Zaiqa

Indo-Chinese cuisine is every Hyderabadi foodie’s favorite. Infact all Indians love this fusion food. You are bound to come across many small Indo-chinese restaurants and food stalls at every corner in Hyderabad.  

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are an another appetizer items that is predominantly being seen at the menu tables at most of the Hyderabad weddings nowadays. I for one like this finger food immensely and miss those that are served at the Hyderabadi weddings. They are so delectable and have a unique taste.

These spring rolls are my take on them. They are simple to prepare and enjoyed as a snack by all age groups. They can also be served at Iftaar during Ramadhan.

Spring Rolls

Makes-22

Shredded carrots – 3/4 cup
Shredded green cabbage (I used ‘Taiwanese cabbage’) – 1 cup
Shredded cooked boneless Chicken (or) finely diced cooked Shrimp (or) cooked Minced meat/Qimah – 1 cup 
Spring onion stalks – 3
Salt – to taste
Black pepper – 1/4 tsp
Egg wash -1 egg, lightly beaten along with 1 tbsp water
Thawed Spring rolls wrappers – store bought
Canola Oil – to deep fry

Clockwise from top – Taiwanese green cabbage, carrot,
green onions, shredded chicken

Method:

-In a large pan, pour 1/2 cup water, and add the shredded carrots, cabbage, spring onions and chicken/shrimp/qimah. Cover and let cook for 8 minutes. Drain and reserve the water for later use. Put the drained vegetables in a bowl, add salt and black pepper and toss to mix well.

Pictorial tutorial to help you wrap up a Spring roll

-Gently seperate the spring roll wrappers from the pack. Place a wrapper on a flat surface with a ponited edge towards you. Keep the rest of the wrappers under a dampened towel. Place about 2 tbsp of the filling in the lower third of the wrapper. Moisten the edges with egg wash. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling to enclose it and form a cylinder. Fold the right and left sides of the wrapper into the middle. Then roll the wrapper tighty up to the top. Make sure the roll is tightly sealed and the filling completely enclosed from all sides. Arrange them all, seam side down on a platter. Continue making the rolls until the filling is completely used up.
-Deep fry the prepared rolls in hot oil until lightly browned. Serve them once cooled along with your favorite dip.

I am sending these rolls to Sunday Snacks-Grab and go event and Meals on Wheels event.  

Luv,
Mona

Potato ‘Cutlets’ or ‘Tikki’ are one of the best Indian snacks for a gathering of hungry foodies at a party or as a comfort food during winters. They also fulfil as a good side dish along with a patla salan/thin gravy curry and chawal/rice for a delicious meal.

Qimah Bhare Aloo ke Cutlets

You can prepare plain seasoned mashed potato cutlets or stuff the potato cutlets with little leftover dry Qimah/Minced meat for some delicious eats. I enjoy them along with chutneys, Tomato chutney and Kothmir-Pudina wali Chutney or Coriander-Mint Chutney. My personal favorite chutney along with these cutlets is Kothmir-Pudina wali Chutney. They can also be served at Iftaar during Ramadhan

Potato Cutlets/Tikki/Cakes

Ingredients:

White potatoes – 4, large
Black pepper – to taste
Cilantro – 2, tbsp, finely chopped
Wheat flour – 3 tbsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

Wash the potatoes and boil them with their skin on until they are fork tender. Drain, peel and mash them with coarsely using a fork while they are still hot. Once they are cool enough to handle but still warm, add black pepper powder and salt to taste and mix well.
Shape them into patties, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch in thickness. Dip them in the flour on both sides. Remove excess flour and shallow fry them in oil, just before serving, at medium high in a large non-stick frying pan in batches. Let cook until the first side until it is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, then gently flip them using a rubber spatula and cook the other side for more 3 minutes. Remove them on a tray. Wipe the pan with paper towels, and add a little more oil. Repeat until all the potato mixture is finished. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and keep them warm in an oven at 200°F until all are done.

Qimah Bhare Aloo Cutlets – Potato Cutlets/Cakes stuffed with Minced meat

Ingredients:

(You can use any left over dry minced meat curry, or prepare some minced meat from scratch. To prepare minced meat, follow this or this recipe, or the recipe that follows below-)

For Stuffing:

Minced meat – 200 gms
Onion – 1 small, finely sliced
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – t taste
Salt – to taste
Tomato puree – 2 tbsp
Canola oil – 2 tbsp
Mint leaves – 2 tsp, finely chopped

For Potato Cutlets/Cakes/Tikkis:

White potatoes – 4, large
Black pepper – to taste
Cilantro – 2, tbsp, finely chopped
Wheat flour (Durum Atta) – 3 tbsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

For the stuffing, gently sauté the onion in the oil until golden brown in color. Add ginger garlic paste and the remaining spices. Add meat, stirring to break up all lumps as the meat cooks and mix it all thoroughly. When all traces of pink have disappeared, add tomato puree and let cook for 4 minutes or until dry and there are no traces of water. Stir in the finely chopped mint leaves, check the seasonings and let cool completely.
Wash the potatoes and boil them with their skin on until they are fork tender. Drain, peel and mash them with coarsely using a fork while they are still hot. Once they are cool enough to handle, add black pepper powder and salt to taste and mix well.
Next shape the potato mixture into small golf balls and make a well in the center. Put about a teaspoon of the filling into the well and gently enclose it inside the potato mixture. Neaten the shape of the cake and patch up any cracks and gaps taking care that the filling nicely enclosed inside. Flatten it slightly between your palms.
Dip them in the flour on both sides. Remove excess flour and shallow fry them in oil at medium high in a large non-stick frying pan in batches. Let cook until the first side until it is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, then gently flip them using a rubber spatula and cook the other side for more 3 minutes. Remove them on a tray. Wipe the pan with paper towels, and add a little more oil. Repeat until all the potato mixture is finished. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and keep them warm in an oven at 200°F until all are done.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy them as a snack along with Tomato chutney and Kothmir-Pudina wali Chutney or Coriander and Mint Chutney, or serve them as a side dish along with a curry and Pulao or your choice.

Luv,
Mona

I love the aroma of spices. Spices are so essential in my cooking, I could never imagine my pantry to be devoid of any spices.

Qimah Dum

One such dish that fills my house with a delectable aroma of infused spices is Qimah Dum. The main ingredient in this dish is Kababchini (also called as Jungli Laung) or Dried Cubeb berries. Minced meat is cooked by the method of Dum Pukth.

Dum pukht is the Hyderabadi method of cooking by locking up steam. Earlier, the aluminium or brass cooking pots or vessels called as deg/degchi/lagan with the foodstuff inside were sealed with atta dough around the lid so that no steam could escape and the moisture stays in. The pot was then allowed to sit on blazing coals to slow cook. A few of the burning coals were also placed on the lid to evenly distribute the heat from both top and bottom. The food inside cooked on dum subsumes all the flavors and aroma in the tightly sealed pot/deg. A modern conventional oven fulfils this need for us.

I prepare two varieties of Qimah Dum, altering a few flavors here and there to create new tastes. This particular version is one of my favorites.

Val at More Than Burnt Toast, Giz at Equal Opportunity Kitchen and  Ivy at Kopiaste…to Greek Hospitalilty together have created the Blogger Aid, a network of bloggers working together for a cause, to help alleviate world hunger. Their latest project is a cookbook, contributed by foodies. The cookbook is targeted for sale on Amazon by December 2009 with 100% of the profit from the sales going to the World Food Programme. Tomorrow is the last date to submit your recipe as a contribution to this cookbook. So please do send in your original recipes if you wish to contribute.

My recipe for Qimah Dum is a contribution to this cookbook – ‘Blogger Aid Cookbook’. To go through the recipe for Qimah Dum, you have to purchase the cookbook once it is out for sales.

Update: The cookbook has been published and it can be bought here. So do purchase the book, and spread the word.

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

Mirchiyon ke bhajiye, or stuffed deep fried chillies in a thick chickpea flour batter is a very common sight as a snack item loved my almost all Indians. Its one among the top rated street foods dear to every Bharatiya.

Mirch Bhajiye – Stuffed Deep fried Green Chillies

In this cold and chilly weather, I had prepared these as a snack. Actually I was missing Hyderabad so much and felt very nostalgic. It was necessary for me to have Mirch Bhajiye atleast once weekly, or even better more than that when I used to live in Hyderabad. My Ammi used to prepare them for us all, or we used to get them from the Chaat-Walas while shopping at Abids along with the delicious array of chutneys they offer.

Slit Serrano chillies

I use serrano chillies for preparing these bhajiye, you can however use any kind of long fat and straight green chillies that you like.

Mirch Bhajiye – Stuffed Deep fried Green Chillies

Ingredients:

Serrano chillies – 12, straight
Oil for deep frying

Roasted coconut paste – 1/2 tsp
Roasted groundnut paste – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Sesame seed paste – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Coriander seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Tamarind concentrate – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste

For the batter:

Besan Batter

Chickpea flour/Besan – 300 gms
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Water

Method:

• Wash and pat dry the chillies. Slit them with the tip of a knife and carefully remove the seeds from inside. (Be careful with your hands while you do this. Do not rub you eyes with your hands while doing this or else they will burn. When all the chillies are done, wash your hands well in warm soapy water)

• In a mortar and pestle, add all the ingredients for the stuffing and make a paste. Stuff the chillies with the prepared stuffing and keep aside.
• In a seperate bowl, add the flour and spices and mix well with a fork. Add water, just a little at a time, to make a thick and smooth batter. (Make sure the batter is not thin)
• Heat a Kadai or Wok at medium heat. Gently dip the stuffed chillies in the batter to cover them completely and slowly drp them into the hot oil. Deep dry until golden brown in color. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy this snack along with any chutney of your wish.

Wishing every Indian a very Happy Republic Day. Mera Bharat Mahaan!

Luv,
Mona