Zaiqa

My love for Kulfa ki bhaji is beyond words. I adore the earthy taste of this succulent green leafy vegetable that is also a weed and rich in omega-3-fats and vitamins. It has thick and spongy leaves, and reddish stems, both of which are edible.

Names of this green leafy vegetable in other languages:

Portulaca Oleracea L. (Purtulacaceae)
English: Purslane, Garden purslane, Pigweed, Hogweed
Hindi: Khulpha, Khursa,
Bengali: Lunia, Bara Lunia
Maharashtrian: Ghol
Tamil: Pachiri
Gujarati: Luni bhaji
Telugu: Gangapaayala, Peddapaayala, Payala kura, Peddapaavila aaku koora, Goli Kura
Kannada: Doddagoni Soppu
Arabic: Ba’le, Bakli, Farfhin, Arnuba, Bighal, Barabra (Maghrib), Rijl, Rujila, Al-hamqa, Al-baqla, Badalqa, Kharqa
Armenian: Perper
Urdu: Kulfa ki bhaji
Greek: Glystiritha, Andrakln
Italian: Portulaca, Porcellana, Perchjazza (Bari, Apulia)
Spanish: Verdolaga
French: Pourpier potager
Turkish: Semizotu, Temizlik (Aksaray Province)

source: Wikipedia Commons

I was in Saudi Arabia the last month to visit the two holy mosques of Makkah and Madinah alhamdulillah, which must explain my absense from the blogosphere. To my surprise,I discovered Jeddah has become a mini version of Hyderabad. There are meat markets there that sell fresh Lamb meat from Hyderabad, lambs are I suppose shipped from Hyderabad/India/Pakistan and then slaughtered in Jeddah. And many restaurants that specialize in Hyderabadi food. I was amazed but equally happy. Also the fruit and vegetable market of Jeddah also called as the Halaqa is the biggest I have ever seen with so much variety of fresh produce that Jeddah is a foodies paradise for sure. (Susie’s Jeddah Vegetable and Fruit Market Album)

source: Wikipedia Commons

At the Halaqa there, I bought and alhamdulillah enjoyed many fresh fruits and vegetables which are otherwise not that easily available here in Toronto. The following is my mother in laws recipe. Succulent purslane leaves are cooked along with meat and the resulting dish is simply superb.

Kulfa Gosht – Chunks of Lamb in a succulent and spicy Purslane leaves mash

Ingredients:

Canola oil – 3 tbsp
Onion – 2, small, sliced
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Tomato – 2, small, diced
Red chilli powder – 2 1/2 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Lamb meat with bone – 650 gms
Green chillies – 4-6, chopped
Kulfa ki bhaji/Purslane plants – 4 big bunches

Kulfa Gosht – Chunks of Lamb in a succulent and spicy Purslane leaves mash

Method:

1. Chop off and discard the roots, tough stem ends and any yellow flowers of the purslane plant. Use the tender stalks as well as the leaves and chop them roughly.
2. In a pressure cooker at medium high heat, pour oil as soon as it warms up and add the sliced onion and fry until lightly browned. Add ginger garlic paste and fry along for a minute. Add red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and diced tomatoes. Mix well. Add the meat and green chillies and stir to mix. Let cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add water to cover the meat and also add the chopped purslane leaves. Cover with the lid and pressure cook until the meat is tender. Uncover and let it cook for a while. Serve along with warm parathas.

Luv,
Mona

The weather seems to be slowly turning into spring. It will still be a month atleast until I can see sprouts of new life budding on trees. Uptil then, it is nice to see layers of snow gradually melting away revealing the ground which has been covered up since long.

Changing weather means illnesses and I fell prey to it as well. I was down with flu a few days back and I am slowly recovering now. I was craving for something spicy as well as nourishing and comforting. My Ammi’s Murgh Kali Mirch was what I prepared and enjoyed along with warm Naan.

The chicken in allowed to slow cook on low heat in its own juices in a spicy black pepper, tomato and fried onion sauce until it is so soft, the meat falls off the bone. There is no need to add water during the entire process. A heavy bottomed saucepan will be perfect for this preparation.

Murgh Kali Mirch – Chicken Slow Cooked in Black Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

Chicken – 1, whole, skinned, washed and cut into pieces
Canola oil – 3 tbsp
Onion – 2, medium sized, diced
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Green chillies – 2, small, finely chopped
Curry leaves – 3 sprigs
Red Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Tomato – 1, large, chopped
Fresh black pepper powder – 1 1/4 tsp
Cilantro – 3 tbsp, chopped, for garnish

Method:

In a large saucepan or a dutch oven at medium high heat pour oil and as soon as it warms up add the diced onions. Stir fry the onions until they are golden brown in color. Simmer and add ginger garlic paste, green chillies and curry leaves. In a minute add red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder. Mix and add the chopped tomatoes. Cover with a  lid and let it cook until the tomatoes are soft. There is no need to add any water. Once the tomatoes are soft add the chicken pieces and and mix well. Cover with the lid and let it cook for 15 minutes. The chicken will slow cook in its own juices, again there is no need to add any water. Open the lid and add the fresh black pepper powder. Mix well. Cover again and let it cook for 30 minutes. Give it a stir once in between. Let it cook until the chicken has released a lot of juices and the meat falls off the bone. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve along with Naan or Rice.

Luv,
Mona

The first time I had tasted this fish head curry was at my aunts house. She had prepared this curry along with rice and other accompaniments and served it at lunch. I was staying at her house for my studies during that time. Fish head curry sounded very gross to me and I was initially hesitant to even taste it. But my aunt was truly enjoying it and looking at her enjoy, I was eventually tempted. I tried and it was very good. Since then I am a fan. Hubby dear on the other side is not a big fan of fish in any form, so fish makes a rare appearance on our table. Whenever I fancy fish, I ask the fish monger at stores in Toronto that sell live fish, to give me a whole tiny little cleaned fish along with its head. I fry/grill or a make a saalan with the steaks, and a separate curry using the head. Enough for me.

Machli kay Sir ka Saalan – Fish Head Curry

One of the easiest curry preparations using fish, and full of nutrition. You will definitely enjoy it. My mother and aunt make this curry using the head of a Rohu fish, which is the most commonly eaten and most delicious fish ever that is available in South India, however you can use any fish head. I have prepared this curry using Salmon fish head and Rainbow Trout fish head. You can even use King fish head or Snapper head, etc.  If you are making this curry for more than one person, please go ahead and buy 2-3 fish heads, and increase the amounts of other ingredients accordingly. Just let go of your inhibitions and do try this curry atleast once.

Machli kay Sir ka Saalan – Fish Head Curry

Ingredients:

1 Fish Head – cleaned (I discard the eyes and skin)
Onion – 1 medium sized, finely diced
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Canola oil – 2 tsp

Method:

In a pressure cooker at medium heat, add the finely diced onion, oil, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder. Pour in about a cup of water. Mix well. Close the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes until the onion is very soft. Remove the lid and cook while stirring occasionally until most of the water dries up and it resembles a paste and oils starts to leave. Add the cleaned fish heads and a few drops of water. Stir to mix, then cover with a lid and lower the heat to simmer. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook for a further 2-5 minutes. Add chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Winner:

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for Olivado Oils. And we have a winner. To choose the winner, I usedRandom.org’s Integer Generator to choose a number, and the lucky winner is ikkinlala. Congratulations. Please contact me for further details.

Luv,
Mona

It has been snowing very hard here in Toronto since a few days. Everyday I get up, and draw the curtains only to see thick layers of snow on roofs, ground and everywhere. Even now it is still snowing.

source

Magical, amazing wonder, but still a pain as it needs shoveling everyday, makes walking and driving on the slippery roads difficult and dangerous, and the unbearable chilly winds. I am wishing that the sun comes out as soon as possible and I get to see color everywhere soon inshallah. In the meantime, keep warm everyone.

Capellini pasta rolls

I love to prepare khare seviyan, or sometimes a simple tomato and leftover chicken + oats soup for breakfasts as a change to the very usual parathas, idli, egg sandwiches or cereals. As the name suggests khare seviyan are savory thin vermicelli noodles cooked in a tomato based sauce. Easy to prepare, simple yet filling. You can prepare it totally vegetarian or add leftover prepared qimah or shredded chicken or lamb meat or even paneer if you wish. Other than enjoying it as a quick breakfast, I also sometimes prepare it as a snack or even as a packed lunch.

Khare Seviyan – Savory Breakfast Noodles
Serves – 5

Ingredients:

Canola oil – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Nigella seeds – 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Green chillies – 4, finely chopped
Bell Pepper – 1, cut into thin strips (I used green bell pepper)
Tomatoes – 4, large, red and ripe, finely chopped
Leftover qimah or shredded chicken or lamb meat or paneer – 1 cup (optional)
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Water – 4 cups
Capellini pasta rolls – around 300 gms, broken into small pieces (or any semolina vermicelli noodles)

Khare Seviyan – Savory Breakfast Noodles

Method:

In a large pan at medium high heat, pour oil and as soon as it warms up add mustard seeds and nigella seeds. As the begin to crackle, add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add green chillies, turmeric powder and bell pepper. Fry them for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, leftover qimah or shredded chicken or lamb meat or paneer, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well and let cook covered until the tomatoes are soft. Add water and cover. Let it come to a boil. Once boiling, add the broken pasta and mix well. Let it come to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low and let cook until the pasta has absorbed all water. Serve immediately along with boiled eggs if you wish.

My blogger buddy Tamanna has recently announced an event she is hosting on her blog – ‘Winter Comfort Foods‘~ Classic home cooked meals that make you want to come home and whip up that favorite meal you learnt from your grandmother that gives solace when you are feeling low and uplift your moods. Especially good during this harsh winter season. So do drop by her blog to go through the details and join in the fun.
Khare Seviyan is my contribution to the event she is hosting.

Luv,
Mona

It had been quite hectic since Bakr-Eid with get-togethers and celebrations going on quite often in our circle of friends. Had a very good time along with loved ones, but it all left me tired and didn’t give me any time to sit back and unwind, forget about blogging. Nevertheless I am happy now to get back to my usual routine and enjoy the daily grind. Perhaps I am one of those people who prefer a familiar routine rather than the unusal and atypical cycles.

Lamb Roast

The last Eid I had prepared Dum ki Raan, where a whole leg of lamb is marinated overnight and then slow roasted in the oven until so tender that the meat literally falls off the bone. This year I tried my hands on Lamb roast, my mother in law’s recipe, and it was absolutely delicious. The method is as simple as it can get with the use of only the basic seasonings and ginger garlic paste as the meat tenderizer. To prepare, all excess fat from the lamb leg is removed and discarded, deboned and then the meat is cut into chunks. The meat is then allowed to marinate overnight and then roasted on stove top until perfection. The trick is to ask the butcher to give you the best quality lean meat and then to marinate it overnight. There is no need for commercial meat tenderizers at all.

Lamb Roast

Ingredients:

1 Leg of Lamb- deboned, fat removed, meat cut into big chunks, washed and pat dried
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – to taste

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, add ginger garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper powder and lemon juice. Marinate the meat chunks in the above mixture overnight covered in the refrigerator.
2. In a large, wide and thick bottomed preferably non-stick frying pan, add the chunks of meat along with all the marinade and arrange in a single layer. Let the meat cook on high heat and keep turning after a few minutes, not too often, until you see all the pieces have nicely browned on all sides. You will see a lot of moisture that will be released during this process. Once the meat has properly browned on all sides, add about 3/4 cup of water and cover with a tight lid. Lower the heat to medium and let cook until the meat has become tender. This might take 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, serve immediately on a platter garnished with shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes and onion rings.

This is my first contribution to the Hyderabadi Bakr Eid Food Festival that I am hosting this month on my blog. Click on the link or the logo for more details. The logo for the event is:

Remember that the event is on and you can all send in your entries to me before December 31, 2010.

Luv,
Mona