LAAL MAANS

LAAL MAANS - MUTTON RAJASTHANI STYLE

Despite being a Vegetarian i have been cooking non - veg dishes for my husband who loves it and eats veg only for the sake of change in taste ;).. initially it is very difficult for people like me who had not seen raw meat let alone cook it.. even now i make an estimation of masala or meat done or not purely by experience since i don't taste it ..

Laal maans is a rajasthani mutton speciality. though there is nothing very special in the ingredients , it is the combination and ghee which makes it an aromatic curry.. u can choose to add more water or make it a thickish gravy.. i use pressure cooker since mutton takes longer to cook.. you can also experiment using a handi and cover it with a lid.. i am sure it will taste better..:))

1/2 KG MUTTON

MARINADE

100 gms Dahi

1 onion grated

4-5 cloves garlic grated

about 1" pc of ginger grated

salt to taste

turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Dhania Powder 1 tsp

Red chilli pwdr 1/2 tsp

TEMPERING

Jeera (cumin)

Badi Elaichi 2 pcs

dalchini 1" pc

Laung 3-4 pcs

Bay Leaf 2 pcs

GRAVY

2-3 Medium onions chopped finely

4-5 Whole red chillies soaked in water and pureed into a fine paste.

2 tbsp ghee

METHOD

• 
  
  mix all the marinade ingridients in dahi and make a smooth paste.


• 
  
  marinate the mutton with this paste and leave for 2 hrs.


• 
  
  heat ghee and add all the tempering.. it will be nicely fragrant.


• 
  
  add finely chopped onion and fry till golden .. add the red chilli paste to it..


• 
  
  now add the marinated mutton pcs to it and stir fry till the fat separates..


• 
  
  add about 2 cups ( small) water and adjust salt.


• 
  
  in a pressure cooker cook it for about 20 min on low- medium flame.


• 
  
  if cooking in handi cover and cook for an hour or till cooked..


• 
  
  garnish with coriander leaves.

PINDI CHOLAS

Cholas just like daal can be made in a lot of ways.. Every cook has his her own way.. i really like my pindi cholas to look nice and black with tanginess of imli .. there are different ways to achieve nice black cholas..

my friend Preetika suggests soaking the cholas in tea water.. that is boil tea leaves in water and strain. soak the chick peas in this water overnight.. result is dark brown cholas..

another friend and really good home cook Ravi suggests soaking them in amla powder.. i am not sure if you can get amla powder readily in markets.. i make mine by drying amla at home and powdering it fine.. mix a teaspoon powder with water and soak cholas overnight to get a nice tangy black chola..

a simple chola recipe

cholas soaked overnite in either tea or amla water

ginger garlic paste

chole masala

salt

red chilli powder

butter

fine slices of ginger and finely sliced onion for garnish

• boil soaked chanas with salt and some garam masala till soft .
• take a heavy bottom pan and warm butter leaving about a tsp to use later..
• add ginger garlic paste and saute..
• add cholas and mash them slightly with laddle..
• add chole masala and red chilli..
• add some anardana powder or imli water if you want to make it tangy..
• in a seperate pan heat some butter and add it to simmering chola .. it will bubble and stir the cholas once the bubbles die down..
• garnish with thinely slices wedges of giger and onion.. or coriander !!!

THE MAKHANI TRAIL

Of all the things supposedly VERY Indian to most foreigners ( read Brits) makhani food is definitely very Indian... butter chicken and daal makhani are best known Indian dishes ..though honestly they have as little to do with India as English to Indian soil and they both still remain popular.. i mean English not being our own language has gained huge popularity and daal makhani though not a staple Indian kitchen dish is widely available in all Indian restaurants..

Everyone has a claim to daal makhani or Black daal... the Gujrals of Moti Mahal claim the invention of makhani daal and so for the tandoori chicken.. Daal Bukhaara of the ITC chain also claim originality..

I feel daal's unlike other recipes have a typical flavour of each kitchen.. every chef has his/ her own way and so does every mother .. ( here comes the phrase.. meri maa jaisi daal...) taste differs on the mix of the daal..( chana , urad etc), tempering and even the pot ( clay or steel)

This particular recipe for a black daal is quite yummy and presentable to serve at gatherings..

we need

Black Gram ( whole urad) 1 portion ( your measure katori/ bowl whatever)

Kidney beans ( rajma) 1/3 portion ( 1/3 quantity of daal.)

Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp

Tomatoes 4-5

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon

Garam masala 1 teaspoon or to taste

White butter ( about 3-4 tablespoon)

Cream to garnish

method

• The daals need to soak overnight.
• boil the soaked daal with salt and some garam masala... i use my pressure cooker for it initially as it is faster..
• once boiled take daal in a heavy bottom pan and simmer while stirring occasionally..
• add ginger garlic paste..
• Puree the tomatoes in a blender and add to the cooking daal.
• add white butter and some cream and keep boiling.
• the process may take about an hour or so .. you'll notice that the daal is turning a reddish tone with a thicker consistancy.
• take a smaller pan.. heat some butter or ghee in it.. add chilli powder and garam masala. temper the daal with this tempering. let bubbles die down.. mix well ..
• just before serving add some cream and garnish with cream and chopped coriander.