Zaiqa

Every Andhra kitchen in India is well stocked with a range of spicy pickles. Even I love to prepare and store a few pickles to compliment and add a zing to my meals. Right now, I have jars of tomato pickle, lemon pickle and mutton pickle sitting in the refrigerator.

Tomato Pickle – Tamatar ka Achaar

Tangy, sour, salty and bold on taste buds ~ Tomato pickle is one such specialty from the state of Andhra Pradesh. This pickle is not labor intensive, but it does require a little attention and time. I prepare only small batches that last for a month or so, and again keep preparing this pickle whenever I see good quality tomatoes on sale.

Tomato Pickle – Tamatar ka Achaar

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 800 gms, red & ripe, firm, juicy and blemish free
Thick tamarind pulp – 3 ½ tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tbsp
Haldi – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds/Zeera – 1 ½ tbsp
Fenugreek seeds/Methi dana – 1 tsp
For Tempering/Baghaar:
Canola oil – 6 tbsp
Mustard seeds/Rai – ½ tbsp
Cumin seeds/Zeera – ½ tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 3 tbsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Method:

1. Wash the tomatoes, pat dry thoroughly, and cut them into quarters.
2. In a spice grinder, add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and grind them individually into a fine powder.
3. In a blender container, add the quartered tomatoes, cumin seed powder and fenugreek seed powder, tamarind pulp, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder. Blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan at medium hight heat and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring it frequently.
4. Meanwhile, prepare baghaar: In a small frying pan at medium high heat, pour oil and as soon as it warms up, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. As they start spluttering, add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for a minute. Add curry leaves and mix well. Immediately pour this baghaar hot and hissing into the cooking tomato mixture and mix well.
5. Once the tomato mixture is boiling reduce heat to medium and keep cooking uncovered while stirring frequently until most of the moisture has been evaporated and the tomato mixture has been reduced to a thick paste and the oil starts leaving, this might take around 1 ½ hour time of slow simmering. Remove from heat and let cool. Once completely cool, spoon the pickle into sterilized glass jars with tight lids. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy the pickle along with your meals. Stays well for around a month or two.

Luv,
Mona

Hyderabadi cuisine is unique, a perfect marriage between the fiery South-Indian and rich North-Indian cuisines of India. Yet, sadly there are such few records in the form of cookbooks, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, blogs or even local restaurants/eateries in the city itself that dedicate to chronicle/serve the true Nizami cuisine of Hyderabad. Only those few lucky members of the Nizam Club of Hyderabad, or people who have connections with the fellow local Hyderabadi families get to enjoy the traditional lovingly home cooked Hyderabadi meals.

clockwise from bottom right~tomatoes, opo squash, meat bones, cooked dal

Daalcha is one such true Hyderabadi preparation. The Nizami cuisine of Hyderabad is not just about Biryani and Mirchi ka Salan, or an assortment of meat concoctions unlike considered. It has to its repertoire many vegetarian and especially dal (lentil) preparations that are deeply related to the inimitable flavors of Nizami cuisine. Basically, there are two variations to daalcha, one is the vegetarian version – which can be prepared with either opo squash, eggplants or drumsticks, and the other non-vegetarian version – made by adding meat bones to the tangy tempered dal. To impress your guests, serve daalcha gosht along with baghara khana and phalli gosht, the way it is served traditionally at Hyderabadi households.

I have added a few bottlegourd pieces to Daalcha Gosht, you can skip adding them if you want only meat in the dal.

Daalcha Gosht – Lentil and Meat stew

Chanay ki Dal/Chana dal – 1 cup
Green chillies – 3, chopped
Tomatoes – 2, large, chopped
Salt – to taste
Canola Oil – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Onion – 1/4 cup, finely sliced
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
Dry red chillies – 2, each broken into two
Lamb meat with bones/Lamb shanks – 500 gms
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
BottleGourd/Opo squash/Kaddu – 1, medium sized, peeled and cut into diamond shape (optional)
Tamarind extract – 1 cup
Cilantro – 3 tbsp, finely chopped

Daalcha Gosht

Method:

1. Soak the dal for 1-2 hours in fresh cool water. Later drain the dal and rinse it in a wire mesh under running water. Add this soaked dal to a pressure cooker, pour in about 3 cups of fresh cool water, chopped green chillies, tomatoes and salt. Close the lid and pressure cook until the dal is mushy. Puree it in a blender until smooth and keep aside.
2. In a separate pressure cooker at medium high heat pour in oil and as soon as it is warm, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, sliced onion and stir fry until the onion is lightly golden brown in color. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir fry along for a minute. Add dried red chillies, lamb bones/shanks, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Pour in fresh cool water to cover the meat and pressure cook until the meat is tender.
3. Add bottlegourd pieces and mix well. Add little more water to cover them and again pressure cook for 1 whistle. (Skip this step if you are not adding bottlegourd)
4. Add the pureed dal mixture and mix well. Add about 2-3 cups of fresh cool water and tamarind extract to get a pouring consistency (not too thick, nor too thin) and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, simmer and let cook for 10-15 minutes. Add cilantro and stir to mix. Serve warm.

Luv,
Mona

After having enjoyed aplenty of locally grown sweet red peppers in various forms, I had made a batch of roasted red pepper sauce and froze it to use later early this year. Yesterday, I had the urge to make pasta for dinner for everyone. So I combined the sauce with minced meat, few herbs and spices and some penne pasta, and the meal was so yummy.

Vibrant red color from the silky roasted red pepper sauce along with the delicious meaty flavor, this pasta meal was satisfying and loved by everyone. I will definitely be making this again and again.

Penne in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Minced Meat and Cilantro

Ingredients:

Penne pasta – 750 gms
Roasted Red Pepper sauce (see below for instructions on how to prepare) – 350 ml
Minced Lamb/Veal meat – 650 gms
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Beef stock – 3 cups
Chopped cilantro – 4 tbsp
Grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Prepare Roasted red pepper sauce, see below for instructions.
2. In a saucepan, heat oil and as soon as it warms up, add ginger garlic paste and fry until it is lightly brown. Add the minced meat, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder and stir well to mix. Cook stirring frequently and breaking lumps until there is little or no moisture left and the meat is well cooked. Add the roasted red pepper sauce, beef broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook according to instructions. Drian and add the cooked penne to the cooking sauce of red pepper and minced meat. Add chopped cilantro, mix well and cook until there is just little sauce left. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes for the pasta to absorb flavors. Serve immediately garnished with grated cheddar cheese.

For Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
On a rimmed baking tray, arrange 6 halved and cleaned red bell peppers (or) long sweet peppers(red shepherd peppers). Brush them lightly with oil. Sprinkle salt, black pepper powder and dried herbs of your choice.

Roasted Red Peppers

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Grill/broil them for a few minutes until the skins brown and blister, approx 15-20 minutes. Turn the peppers once in between. Keep a close eye. Remove, let cool and puree them all until smooth. Store in the refrigerator and use in a week, or freeze to use later.
Note:
1. You can use an assortment of colored peppers, or just use red peppers. I didnt peel the peppers after I grilled/broiled them, you can if you want to.
2. You can also use roma tomatoes that are red but not over-ripe instead or peppers. Halve each tomato, season the halves and grill/broil them similarly for a few minutes, then puree into sauce and use instead of pepper sauce in the pasta for a different but equally delicious taste.

Luv,
Mona

The mere mention of chaats reminds me of those visits to Gokul chaat bhangaar. It is a popular eatery for fast food snacks in Hyderabad city. Inspite of going through many controversies, this tiny eatery has been able to attract crowds of foodies who come flocking to this place from even across the city and cram on the roadside at King Koti blocking the busy traffic, just to fill up their stomachs with the delicious chaat items that they sell at reasonable prices.

For those of you not familiar with the term, chaat in India refers to all kinds of snack or fast food items that a popular street food with a mingling taste of spicy, sweet, sour, soft, salty and crunchy. For chaat preparation a variety of pre-prepared ready to use ingredients are mixed together just prior to consumption. There exist many regional variations of chaats in India. Pani Puri (also known as Golgappe), Chana Cutlet, Ragda Cutlet, Ragda Samosa, Dahi Puri, Fruit Chaat, Bhel Puri etc are just a few mentions. Today I am writing about Chana Cutlet, Ragda Cutlet and Ragda Samosa.

Ragda Cutlet
Other names: Ragda Patties, Ragda Pattice, Ragda Tikki, Ragda Pattie

Ragda Cutlets used to be one of the hot sellers at the Gokul Chaat Bhandaar. Every once in a while, while on the way to Pura Shahar/Old City (Hyderabad, India), we used to make a stop there and enjoy the yummy chaats. To make this wholesome snack, a spicy peas mixture is made and is served along with aloo cutlets, tangy chutneys, some sweetened yogurt and chopped onions.

dried green peas and dried yellow/white peas~ available at Indian grocery stores
Note: Split yellow peas that are available in the market are neither Tuvar ki dal or Chane ki dal

Ingredients:

For Ragda:
Dried Yellow/White Peas – 1/2 cup
Dried Green peas – 1/2 cup
Canola oil – 2 tbsp
Onion – 2, medium sized, finely sliced
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Green chillies – 3, finely chopped
Roasted Coriander seed power – 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Tomatoes – 3, medium sized, finely chopped
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Cilantro – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
For Cutlets:
Potatoes – 6, mediu sized, peeled and quartered
Water
Black pepper powder
Salt
For Garnish:
Kothmir Pudina Chutney
Tamarind chutney
Chopped Onion
Sev (store bought ready made, or home made)
Sweetened Yogurt

Ragda Cutlet

Method:

For Radga
1. Soak the dried peas in fresh cool water overnight. The next day, drain the peas and wash them. Add them to the pressure cook add pour in water to cover the peas by 2 inches. Add 1 tsp salt and pressure cook until they are soft but not mushy.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet at medium high heat add oil and as soon as it is warm, add the onions and stir fry for a few minutes until they are soft. Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, green chillies, coriander and cumin seed powder and stir continuously and let cook for a minute or two. Add tomatoes and mix well. Cover and cook while stirring in between until the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add red chilli powder, salt and chopped cilantro and stir to mix.
3. Once the peas are done, add the contents of the skillet to the peas in the pressure cooker and mix well. Add more water if needed. Mash up the mixture just a little bit leaving some peas whole in the mixture. Let the mixture cook for some time until you get a gravy consistency. Remove from heat and keep aside.
For Cutlets:
4. In a microwave safe bowl, add the quartered potatoes and about 1/2 cup water. Mix and microwave on high for a few minutes (5-8 minutes or more, keep a watch) until the potatoes are soft. Once soft, mash them using a fork. Add black pepper powder and salt to taste and mix. Shape into cutlets and shallow fry all the potato cutlets on both sides. Keep aside.
To Assemble:
5. Arrange two warm potato cutlets on a plate. Pour two (or more if you wish) ladlefuls of warm ragda on them. Pour a few tablespoons of kothmir pudina chutney, tamarind chutney and sweetened yogurt. Sprinkle chopped onion and sev over it. Serve immediately.

***

Below are a few variations of chaats you can prepare using the method above with a few substitutions here and there.

Chana Cutlet:
For chana cutlet, prepare cholay, and while assembling instead of adding ragda, add cholay and follow the rest of the procedure.

Ragda Samosa:
For ragda samosa, prepare aloo samosa and while assembling instead of adding cutlets, break two samosas for each person and follow the rest of the procedure.

Luv,
Mona

I really love to discuss food; and also to host food events on my blog despite the effort it demands. Often it happens that with changing scenes of life, we tend to disremember and think no more of our most innate and deeply connected basic memories. And when by some means that old faded memory rejuvenates, you are instantly transported to that era of old times to relive and rewind. Food and memories are always so deeply associated. I have been hosting The Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival and The Hyderabadi Bakri-Eid Food Festival on my blog since last year الحمد لله, and through these events and the participation of few enthusiastic foodies, I have come across so many amazing recipes, some that invariably remind me of my Ammi‘s food and some that I have never heard or tasted before.

Dhajji Kawab (or) Tala hua Gosht III ~ Shredded crisped meat with roasted potatoes

One such recipe was Syeda’s Dhajji Kawab. It reminded me of all those good old childhood memories filled with fun, leisure and laughter. This recipe was a usual in my Ammi’s house. She would prepare it for us all with so much love and we relished every last bit of it all. Somehow this recipe faded in my mind and it was only Syeda’s post that rekindled those memories. Jazakallahu Khairun Syeda.

Normally this dish is referred to as Tala hua Gosht~Sautéed meat. There exist many variations of Tala hua Gosht in Hyderabadi cuisine as Lamb meat is what is mostly preferred over any other meat by Hyderabadis. Syeda named it Dhajji Kawab (‘dhajji‘ in Urdu language means ‘shred’) and I really loved the name, so I am also going by it.

Update: According to Mahejabeen, a reader of my blog, this dish is also referred to as Buri ka Gosht. An another reader Pasha Bhai, has chipped in that this dish is also called as Tala Hua Chindi Gosht.
Thank you Mahejabeen and Pasha bhai!

Today I am sharing my version of this recipe. I go gaga over it, one of my most favorite recipe that I have learnt from my Ammi. I recommend all my readers to once try this recipe and I am pretty sure inshallah you will all also fall in love with it.

Dhajji Kawab (or) Tala hua Gosht III ~ Shredded crisped meat with roasted potatoes

Ingredients:

Lamb/Veal meat (without bones) – 500 gms
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Small green chillies – 2, finely chopped
Black pepper powder – 1/8 tsp
Cilantro – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Mint leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Russet Potato – 1, large, peeled and quartered
Lemon juice – 2 to 3 tbsp
Canola oil

Method:

Note: You need a heavy bottomed and preferably non-stick pan, or a well-seasoned cast iron pan for this recipe, or else the meat will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

1. Add the meat, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 2 cups water to a pressure cooker and pressure cook the meat until it is very tender. Once the meat is done, drain the meat and reserve the water in a bowl. Using your hands, tear the cooked meat into fine shreds and add it to the reserved water. (if you are using meat with bones, discard the bones and only use the meat)
2. In a heavy bottomed and preferably non-stick pan or a cast iron skillet at medium-high heat pour 6 tbsp oil and add the quartered potatoes and stir fry them until they are browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon remove the potatoes onto a platter and keep aside. In the same pan, add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for a few seconds. Now add the water+shredded meat and mix well. Add red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and mix. Let it cook until all of the moisture has been evaporated. Now add the stir fried potato quarters, black pepper powder, green chillies, cilantro and mint and mix. Spread the mixture out in the pan in one layer. Let it cook them without stirring for half a minute to give the meat the chance to crisp up. Continue cooking while stirring until all the meat has been nicely fried and crisped up. Pour in the lemon juice and mix. Serve immediately garnished with onion rings and cilantro.

For more versions of Hyderabadi Tala hua Hosht, please visit the Recipe index.

On a side note, I wholeheartedly thank all my well wishers who emailed me and asked about my well-being. الحمد لله I am doing good and back to my usual routine.

Luv,
Mona