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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Fried 'Spicy' Arbi!




Ingredients

Arvi(Colocasia or Taro)- 1/2 kg-8-10 pieces
Salt-1 tsp
Red chilly powder-1 tsp
Aam chur(Mango powder) -1 tsp
Oil-1 cooking spoon
Water- 2-3 cups

Recipe:-

1. Wash arvi properly when to be cooked. Never wash arvi and keep beforehand as it gets spoiled.

2. Put the unpeeled arbi in a cooker and put some water to boil it. Allow it to boil for around 5-10 minutes or till it give 3-4 whistles.

3. Peel the skin of the arbi and if you want one can cut each piece into half.

4. Heat some oil in a kadai and put arbi in it. Deep fry it so it gets brown on both sides and then add salt and chilly powder to it.

5. Add aamchur in the end and let it cook nicely for 2 minutes so all ingredients get mixed. Don't overcook it or it can turn mashy.

6. Remove it on a paper to dry off oil and serve.

One can have it with roti as a main dish or like a snack.

Variation

1. One can also fry the arvi on all both sides so it turns crispy and remove it and then add all the pieces in the oil and add salt, chilly and amchur. Either ways tastes comes similar.

Nargisi Koftas/ Koftas



For koftas

Thinly minced mutton - 500 grams or 750 grams
Poppy seeds(khaskas) (made into paste on a sil batta by using water)-3 tbsp + 1 tsp remaining for curry ( if u use 750 grams)
Bhuna chana(raw bengal gram)- 2 tbsp paste(roast them , take out the outer black covering and then grind) ( always use poppy seeds more than chana as it makes koftas soft)
Salt- 1/2-1 tsp
Red chilly powder-1/2- 1 tbsp
Grinded onion-1
Oil- 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-1 tbsp
Garam masala-1 tbsp ( fresh grinded on sil batta if u can)
Egg-1
Pudina powder-1 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves

For kofta filling

Raisins- 5-6 for each kofta
Eggs (boiled) - according to number of nargisi kofta one wants
Boiling eggs require around 10-15 minutes in some water and then cover with plate to steep.

Curry masala

Onion- 1
Tomoto-1
Dhaniya powder-2 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Water

Curry

Onion-1/2-1 (thinly sliced)
Poppy seeds- 1 tbsp
Small cardomon-2(mouth open)
Big cardomon-1 (mouth open)
Tej patta-1-2
Dalchini-1-2
Potatoes-2
Salt-1/2 tsp
Water
Kevda-1 tsp


1. Drain out all excess water from the keema and keep in a bowl.

2. Add all the kofta ingredients and mix them nicely to remove any thick parts. Knead like a dough.

3. Oil a plate and then take some water in a cup.

4. Grind some onions thinly in a kadukas and then remove water and mix them so they are separated and then add to koftas mixture. Also cut two potatoes into half each and then make four slices of each and keep in a water with some salt.

5. Take 3 cooking spoon oil in a cooker and add thin onions and let them be golden brown and then take it out and seperate so they harden.

6. Add small cardomons in the oil and then the kofta masala into it. Add tej patta, dalchinni and big cardomon along with salt at this time. Alow masala to cook. Do so by keep adding water once a while. This way it will take around 15 minutes. In meantime prepare koftas.

7. Wet your hand with water and take some kofta mixture and beat is nicely and then add egg or raisin in it and the close it nicely by beating softly. Keep using water and roll it out and keep aside. Make all koftas like that.




8. For nargisi kofta, one can use whole boiled egg or half / four pieces of it to fill inside kofta and for normal kofta one can use 4-5 kishmish. If one relishes ghee one can also put a drop of ghee with raisins inside kofta.


9. Once masala is done add about 1-2 cups of water to it and then slowly add koftas to it. Make distances and make place for all. Once they are added and water should be just at level of koftas and boiling, close the lid of cooker. Let cooker give about 5-6 whistles on slow flame.

10. Once steam releases, add khaskas to it and crush fried onions with some curry masala and kevda and add it to koftas masala and then add enough water to be made into curry. Water should be just little above the koftas. Add potatoes during this time for the curry

11. Close the lid and cook till potatoes are done or give 1-2 whistles.

12. Nargisi koftas are ready. One can decorate with cut fresh coriander leaves.

Note: if one wants curry and water gets evaporated in whistles one can boil water and add in curry and then boil the mixture for a minute and that works too.
Use about 4-5 tablespoon seeds to make khaskas paste and about 1/3 cup of channa for making that paste and one can save to use later. Don't add too much channa or it makes koftas hard.

Garam masala ingredients- roast a handful cumin deeds (jeera), black pepper (kali mirj), some cloves(laung), 1-2 cinnamon(dalchini) , some big and small cardomon(elaichi ) and then mix in a dry blender and store.

Mint (pudina) powder used was made by drying fresh pudina leaves in sun or in air for some days and then smashing them and storing.
One can also roast black pepper as well cumin seeds (seperately) and mix in blender and store for days.

Variation

1. One can use kofta mixture to make seekh kabab on a tandoor.

2. If raw papaya(kacha papita) is available, take a small piece and mix in a blender and add in the kofta mixture, it acts as a binding agent for making Gulati (shammi and seekh) kababs using raw kheema. Never add it in koftas or they will scatter.

3. Use thin kheema meat for koftas or else boil the mixture, for 5-6 whistles and grind using sil batta and then make koftas of it and add in curry when curry is completely done.

Pudina Chutney!






Ingredients


Pudina(Mint)Leaves- 200 grams (Finely chopped and stems removed)- 2 bowls
Coriander(Dhaniya)Leaves-100 grams(Finely chopped and stems removed)-2 bowl ( or less depends)
Tomotoes- 2 small or 1 big
Green chilly-10-15( stems removed)
Cumin seeds(jeera)-1 tablespoon
Garlic-1 big whole
Ginger-1 small piece
Lemon - 2-5 drops(just to increase shelf life)(optional)
Salt-1 tablespoon or more depending on taste
Water-1 small katori

Recipe

1. Heat a tawa and saute cumin seeds till they turn brown and then remove, Next saute green chilly till they turn blackish and then garlic and ginger over it till they are black too. Peel off skin of garlic and ginger once down

2. Saute tomotoes on it on all sides so its easy to peel and then peel off the skin.

3. Put the sauted things in a mixer with water and then blend first and then add pudina and dhaniya to it so that chutney remains green and later add salt and lemon juice .

4. Check to see salt and water and then add accordingly.

5. Green chutney is ready and can be stored in fridge and had for long.

Note: We can also add onions if you intent to finish it off on same day. Sauted material and lemon helps chutney to stay for long.

Ginger garlic paste for storage

Ingredient
1. 4-5 Garlic pods
2. Ginger-1 big part

Recipe
1.Soak garlic in water.

2.If one wants , you can peel it off or blend unpeeled

3.Peel ginger and cut into some pieces

4.Add both ginger and garlic with some water to blend till its nicely done and all is blended.

5.Let the paste cool off before filling in a bottle.

6.Once cooled , fill and then store in fridge.