Rogan Josh (No onion no garlic)

Rogan Josh (No onion no garlic) 

Tribute to the Kashmiri pandits 

I was rummaging through my folders for a delightful recipe for gosht and I decided on some Mutton Rogan Josh. Now I have these recipes collected a good 10 years ago. A 16 year old me knew that I would one day want to cook all of them. Over the years out of the many collected Kashmiri dishes I have stuck to 3 of them but I realized I must try my hands on the forgotten ones and hence my decision to make Rogan Josh. What put me in a dilemma at first where these two recipes for Rogan Josh that I had. One used onions and garlic and cockscomb flower and the other didn't use any onion or garlic and used curd.

I immediately searched the internet for more information on Rogan josh and thankfully there is a very nice article on Wikipedia which clearly states that the Kashmiri Pandits make it sans onions and garlic and uses curd to cut down the heat while the other version uses onions and garlic and sues cockscomb flower.  To be fair I went through some of the recipes given and most recipes use way too many spices. To be fair both my recipes were simple and I decided to stick to them because I personally feel the same spices used for all curries mars the distinct taste. I chose the recipe used by Kashmiri Pandits , well at least the recipe I have on my hands because meat without garlic and onion has always fascinated me.

Before I move on to the recipe I have a confession to make. I do not enjoy  mutton unless and until it has a melt in the mouth texture but in way should it be too soft and disintegrate with the gravy. Over the years I have tried two methods of achieving this soft delightful texture. I abandoned my former method of slow cooking for 3 hours on low heat with a faster method which also involves slow cooking but uses a pressure cooker and saves time and fuel. As someone who switched I have to say it yields the exact same result but you must use the lowest heat possible even with the pressure cooker.

So here goes the recipe.

Serves 4 to 5

1 kg of goat meat from the legs
1 teacup of whisked curd (cups which hold 200 ml liquid)
3/4th  cup of mustard oil (cup which holds 200ml of liquid)
5 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
3 cups of water
2 tsp dried ginger powder
2 tsp aniseed powder
4 to 5  green cardamom roasted and crushed
1 tbsp ghee
Pinch of saffron soaked in water
Salt as per taste - I needed 1.5 tsp
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp kashmiri chili powder

Start by marinating the meat in the curd and leave it aside for 1 hour. Now heat the oil in a large wok and bring it to smoking point , lower heat and add the meat and immediately turn up the heat to seal the juices and keep frying and stirring for 2 minutes and then add the cloves , asafoetida  and cumin seeds and keep stirring till the oil separates and then add 1 cup of water , Kashmiri red chili powder , turmeric , salt and sugar and mix well and then simmer for 10 minutes.

Now take a big pressure cooker and put the meat in it. Add 2 cups of water , the dried ginger powder and aniseed powder, close the pressure cooker and cook on the lowest heat possible till the first whistle. Immediately turn off the stove after the first whistle and let the steam come out on its own.

Once it is ready open the lid and check the meat with a fork if the meat falls apart then take out the meat and put the gravy in the wok and bring to a boil adding the green cardamom , saffron dissolved in water  and ghee and then simmer for 10 minutes and add the meat and mix well and serve with hot rice .

In case the meat is not tender enough for you after you open the lid of the pressure cooker put the gravy and meat together in the wok and add the cardamom, saffron dissolved in water  and ghee and bring to boil and simmer for 7 minutes to 10 minutes. There you have melt in the mouth beautiful Rogan Josh .

Watch this space for the other version of Rogan Josh which is coming very soon for you 

Rustic Shepherd's Pie

Rustic Shepherd's Pie 

This dish which I have prepared is entirely dedicated to my oldest friend Tori who is also one of my closest friends. The recipe was made because someone trusted my cooking enough to ask me to make this dish for her and well after that time went by and after a year here I am with the Rustic Shepherd's pie. 

Now when you search for a recipe especially over the internet there would be numerous recipes to choose from and the difference in ingredients can be confusing. Should one use the Worcestershire sauce or not, should one keep it rustic or add the beautiful twists given by brilliant chefs and then you have to know what you want. For me I like the classic version of a dish. Often getting hold of a classic recipe can be quite problematic. So what I did was go through 5 to 6 recipes. I came to conclusion that some ingredients make this dish a classic one and so here is my version which is an adaptation of Jamie Oliver and BBC Good Food's recipes . I even used butter instead of olive oil and olive oil was used for both the recipes and my reasoning was simple. This dish was invented somewhere in the late 19th century and to me England and olive oil didn't quite match together. Oh but I must say the goodness of butter made the dish lip smacking good.

My emphasis was on fresh ingredients and a bit of extra work such as making the stock and tomato puree which I honestly believe is the key to a good dish. So you start a day ahead with the stock. And here comes the recipe

Here is what you need.

For the stock

500gm lamb bones
1 litre water
2 bay leaves
1 large onion
2 to 3 fat cloves of garlic
2 stalks of celery
2 tbsp butter

For the tomato puree

400gm of tomatoes
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar

For the mince filling

500gm minced lamb
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 large onion
3 to 4 fat cloves of garlic
Salt as per taste
5 tbsp tomato puree
Salt as per taste
Freshly ground black pepper
A good splash of red wine vinegar
3 to 4 tbsp butter

For the mashed potato

1kg of potato
25gm of butter
100ml of full fat milk
Salt as per taste

20gm of butter melted to brush the pie

Wash the bones with warm water twice or thrice. Start with your stock simply heat the oil and fry the onion and celery and add the bones and let them brown a bit and add the water and the other ingredients and bring to a boil and then simmer till ti gets reduced to half its original quantity. Let it cool down and then strain this and put it in the refrigerator. You would see a layer of fat. remove it and you have your stock ready to be used.

The next day start by first marinating the lamb with salt, pepper and the red wine vinegar.                                Now make the tomato puree by simply bring a large pot of water to boil and switch off the gas stove .Then make a cross on the back of the tomatoes and add them to the boiled water and cover and leave for 10 minutes. Take the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and then peel them and blend them. Then bring this to a boil and add salt and sugar and simmer till all the water evaporates and you are left with a thick red puree.

Now melt the butter and add the finely chopped garlic, onion , carrots and celery and saute till softened and add the lamb and cook on high heat for 5 minutes and lower the heat and cook till the water evaporates and then add 5 to 6 tbsp tomato puree and keep stirring till well mixed. Now add 300ml to 400ml stock and bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 30 minutes to 40 minutes. Check from times to time and stir.

Pressure cook the potatoes and peel them and then smash them well . Add milk, butter and salt and make a smooth mashed potato topping.

Once the minced meat is cooked simply take a deep dished baking tray and pour the cooked minced in it and press with the back of a big serving spoon and then fluff up the mashed potato and add it and use a fork to draw patterns.

Now preheat oven to 180C and bake for 25 minutes to 35 minutes. It was a huge success for me since my friend loved it and took 2 servings :)

Enjoy a heart meal with a side of steamed peas or just by itself.

Chocolate Buttercream Sponge Cake

Chocolate Buttercream  Sponge Cake

Edited :-

You must be wondering what this edited bit is. Well this is my gratitude to a lovely lady who is a wonderful teacher. When it comes to baking and cooking in general I cautiously take advice because taste is very subjective so the only way to take another passionate baker's advice is to trust the person and see his reasoning. I am honestly scared of using syrups because it makes my cakes too sweet and I don't care too much for that intense sweet taste but then when a very seasoned baker advised me to soak the cake in syrup I knew I must do it. By this time exactly half my cake was devoured by friends and family who thankfully liked it. In fact the friend even asked for more . So I took my cake out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature then put a strip of butterpaper on the cake and brushed the sponges with syrup. Now I used the syrup sparingly yet because the sponge was well made it soaked it up very well. Then I refrigerated it for the cake to set and had  a sliver and even though it was a bit sweet than I would have preferred I would recommend the soaking with syrup because it gives the sponge a delightful flavour. I am have mentioned the steps required to soak the sponge in the recipe so please do use it. Of course I doubled the amount of syrup for the whole cake :) Hope you enjoy this sinful indulgence. before I move on to my experience with the cake here is a sneak peak into this talented lady's facebook page Sinfully Your's  and she takes regular cooking classes in our very own city of Dreams, Mumbai . Contact her for a great learning experience. 

I bake for various reasons. Sometimes I bake because I like the idea of having a moist cake to accompany my tea . Usually these cakes are butterbased moist and delightfully fluffy yet rich enough which does not need any frosting and then there are other times for celebration such as meeting one of my closest friends after a long time.

Such special occasions call for a special frosted cake. Funnily both of us love butter based frosting less cakes but I never leave such opportunities to make a nicely frosted cake and usually frosting for me means a silky smooth buttercream.

So lets move on top the cake

I have already shared the recipe for the fluffy sponge cake for which the technique is as important as the ingredients used.

Here is the recipe for the foam sponge cake

Once you have baked the cake let it cool down completely before slicing it. You need to make four rings.

Now for the buttercream and ganache :-

For the buttery chocolaty buttercream

300gm butter softened at room temperature
150gm dark chocolate chopped well
200gm to 300gm icing sugar
2 to 3 tbsp cocoa powder
A few tbsp of milk to loosen the frosting

For the syrup :-

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache

65gm dark chocolate
90ml to 100ml cream

You should ideally soak the cake with the syrup a day ahead of frosting.  Once the cake cools down completely just soak each ring with about Half a tbsp to 1 tbsp with the syrup and then refrigerate.

The next day simply whip the butter to a smooth fluffy consistency add the sugar bit by bit and keep tasting . Now temper the chocolate by chopping it on a clean water-free surface and melting it on a double boiler and then let it cool down and slowly add this to the fluffed up buttercream beating it constantly so that the fluffiness is not hampered. Keep whisking and add the cocoa powder till you have a beautiful fluffy buttercream frosting.

Now spread a thick layer of buttercream on one cake ring and let ti get set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and do this with all the rings till you reach the final one then give a single coat to the entire cake and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Now make the ganache by warming up the cream and pouring it over the chopped chocolate and stirring ti till you get a smooth consistency. Let it cool down for 5 minutes and give the cake a coat with the ganache and then decorate if desired.

Let this set in the refrigerator. Decorate with some buttercream and enjoy with friend sand family.

Tip :-

This cake is a buttercream lover's delight so use thick layers so that you use up most of the buttercream leaving about 1 cup for decoration.

Thick Lentil Soup

Thick Lentil Soup 

Some soups can look and seem deceptively similar yet it is that addition or elimination of one ingredient which can give your soup a whole new dimension.

On a rainy day when you want to eat healthy this comes handy indeed and the pulse with all the vegetables blend together to make a creamy lentil soup is sheer comfort.

Makes 2 servings :-

3 small tomatoes
1/3rd cup pulse (cup which holds 210ml of liquid)
Half a medium red bell pepper
Half a medium yellow bell pepper
1 small onion
2 to 3 large cloves of garlic
2 cups of chicken stock
3 stalks of celery
Salt as per taste
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
1/4th to 1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano or herb of your choice

Smash the garlic, slice the onion and chop the other vegetables. Simple pressure cook the pulse till its well cooked with 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/4th cup water. Now heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan and add the smashed garlic and sliced onion. Cover and let it get sauteed on low flame for 30 seconds and then stir and add the rest of the vegetables and cover and let it be for 2 minutes and then add the rest of the chicken stock and bring to a boil and add the cooked pulse , salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Take it off the gas stove and let it cool down for 10 minutes and then blend away to make a  thick soup and then bring this to a boil and then add the oregano and chili flakes and simmer for 5 minutes to 7 minutes.

Have a healthy hearty soup