Thursday 28 May 2015

Mutton rogan josh

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I have one mutton recipe on the blog. One!!!
That clearly depicts my aversion to lamb, mutton and goat. And i still don't know the difference between the three.

There is a huge Asda near work and on one of those days I was so tired to go back home and cook (it happens a lot btw!), i walked in there to see if i can pick up some marinated meat to grill or something, and i chanced upon their butcher section that housed a whole lot of marinated meat and fish and also a pack of mutton mix, among other interesting stuff. I was in two minds about the mutton, but I was so bored with the usual chicken, beef and pork, that I thought I should do this for the husband, if not for anything else.
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So I went home armed with a pack of mutton and a head full of ideas on what to do with it. Of course it never made to the table that day but it did the next day as a spicy mutton pepper fry. It was delicious and it surprised me- that i actually enjoyed it. So that was the beginning of my affair with mutton and i learnt that i can handle mutton but not lamb. I've made plenty of dishes with the mutton mix hence and its a pity i don't get it anywhere other than in big Asda's.

This rogan josh (translation- red/hot oil and as you can see from the pictures, there is an oil layer on top) turned out so darn good, i had to take some pictures, even if hastily, because i do plan on making it again. I thought it was a dish hard to make, after seeing the list of ingredients, but its not and it needs very little preparation. No onions, no tomatoes, so sauteeing till golden brown etc, just charring the meat and then slow cooking it together till done. Of course, the slow cooking takes time, and that makes a difference, but we have the pressure cooker for those days you don't have the luxury of slow cooking.

This recipe, after reading the comments, came across as quite authentic and I'm so glad i tried it, its fab. Do give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Recipe adapted from here (Serves 3)
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Mutton- 500 gms, cut onto medium size pieces

Marinade
Ground cinnamon- 1/4 tsp
Ground cardamom- 1/2 tsp
Ground cloves- 1/4 tsp
Ground peppercorns- 1/4 tsp
Ground fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

Oil- 1/4 cup
Cinnamon- 1/2 inch stick
Cardamom- 5 pods
Cloves- 4
Peppercorns- 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida- 1/2 tsp
Dried ginger powder- 3/4th tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder- 3/4th tbsp
Yoghurt- 1 cup
Salt- to taste
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Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and rub on to the meat. Keep aside for half an hour or so.

Heat oil in a deep, heavy bottomed pan and throw in the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and fennel seeds.
To that add the marinated meat and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, till brown.
Stir in the asafoetida, dried ginger powder, Kashmiri chilli powder and salt and mix it all in with the meat.
Reduce the heat to low and add the yoghurt, mixing it well to coat the meat.
Cover the pan and cook till the meat is tender and the oil separates on the surface. 
I cooked it for 1 hour and it was perfect. You will need to keep stirring and adding some water on and off, to prevent the sauce from sticking to the base of the pan. 
Serve hot with rice or rotis.
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Notes: Of course, if you are not a fan of slow cooking then add everything as mentioned, in a pressure cooker, and cook the meat for about 4 whistles on medium heat. I bet it wouldn't taste as gorgeous as the slow cooked one though :)
You can use goat meat as well, but I'm not sure how lamb would turn out for this recipe. Worth giving it a shot.
Replace the mutton with beef for a beef rogan josh.

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Sponsored video: Unrush Your World with Yeni Raki

It was last week that a bunch of us were discussing about doing something fun on a friends birthday and Dabbous in Fitzrovia came up. This friend mentioned she was doing her birthday dinner at Dabbous, a restaurant she had been itching to check out and finally got a table sorted after months of waiting. That was indeed a good birthday gift, we chimed.

Truth be told, that's the first time i heard about Dabbous. It made me read up on Ollie Dabbous, and the Michelin star restaurant that serves some mean Modern European grub. After all this info, we couldnt not check it out, and so we decided to do a few cocktails at the bar before the dinner reservation. The bar was gorgeous, the cocktails innovative and an experience that was cherished.
And as if on cue, I get the opportunity to write about Ollie Dabbous and Yeni Raki here :)

Yeni Raki is an aniseed flavoured spirit native to Turkey, and the campaign 'Unrush Your World' is all about the spirit of slow, highlighting the importance of taking the time to enjoy food. In partnership with Ollie Dabbous, the drink aims to encourage consumers to enjoy the drink with good food and get to know the spirits traditional slow dining culture outside of Turkey. 

Take a look at this very artistic video where the chef explains his approach to food, while he prepares a fabulous dish for the Raki table- clearly depicting the fact that food isn't meant to be rushed and eating isn't meant to be hurried. I warn you though, watching the video when you are hungry is not a good idea!

But you have your chance to enjoy this experience as well. Yeni Raki is hosting a series of slow-dining sessions where top restaurants across the UK capital create bespoke menus of food paired with this anise flavoured drink, to encourage Londoners to unrush their world. So keep a look out, and in the mean time, be satisfied with this delicious video.

For upcoming events and updates follow Yeni Raki on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

This is a sponsored post for Yeni Raki.

Thursday 14 May 2015

Harissa spiced eggs on cheesy English muffins

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My boss Dora is one of the best cooks I've come across. Till we moved to our professional kitchen a year back, I had the privilege of enjoying some of her cooking during lunch breaks and it was my first foray into the world of French food. Not only are her creations delicious, the fact that she used to whip them up in no time was something that amazed me. Be it a simple puff pastry pizza, or her signature vegetable lasagna- the taste was consistent all throughout, not to mention the copious amounts of mint tea we used to drink during brainstorming sessions.

I mentally wrote down her quick recipes and of course threw so many doubts her way as well. She is the one who made me experiment with aubergines for the first time, and enjoy fish in various forms (Ro secretly thanks her for my tolerance to mackerel now). Dora's Tunisian routes (which is her strong point, even when it comes to macaron flavours) made the dishes even more interesting. She introduced me to harissa, ras-el-hanout, brik pastry and so many other ingredients and dishes that were then new to me.
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This recipe or rather creation is truly Dora's. When we were short of time she would whip this up in a matter of minutes and i would devour it without batting an eyelid. I have watched her do it so many times, but even now it just doesn't taste as unique as hers. I remember making it at home the first time and it was an instant hit with Ro. I have then made it at several brunch sessions and everyone s absolutely enjoyed it.

Over time i changed the procedure and ingredients a bit, but it still is hands down one of the best recipes I've learnt from Dora. I have also used the authentic home made harissa paste she gave me, which is as authentic as it can get.. Once you taste the real thing, you will not want to try any of the store bought versions.
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On a different note, i think i have cracked my lighting issue. It's still a bit harsh, but i have narrowed down my light source and that is half of the issue sorted there. Now i just have to play around with diffusing and stuff to get it right. Talking about photography, this recipe goes straight to the #happyeggtastemakers challenge this month, which is to cook something using the happy eggs co and photograph it using food stylist and instagrammer Marte Marie Forsberg's top 5 tips for creating the best looking food. I hope i have done justice to the image, seriously, it tasted fab.

This harissa spiced baked eggs are so easy to make, you have to try it out. You can do so many different versions of it, and it would just not go wrong. Thank you Dora, for all those cooking lessons which you unknowingly instilled in me. I really do miss it :)

Serves 2
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English muffins- 2, sliced in half to get 4
Cheddar cheese slices- 4


Spring onion greens- 2 tsp (to garnish)

Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Shallot- 1 large, finely chopped
Bell pepper- 1, finely chopped
Garlic- 1/2 tbsp, finely chopped
Harissa paste- 2 generous tsp
Tomato- 2 small, finely chopped
Double cream- 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper- to taste
Eggs- 4
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Preheat oven to 175C and line a baking tray with foil paper.
Place the muffins, cut side up and top with the cheddar cheese slices
Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet and saute the shallot, bell pepper and garlic till soft, around 3 minutes on medium high heat.
Make a paste with the harissa and some water and add to the pan.
Stir till it loosens and coats the vegetables.
Add the tomato slices and cook till they turn mushy, after which you pour in the double cream and mix it all together
Season with salt.
Separate the mix in a few places and break the eggs into them.
Break the yolk and stir it gently into the mix. This is purely optional, you can of course leave the yolk intact
Bake for 10 minutes, or till the eggs are cooked. 
Around 5 minutes into the baking time, put in the tray with the muffins.
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Once done- the eggs cooked and the cheese on the muffins melted, take them out of the oven, wait for a few minutes for the bubbling to settle.
Slice the baked eggs into four and place on the cheesy muffins.
Garnish with spring onions and serve warm.

Notes: You can use bread slices, ciabatta, crumpets (these are the best) and any break of choice as the base
Add prawns, shredded chicken, minced meat etc to the mix before topping with the egg

With thanks to the happy egg co for the voucher

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Palak paneer (spinach and paneer)

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Its been a bit quiet around here hasnt it? Well, I finally decided to unpack my props after about a month of moving into the new place and when that got sorted, I had trouble with the whole lighting situation. I had to find ways and means of utilising what little light came from the one window in my living room. From a house with floor to ceiling windows, this came as a complete downer. I cribbed about it to Ro and he said a good photographer would figure out how to manipulate light whatsoever. Challenge accepted was my reply!

The fact that we have terrible weather now hasnt helped either. I mean seriously.. enough with the whole rain, wind and single digit temperatures. We had 1 week of brill weather where everyone rejoiced and thought summer arrived early, only to be fooled by this ridiculous cold spell soon after. So its back to boots and shawls for a lil more longer i suppose.

Anyways, after a few hasty trials with the camer, I finally called it quits. This was the outcome of the final few trials and although I'm not happy with it at all, i thought i should feed the blog with this rather satisfactory preparation of palak paneer. Its been ages since ive cooked with panner and its the first time ive tried palak paneer at home. I cant remember the last time i tasted palak paneer and so even though it didnt taste exceptionally good, i cherished it to no end. It was delicious with hot chapatis.

Recipe adapted from here (serves 2 to 3)
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Paneer- 225 gms, cut into cubes

Baby spinach- 200 gms
Garlic- 3 small pods, roughly chopped
Ginger- 1/2 inch, peeled and roughly chopped
Green chillies- 2 small, chopped

Ghee oil- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf- 1 small
Onion- 1/3rd cup
Garlic- 4 small pods, peeled and finely chopped
Tomato- 1 small, finely chopped
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida- a pinch
Water- 1/2 cup
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Kasoori methi- 1 tsp
Double cream- 2 tbsp
Salt- to taste
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Soak the paneer cubes in some warm water if its hard..especially if its store bought. This would soften it pretty much. Drain before using.
Cook the spinach in a microwave, for about 3 minutes, covered. Blanching is ideal, but i was too lazy to do that.
Purée the wilted spinach with garlic, ginger and green chillies and keep aside.

In a kadai, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds and bay leaf.
Once they splutter, add the onions and cook on medium heat till golden brown.
Throw in the garlic and saute for a minute or two. Dont brown it.
Add the tomato and cook till the oil slightly separates at which point you put in the spices- turmeric, chilli, coriander and asafoetida- and cook till the raw smell disappears.
Pour in the spinach purée, mix it all together and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes along with 1/2 cup water.
One the sauce starts simmering, add the paneer cubes and salt and continue to cook for a few more minutes. The paneer should be coated well with the palak masala.
Sprinkle the garam masala and kasoori methi and mix it all in
Finally stir in the double cream, close with a lid.
You can pour a tsp of cream on top of the palak paneer when ready to serve.