mona

Baking during the winter season gives a lot of pleasure to me. It provides the warmth needed and enlivens the arid spirit inside us during these dull and cloudy days. I thank my god that I have a conventional oven that I love to use during these icy days.

Carved Roasted Chicken
served along with Roasted Veggies and Lemon slices

Roasting a whole chicken is not as laborious and redoubtable is it is considered to be. I love to roast whole chickens. Roasted chicken is perfect for a party dinner and comforting in the cold weather. Roasted red potatoes and carrots also bring seasonal color and nutrition to the dish.

Tip: To remove the skin of the chicken, use paper towels. Hold the chicken skin with a paper towel and pull it. This way your hand wont get slippery and the task is a piece of cake.

Sabut Zafrani Murgh – Saffron infused Whole chicken

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

For Brine:

2.5 litre fresh water
Salt – 3 tbsp
Sugar – 2 tbsp
Garlic pods – 2, crushed
Bay leaves -2

For Chicken

1 medium whole roasting chicken, skinned/Sabut Murgh (Preferably Fresh)
Black Pepper powder/Kali mirch, used liberally
Sea Salt/Namak, used liberally
Ghee/Butter – 3 tbsp (you can subsbitute it with Canola oil)
1/4 tsp Saffron/Zafraan, pounded
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic/Adrak-Lahsun paste
1/2 tsp Dried thyme
1/2 tsp Dried rosemary
1 large Egg/Anda, hard boiled and peeled
1 large Lemon/Nimbu, cut into two halves (one half used as stuffing and the other half juiced to season the chicken)

For Vegetables

5 Red Potatoes, quartered/Aloo
1 cup baby Carrots/Gajar (you can even use large carrots, peel  and cut them into pieces)
Black Pepper powder/Kali mirch, used liberally
Salt/Namak, used liberally
Ghee/Butter – 3 tbsp (you can subsbitute it with Canola oil)
Dried thyme
Dried rosemary

Method:

-Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken and discard or freeze for future use.
In a large pot pour 2.5 litres of cold water. Add the remaining ingredients for brine and let the water boil once. Remove from heat and let it cool down completely. Once cooled, place the chicken in the brine, breast side down. Cover and refrigerate overnight if possible or atleast for 2 hours.
-With the rack in the middle position, preheat an oven to 450°F.
-Remove the chicken from the brine. Wash with cool water and pat dry throughly both inside and out with paper towels.
-Pound the saffron with ginger-garlic paste, ghee/butter, lemon juice, salt, black pepper powder, rosemary and thyme in a mortar and pestle until well combined and keep aside.
-Rub the chicken inside and out with the prepared saffron+spices paste and place the boiled egg, a halve of the lemon in the cavity of the chicken.
-Truss the bird. This means binding the legs and wings close to the body of the bird so that the meat is protected during cooking and the finished shape of the roasted bird is pleasing.
-Combine carrots and potatoes in a large oval ceramic baking dish with a rack. Spread into one layer in bottom above the rack. Douse them with ghee/butter and liberally sprinkle with black pepper powder and salt. Carefully place the stuffed chicken, breast side up, on the bed of seasoned vegetables.
-Roast the chicken at 450°F for the first 20 minutes and then lower the oven to 350°F for another 45 minutes or until juices run clear when pricked with knife, and thermometer insterted at thickest part of thigh next to body registers 180°F. Keep basting the chicken with ghee/butter and with the juices collecting below the rack in the baking dish and turn the chicken for even cooking every 20 minutes.
-Once done, remove the chicken from the oven and place in a warm place, loosely covered with aluminium foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the trussing thread and carve to serve.

I have recently updated a new theme for my blog. Hope you all like it like I do.

Luv,
Mona

Finally the snow seems to be melting away and I can hear water running down on the streets into the drains through everywhere. It wont be long when the piles and piles of snow will slowly flow away and evaporate, and I am so looking forward to it all inshallah.

Frozen Moment #5 – Spring’s not very far from now

The weather was in single digits yesterday, after a long long time. I was very delighted to take a walk, and feel the cool but bearable winds. During the days, sunlight streaming in through windows when the sky is clear and not cloudy gives me utmost pleasure and awaken my dull and boring days.

Today I prepared Khatta shorba, one of the easiest, light and delicious Hyderabadi curry that I enjoy along with Khadi dal and Chawal for a filling dinner or lunch.

Aloo-Gosht ka Ka Khatta Shorba – Aromatic Soured Meat Stew

Khatta Salan means ‘tangy curry’. Sometimes the curry is also referred to as Khatta shorba means ‘tangy stew’. The sourness from the tomatoes and tamarind, a slight heat from red chilli powder and the subtle sweetness from onions along with the roasted spices impart an aromatic and delectable flavor to this tomato stew. This same tomato base or shorba is used in many other versions of the khatta shorba, which are Karele ka Khatta Shorba, Bhendi Ka khatta shorba, Arvi-Gosht ka khatta shorba etc.

Aloo-Gosht ka Khatta Salan – Meat & Potato in Aromatic tangy Tomato Stew

Ingredients:

Lamb shouldermeat with bones – 600 gms, washed and cut into bite size pieces
Yellow Onion – 3, large, finely sliced
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – 2 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs, fresh
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Coriander seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes – 5, large red and ripe, finely chopped
Potatoes – 3, medium sized, quartered
Tamarind juice/Lemon or Lime juice – 3 tbsp
Canola oil – 5 tbsp

Method:

• In a large pressure cooker at medium high heat, add oil, and as soon as it warms up add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder and meat bones. Let cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add tomatoes and cook along until it starts leaving oil. Pour in water to cover and pressure cook until the meat is cooked.
• Add the quartered potatoes and tamarind/lemon/lime juice and around 2-4 cups of water to the meat stew and let it cook  half covered for a further 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and serve.

Suggested Accompaniments: Chawal and Khadi dal.

Note: You can replace potatoes with peeled and quartered turnips to make it ‘Shalgam aur Gosht Ka Khatta Salan’ – Turnip and Lamb meat in a Tangy Sauce.

Luv,
Mona

Earlier, traditional dishes like Luqmi-Kawab, Mirchi Ka Salan, Kacche Gosht ki Biryani and desserts/meetha like Double ka Meetha and Gajar ka Halwa were a sure sight at any Hyderabadi wedding on the dinner tables. With passing time and generations, this has changed. A modern take on several authentic dishes and innovative techniques to present them is todays mantra. Among them, ‘Apollo fish’ is a seafood manchurian type of dish that is getting very popular nowadays, which more and more Bawarchis are prefering to include in the menus, and quite liked by common masses.

Apollo fish (or) Fish Manchurian

The below recipe is my imitation of ‘Apollo Fish’. I do not know why is it called particularly as ‘Apollo’ fish, but I sure am among those ardent lovers of this Hyderabadi seafood dish. Your friends will definitely enjoy this very light and tangy platter of fish.

Apollo fish (or) Fish Manchurian

Ingredients:

Any firm boneless fish fillets – 500 gms, cubed into bite size pieces (you can even use frozen fish fillets)
For Batter:
Gram flour/Besan – 2 tbsp
All Purpose flour/Maida – 1 tbsp
Corn Flour – 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Roasted Coriander powder – 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Water – to make batter
Egg – 1, large
For Baghaar:
Canola Oil
Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Fresh Curry leaves – about 20
Green, Yellow, Orange and Red bell peppers – 1/2 cup, cut into strips
Soya Sauce – 3 tbsp
Lemon juice – 3 tbsp
Mint and Cilantro leaves – 2 tbsp each, finely chopped, for garnish

Method:

1. In a bowl add the ingredients for batter and mix them well to make a batter. Add the fish cubes and gently mix with a spoon so that each piece gets completely covered with the batter.
2. Add a little bit of oil to a large non-stick frying pan at medium low heat and as soon as it gets warm, add the fish cubes in a single layer. Shallow fry them till they are golden brown on each side. Repeat until all the fish cibes are done. Remove in a platter and keep aside.
3. In the same frying pan, add a few drops  of oil and throw in the ginger garlic paste. Stir fry it till it is golden brown. Add the curry leaves and peppers. Saute it for 2 minutes. Pour in the soya sauce and add the fried fish cubes. With a rubber spatula, gently mix them all. Cover the lid and let cook for 2-4 minutes.
4. Add lemon juice and serve warm immediately.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy the manchurian along with roti, rice or as a snack.

Cheers,
Mona