Shobha's Food Mazaa

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

ACHARI GOSHT / MUTTON CURRY WITH PICKLE SPICE MIX

Achari gosht is a spicy and tangy meat dish cooked with pickled spices. It is a treat for those who love spicy food.Traditionally mustard oil is used for the preparation of this dish which gives it a distinct pickle flavour. You get the best results when the meat is slow cooked after marination with yogurt and pickle spice mix. This can be done if the meat is very tender. Unfortunately the meat we get here in Brazil is very hard and takes a long time to cook. So I have used the pressure cooker to cook until the mutton is three-fourths done and then added to the rest of the ingredients and allowed it to simmer until done.

Ingredients for Achari Masala / pickle spice mix :
Saunf / fennel seeds ... 1 tbsp
Jeera / cumin seeds .... 1 tbsp
Kalonji / onion seeds .... 1/2 tbsp
Methi dana / fenugreek seeds .. 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds ..................... 1/2 tbsp
Dry red chillies ................. 3-4

(lightly dry roast the above ingredients and grind them coarsely)

Other ingredients:
Mutton .... 500 gms
Onion ..... 1 slices
Tomato puree .. 2-3 tbsps
Yogurt ......... 1 cup
Ginger paste .. 1/2 tbsp
Garlic paste .... 1/2 tbsp
Green chillies .... 3-4 (select big ones as we need to stuff them)
Turmeric powder .. 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder .. 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder .. 1/4 tsp (for rich colour)
Garam Masala ... 1 tsp
Salt ..................... to taste
Lemon juice .. 1 tbsp
Mustard oil .... 2-3 tbsps ( you may use normal cooking oil if you don't have)

Method:

1.Clean the mutton and boil until three fourths done in a pressure cooker. Add some whole spices like black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon,bay leaves and a little salt. Discard the whole spices after done.

2.Slit the green chillies and remove the seeds. Take one tbsp of the achari masala and add a little salt and a spoonful of lemon juice.

3.Stuff the green chillies with it and set aside.

4.Mix the remaining achari masala with the yogurt.

5.Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions until translucent.

6.Tip in the ginger garlic pastes.

7.Now add the tomato paste along with turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and a little salt.

8.Stir in the yogurt with the achari masala.

9. Continue stirring to avoid it from curdling.

10.Now add the meat pieces and mix well. If any stock is left you can add a little if needed.Check the salt and add if required. Simmer it until almost done.

11.Finally at the finishing stage place the stuffed green chillies on top and cover with a lid. Do not stir.

12. The chillies will be done in 3-4 minutes. They should remain firm and crunchy. Do not over cook them.

13. Garnish them on the meat while serving.

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Monday, June 15, 2015

SINDHI MIX PICKLE / NO SPICE NO OIL PICKLE / LEEMO MIRCHA EIN ADRAK JI KHATAIRN / PAANI WARI KHATAIRN

This is a traditional Sindhi lemon pickle with ginger and green chillies. No oil or spices are used in this preparation. It is just preserved with salt and lemon juice. In Sindhi we call it. In Sindhi we call it "pani wari khatairn" , meaning "water pickle" as there is no oil or any spice added to it. You may use few spoons of vinegar too. Select the lemons with thin skin which take less time to mature. Pickles are usually made in Summer when we have good sunlight and the pickle jars are kept out for maturing.

Ingredients:

Lemons ... 8 -10

Green chillies .. few

Ginger .......... 100 gms

Lemon juice .... as needed to cover the pickle (I used juice of 6 lemons and few tbsps of vinegar)

Salt ..... as needed.

Method:

1. Wash the lemons well and wipe them dry with a kitchen towel.

2. Make slits in them and fill with salt.

3. Peel the ginger and cut into thin wedges. Cut the chillies into pieces or you can use them whole with a slit.

4. Take a sterilized jar and tip in the lemons, ginger and chillies.

5. Pour the lemon juice and vinegar (if adding any) to the level where they are well immersed in the liquid.

6. Place the jar in the sunlight until the pickle matures. It could take a few weeks. Give it a shake everyday before placing in the sunlight.

Note: The pickle stays good for a long time but you can refrigerate it to avoid the fungus forming in it.

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Sunday, June 14, 2015

ARROZ A GREGA ( Brazilian Fried Rice )

Arroz a Grega is Brazilian style vegetarian fried rice with raisins and assorted vegetables like carrots, broccoli, spring onion, parsley, bell peppers etc etc.. add any veggies of your choice. Some like to add grated parmesan cheese before serving. However it can be optional and you may skip if you don't like.

Ingredients:
Cooked rice ... 3 cups
Raisins ....... handful
Carrots ...... 1/4 cup (chopped into pieces and parboiled)
Broccoli ... 1/4 cup (cut into small pieces and parboiled)
Bell peppers ... 1/4 cup (diced)
Parsley .......... handful (chopped finely)
Spring onions .. 1-2 (chopped finely)
Oil or butter .... 2-3 tbsps
Parmesan cheese ... 1 tbsp (optional)
Salt ..... as needed

Method:
1. Cook the rice adding salt and set aside.
2. In a pan melt the butter or take oil and fry the raisins first. Then add the spring onions, parsley and diced bell peppers (capsicums)
3. Saute them a little and add the parboiled carrots and broccoli pieces.
4. Stir in the cooked rice and the grated parmesan cheese.
5. Mix well and serve immediately.

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Friday, June 12, 2015

POACHED FISH WITH FRIED GARLIC AND GREENS

Sometimes we like to skip eating heavy and spicy food. This is a perfect and light dish for such occasions. Simple and less time consuming one. You can have a bowl of soup or a salad to go with it. Select any fleshy fish without bones. You may use any greens of your choice. I have used spinach and coriander leaves.

Ingredients:
Fish fillet ... 8- 10 slices or as needed.
Garlic ...... 12 - 15 cloves chopped
Spinach leaves .. 1 cup
Coriander leaves ... 1/2 cup
Salt ........ to taste
Black pepper .. 1-2 pinches
Olive oil .... 4-5 tbsps

Method:
1. Clean the fish fillet and cut into pieces as desired.
2. Boil water in a saucepan adding salt as required.
3. Tip in the fish pieces and allow them to simmer for 6-7 minutes turning side carefully. Time may vary according to the thickness of the fish. If it is thin one 4-5 minutes will do.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped garlic and saute on medium flame to make it nice and brown.
5. Next add any greens that you prefer and toss them with a little salt and black pepper.
6. Remove the poached fish in a serving plate and spoon the garlic tempering over the fish slices.

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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

TURAI POSTO / JHEENGEY POSTO / RIDGE GOURD CURRY BENGALI STYLE

Bengali Posto is a preparation made with poppy seed paste. You can make posto with only vegetables or even sea food mixed with veggies. This simple curry has amazing flavours though very little spices are used. Today I made ridge gourd posto which is called jeengey posto in Bengali language. Ridge gourd is a taste less vegetable and acquires the taste with whatever it is cooked. It really turned out awesome with the panch phoran and poppy seeds paste. Hubby dear complimented that this preparation of turai has been the best so far among various others that I usually prepare. Traditionally mustard oil is used in Bengali Cuisine but I had to do without it as we don't get it in Brazil. If you think mustard oil is too strong you can use half and half to balance the taste.