LACY CUTLETS OR PARSI STYLE MINCED MEAT RISSOLES

LACY MINCED MEAT CUTLETS

This Parsi classic is called Lacey because the eggs beaten with a little water, a technique you see in Chinese and Thai cuisine also, gives the cutlet or rissole a frilly appearance.

Makes 12 4 INCH WIDE CUTLETS

Ingredients

  • 1 lb or about 1/2 kg ground chicken, turkey OR mutton
  • 250 grams  boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes
  • 2 red onions approximately 3/4 cup finely chopped
  • 2-3 Green chillies finely chopped and rubbed with a 1/4 tsp of salt
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp good quality garam masala
  • 1 tsp freshly roasted and powdered cumin powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp freshly roasted and ground coriander powder
  • 1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
  • 3 eggs (more if required)
  • 2 tbpsns water
  • Oil for frying
  • A large wide non stick skillet

Method

  1. Saute the onions and chillies in 1 tablespoon of oil until soft on medium heat in a non stick pan.
  2. Add garlic ginger paste and turmeric and saute well about 1 minute.
  3. Switch off flame and add all the dried powdered spices and potatoes and mash well. Add salt to taste at this point a little extra because you will be added the meat.
  4. Add the mince meat and stir together. Then mash again until soft and well blended.
  5. Make flat oval cutlets about 1/4 inch thick. If you are doing this for the first time make smaller cutlets as they are easier to cook.
  6. Pat them in breadcrumbs. Place on a tray and cover. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour
  7. Beat eggs till frothy with a balloon whisk or fork about 2 minutes. Add 2 tbsp water and beat again until very frothy.
  8. Heat 1.25 inches of vegetable oil in a wide non-stick pan on medium heat.
  9. Pour the beaten eggs into a flat wide pan and lay one cutlet in the eggs. Dredge both sides well.
  10. Fry one cutlet until golden brown. Spoon hot oil over them as they fry. Use a wide big slotted spatula so its easier to turn them over without breaking them. Fry the first one until golden on both sides, drain and taste for salt. If short on salt add some to the beaten eggs.
  11. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with ketchup, onion kachumber, steamed vegetables or a condiment you like
  12. Cutlets can be frozen and rewarmed in an oven.

 

MUMBAI PAO BHAJI

Pao bhaji

 

 

 

PAO MEANS BREAD AND BHAJI IS A MIX OF VEGETABLES. A classic mumbai street food this isn’t difficult to make at home. packed with nutritious vegetables its a complete meal.a variety of store brought pao bhaji masalas are available to choose from. you can also make ladi or gutli pao at home or substitute with soft dinner rolls, portuguese rolls, potato buns and brioche buns. COMMERCIAL PAO BHAJI MAKERS OFTEN ADD FOOD COLOUR TO THE MIX FOR IT BRIGHT RED FOOD COLOR. I PREFER NOT TO. YOU CAN ADD BEETROOT IF YOU LIKE.

INGREDIENTS

TEMPERING

  • 1 tbsp oil for tempering
  • 1 dried bay leaf/tejpata
  • 1 badi elaichi/large black cardamom

TO SAUTE

  • 4 tbsp butter and 4 tbsp vegetable oil for frying onions
  • 5 Roma or red cooking tomatoesfinely chopped
  • 1 cup peas / matar fresh or frozen but pre-cooked
  • 1 cup finely diced carrots
  • 1 cup small cauliflower florets
  • 6 cooking potatoesboiled until very tender, peeled  & mashed with a ricer 
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric / haldi
  • 1/4 cup  pav bhaji masala (your favourite brand adjust quantity to suit taste)
  • 1 tsp + 1 tsp kasuri methi / dry fenugreek leaves (if your masala has this already omit)
  • 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 cup peeled and finely diced red onion
  • Juice of ½ lime 
  • water if required
  • red chilli salt and jaggery or sugar to taste
  • 4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves or cilantro

FOR PAO OR BUNS:

 

  • 12 pav / gutli/ladi pao/soft rolls/buns
  • 1.5 tsp butter per bun
  • lime wedges
  • 4 tsp coriander leavesfinely chopped
  • 1 cup finely chopped raw onions

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Heat oil on a high flame. Add whole spices black cardamom and bay leaf and stir until golden and fragrant about 1 minute.

    Add and saute onions until soft, then add garlic ginger paste and cook till fragrant.

  • Remove the bad leach and tejpatta and discard.
  • Add tomatoes and cook until sides release oil about 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly.
  • Add carrots, cauliflower  pao bhaji masala, turmeric, kasuri methi (if using) and saute. Then  pressure cooker until soft and mushy or cook on a slow flame . Add more water if required.
  • Now add mashed potatoes and peas and  mash all the vegetables with a potato masher until soft and squishy. Add water only if required. The bhaji should be thick and should not ooze liquid.
  • Add salt and sugar or jaggery to taste. If required add red chilli powder. Add coriander leaves and stir well.
  • Stir well and cook until thoroughly combined and soft.
  • Stir in lime juice.
  • To prepare the buns slice them open. Apply butter to all sides of the buns and grill under a salamander or over a grill. You can also do this in a cast iron pan on a slow flame until the buns are golden brown but soft.
  • Garnish with butter, coriander leaves and serve with a side of lime wedges and chopped onions. Serve with toasted or griddled bread rolls.

Parsi Fish Vindaloo

 

 

 

 

I’ve always believed that birds of a feather ‘feed’ together. Otherwise there is no explaining why most of my father’s closest friends’ wives were excellent chefs and all their get-togethers were always about great food.

Vera Umrigar is a jewel among cooks. Wife, mom, petrol pump owner, she managed a spatula with the same fervour she did a broken axle. Her smoked ham, dotted with cloves and glazed with honey, her exquisite apricot soufflé, as frothy and festive as a wedding frock and her sugar-studded apple pies are memorable to me 20 years after I first feasted on them.

The families went to the Umrigar’s home in Lonavala for long weekends and the boot of the car was converted into a mobile freezer, piled high with everything from my mother’s vindaloo and pao bhaji to Vera’s dhansak and kheema cutlets, all frozen rock solid a week in advance to survive the drive. Any space leftover was meant for waffle machines, OK wafers and mom’s Balicao jars.

Whatever thawed first was demolished quickly and efficiently. We were lawn movers and there was no grass too tall.

The weekend rolled by, literally, as Vera’s Maharashtrian maid, togged up in a nine-yard sari, drawn between her legs like some Roman warrior, rolled puran polis to fill the tiny gaps between 4-course meals.

Let me tell you this. There is nothing, nothing quite like a puran poli straight off a hot tawa. Those cold chindis sold in shops are very sad.

The crisp top is paper-thin and the weight of a spoonful of ghee cracks it open like a pond of ice on a sunny day. Ghee meets warm jaggery in an eternal romance. My fingers would get all jammy as I tried to break off bits of poli and turn the pages of my Enid Blyton all at the same time. I pitied Fatty; all he got was cold tongue sandwiches.

Everyone knows the Goan Pork Vindaloo, but when Vera offered her mother’s recipe for a Parsi Fish Vindaloo, I was all ears. Parsi cuisine unites ancient Persian traditions with both Indian and British colonial ones. Sour Zereshk or barberries in Berry Pulao is Persian while Worcestershire sauce in Lagan no Saas is a British one.

“Parsi vindaloo? It’s not a prawn patia?” I ask incredulously.

Vera explains that there are many kinds of prawn patia, the classic sweet and spicy Parsi prawn dish, not pickle, less curry that’s served with dhan dal. “Some Patias are made with kadipatta, while others are not. Some have garam masala, others do not.”

Like all vindaloos, this one is also an Indian-Portuguese fusion. It contains red chilies, red wine vinegar (vin in Portuguese) and garlic (alho in Portuguese) and is sweet, spicy and sour. The vinegar and jaggery balance the spicy chillies.

So how is it different from a Goan Vindaloo?

Vera whispers conspiratorially. “It’s got lots of fresh kothmir in it and you eat it with hot Toor Dal Khichdi.

As you can guess by this point I’m lying in a pool of drool.

When Vera pulls the ground masala out of the fridge, its deep almost unreal red colour brings back a flood of memories. My Dad would always say that he could tell my mother and Vera’s vindaloo by the red colour.

Good vindaloo must have this flaming colour. Not the dull brown that so many inferior restaurant-vindaloos have.  So what’s the secret? How do you give the gravy such a deep red without synthetic colour or an overdose of chilies.

Vera uses dried Kashmiri chilies, but suggests you can also use bedgi. She insists you use fresh homemade tomato puree, processed in a food mill, also called a puran maker in India, not in a mixer.

When you blitz tomatoes they lose their red colour and turn pink.

She then proceeds to fry the masala in oil. “This dish needs oil ha? You can’t fry a masala without oil ok?”

I imagine someone trying to make vindaloo with non-stick, fat-free cooking spray.

I can’t help but giggle. Those days of excess, of ‘lagaooing’ and ‘enjjwaaaying’ good food are a thing of the 80s. Of showing up at your friends place at midnight and honking for kheema pao are gone. Everyone is caught up with immortality. If it weren’t for the Parsis, I really think there would be no majja in life.

“And Tara, add the chopped kothmir and the pomfret to the masala together so their flavours get into the gravy. Dhaniya is not a garnish. It’s part of the curry.”

She puts the steaming fish vindaloo on the table.

I will stop writing now.

I won’t describe it.

Just make it.

Be zindadil for a day.

Lagao.

Use dried red chillies and tomato puree for a bright color.

Vera Umrigar’s Parsi Fish Vindaloo

The Goan pork vindaloo is extremely well-known, but this tangy fish vindaloo is a gem that deserves a permanent place in your recipe collection. The flaming red colour is a red herring – it isn’t that spicy!

Make the tomato puree using bright red tomatoes and process them in a puran maker or a food mill. This way you will maintain a bright red colour.

Ingredients (Serves 4-5)

1 kg silver pomfret steaks (about 8 pieces plus head and tail)

For the masala:

15 red kashmiri or bedgi chillies with stalks removed, broken into bits

8-10 large cloves of peeled garlic

5 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp red vinegar or to taste (kolahs or kalverts)

½ cup chopped red onions

4 cups fresh tomato puree

¼ cup crumbled jaggery or to taste

1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

¼-1/2 cup vegetable oil for cooking

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Grind the first 5 ingredients for the masala to a smooth, fine paste. This will take several minutes. Add a little water if required.

2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet on a medium flame.

3. Add the ground paste and cook, stirring frequently about 8-9 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan and the sides to prevent the spice paste from sticking to the bottom. When the oil begins to separate from the sides, stir in the tomato puree and continue to cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame until the mixture bubbles and thickens.

4. Add 1 tbsp of jaggery and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir well.

5. Lower the flame and add the fish slices one at a time and the coriander leaves. Stir gently.

6. Cook until fish is tender.

7. Taste for salt and sweetness. Add more vinegar, jaggery and salt if required.

8. Serve with toor dal khichdi or plain white boiled rice.

 

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

Mayonnaise first came on the scene in the 1700’s a recipe that is believed to have been conceived and developed by the great Chef Anton Careme. Mayonnaise changed the culinary world because it could replace ingredients like cream, enrich, thicken, stabilize so many different recipes and ingredients that it became a substitute for cream and gelatine and soon led to the north of hundreds of recipes based on its qualities. it is used in salads, sandwiches, soups,  as a side, a spread and a thickening agent.

It involves beating egg yolks over a long period of time while slowly incorporating oil into it.

The technique and the recipe is very simple. What is required is patience because in the ‘old’ days it was prepared by hand with a wire whisk.

The lack of time and patience is what created millionaires like Hellmans and Heinz who quickly

created packaged mayonnaise to replace homemade mayo and soon this ingredient because. permanent fixture in every kitchen worldwide.

Even today when hand and stand mixers make this task so much easier folks buy their mayonnaise. But nothing beats a homemade mayo. Its just two ingredients oil and egg yolks and you can use pretty much any oil you like. Add a few drops of basil or chilli oil to your vegetable oil. Add sesame or avocado oil.

Add any flavouring spice and herb you choose. Add minced garlic to make aioli. The sky is the limit.

For this of you who are vegan try my vegan tofu mayonnaise recipe also on this site. Watch the video on my IGTV feed.

Ingredients

. 3 egg yolks room temperature not cold

1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice (

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dry or prepared mustard

1½ to 2¼ cups of vegetable or olive oil room temperature and not cold

1 tablespoon boiling water

 

METHOD

Beat the egg yolks for 1 to 2 minutes  using a hand or stand mixer with a ballon whisk until they are thick and sticky.

Add a drop of oil and beat again. Every one minute add one drop of oil for about 6-7 minutes.

Then increase the speed and add a teaspoon at a time. Keeping whisking.

Once the mayonnaise begins to thicken add the vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Beat for 30 seconds more.

Add more oil and continue to beat until all the oil is used up.

Now whisk the boiling water into the sauce quickly. This is an anti-curdling measure that will help produce a smooth mayonnaise that will be more resistant to splitting when added to say a hot soup or baked.

Season to taste. Scrape into an airtight container and refrigerate upto 10 days.

VAANGI BHARIT-MAHARASHTRA STYLE ROASTED AND MASHED EGGPLANT WITH YOGURT AND PEANUTS

Mashed eggplant is made in different ways in Maharashtra where it is very popular. This version is served with yogurt and crushed peanuts. Other versions include a Varhadi style prepared with linseed oil and a  “each” or raw version where the eggplant is roasted and stirred together with raw ingredients such and chopped chillies.

I love this version because it is lightly spiced and you can enjoy the flavour of eggplant.

The peanuts bring a lovely crunch and the whisked yogurt balances out the spicy green chillies.

The yogurt is cold while the mashed eggplant is hot. If you dont add the chopped onions the dish is Satvik or suitable for religious occasions.

Serve with Phulkas or Chappatis and a lentil preparation.

 

SERVES 6

3 400 -450 GRAM PURPLE BRINJAL/AUBERGINE OR ITALIAN EGGPLANTS

3/4 TEASPOON TURMERIC

1 CUP FULL FAT YOGURT WHISKED TOGETHER WITH HALF CUP LIGHT CREAM AND SALT TO TASTE

2 TBSPN FINELY CHOPPED ONION (OPTIONAL)

3/4 CUP SALTED, ROASTED PEANUTS CRUSHED

1 INDIAN GREEN CHILLI FINELY CHOPPED (OPTIONAL)

FOR TEMPERING-

PINCH ASAFETIDA

1 TEASPOON MUSTARD SEEDS

2-3 GREEN CHILLIES FINELY CHOPPED

6-7 FRESH CURRY LEAVES TORN

3 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE OIL

METHOD

ROAST EGGPLANTS OVER AN OPEN FLAME UNTIL THEY FALL APART AND SKIN IS COMPLETELY CHARRED ON ALL SIDES. COOL THEN PEEL OF SKIN AND DISCARD. LIGHTLY WASH EGGPLANTS AND REMOVE LARGE PATCHES OF SEEDS IF ANY. RESERVE.

HEAT VEGETABLE OIL IN A NON STICK SKILLET AND ADD MUSTARD SEEDS AND SAUTE 1 MINUTE. ADD CURRY LEAVES AND ASAFETIDA AND SAUTE UNTIL LEAVES BLISTER.

ADD GREEN CHILLIES AND SAUTE 30 SECONDS. ADD MASHED EGGPLANTA DN TURMERIC AND STIR WELL. ADD SALT TO TASTE.

PLACE THE HOT EGGPLANT IN THE CENTER OF A BOWL AND POUR THE YOGURT AROUND IT. GARNISH YOGURT WITH PEANUTS, GREEN CHILLIES AND RAW ONIONS. SERVE IMMEDIATELY.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PUNJABI BAINGAN BHARTA/FIRE ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATOES

THIS STYLE OF ROASTED AND MASHED EGGPLANT IS POPULAR ALL OVER INDIA AND A CLASSIC STYLE OF HOME COOKING EVERYWHERE AND POULAR IN DHABAS IN PUNJAB. IN HOME KITCHEN THE EGGPLANT IS NOT PUREED BUT COARSELY MASHED.

I ATE THIS DISH AT SEVERAL DHABAS IN BOTH PUNJAB AND CHANDIGARH AND WHILE THEY WERE ALL GOOD I PREFER THE ONES MADE AT HOME WHERE THE BULK OF THE DISH IS EGGPLANT SEASONED WITH A RESTRAINED AMOUNT OF MASALA.  A YELLOW DAL IS A GOOD ACCOMPANIMENT TO A BHARTA.

SERVES 6

3 400 GRAM PURPLE EGGPLANTS/AUBERGINE/ITALIAN EGGPLANTS

1 TEASPOON CUMIN SEEDS

2 DRIED RED KASHMIRI CHILLIES STALKED REMOVED

1 INCH PIECE OF CINNAMON

1 BLACK CARDAMOM

1 TEJPATTA OR DRIED BAY LEAF

4 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL

1/2 CUP FINELY CHOPPED RED ONION

2 TBSPNS GARLIC AND GINGER PASTE

1 CUP PLUM TOMATOES CHOPPED

1 TEASPOON TURMERIC

SALT TO TASTE

 

METHOD

ROAST THE EGGPLANT ON AN OPEN FLAME OR A CHARCOAL BARBEQUE UNTIL COMPLETELY CHARRED, SOFT AND TENDER. COOL THEN REMOVE CHARRED SKIN GENTLY AND DISCARD.  WASH EGGPLANT VERY LIGHTLY IN WATER AND DISCARD LARGER PATCHES OF SEEDS. RESERVE

HEAT OIL IN A LARGE NON STICK SKILLET AND ADD CINNAMON, BAY LEAF AND CARDAMOM AND SAUTE 1 MINUTE. REMOVE WITH SLOTTED SPOON. ADD THE RED CHILLIES AND CUMIN SEEDS AND SAUTE 1 MINUTE. ADD ONIONS AND SAUTE 2 MINUTE UNTIL SOFT AND OPAQUE. ADD TOMATOES AND SAUTE UNTIL PULPY AND SOFT 2-3 MINUTES.

ADD GARIC AND GINGER PASTE AND STIR WELL. SAUTE 2 MINUTES UNTIL FRAGRANT.

ADD TURMERIC, AND STIR WELL.  ADD THE EGGPLANT AND MASH COARSELY . ADD SALT TO TASTE.

GARNISH WITH FINELY CHOPPED CORIANDER OR CILANTRO LEAVES.

SERVE HOT WITH PARATHAS, KHULCHAS OR ROTI.