Gunda ne Keri jo Athanu - Mango and Gunda Pickle

Masala
Ingredients
1 cup split/hulled mustard seeds
1/2 cup coarsely ground coriander
1/2 cup coarsely ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 sticks cinamon
4 whole cloves
3 cardomom pods
8 whole black pepper
1 and 1/2 cups oil
1 cup ground red chilies
2 teaspns tumeric powder

Method
Place the whole spices in a pan.
Heat the oil in another pan
Add the oil to the spices

Add chillies and tumeric to the masala
mix











cool and use (enough for 3 preps of pickle)







Pickle
Ingredients

1 1b gunda
1 1b green mangos
Juice of 5 lemons
1/2 cup salt

Method
1. Wash and dry the mangoes and gunda
2. Mix the lemon juice and salt in a bowl
3. cut the mangoes into small pieces keep aside
4. split the gunda, remove the seed, and place in the lemon juice
Add the mangoes and mix well
leave overnight at room temperature

















The next day, discard the lemon juice and spread the mangoes and gunda on a dry tea towel, leave to dry for one day

Take a clean jar, place 1/2 cup of oil in the jar
Stuff the gunda with 1/2 tspn of masala and place in the jar
Place the mangoes in between the gunda
This pickle will be ready to eat in 1 months time
We store it in the fridge, but a cool place should be fine.

Chakri - Crispy Spiral Rice Flour Snacks

Chachi was in the kitchen this morning, making chakri, this was before 8.00am! Where does she get her energy? I wish I had her energy genes! The chakri are for ruhani sufro, Chachi takes ruhani sani to Khane every Thursday morning.


Recipe
1 lb and 12oz rice flour
7 oz butter
3-4 green chillies; minced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 tspn ajwain
1/4 tspn tumeric
juice of 1 lemon
water to mix


Method
Place the rice flour, sesame seeds, ajwain, turmeric, salt, green chillis and salt; mix well.
Add melted butter and lemon juice, and mix
Add enough water to make a firm dough, knead well.
Place the dough in a sev maker, using the chakri nozzle (star)
Carefully make a spiral with the sev maker on to the frying ladle or plastic, gently place into the karai and fry until gold brown. It should be crispy and crunchy.

Lamb Biryani

Ingredients
1 kilo lamb cut into 2 inch pieces
12 small potatoes
8 medium onions; minced fine in a food processor
1/2 cup yogurt
2 inches ginger; grated
6 cloves garlic; minced
5 chillies minced
1/2 tspn saffron
8 large tomatoes (blanched, peeled and liquidised)
whole garam masala; 2 sticks cinamon, 4 pods cardomom, 5 cloves; 1/2 spn cumin seeds
2 tspn coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
1 tspn garam masala
2 tablespn oil
salt to taste


For Rice
3 cups basmati rice; washed well; and soaked in water for 30 mins
salt
1 tbspn oil
1 tspn cumin
1/2 tspn saffron soaked in a little warm water















1. Marinate the lamb in yogurt, garlic, ginger, green chillis, half the tomatoes and saffron.
2. Deep fry the potatoes, these don't have to be cooked through, as long as the surface is sealed.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the whole masala, cook for about 3 minutes, the pods should have puffed up

4. Add the onions and fry until almost carmelised, this is the most important for biryani masala. You can buy prefried onions if you want - available in Indian shops.
5. Add the other half of tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes, add the tumeric, cumin/coriander powders.
6. Add the marinated lamb and the potatoes, mix, making sure that lamb and potatoes are coated with the tomato/onion sauce. Cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile parboil the rice in 5 cups of water for 10 minutes, drain and add half the rice to a large oven proof container.
Add the lamb/potato/tomato mixture
Top with the other half of the rice
Fry the cumin in the oil

Pour the oil and cumin mixture on the rice
Pour the saffron and water mixture on the rice

Cove the rice, and place in the oven at 150 Centigrate for 45 minutes
Serve with a tomato and onion salad.

East African Biryani, same recipe, but keep the lamb and rice separate. Cook the rice, by heating oil in pan, add cumin seeds, add the washed, drained rice, add 41/2 cups water, bring to boil, reduce the heat, keeping the pan covered, cook for 15 minutes. Pour the saffron and water mixture on the rice. Serve the rice on a large platter with the meat sauce place on the top.

Masala Tilapia and Potatoes Curry

Ingredients
1 red tilapia or snapper; cleaned and washed
Juice of 2 limes
4 medium potatoes; cut into circles
1 large onion; chopped fine
8 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and liquidised
1 tspn tomato puree
4 cloves garlic; minced
1 tspn grated ginger
4 chillies; minced
2 tspn coriander/cumin powders
1/2 tspn tumeric
salt to taste;
Oil
Method
1. Make some slits on the fish, add lime juice and some salt, make sure it is coated inside and out. Marinate for at least 1 hour, I marinated it overnight. Brush some oil on the fish and grill or broil about 8-10 minutes on each side.
2. Saute the potatoes until cooked; put the to one side
3. Heat 1 tablespn of oil in a pan, add the onions until, golden
brown.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, ginger, chillies and salt.
5. Cook for 10 minutes, to reduce the water; then add the salt, tumeric, coriander and cumin powders, mix and cook for a further 5 minutes.
6. Pour half the tomato mix (masala) onto the potatoes and mix.













Pour the other half on the fish, to coat both sides.

Serve with chappatis or parathas.

Chicken Kalyo / Chicken Curry

Kalyo is rich creamy curry, with a hint of saffron and garam malsala, this is an Ismaili or Khoja dish usually served on special occasions such as weddings.

Ingredients
1 chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
12 small potatoes
8 medium onions (8 is not a misprint); minced fine in a food processor
1 cup yogurt
2 inches ginger; grated
6 cloves garlic; minced
1/2 tspn saffron
8 large tomatoes (blanched, peeled and liquidised)
whole garam masala; 2 sticks cinamon, 4 pods cardomom, 5 cloves; 1/2 spn cumin seeds
2 tspn coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
1/2 tspn red chili powder (or to taste)
1 tspn garam masala
2 tablespn oil
salt to taste
chopped coriander



1. Marinate the chicken in yogurt, garlic, ginger and saffron.
2. Deep fry the potatoes, these don't have to be cooked through, as long as the surface is sealed.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the whole masala, cook for about 3 minutes, the pods should have puffed up

4. Add the onions and fry until almost carmelised, this is the most important step in this curry, the onion must be dark brown - just a step before they are burnt! (will take 15 minutes at least
5. Add the tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes, add the tumeric, cumin/coriander and chilli powders.
6. Add the marinated chicken and the potatoes, mix, making sure that chicken and potatoes are coated with the tomato/onion sauce










Add half cup of water and cook for about half an hour, until the chicken and potatoes are cooked. The oil should be floating. I skimmed of the extra oil and discarded it. Sprinkle with garam masala, garnish with chopped coriander
Serve with chapatis or rice.
Lamb or beef kalyo can be made the same way, but you may need to cook it for a little longer.

Vegetable Gughra; spicy vegetable turnovers

I made these recently when I had to rustle up something very quickly.


Ingredients
1 pack of round gyoza or Chinese dumpling wrappers (available in all Chinese shops.
1 cup peas
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup chopped leeks
2 medium potatoes, boiled and diced
1 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
1/2 tspn tumeric
1/2 tspn ground red chillies
1/2 tspn garam masala
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
salt to taste
2 tbspn of chopped coriander
1 tablespn oil
Oil for frying

Method
Filling
Heat the oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, let them pop, add the peas, carrots and leeks, stir, lower the heat, cover until the carrots are cooked. (10 min).
Add the salt, garlic, ginger, tumeric and chilli powder, mix, add the potatoes mix well and cook for about 5 minutes
Add the garam masala, mix, let it cool, add chopped coriander leaves.

Place a dessert spoon of the filling on the dumpling pastry, fold it in half to make a turnover, seal with water. Repeat until all the pastry and the filling are used up. Keep covered with a damp tea-towel or else the pastry will dry and crack.
Deep fry, serve with tamarind chutney.

Sev and Tomato Shaak / Spicy Chickpea Noodles in a Tomato Sauce

This is my old time favourite, the tangy taste of the tomatoes with the spicy taste of the sev is delicious. Real comfort food. I always thought that my mother made up this recipe, I now realise it is actually a Gujarati recipe. We also make sev with spring onions and sev with young mooli or radishes - leaves and all, recipe to come. The sev we used was homemade, recipe soon.

Ingredients
1 lb tomatoes; blanched, peeled and liquidised
1 cups sev
1 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 hot chilli (as many as you can handle)
1 onion; chopped fine
1/2 tspn tumeric
2 tspn coriander and cumin powders
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
1 tbspn oil

Method
Heat the oil, add the cumin and mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilli, fry for a few minutes.
Add the onion, cook until transluscent.
Add about 2 tablespoons of the tomatoes, cumin and coriander powders, garlic and ginger paste, and cook for 5 minutes.
















Add the rest of the tomatoes, bring to boil, simmer for 5 minutes, add the sev, cook for few more minutes and serve with chapattis.

This is my entry for JFI

hosted by RP

Mother's Day Menu

Everyone came round for lunch today.

Starters: Spicy Vegetable Gughra and Chicken Gughra
Ghos Pilau, Chana bateta
Pickles: Lime with Chili and Ginger
Carrot with gur, Gunda and Keri
Dessert: Pineapple Cake

recipes to follow

Bateta Champ / Potato Chops ; Mash Potato Stuffed with Spicy Chicken

Bateta champ is one of those dishes which is only cooked on special days or Sundays. We have not made them for ages, I wanted to make it for JFI potato, but did not have the time. We are planning to make them for Husein's majlis on Friday week. This was a trial run - successful even if I say so myself.
Ingredients
Mash Potato
2 lb of potatoes
salt to taste

Filling:
2 lb minced chicken breast
1 bunch spring onions
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 inch ginger (minced)
2 to 3 finely chopped green chillies
½ cup chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 table spoon Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 tblspn of tomato puree

For frying
oil
2 eggs (beaten)
breadcrumbs

Method

Mashd Potatoes
Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel the skins and roughly mash the potatoes, so that it is a chunky mix, not smooth.

.

Filling
Dry cook the minced chicken with garlic, ginger, chillies and salt, until all the water evaporates, break the lumps if they form. Add Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree, mix, and cook until the chiken is done, remove from heat, let it cool
Add garam masala, onions and coriander, mix well

Take 2 tbspn of mash potato, make 2 saucer shapped patties, place the chicken filling on one patty and cover with the other, seal the edges, shape into a smooth flying saucer-like shape. Repeat until all the potato and filling are used up. Makes 20

Dip the potato chops in beaten egg, and then breadcrumb and place on a tray, repeat until all are done.
Deep fry or bake in oven, at 200 C for 20 minutes or until brown.
enjoy!

Flat Apple Cake

Ingredients
2 Eggs
1 1/3 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of anise liqueur OR vanilla extract OR lemon juice. If using lemon, you can also grate the lemon and add this to the mixture.

Topping
Few apples cut lenghtwise and sprinkled with cinnamon
Few raisins (optional)
Few crushed walnuts (optional)
OR be creative and add anything you like such as pears, cranberries, blueberries, dried fruit etc..

Method

Beat the eggs and sugar (if you find the cake too sweet, you can decrease the amount of sugar)

Add the oil and milk

Add the flour and baking powder

Add the liqueur (or vanilla extract or lemon juice)

Use a pizza tray. Line the tray with parchment paper and then spread the mixture on to the tray.

Sprinkle with crushed walnuts and raisins. Using a spatula, push the walnuts and raisins into the mixture.

In a bowl, cut a few apples lengthwise and sprinkle with cinnamon

Place the apples on the mixture (see picture)

Bake at 350F or 180C for 30 minutes. Ensure bottom of cake is brown before removing from oven. May require up to 40 minutes.

Cut into squares and enjoy.

Til Sankri / Sesame Brittle

Ingredients
12 oz gur or soft brown suger
12 oz toasted sesame seeds (baked in a medium hot oven for 15 mins)
2 tablespoon oil
1 14 inch square tray (lightly oiled)

Method
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the gur or brown suger, keep stiring until brown, add the sesame seeds, mix as quickly as posible



Place on the tray, flatten using a rolling pin, cutin 25 pieces while it is still warm.
Enjoy

Shaheen and Mohsin's Majlis Sufro

Ladu
Bhajia
Lamb Biryani - recipe to follow
Trifle

Flowers arranged by Muni, Pari and Saju

Cookies with Dates and Almonds

Ingredients
4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of toasted almonds chopped to small pieces
375 grams of dates without the pits cut into very small pieces
1 cup of shortening (butter or a substitute will work, I used Crisco shortening)
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
¾ of hot water (tap water is fine)
Little milk

Method…
In a large bowl
Mix the flour, baking soda and baking power.
Add the dates and with your hands, use the flour mixture to separate the dates. I used a mixer and the dates did not separate well. I recommend you use your hands.
Add the chopped almonds
Add the shortening and mix well. You can use a mixer at this point.

In another bowl…
Beat the 3 eggs
Add the sugar
Add the vanilla extract
Add the hot water

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add a little milk. Place the dough in small bite size portions on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F or 180 C for 15 minutes or until nice golden brown. Let cool and enjoy. If you store the cookies in a container they will remain soft. If you don’t they will become hard and crunchy. Either way, they are tasty.