Bhendi aur Gosht Ka Khatta Salan

August 5th, 2007 Mona Posted in Canola Oil, Cilantro/Kothmir (fresh), Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds/Zeera, Curry leaves (fresh), Eid/Ramadhan/Iftaar, Garlic/Lahsun, Ginger-Garlic paste, Ginger/Adrak, Hyderabadi special, Lamb/Beef/Mutton/Veal/Sheep, Lemon/Nimbu, Okra/Bhindi, Onion/Pyaaz, Red Chilli powder, Salt/Namak, Tamarind/Imli, Tomato/Tamatar (fresh), Turmeric/Haldi, Vegetables/Tarkariyaan, Yellow Onion/Pyaaz 8 Comments »

Bhendi, or Okra, is one of my favourite vegetables. It is available very easily in the markets, fresh as well as frozen. I keep buying it from the market very often to cook it for everyone in my home. But, you should always be careful while buying fresh Okra. I always like to buy tender baby okra. Larger pods are tough and fibrous, so look for brightly colored pods smaller than 3 inches (9cm) long, with smooth, unblemished skin and firm texture. Refrigerate okra in a plastic bag for up to three days. Wash okra just before using it.

Bhindi – Okra

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

When boiled, okra gives off a viscous substance that can add smooth thickness to stews or soups. It can be a bit difficult to cook as it sometimes is very slimy. In this recipe, the sourness from tamatoes and tamarind helps while cooking to get rid of the sliminess. It is an excellent sourse of vitamin-C, folate, and magnesium.

Bhindi aur Gosht Ka Khatta Salan – Okra and Lamb meat Stew
Serves – 6-8 people

Ingredients:

Canola Oil – 8 tbsp
Yellow Onion – 3, large, sliced
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Tomatoes – 5, large, diced
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs, fresh
Salt – 2 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
Lamb meat with bones – 650 gms
Cilantro – 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Okra/Bhendi – 700 gms, washed, dried and cut into approx 5 cm pieces with top and bottom removed
Tamarind concentrate – 2 tbsp (or) Lemon/Lime juice – 2 tbsp


Bhindi aur Gosht Ka Khatta Salan – Okra and Lamb meat Stew

Method:

  • Heat oil a pressure cooker and fry the sliced onions till lightly browned. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté it along for a minute. Add curry leaves, red chilli powder, salt, cumin and coriander seed powder and turmeric powder. Mix well. To it add the diced tomatoes and cilantro and let cook cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the oil has separated. Add meat and cook along until no longer pink. Pour water to cover the meat and pressure cook until the meat is tender.
  • Once done, add tamarind concentrate or lemon/lime juice and okra and 2-3 cups water (as per your wish, depending on the consistency you desire) to the stew. Stir well and cover the lid. Let it cook on simmer until the okra is cooked. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Naan / Afghani Roti / Basmati Chawal / Paratha

Luv,
Mona

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Basic How To’s: Series I~ Ginger-Garlic Paste

June 30th, 2007 Mona Posted in Garlic/Lahsun, Ginger-Garlic paste, Ginger-Garlic paste, Ginger/Adrak, How to prepare and store:, Hyderabadi special, Simple Kitchen Tips, Spices & Seasonings/Masaale 16 Comments »

Basic How To: Ginger-Garlic Paste

Ginger-garlic paste is one of the most basic and essential ingredients in almost every Indian kitchen and most used in Hyderabadi cuisine. It is used in most of the non-vegetarian preparations and a few of the vegetarian dishes as well. Every kitchen in India might have container of ginger-garlic paste stored in the kitchen.

Ginger and peeled garlic pods

I usually make ginger-garlic paste in large amounts and store it in the freezer in several small plastic boxes. I keep one box in the refrigerator and store the rest in the freezer. As it finishes with daily use in cooking, I take out an another box from the freezer compartment and again store it in the refrigerator, where it thaws and is ready to be used again. This is how I prepare and store the ginger-garlic paste for my daily cooking.

I get many queries from my readers about the procedure to prepare Ginger-Garlic paste, so that gave me an idea to start a series on Basic How To’s. You can find a list of ‘How to’s’ in the category section in the left sidebar of my blog for easy access. Here goes the recipe:

Ginger-Garlic paste

Ginger garlic paste – Adrak-Lahsun ka paste

Ingredients:
(I always use Garlic and Ginger in the ratio of 2:1 in quantity)

Ginger Root – 250 gms
Garlic pods- 500 gms

Method:

1. Wash and scrape the ginger root using a spoon. Wearing gloves, or else your fingers will burn after you finish scraping the whole amount of ginger root. Cut it into chunks.

Garlic bulbs and Garlic cloves

2. Peel garlic and cut each in half if the cloves are very large.
3. Grind the ginger and garlic together, adding little or no water to help in grinding. I always prepare Ginger-Garlic paste in the Food processor, make the job a lot easier. I don’t even need to chop up garlic, or add any water. It does the job quickly and perfectly.

Garlic and ginger in the processor

4. Store in small glass freezer proof air tight food storage containers.
5. Keep one container in the refrigerator and rest in the freezer compartment.
6. As the container in the refrigerator finishes with daily use, take a container out of the freezer and store this in the refrigerator for use.
7. Continue doing this till the whole stock of boxes finishes. You can again make Ginger garlic paste and store it the same way. It comes handy in a lot of dishes from the Indian cuisine.

Garlic bulbs soaking in water for easier and quick peeling

Tip: To peel a large amount of garlic, soak as many garlic heads as you need in just luke warm water for 15-30 minutes. Drain and peel them all. The peels should come off effortlessly.

This post is my contribution to the event Back to Basics originally stated by Jaya, and currently being hosted by Aqua at Served with Love.

Luv,
Mona

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