New Indian Recipes on the Menu

Time seems to escape me these days, yet every so often there is a gathering that warrants a fresh look at my recipes to date, sometimes finding them insufficient, despite the fairly vast number. A month or so past, I entertained my grandson and his friend, who love Indian food. When we chatted, he'd said that the flavors of Indian foods are some of his favorites, though he usually eats very simply. So I created a dinner, not knowing his particular tastes, but hoped it wouldn't be too far out of his comfort zone - and it wasn't! They both ate like two very healthy young men should. I was pleased. 

For that meal, I made some of my more common favorites, Chicken Korma, edging outside the plain rice category with Barley Kichdi as one of the side dishes, and one of my all-time favorites, Palak Paneer, as the other. I also had no clue on their tolerance for heat, so all the dishes were made quite mild in deference to my husband, but I offered an array of chutneys with varying heat levels: Am Chutney or Mango Chutney (no heat), Dhania Poodina or Green Chutney (medium heat), Imli Chutney or Tamarind Chutney (a little heat), and Fresh Ginger slices in lime juice with Serrano pepper and salt, possibly the hottest). They went for the Green Chutney and fresh ginger, polishing them off!

Dinner Menu

So, when my son was recently married in Hawai'i, and his lovely bride just turned fifty years beautiful, I made a dinner to celebrate both events when they came to visit this past weekend. They both love Indian food as well, and I have made them many Indian meals already in past. Trying to come up with something to feed them that hasn't already been a part of many menus in past was becoming a challenge. Ana is sensitive to rice, so I wanted to keep that out of the menu completely. I thought of making the Barley Kichdi again, but they've had that more than once and well, not again. The same for the Palak Paneer, which is maybe one of all our favorites, but as I serve it with practically any special meal I felt it was time for a change. 

What to do, what to do?

I finally opted for Telangana Chicken, though I kept it mainly without any of the fiery, spicy heat in deference to Ana and my hubby. Instead of going for rice or even barley, I opted to make a very simple Tadka Dal using only Masoor (red lentils) and Moong (mung bean) dals, and adding a simple Tadka of sauteed mustard and cumin seeds, asafetida, shallot, ginger and garlic, and salt at the end. We all love dal/lentil dishes, so that one was a hit. I wanted to make Channa Masala, but my son objected. I went hunting for something to do with peas and found some few ways, such as Matar Masala (spiced peas), and somewhere i came across a recipe called Sookh Matar, though I can find no other reference to this terminology. I felt after reading that Sookh might refer to the same concept as "sabzi" meaning a dish cooked down to relative dryness - no sauce in it. I wanted more vegetables and also some color so added red bell pepper. It turned out fantastic whatever it may be called.

Matar Masala or Sookh Matar

Serves 6 to 8

Matar Masala (Spiced Peas)

1 large onion in thin half-rings
2 tablespoons coconut oil or sunflower oil, more if needed
--------
1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil or sunflower oil
1 large shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafetida

MASALA: mix together and set aside
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon black salt or regular salt
1/2 teaspoon amchur (dried green mango powder)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-----
1 bag (13 ounces) frozen baby peas

Saute the large onion in the oil, stirring very often and watching carefully not to burn, until the onions are a deep caramelized brown. Spread the onions on several thickness of paper toweling to blot and cool. This part can be made days in advance and refrigerated until needed.

Heat a skillet over medium to medium low heat and add in the 1 or two tablespoons of oil. Add in the cumin seeds and asafetida to sizzle for a few seconds, then add in the shallot, garlic, ginger and red bell pepper and saute gently to soften. Add in a tablespoon of water at a time, only if needed for the ingredients not to stick. Add in the masala ingredients and stir until fragrant. IF MAKING AHEAD, the dish can be made to this point, placed in a covered container and refrigerated for up to three days.

To finish the dish, bring the refrigerated mixture back to heat in a skillet, then add the peas with a tiny amount of water and heat them through. Once heated, add in the caramelized onion and stir in to heat through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The other new item on the menu was a salad, something I had never created with an Indian meal, but this time I wanted some diversity. 😉 The most common I found was called Kachumber Salat, a combination of cubed cucumber, tomato and onion, seasoned with an array of possible spices and a touch of lime juice. I plan to mix a batch of the masala mixture to keep on and to sprinkle on tomatoes at any time - it was that good!

Kachumber Salat

Serves 6

Kachumber Salat

1 cucumber, seeds removed if too large, cut in small cubes
1 - 2 medium tomatoes (I used heirlooms), in cubes
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, in cubes

MASALA:
1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala
1/2 teaspoon black salt (or regular salt)
1/2 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
-----
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped finely
2 teaspoons lime juice, or to taste
pinch chili in powder or crushed chili flakes

IF MAKING AHEAD, the only thing that can be done is mixing the spices together. The tomatoes and cucumber will go watery if done in advance. If raw onion or shallot are not tolerable, cut these ahead of time (up to 20 minutes) and set them into a bowl, covered with white vinegar. Drain and rinse before adding to the remaining ingredients and stir them all together well before serving.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest. 

First Time Working with Lamb Shanks

I should make that plural and say '"First Times" Working with Lamb Shanks'. This dish turned out so good I made it twice in a couple of weeks in December. Prior to that I had never made lamb shanks before. The one big reason for this is that I had never been able to find lamb shanks in past, but recently our local Walmart store has been carrying them! Since this happy event coincided with all the delving into Middle Eastern cuisine of late, it was truly serendipitous.

The first time I made this recipe, it was after reading into all the new cookbooks my husband had gotten for me so I could learn about Middle Eastern flavors and cuisines, and then searching the internet for recipes using lamb shanks in particular. I wished I had a lovely tagine pot to use, but alas, that is still somewhere in the future, for me. I still hold out hopes. 😉 
 

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks served with Freekah and Msemen

As usual, after extensive reading, I start writing down the things that sounded good to me for a recipe. I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of cumin. I realize that it is used extensively in many cuisines, but if I can taste cumin as a predominant flavor, it is too much. For me, that ruins the dish completely. I do use cumin - even extensively. I just do not add it in larger amounts. So if someone uses a tablespoon of cumin in a dish - I don't care how large the overall servings - it is going to overwhelm. I trim back the amounts to what I can tolerate. In a similar manner, I have learned to use fractions of the amounts of hot chilies and hot spices, because my husband cannot tolerate them. My harissa mixture has all the flavors, but only a tiny fraction of cayenne. And so this is how I concoct a recipe; an eye out for things that appeal, or things that don't, as it should be for anyone who loves cooking.

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks on the bone

Once I had all the ingredients written down as I wanted, I began to put together this wonderfully flavored dish using lamb shanks, and it came out so heavenly good that I made it a second time about 10 days later.  

I began with creating a wet spice mixture. I had made "Rose Harissa" a week or so prior to making this dish, and used some of that Harissa in my wet spices. Saffron is a true favorite of mine, and as my husband has no problem with saffron flavor, I do use it in some quantity. I had read in various places that pounding garlic, salt and saffron together is a good beginning for the wet spices that will go into this stew. 

The first two photos in the series below show the garlic, salt and saffron whole, then pounded together. In the third photo across the top row I have blended the whole spices into a powder and add these to the garlic mixture along with some oil and Rose Harissa, 4th photo across top. (If you have regular Harissa, simply adding some soaked rose petals and/or rose flower water, about 1 tsp per cup of Harissa, will give you "Rose Harissa"). This, in turn gets mixed together with a can of petite diced tomatoes, making the base sauce, 5th photo across top. 

Assembling Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks

In the second row of photos, the lamb shanks are first browned (photo 1), then onions are sauteed (photo 2), then combined in a heavy Dutch oven (photo 3), along with other flavorings (ginger, thyme, green chilies) in photo 4, then the spice mixture is poured over along with some stock. This part of assembly takes a little time, but once assembled, it can be put into a slow cooker for quite a few hours or in a Dutch oven and baked very slowly for a couple of hours before you even have to think of it again.

I have added in dried fruits to cook for the last half hour. A guest had issues with the seeds in the figs (!) but aside from that, it is a lovely, well flavored dish, and the lamb positively falls from the bones, as is seen in the photo at the top of this page. Each lamb shank, though they do have a large bone, still feed at least two people easily. If you are very conservative in portion size, I would say you could feed 6. The first time I made these I served them with couscous. The second time I made them I served them with Freekah, which was also delicious. A side of rice or even potatoes would also go well, depending on your taste.

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks

Serves 4

Moroccan Style Lamb Shanks off the bone

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lamb shanks
2 onions, chopped
 
SAUCE:
8 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch saffron (or to taste)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
1 - 2 tablespoons Rose Harissa
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes

OTHER:
1 (walnut sized) piece fresh ginger, minced
1 green chili pepper, more if desired
1 sprig fresh thyme
1½ - 2 cups chicken stock

FRUITS:
10 dried apricots, halved
10 dried figs, halved
10 Medjool dates, halved, pitted

Have ready a large oven safe pot with lid, preferably enameled cast iron. Heat oven to 225 or 250, whichever will maintain a low simmer. Or, if using a slow cooker, have it ready.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the lamb shanks all over on medium high heat. Remove them to the pot (or slow cooker). Add the onions to the skillet and saute over medium or medium low, until golden. Pour the onions over top of the lamb shanks.

Meanwhile, place the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds into a spice grinder and grind to powder. With a mortar and pestle, smash to a paste the garlic, salt and saffron. Once done, add in the ground trio of spices along with the Ceylon cinnamon and paprika. Add in a teaspoon of olive oil if needed to make a paste. Stir in the Rose Harissa. Pour the petite diced tomatoes into a mixing bowl and now add the spice mixture to the tomatoes, stirring to combine. Pour all of this mixture over top of the lamb shanks and onions in the pot. Add in the minced ginger and thyme. The green chili can be left whole and just pierced with the tip of a knife, to give flavor but no heat. If you like the heat, chop the chili or chilies, with or without seeds to regulate the heat level. Pour chicken stock over all, until it reaches about ⅔ of the way up the sides of the lamb shanks. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover with tight fitting lid and set in oven. Allow to simmer slowly for at least 2 hours. If using a crock pot, allow at least 5 hours on low, or follow the settings on your slow cooker.

A half hour prior to serving, add in the dried fruits. Stir in, then cover and return to the oven for another 30 minutes. The meat should be falling off the bones. Serve with couscous, freekah, bulghur, rice or potatoes, as desired. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Indian Dish from Telangana

State of Telangana in India

As I mentioned in my last post, I made quite a few Indian recipes last year, then was so busy I just never got around to posting them. Some of them were amazingly good, as was this chicken dish. I saw a recipe for "Telangana Chicken" from Padma Reddy in an article in Saveur magazine. It sounded interesting, and since I mainly have made dishes from the northern parts of India, and which are the type of dishes generally served in Indian restaurants (at least all the ones I have frequented, to date), I felt that since this dish came from one of the more southerly states of India, I might just have to try it out. 

As it happens, Telangana is the newest state of India, formed in June 2014. It was formerly a part of the Princely State of Hyderabad, and was formed of ten districts from north-western Andhra Pradesh. I will not go further into any history, as even this little bit was entirely unknown to me prior to looking up more on where this state existed. Suffice to say that this dish is found in many forms in and around Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana is also known for their breads (roti) made from millet and other millet based dishes. I have yet to explore making breads with millet, so I served my Curried Chicken dish with regular Parathas and rice on the side, though this may not be too authentic. Though it was delicious!
 

Telangana Chicken

As I mentioned above, I found this recipe and it sounded good. That doesn't mean I didn't make changes. I wanted the recipe to be mine, and so I did look up other recipes for Telangana Chicken, just to see what the general concept was. Then I started making alterations that I felt fell within the main idea of this dish. I did make it with skinless, boneless chicken, which is not authentic in any way. I just prefer these days not having to fiddle with chicken on the bone while at the table. Outside of that, I used most of the ingredients, added some, deleted some and changed the amounts of most of them! 

Telangana Chicken

I mentioned curry leaves in my last regular post about Goan Pork Vindaloo. Curry leaves are from the Curry Leaf Plant (Murraya koenigii). If you love to cook Indian food as I do, then investing in a plant is truly worthwhile. I love the flavor these leaves give to a dish. It has a somewhat citrusy smell and flavor, but it is really a flavor all its own. The leaves are edible, though my husband spends his time pulling them all off to the side of the dish to be tossed out. I eat them. They are also found, fresh, on Amazon (of course), and when I ordered some they arrived quickly and I stuck the package right into the freezer. While the leaves blacken in the freezer, they still retain their flavor and fragrance, unlike if they were dried, where they completely lose all their flavor and aroma. If thawed, they regain their green color.

Aside from curry leaves, the only other unusual spices or flavors are white poppy seeds and methi leaves. Methi is fenugreek (click the link to learn more), and fenugreek is interesting in that the plant can be used as a fresh vegetable, the leaves can also be found dried as an herb, and then there are the seeds, which have a scent much like maple syrup, though they are bitter.  

Black ("Blue") Poppy Seeds left and White Poppy Seeds right

The white poppy seeds are often used in Indian cuisines, as a part of the spices or as a thickener. The white seeds come from the same kind of poppy plant (papaver somniferum), as the black (or "blue") variety, similar to white and black sesame seeds. If you cannot find the white poppy seeds, they may be left out of the dish. Seen close up as in my photos above, poppy seeds are shaped like kidney beans and their outsides look like (very miniature) peanuts.

Now, on to the recipe:

Telangana Chicken

Telangana Chicken

Serves 4 or more

1 can (13.66 ounce) coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
½ teaspoon pure red powdered chili
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, minced
1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken, cut in chunks
8 green cardamom pods, slightly bruised
1 piece mace (or a pinch ground mace)
1 star anise
1 Tej Patta Leaf (Indian "bay" leaf), optional
1 (4-inch) piece true cinnamon quill
¼ cup cooking oil
3 Thai or Serrano chilies, minced
2 medium onions, halved and sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons cooking oil

MASALA:
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons white poppy seeds
15 cashews
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
20 curry leaves, if available
cilantro for garnish

Mix together in a large container with a lid the coconut milk, lime juice, Garam Masala, powdered chili, garlic and ginger; stir to combine. Add the chicken pieces along with the cardamom pods, mace, star anise, tej patta, cinnamon, oil and green chilies. Stir well, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

To make the dish: Saute the onions in the cooking oil of choice until browned. While the onions are frying, combine the Masala spices in a spice grinder or blender and grind to a powder. Just as the onions are done, add in the curry leaves with the ground masala to the onions and stir for 2 or 3 minutes. Add in the chicken along with its marinade and bring to boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Goan Pork Vindaloo

Last year I made Indian food a lot. I mean a LOT. I don't think a month went by that I didn't make something Indian. So last year in January I made a Goan Pork Vindaloo, and here it is, May 2017, and more than a year later and I am finally getting to a blog post. I guess I put off blogging about a few really great dishes, just because since I did so much Indian cooking last year I thought I really had to get more variety in here. So this blog is about the Vindaloo, and I have a couple of other recipes, one for a pork curry from Coorg, and another is a chicken curry from Telangana. I will get to them soon, as I would love to make them again.

Goan Pork Vindaloo

As is usual with a new dish, I research it first, seeing what people do - and true to form, outside of a very few ingredients, the recipes and ingredients are vastly different from one recipe to the next. I finally came down to selecting ingredients and spices mainly from two recipes. One recipe is terribly long, and the other is terribly short. For the same basic recipe! So I look through, select what sounds good to me, discard what does not, and put together a mixture that most often turns out really great. Since all the ingredients are found in SOME version of the recipe, somewhere, I feel it is an authentic enough version of this dish.

Pork is not a meat eaten in most of India, but the state of Goa on the lower-western side of the country was colonized by the Christian Portuguese, and their foods and habits were mixed into the culture there. Thus, pork came to be eaten in this area of the country. I love pork anyway, and it is nice to see pork in an Indian recipe. I had never made a "vindaloo" before. My understanding was that vindaloo was a fiery hot and spicy dish, and this is indeed so, although if spicy heat is not your thing, simply reduce the amounts of the hot spice added to the recipe. My recipe is in no way over the top spicy, though it does have some. Other than that, I had no real clue to what constituted a vindaloo. Wikipedia has this to say:

" . . . derived from the Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (literally "meat in garlic wine marinade"), is a dish of meat (usually pork) marinated in wine and garlic."

Goan Pork Vindaloo

Though the Portuguese sailors' version of what made a "vinha d'alhos" (which the Indians found easier to pronounce "vindaloo) is nothing at all like what the Indianized version came to be, I really happen to love the Goan style of this dish. Once looking at the ingredients I had chosen for my vindaloo, indeed it is pork marinated in wine (vinegar) and garlic. Outside of that, I guess you'll have to give it a try and see just how delightful it is.

The dish calls for tamarind paste, which, granted, is not in everyone's list of pantry items, but I do happen to have it in mine. I have both the tamarind pods and a plastic jar of tamarind paste, which is very thick. I used the paste in this dish, and used a teaspoon if this thick stuff mixed into water to dissolve. I could have taken a few of the whole pods, peeled back the brittle outer casings and soaked them for a half hour or so, then squeezed and pressed through a sieve. Either way would work. If you do not own tamarind, add in more lime juice or red wine vinegar. The dish is meant to have a sour quality.

Curry Leaf Plant

Another ingredient that I did not have on hand at the time of making this recipe, was the curry leaves. Murraya koenigii, or curry leaf, is a bush-like shrubby plant with lots of long stemlets with leaves that run on either side of the stem. The leaves have a vaguely citrusy quality and add a lovely flavor to a dish. I found fresh leaves on Amazon (of course) and ordered them. They can be frozen, then pull out what is needed for a recipe (usually about one stemlet of leaves). They do turn slightly blackish in the freezer, but maintain their fresh flavor. Drying the leaves leaves them relatively tasteless, so they are best frozen, unless you happen to live in a more temperate climate and can grow your own. When I lived in Florida, I had a couple of good sized plants and used them often.

Goan Pork Vindaloo

Goan Pork Vindaloo

Serves 4 

2 pounds pork tenderloin, in small cubes
2 - 3 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
2 onions, finely chopped
4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
10 fresh curry leaves, optional
2 teaspoons Tandoori Spice
2 "Indian Bay Leaves" called Tej Patta
1½ teaspoons salt

MARINADE:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon black cardamom seeds
6 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
1-inch true cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon Indian pure ground chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder or 2 tablespoons fresh turmeric, grated
2 - 4 green chilies, minced, optional
⅓ cup red wine vinegar or lime juice
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (if very thick variety, dissolve 1 teaspoon in 2 tablespoons water)
6 - 8 cloves garlic, smashed
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced

Make the Marinade: Place the first 7 marinade ingredients into a dry skillet over medium high heat and stir constantly until the spices are very fragrant, but not smoking. Turn them out onto a plate to cool.

Once slightly cooled, pour the spices into a blender container with the turmeric and pure chili powder. Blend to a fine powder, then add in the remaining marinade ingredients and blend to a smooth paste. Combine the marinade with the pork pieces and stir to mix well, then refrigerate in a sealed container of zip-top bag for 8 to 48 hours.

Making the Vindaloo: Heat the oil or ghee in a large skillet. Add in the brown mustard seeds and cook, stirring and swirling the pan until the seeds begin to pop. Add in the onion and minced garlic with the curry leaves and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Add in the Tandoori Spice and Tej Patta with the salt and stir for a few seconds, then add in the pork with its marinade and add just enough water to make a stew-like consistency. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until the pork is cooked through, about 20 - 25 minutes for tenderloin meat. If using other pork meat, simmer for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice if desired. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Lamb Biryani is a Royal Treat

I seem to be on an Indian trend of late. There are some few other things I have made, but outside of quick standards like chili, pizza or soup, Indian has been it. Part of this is just that we love Indian flavors. Part of this is that I have found some interesting recipes that intrigued me. Part of it is that we held an Indian dinner for some friends. And now, we are hosting another Indian dinner with the same friends and some new ones. This dinner will be November 3rd. 

Kachche Gosht Biryani

With this in mind, and the strictures of no nuts and no mushrooms, I have been working to piece together a meal that makes some kind of sense - both from my standpoint as hostess and cook, as well as from the standpoint of how an Indian dinner might be served. I had originally thought to make Korma, either chicken or lamb. However Kormas use nuts, almonds and or cashews, as a ground up thickener to the sauce. A no-go.

Most of my Indian meals have had a sauce, curry style. This has been mainly as my husband doesn't care for plain rice, nor does he care for runny foods. If I serve white rice, or saffron rice, something gravy-like has to be poured over it to make it palatable for him. 

Still, he does like things like Chinese fried rice, with a lot of things added in, so in planning for this upcoming Indian meal, Biryani occurred to me. Biryani is most often a special-occasion dish, often a royal dish, kind of an all-in-one, where the meat and rice are combined in savory harmony with a lot of spices and fried onions and such. Saffron is a must. In photos from Indian cookbooks, it is often shown served with dots of silver leaf. Royal, indeed.

Kachche Gosht Biryani

In doing research on just how to assemble this amazing dish, I came across a word I had not seen before. The name of the Lamb and Rice Biryani is "Gosht" (Lamb) Biryani. In front of the word Gosht was the word "Kachche". I wondered what this might mean, so I went looking and finally found out that this means that the dish is made with the meat still raw. The meat (usually marinated) is set into the bottom of a pot and the partially cooked rice is poured over top. Liquid is added and then the dish is cooked either stovetop or in the oven. I wondered how the dish would taste, and if the meat would be cooked through properly. I found that the flavor was excellent and it was certainly cooked through and tender.

The alternative is called "Pakki" Biryani and this means the meat cubes are fried before adding to the pot. It appears that the most authentic method is with the meat still raw. That answered my question and also gave me incentive to try the dish out and ascertain if it worked, if the flavors were good and if the meat cooked properly. I made the dish yesterday and found the answer to all three questions was a resounding "YES!" You might see cashews in the photos, and yes, I added them to the trial dish, just to see how the flavors and steps went. I left them out of the dish for the guests with nut allergies.

That said, there are a LOT of steps to the dish. It seemed unduly complicated, or maybe just clumsy in the directions. I looked up various recipes online, as well as in some cookbooks of my own. Comparing styles and ingredients, I made what I felt to be a good approximation, but all my own. I cannot know ahead of time if it will all work out or not, but once I work on a dish like this, I can see where any difficulties lie, and correct them or facilitate them. One thing in particular was getting the onions fried early enough to have them for use IN the dish and not just as a decoration for on top of the finished product. The recipe calls for 4 onions to be sliced and then sauteed until well-browned and crisped but not burnt! To get that many onions to cook down to browned and caramelized takes a good half hour, stirring quite often. I was running the ragged edge on timing for the assembly and the onions were still nowhere near caramelized. I will keep that in mind for making it next time, possibly making this step earlier in the day rather than so close to assembly.

While there are a lot of steps and a lot of ingredients and different methods of prep work involved, this makes a large amount, suitable for quite a few people. The fact that it is baked for about 45 minutes frees one up for other last minute tasks while the pot is in the oven. All in all, it is a supremely worthwhile dish and a total delight to eat.

Kachche Gosht Biryani

Kachche Gosht Biryani

(Lamb Biryani Cooked with Raw Meat)

Serves 6 to 8

1½ pounds lamb, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
-----
2 tablespoons oil or ghee
4 large onions sliced, quartered
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½ cup sultanas
½ cup whole raw cashews
-----
1½ cups basmati rice
-----
3½ teaspoons salt, divided
-----
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 cup yogurt
½ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon saffron 
¼ teaspoon kewra water, optional
¼ teaspoon rose water, optional

WHOLE MASALA
3 green cardamom slightly crushed
1 inch stick cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1 black cardamom, slightly crushed
1 large tej patta leaf ("Indian Bay Leaf")

½ teaspoon black cumin (shahi jeera) lightly ground
2 inch piece ginger cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons melted ghee
1 cup water
½ cup milk
Cilantro leaves for garnish

Early in the day, place the lamb in a deep bowl, add the minced ginger and garlic. Mix well so that all the lamb pieces are covered. Cover the bowl with cling film and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.

Earlier in the afternoon, heat oil or ghee in a large skillet, add the onions and sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of the salt, then fry till well browned and caramelized. Drain on absorbent paper.

In the same skillet, still with some ghee or oil in it, sauté the sultanas and cashews for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the raisins puff and change color and the cashews begin to look golden. Turn out into a bowl and reserve for serving.

Set rice in large container with water to cover by at least 1 inch. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Take the lamb out of the refrigerator. Stir together 1½ teaspoons of salt, the garam masala, black pepper and turmeric, then add to the meat along with the yogurt, a third of the fried onions, half the fresh mint, half the cilantro and mix very well. Cover the bowl with plastic film and set aside to marinate for at least thirty minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve saffron in warm milk. Add in the kewra water and rose water; set aside. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Drain the rice, then put it into a saucepan with plenty of water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to boil and cook till half done, about 6 minutes. Drain well, returning the rice to its pan. Stir in the saffron-milk mixture, then stir in the whole masala spices, another third of the fried onions and the remaining mint and cilantro.

Take a heavy duty pot such as enameled cast iron or a heavy braising pot with tight fitting lid and add in the melted ghee to cover the bottom. Spread the marinated lamb into the pot and top it with the rice mixture. Sprinkle the black cumin seeds and the ginger strips over the rice press in. Combine the water and milk and pour overall. Cover the pan with a lid. Set on a hot burner for a few minutes to take the chill off the mixture, then place the pot in the oven and time for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees and time for a further 20 to 25 minutes. Check that the liquids are all absorbed, then set the covered pot aside until ready to serve.

To serve, pour the rice and meat onto a large patter. Scatter over the top the remaining fried onions and the reserved fried sultanas and cashews. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Indian Treat Called Gulab Jamun

It may seem strange that though these little fried milk balls are one of my favorite desserts (even outside of purely Indian cooking), today is only the second time, ever, I made them. One of the biggest reasons for this apparent lapse is in the word "fried". 

I absolutely despise frying things. I hate the mess, the hot oil, the drips all over the place to clean, and then what to do with the leftover oil. All that oil, wasted. Because guess what? I hate to fry things! Oh well. Today I made the exception, because I am having guests over next week for an Indian meal, and I am going all out. 

Gulab Jamun

I am making things for this meal that I have made before, so there is no surprise anywhere. I am going to have Rogan Josh as the main entree with two side dishes: Indian Cabbage and Rice and Palak Paneer (creamed spinach with milk cheese). I will have three chutneys. Two of these are authentically Indian: Imli, or Tamarind Chutney, and Dhania Poodina, a fresh cilantro and mint chutney. The third is a Mango Chutney I make, and which my husband loves. For breads, I am making Naan and also Aloo Parathas, or Parathas filled with spiced potatoes. And for dessert? Gulab Jamun.

Gulab Jamun in tiny 4-inch bowl

What are Gulab Jamun?

As already stated, these are little balls of a milk dough, which are fried and then soaked in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom and rosewater. The word Gulab means rose, and this is because there is generally rose water flavoring the syrup these little balls are soaked in. Jamun is a reference to a fruit called a Java Plum, and may refer to the size of the little balls. 

In India, these milk balls are made using milk that is cooked down over a long slow period, leaving a very thick curd-like mixture, called khoya or mawa. To read more about this process, go to this site. 

Despite this being the traditional way to come to the dough for these treats, there are various other simpler methods to make them that do not require so much extra time. Many recipes I have seen say that khoya is sold in the freezer section of grocery stores, next to other Indian foods. All I can say is - not where I live! So then it comes down to the fact that it is a very thickened version of milk we are talking about, and so there are other recipes using various mixtures of milk powder, milk / cream, and / or flour. Some use ground nuts in the dough, or ghee, some add ground cardamom. As with most recipes, though the end product is similar, there are many ways to get there. 

The recipe I have used, sort of cobbled from various recipe techniques, is to make the dough with whole milk powder, flour and cream. The syrup is equal parts sugar and water, with a few saffron threads and cardamom pods thrown in. 

Size change from dough to fried to syrup

The totally shocking part of this recipe is the change in size in the Jamun from dough balls, to fried, to soaked in syrup. Look for at least a doubling in diameter  from start to end, about tripling n volume. The first time I made these, I was looking at a recipe that said to make the dough balls "golf-ball-sized." I tried a couple, fried them and found how much bigger they got and resized down to a walnut size. This still left me with very large Jamuns, and once soaked in the syrup, they seemed huge. In restaurants, the size of the Gulab Jamun served are approximately 1¼ to 1½-inches in diameter. In this case, the dough balls to start should be about ¾-inch in diameter, or slightly less. 

Knowing that I am making a very large meal next week, I opted this time to make my Jamun much smaller, about ⅝-inch. Once fried, then soaked in syrup, this left me with Gulab Jamun that were just over an inch wide. I like this size. I can fit 4 or 5 in a small dessert bowl and this should make them just right for after-dinner.

Making the balls this small left me with 95 of the little things. If I serve 5 of them in a little bowl as shown, that would serve 19! Luckily, before putting them in syrup, these can be frozen for a month or two, so they are available whenever you would want a few. I packaged them in little zip-top baggies in portions of 20. In the freezer they went. And all I have to do when I want more is make up the syrup, which takes no time at all. 

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun

Makes 50 to 90 balls, depending on size.

DOUGH:
1½ cups dry whole milk powder
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1¼ cups heavy cream

1 quart oil, for frying

SYRUP (For about 25 - 30 jamun. Double as needed.):
1½ cups water
¾ cup sugar
2 - 3 cardamom pods, crushed slightly
1 - strands saffron, optional
2 - 3 drops rose water

DOUGH: Sift together into a bowl the milk powder, flour and baking powder. Add in the heavy cream and stir just until the mixture comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let set for 10 to 30 minutes, as needed.

The dough, the formed jamun, frying and draining

Form the dough into balls about the size of a grape. You may need oil or ghee on your hands to roll the balls very smooth. While the rolling process takes place, heat the oil in a saucepan. It will need to be at about 320 to 325 degrees. A thermometer helps to keep tabs on the oil. Do not over heat.

Once the jamuns are all rolled, begin adding them carefully into the hot oil. Use a slotted spoon to move them around in the oil so they color evenly. They should get to a deep mahogany brown. This can take from 6 to 8 minutes, depending on how hot the oil. I fried mine in batches of 25 or so. Once browned, remove to a platter lined with paper toweling. 

The syrup, the jamun just added, the jamun growing after a few minutes of soaking

SYRUP: If making all of these at one time in syrup, you may have to triple the syrup recipe. Mix the sugar and water together with the cardamom pods and saffron strands. Bring to boil, lower to a simmer and cook gently for about 10 minutes, to bring out the flavors.

When syrup is ready, add in the fried, drained jamun. Let them soak in the syrup for at least 3 hours, or overnight. If refrigerated, bring them back to just tepid, either in microwave or in a pan on the stove.

To serve, sprinkle on some crushed pistachios or organic rose petals, if available.

MAKE AHEAD: If making these in advance (which I highly recommend, as they take some time and mess), once they are fried, but before making the syrup, either refrigerate them for up to 3 days, or pack in a tightly sealed container or zip-top bag and freeze for a month or two. When ready to use, prepare the syrup and add in the jamun to absorb the syrup.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Tej Patta - A Much Mistaken Case of Identity

Tej Patta or Tamal Patra leaves

I have had a lot of years cooking Indian foods now, and in most every recipe, conspicuous by its absence, was bay leaf. A couple of years ago, I heard a friend say she put bay leaf in her Garam Masala. I sputtered a bit and then asked why she used bay leaf in Garam Masala? "Because the recipe said so," she said. All I could figure was that it was not a true Indian recipe. Things do tend to creep into a recipe when in the hands of someone not of the culture. Granted, I am not of the culture either, but I try to stay as authentic to the flavors as possible, going to lengths to search out the proper spices.

So imagine my surprise when not too long ago, I heard about "Indian Bay Leaf". I found that this is not a bay leaf as we know it at all, but something that looks sort of vaguely similar, and has been called "bay leaf" or even "Indian bay leaf," when if fact it has a closer relation to cinnamon. Wikipedia has this to say:

"Cinnamomum tamala, Indian bay leaf, also known as tejpat, tejapatta, Malabar leaf, Indian bark, Indian cassia, or malabathrum, is a tree within the Lauraceae family which is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. It can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) tall."

Tej Patta - Cinnamomum tamala / C. tejpata / C. malabathrum

Called "Tej Patta" (among other spellings) in Hindi, "Tamalapatra" in Sanskrit, and called by other names in other languages or dialects, these leaves come from a tree that is in the Lauraceae family (as with our Bay Laurel leaves), but comes instead from a variety of cassia tree. Tej Patta leaves bear more resemblance in flavor to cinnamon or cloves, quite dissimilar to the piney, resinous flavor of bay laurel leaves.

Bay Laurel and Tej Patta Leaves - comparison

Tej Patta grows mainly in the northeast of India, extending into the slopes of the Himalayas, Nepal and Burma. The trees are not generally under commercial cultivation, so quality is not highly regulated. Not all leaves sold have the same strength of flavor.

Its usage in Indian cooking is mainly confined to the Mughlai (moog-lie) cooking style of the imperial courts of Delhi and Agra, in foods such as Biryani and Korma. In these regions it is used almost daily and is well known. If an Indian recipe calls for "bay leaf", it is automatically known, in India, by Indians, this refers to Tej Patta, or its misleading name: "Indian Bay Leaf."

Tej Patta is characterized by its three lengthwise veins instead of the bay laurel leaf's many branched veins off of one central vein. Note these differences in the photo at left. The size of the leaves in the packet I bought runs from just slightly larger than a mid sized bay laurel leaf upwards to about 6 or more inches in length.

If an Indian recipe calls for "bay leaf" or "Indian Bay Leaf", do not substitute a Bay Laurel leaf. Instead add just a little more cinnamon, or perhaps one clove or one allspice berry instead. The leaves are not so strongly flavored, and it is suggested that they be broken before adding to a dish to help increase potency of flavor. If in doubt, leave it out. A bay laurel leaf will lend the wrong flavors to the dish. Most things are available online these days, and true to form, I found them on Amazon.com.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.