Zaiqa

Fresh Fenugeek leaves~Methi patta, a cleansing and healing Indian herb, adds an earthy flavor when cooked. Every Summer, I religiously sow a few seeds of methi along with other herbs and veggies in the small patch of vegetable garden in my lawn and enjoy the summers bounty.

Freshly plucked matured fenugreek plants and chopped turai

Fenugreek leaves are rich in iron, protein, calcium, carotene (vitamin A). When steamed along with Turai and meat, it enhances their taste and makes the curry more flavorful and appealing.

Turai Methi Gosht ka Salan – Ridged Gourd in Meat+Fenugreek leaves sauce

Enjoy this mellow tasting curry along with something khatta/sour like the khatti dal or khatta salan for a delicious meal.

Turai Methi Gosht ka Salan – Ridged Gourd in Meat+Fenugreek leaves sauce

Ingredients:

Yellow onion – 2, large, peeled and roughly chopped
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Sheep/Veal meat with bone – 650 gms
Turai – 6, medium sized, peeled, and sliced
Small Green chillies – 2 or 3, chopped (optional)
Fresh Methi leaves – 2 cups, loosely packed, finely chopped (discard stems and flowers)

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker, add chopped onions, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric and meat. Pour half cup water and mix well. Close the lid and pressure cook for about 10 minutes or until the meat is tender.
2. Open the lid and add the chopped turai. Mix well with a spoon. Half cover the lid and let it cook for 20 minutes.
3. Add the chopped green chillies (if using), and chopped methi and stir well to mix. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve warm.

Luv,
Mona

Tala huwa Qimah

Sautéed minced meat/Talahuwa Qimah along with Kacchi Imli ki Khatti Dal and plain Basmati rice is ideal for a simple yet delicious meal. My Ammi always used to prepare Talahuwa Qimah as a change from the usual Qimah recipes and we all always relished it.

Tala Huwa Qimah – Sautéed Minced Meat

Ingredients:

Cumin seeds – 1 1/2 seeds
Ginger garlic paste – 1 heaped tbsp
Dried red chilli – 2, each split into two
Curry Leaves/Karyapaak – 10 fresh leaves
Minced Veal or Lamb or Sheep meat/Qimah – 800 gms
Red Chilli powder – 2 heaped tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Juice of 1 Lime/Lemon
MDH Chat Masala powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Fresh Cilantro and Mint leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Canola oil

Method:

1. Wash Qimah and drain in a fine wire mesh strainer.
2. In a non-staick heavy bottmed Kadai/Wok, pour 2 tbsp oil and as soon as it warms up, add cumin seeds and ginger garlic paste and stir fry till it is lightly golden brown. Add the dried red chiili, karyapaak and quickly in a minute add the Qimah. Using a wooden spoon mix it all well and keep stirring it breaking the lumps of the Qimah for 3-5 minutes.
3. Let it cook uncovered at medium high heat until most of the moisture has been evaporated and the qimah is nicely cooked. Pour in about 3 tbsp oil and all the other ingredients and stir fry the qimah for 25-30 minutes more, stirring continously. Keep sprinkling a few drops of water if it tends to stick on the bottom of the Kadai. Fry the Qimah well and serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy the Talahuwa Qimah along with Kacchi Imli ki Khatti Dal and Plain boiled rice for a delicious meal. 

Luv,
Mona

I am so in love with the bottle gourds that I get here in the Asian stores in Toronto. Young and tender with bright spring-bud green color is how I describe the bottle gourds that I get here.

Kaddu, Split Chana Dal, Tomato

Kaddu, aka ‘Bottle gourd’ or ‘Opo squash’ in English

Dalcha refers to soupy dal preparation from Hyderabad. It can be prepared with only a vegetable, which I am writing about today, or along with meat with bone combination, also called as Daalcha Gosht. The dal with either of the combination is then simmered gently in a tomato with tempering/baghaar spices sauce that impart a beautiful aroma and flavor. Once the vegetable and meat is tender it is allowed to cook with the mashed dal. Today I prepared Dalcha with bottle gourd for my lunch along with Qimah Methi and Matar Chawal. Traditionally Dalcha is served along with Baghara Chawal and Phalli Gosht, or even along with Biryani on the side.

Kaddu, peeled and cut into Diamonds

Peel and cut bottle gourd kaddu diagonally into large diamond shapes. The kaddu that I have used today was very green and callow, so it didnt have any tough and aged seeds. If there is any fibrous central pith with mature hard seeds, I suggest you slice the central pith and discard it and use only the clean white flesh. But it not mandatory.

Kaddu Ka Dalcha

Kaddu Ka Dalcha – Bottle Gourd in Legume Soup

Ingredients:

Chana dal/Bengal gram (or) Yellow lentils/Tuvar ki dal – 1 1/2 cups
Salt
Canola oil/Ghee – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Garlic pods – 2-3, peeled and crushed
Dried red chillies – 2, each broken into two and stalks removed
Curry leaves – 10 fresh leaves
Tomato – 2, large, ripe and red, finely chopped
Chopped Cilantro – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Bottle gourd/Opo Squash/Kaddu – 1, medium sized, around 750 gms
Raw tamarind juice/Kacchi Imli ka juice – 4 tbsp or to taste

Method:

1. Peel the bottle gourd. Slice off and discard the top and bottom of the gourd. Cut the bottle gourd into two halves lengthwise. If the central pith of the bottle gourd contains mature seeds, discard the central pith, or if the bottle gourd is young and tender, there is no need to discard the central pith. Now cut each half into 1 inch thick strips lengthwise. Cut each strip diagonally into 2-3 inch pieces.
2. Wash the dal in two or three water changes. Drain and keep aside. In a pressure cooker, add the drained dal and 4 cups water. Add 2 tsp salt and pressure cook the dal until it is soft and well cooked. You can puree the dal in a blender and pour it back back into the saucepan and keep aside. I just mash it using a dal ghotni or use an immersion blender sometimes.
3. In a large frying pan at medium heat, pour canola oil, and as soon as it warms up, add the cumin seeds and the crushed garlic pods. After 30 seconds, add the dried red chillies and curry leaves. Immediately add the chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric and mix well. Cover the lid for about a minute. Add the chopped bottle gourd and mix well. Pour in water to cover the bottle guard pieces and cover the lid. Let cook for about 10 minutes or until the bottle gourd is tender. To check, pierce a piece of bottle gourd with the tip of a sharp knife.
4. Once the bottle gourd is tender, add this to the saucepan with the pureed dal and pour in water to dilute and achieve a thin soupy consistency. Add the tamarind juice and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Let it boil once, then simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

This delicious dal is my entry to the event ‘Delicious Dals from India’ being hosted by Suma at her blog Veggie Platter.

Luv,
Mona

Shakkar-paare are deep fried sweet confectionary bites made out of refined flour, ghee/oil, and a simple sugar syrup. A similar kind, which are savory are called as Namak-paare, in which salt and cumin seeds are added for taste instead of sugar.

Shakkarpaare

Your truly loves Shakkappaare, he has a big sweet tooth. So, I occasionally prepare a small batch upon his request. Kids will also enjoy this sweet treat.

Shakkarpaare – Sweet Bites

Ingredients:
Makes: 1 cup approx

All purpose flour/Maida – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 3 tbsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Canola oil/Ghee – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 pinch

Method:

1. In a saucepan, add water and sugar. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm.
2. Sift flour into a bowl along with salt. Pour oil/ghee and add lukewarm sugar syrup, a little at a time, and mix well to form a soft dough. Knead the dough for a minute, and cut the dough into two equal halves. Cover the dough halves with a damp kitchen towel.

Doughball

3. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai or a non-stick deep saucepan or a wok to deep fry.

Rolled out dough cut into squares

4. Take one half of the dough and using a rolling pin roll it into a disc, about half cm in thickness. Sprinkle a little bit of flour only if needed. Cut the rolled out dough into squares using a knife or a pizza cutter.
5. Deep fry the cut squares until golden brown in color. Remove using a slotted spoon into a wire mesh strainer for the oil to drain away. Enjoy as a snack.

Interesting Read: Losing Food Identity by Cynthia.

Luv,
Mona

Kofta are meatballs. Today I prepared this Chicken Kofta side dish along with Kaddu ka Dalcha and Baghara Chawal for lunch.

Murgh Kofta Masala – Chicken Meatballs in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Meatballs cook quite quickly when simmered in sauce and I like to play with the ingredients I use to flavor up the meatballs. Amchur powder, which is the powdered dried mango, is one of my favorite ingredients in Kofta preperations. I like the slightly tangy taste it adds to the food. It is available easily in most Indian stores.

This preperation is a Sukha Salan, meaning, the sauce in it is fairly dry and clings to the meatballs. If you would like to prepare a Patla Salan using meatballs, you can go through them here.

Murgh Kofta Masala – Chicken Meatballs in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

For Sauce-

Canola oil – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Yellow Onions – 2, finely sliced
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Tomato – 1, large, roughly chopped
Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric/Haldi – 1 tsp

For Meatballs/Kofte-

Boneless Chicken breast – 250 gms, cubed into pieces
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder – 3/4 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Dried Raw Mango powder/Amchur – 3/4 tsp

Method:

1. In a pan, pour oil, and as soon as it warms up, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the sliced onions and stir fry them till until lightly golden brown in color. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry it for a minute. Add chopped tomato, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Let cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool. Once cool, puree it into a fine paste. Add a little water if needed. Keep aside.
2. In a food processor, add the chicken pieces, turmeric, salt, red chilli powder, salt and raw mango powder. Pulse until the chicken is roughly minced and well mixed with the ingredients. Remove it into a bowl and mix with a spoon. Wet your hands with water, and take a little bit of the mixture in your hands and shape into little balls, about 2 cm in diameter, until the whole mixture is completed.
3. Heat a saucepan and add the pureed onion+tomato mixture. Add 1 1/2 cup water and mix well. Let it come to a boil once. Later, simmer and gently drop the chicken meatballs one by one into the sauce and cover the lid. Let cook for 5 minutes. Open the lid and carefully mix with a spoon. The color of the meatballs should have changed from pink to opaque white in color. Let it cook for a furthur 5 minutes until the sauce is fairly thick. Serve warm.

TIP: To freeze meatballs ahead of time: You can prepare the meatballs and freeze them for future use.
Form meatballs, and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once the meatballs are hard and well frozen, transfer them to a resealable plastic bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw and cook them in the curry.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy this side-dish along with Warm Roti/Paratha/Chapati or any Pulao or rice preparations and a vegetable curry on the side.

Luv,
Mona