Tripura Mutton Curry

Tripura is one of the seven sister states of the North East. Located close to the border, the food of Tripura has a strong influence of Bangladeshi cuisine. The tribal cuisine shares similarity to those of the others in the North east- simple non veg stews with fresh local ingredients.

It is a tall task to find the ingredients for an authentic meal outside the state. Primarily, the fermented fish, Berma, which is a staple in most dishes.

However, my search for an authentic recipe from Tripura that I could recreate, I landed on a vlog. At first sight it seemed like every other Meat curry. But the play of ingredients created something that looked and smelled familiar but tasted unique! Spicy and delicious, I know this recipe is going to be  a weekend staple at my place now! 

Ingredients:

Mutton                     1.2 kg

Onions                     3, sliced

Garlic                       2 whole pods, chopped

Ginger Paste             200 gm

Mustard Oil              300 ml

Bay Leaf                   1

Potatoes                     4

Coriander pd              3 teaspoon

Cumin pd                   3 teaspoon

Turmeric pd               3 teaspoon

Red chilli pd              2 teaspoon

Whole red chillies     8

Water                         500 ml

Paste 1: 2 onions + 10 green chillies

Paste 2: 4 green cardamoms + 4 inch cinnamon stick

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the potatoes with some salt and turmeric, till crisp and golden. Drain and keep aside. Fry the sliced onion till crisp. Add the mutton, bay leaf, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Saute for five minutes. Add the ginger paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Mix in Paste 1. After two minutes, add the chopped garlic. Stirring at regular intervals. cook till the water dries up. Adjust the seasoning. Heat the water in a pressure cooker. Add the meat, potatoes and whole red chillies. Mix well and pressure cook for 4 whistles. Release the steam and add Paste 2. Pressure cook for another 2 whistles and leave to cool. Serve with some steamed rice for the perfect Sunday Meal!

Gulab Jamun Cake

Traditional Indian Mithai and Cake? Doesn't sound quite right does it?! To most it seems incredulous that one carry marry the flavours of the Indian dessert palate with that of the European ones. But having successfully attempted the hugely popular Mawa Cake, I knew not only was it possible, but it was absolutely divine! A warm homecoming with the heady aroma of baking. 

Now those who have read my very first post, know that baking for my grandfather can be quite a challenge. But I hadn't been around for his birthday in a long time, and I really wanted to bake him something special. 

My news feed of late had been flooded with stories of Rasmalai Cake. While I personally don't enjoy rasmalai, it did give me an idea. I knew I had to make a cake that had its roots in the familiar. It really was a no brainer then. No dessert is ever as popular as the Gulab Jamun, and I knew I had to attempt yet another G-jam makeover.

I started my research and realized there had been a few attempts at recreating the magic, but nothing I looked at really hit the note. I read on and picked the brain of another Baking Diva I know. Also, Monster Munchkin would want to be part of the process, so I needed something simple yet drool worthy! This recipe seemed about right. But it needed a little more to make it truly festive and celebratory. I played with a few suggestions that would complement and not overpower the actual cake. And most importantly not push it to the realm of the too-sweet-for-seconds shelf. 

To be honest, I had my reservations even when I put the finishing touches. What if it was a total disaster? It seemed perfect on paper. The cake was light and baked to perfection. The frosting was not just a mouthful of oversweet fluff, and very consciously incorporated the only mithai my munchkin deigns to eat.  But what if my instincts were a little off! Heart in mouth, I carted it to my grandparents' place. Sure, it looked good. But aah! The all important taste test was still waiting. 

The first forkful, and my grandfather declared it a success! And it had nothin to do with the fact that his granddaughter and great grandson had baked it. For once, even my worst critic (Me!), had to nod in agreement. This was one for the kitchen heirlooms. A dessert that was going to grace my table many more times in the future!

Ingredients:

Cake:

Gulab Jamun Mix             3/4 cup

Whole Wheat Flour          3/4 cup

Sugar                                 3/4 cup

Milk                                  1 cup, warm

Vinegar                             1 tablespoon

Baking Powder                 1/2 teaspoon

Baking Soda                     1/4 teaspoon

Oil                                     1/4 cup

Salt                                    a pinch

Green Cardamoms            6

Frosting:

Kalakand                          200 gm

Almonds                           8

Cream Cheese                  180 gm

Gulab Jamuns                   8 small

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Mix the vinegar in the milk and keep aside for 15 minutes. Powder the sugar with the cardamoms. Sift all the dry ingredients together and give it a twirl with a wire whisk or spoon. Make a well in the center and add the rest of the cake ingredients. Whisk it well by hand or electric whisk till well blended. Bake in a greased 8 inch round pan for 35 minutes. Let it cool completely.

Upturn the cake onto a plate and slice horizontally in the middle. Liberally soak the two halves with the syrup from the gulab jamuns. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Lightly beat the cream cheese with a fork till fluffy. Spread a thin layer over the soaked halves. On the lower half, arrange sliced gulab jamuns to cover the entire area. I sliced my gulab jamuns into three parts, but it depends on the size if the jamuns. Now place the top half of the cake over this layer. The two halves reconciled, it was time for the final touch. Run the Kalakand in the mixer till smooth and mix into the remaining cream cheese. Generously swirl over your cake, letting your inner artist run free. Slice the almonds into chunky flakes and drop all over the frosted cake. 

I refrigerated the cake overnight and then brought it to room temperature before serving. But if your will power is being tested, you can dig in right away!

Almond Cheese Spread

We shook off the snow and tumbled into the house. We were cold and hungry. And you know what's my comfort food on a cold, snowy day? Hot, buttered toast! Nothing can make me feel as good. So aunty put the griddle on and liberally coated it with butter, placing two slices of bread to crispen to that beautiful gold. 

When she flipped it over to the other side, I thought we were almost done. But, nope! She had an ace up her sleeve. She dolloped on some cheese spread and let it just melt into the crisping toast. Dotted with ketchup. And then judging my impatience correctly, let me wolf it down straight from the pan.

I waited for the salty, slightly plastic cheesiness of store bought spread to hit my tastebuds. But instead was surprised by subtle flavours so generously complimenting the creamy goodness that could only come with homemade love!

It was so good, I wolfed down six toasts before my foodie brain could form the words, " May I have the recipe, please?"

That was 12 years ago, and I still slather this spread with the same reverent wonder. For me it has the same joy as my grandma's home made white butter. Another dairy addition to my toast I can't get enough of!

Another good thing about this cheese spread is that it sneakily incorporates the wholesome nutrients that  growing tots may screechingly run from. But ever know a kid to turn down cheese and toast? Nope! So say hello to our hidden superfood friends- Almonds and Garlic. Even Keto Hubby gave the spread a big thumbs up! It was just the thing he needed to jazz his Keto Bread :)

So I'll go steal a spoonful from the jar, while you go whip up your own batch of yummy health.

Ingredients:

Cheese           200 gm (grated)

Cream            1/2 cup

Milk               1 cup

Almonds        20

Vinegar          1 tsp

Sugar             1 tsp

Red Chillies   5

Garlic             5

Pepper           1/4 tsp

Method:

Soak the almonds and red chillies for half an hour. De-seed the red chillies. Remove the skin from the almonds and discard the water. Run the almonds, chillies and garlic in the mixie to make a coarse paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend till smooth. Refrigerate and use within a week.

Notes:

I used fresh cream (malai) skimmed off the top of our milk. You can use packaged cream as well. 

Since the chillies are soaked and de-seeded, they are not spicy and are mild enough for kids. You can however reduce the chillies if you like.

For the Keto version replace the sugar with Stevia. 

Keto Bread

A low carb, gluten free bread? It never did sound appetizing to me. But then Hubby darling went Keto, and our entire carb approach was tossed into the can. Adapting existing recipes to fit Keto was not as tricky as most fear. Infact as Keto became norm, exciting new twists were born of old classics. 

And though he loved his rice and parathas, hubby didn't quite miss them as much as he had expected. It really was a win win for him.

There was one thing he did miss. While never a fan of regular sliced bread, he had started to crave toast. Who wouldn't when your breakfast is bacon and eggs sunny side up. After all, you need something to mop up all that gooey goodness! Thus was born the need to experiment with a keto friendly bread.

Now the most popular keto breads are almond flour based. Though delicious, almonds aren't quite budget friendly. Every keto forum had people moaning about increased dents in the pocket. So I figured let's do a keto bread that won't break the bank.

I scoured the net for dozens of recipes and finally found my inspiration here. I tweaked it a little so i wouldn't have to make a store run. A few easy steps and surprisingly I got gorgeous golden bread!

Ingredients:

Eggs                                             6

Dessicated Coconut Powder        3/4 cup

Flax Seed (Powdered)                   3/4 cup

Salt                                               1 tsp

Baking Powder                             1 tsp

Psyllium Husk                              4 tablespoons

Baking Soda                                  1/2 tsp

Warm Water                                   1/2 cup

Apple Cider Vinegar                      1 tablespoon

Oregano (optional)                         1 tsp

Method:

Whisk together all the dry ingredients, except oregano. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Put it in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease a rectangular baking pan. I used a 13x6. Bring out the batter. Give it a good mix and pour into the dish. Top with crushed oregano. Bake for 40 minutes on a low rack. Cool and slice into 14 squares. It stays happily refrigerated for upto two weeks. Bring out a slice or two. Grill them, toast them, pan fry  them or simply slather cold with some cream cheese and fix that bread craving!

A Spoonful of Immunity: Turmeric Amla Pickle

" Aah! You can feel the healing goodness travel through your entire being," exclaimed Mads Masi with every bite. That definitely had my attention. I backtracked to the table to get better acquainted with this health bomb I had missed. Never would I have guessed that the bowl of blinding sunshine I had dismissed as just another chutney was the reason for the health hallelujah! 

Turmeric and Amla Pickle. Yet another ingenious method Nani had devised to sneak immunity into our daily food. And its no grandma's tale, really. Science has backed the benefits of the Indian gooseberry for years. And turmeric of course, is already hailed as the super-food of 2016.

Turmeric has proven anti-inflammatory properties. It has been known to reduce the risk of cancer, normalize insulin levels, banish aches and arthritic pain, promote healthy digestion and boost brain function. Now, I could list all the proven benefits in detail, or you could just read them here and here.
As for Amla , the humble and much ignored Indian Gooseberry is loaded with Vitamin C making it ideal to stave off those pesky coughs and colds. The high iron content is great for combating anemia and getting that gorgeous glow. It is also a known agent for stabilizing blood sugar, promoting heart health and also the high fiber content means bye bye constipation.
On their own turmeric and amla are a little strong to munch. But toss them together in this super healthy and you will have the entire family lining up to get their daily dose. Bursting with freshness and flavour, who would have thought great health came in such chatpata form!
And yes, Mads Masi was right! You can truly feel the healing goodness travel through your entire being!

Ingredients:
Raw Turmeric Root        250 gm
Amla                              250 gm
Lemons                          3
Kala Namak                  to taste
Sugar                             3 teaspoon
Oil                                 2 tablespoon
Asafoetida                     a pinch
Red chilli powder          1/4 teaspoon

Method:
Grate the turmeric and amla as finely or coarsely as you like. Toss in the sugar and kala namak or black rock salt. Squeeze the juice of the lemons on top and mix well. Heat the oil in a small pan till it starts smoking. Add the asafoetida and turn off the heat. Let the oil cool a little and then add the red chilli powder to it. Once the oil is completely cool, mix in with the rest of the ingredients. Spoon into  a sterilized bottle and let it rest in the fridge. After three days, the pickle is ready to eat. It keeps well for a month if refrigerated. Just a spoonful with your lunch and let the pickle work its magic!
 

Cheese Straws

I was not a skinny child. Far from it really. The culprit though was Mum. She is an amazing cook and kept me interested in food by dishing out a wide variety of delicious home cooked food. An expert of most cuisines, her passion lay with baking. It was no coincidence then that I always had a tempting array of cakes, cookies and crackers to snack on. Even the extra miles Dad made me run weren't enough to dent the sunshine of Mum's baking! 

One of my favorite things to munch on were these twisted golden delights. Cheese straws! Aahh! The very name was enough for my tastebuds to conjure the crisp-buttery-melt-in-the-mouth-cheesiness. Every batch Mum baked would disappear in minutes, even as the melted cheese scalded my tongue. I never could wait for them to cool down! 

Its not just me, but Hubby darling as well. The first time I made them, he insisted that these Cheese Straws become a pantry staple. And they do have to make an appearance at every party I host. Served plain in bowls or with a choice of dips, these go down fabulously with kids and adults alike. And when you snuggle with a book and hot tea on those wintry afternoons, these little twists will keep you good company! And when you run out, they are easy enough to bake on demand :) 

Ingredients:
Cheese          50 gms
Butter           50 gms
Flour            1 cup
Salt              1/2 teaspoon
Milk             1/2 cup
Pepper          1/2 teaspoon
Oregano       1/2 teaspoon (optional)

Method: Sift the flour and salt together. Grate the butter and cheese into the flour and mix lightly. Adding a little milk at a time, mix it into a smooth dough. Do not knead. Divide and flatten into two halves. Cover with clingfilm and freeze for an hour. Unwrap and roll out  to a thickness of 1 cm. Like a thick roti. Sprinkle with the pepper and oregano. Cut into strips and twist. Preheat the oven to 180 C and bake for 15 minutes till crisp. You can vary the flavours by experimenting with the herbs you sprinkle on top. And do try to wait for them to cool before you take that first bite!

Bread Gulab Jamuns

Gulab Jamuns could truly be the most pan-Indian dessert. Found in every corner of the country, big and small, the flavour rarely varies despite the regional twists. Rose, kewra, cardamom, saffron... the gulab jamun still tastes just like home. 

I have yet to meet a person who doesn't like gulab jamuns. Or G-Jams,  to borrow a term from my cousin. Even those who prefer savoury over sweet can rarely resist the call of the G-Jam! Really, what's not to like? Golden, fried dumplings soaked in cardamom scented sugar syrup. Exotically delicious, yet endearingly simple!

The commercially available G-Jams are usually made of khoya. And homemakers like mum choose the less complicated route of instant G-Jam packets that use milk powder for a smoother, lighter version that is a lot less complicated than the original. And then there is a third, more unorthodox version. The Bread Gulab Jamuns!

I was first introduced to the bread version during my college years. Homesick on diwali, one of our friends surprised my roomie and me with a huge box of gulab jamuns. Made by his fauji mess cook. As we popped the first one into our mouth, he dropped the B-word! These were made with regular white bread! Despite being a foodie and a cooking enthusiast, I would never have guessed had he not told us! As for the taste? Suffice to say I disappeared with the entire box, coz, " Joey doesn't share food!"

I've been looking for the perfect recipe ever since and after many years of trial and error, I've created one that would have made the old Cook baba proud!

Ingredients:

Bread                        12 slices (I used wholewheat)

Custard Powder        3 tablespoon

Baking Soda             1 teaspoon

Milk                          2 cups

Sugar                        1 1/2 cup

Water                        1 1/2 cup

Cardamoms              3

Oil                             to deep fry

Method: Trim the edges of the bread. Soak a slice of bread in milk and squeeze to remove the excess. Repeat with all the slices. Run the crumbled, wet bread with the custard powder and baking soda in the food processor. Gently pulsing twice to obtain a smooth yet firm paste. Heat the sugar, water and crushed cardamoms in a deep pan till the syrup reaches a sticky, one string consistency. Take off the heat. Meanwhile, gently form the bread paste into smooth balls. Take care not to press too hard while rolling them or the consistency will not be spongy. Heat oil and gently drop the bread jamuns few at a time. Cook over medium heat so that the outside doesn't brown before the inside cooks. Once they are evenly golden, drain on kitchen paper and transfer to the warm syrup. Repeat with all the G-Jams. You can eat them warm or chill them in the refrigerator to serve later. Either way, they are easy to make and are always a blockbuster hit!

Meat pickle

I can't stop dancing. Or singing. Its that time of the year finally! Time for my annual vacation home. Three weeks of doing absolutely nothing. Three weeks of being completely pampered by mum and dad. And three weeks of gorging on all my favourite food, cooked not by me, but by mum, granny, aunt and my darling Robert uncle! And yes, I absolutely aim to overindulge!

Last Sunday as we sat making plans for the upcoming vacay, Hubby Dear issued a dire warning against pilfering his share of the meat pickle this year. You see, every year when we go home, Mads Masi bottles a jar of the most sinfully addictive meat pickle, exclusively for HD. It was great in the earlier years when I was following a vegetarian diet. But then I returned to the meat fold, with a vengeance! So when last year's batch made its way to us, HD was none to happy he had to share. But imagine his disappointment a couple of hours later when he poured himself a chilled beer and headed to spoon a few pieces of his favourite snack. The pickle jar was empty! In my defence, running after the monster munchkin all day is hungry work. And did I mention the pickle is sinfully addictive?!

He was of course mollified when Masi bottled a batch specially for him and I swore to keep my fork away. 

The memory though, remained. Hence, the dire warning! And that was what led to my sleepy sunday turning into a sweaty one. Ever had one of those moments when you share a food memory and the description is so vivid you can almost taste it in your mouth. And so strong is that sensation that you just have to have it. Like right that moment. Or your tastebuds will drive you nuts as you drool unchecked?! Well, lets just say we needed our meat pickle fix. Right that moment. A week was too far away!

A frantic call to Masi for the recipe and we were raring to go! The only hitch? Goat's meat wasn't available! But as my friend said, Baa ain't too far from Oink. So pork it would be! The promise of that tangy, tasty pickle spurred everyone into action. HD took off to bring us the choicest cuts. And Oink Friend helped peel, chop, grind and stir. And stir. And stir! And...excuse me, while I go polish off that last forkful ;)

Ingredients:

Meat (boneless)       1 kg (goat/beef/pork/lamb)

Mustard oil              1 1/2 cups

Ginger                      100 gms

Garlic                       125 gm

Vinegar                     1/3 bottle

Sugar                         a pinch

Garam Masala          1 heaped tablespoon

Salt                            to rub

Method:

Wash the meat well and rub the pieces with salt. Keep aside for two hours. Grind the ginger and garlic to a fine paste. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil on high flame and saute the meat. When the pieces start shrinking, and the meat is half done, add the ginger garlic paste. Reduce the flame to the minimum. Add cook till the meat is done. Stir frequently in between to ensure the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the sugar and garam masala and cook for another five minutes. Let it cool for 1/2 an hour. Stir in the vinegar and store in sterilized jars. If the weather is warm, it is better to keep the pickle refrigerated. It will keep in refrigerator for a couple of months. Provided of course, you have the willpower ;)

Wine

There was a lot of backlash for my previous post. Homemade raisins? My friends and family couldn't believe I would waste precious grapes like that when instead I could have used them for more intoxicating purposes! To them I say, Fear Not! Of course, everytime I have a stockpile of grapes, the first thing I do is ferment a batch of my very special wine.  

You could say wine making is in my genes. My maternal grandmother did a professional course in food preservation, and with all the jams, jellies, pickle and marmalades, she also made vast quantities of sweet red wine. Bottles of which made an appearance even twenty years later. It is another matter though that being a teetotaller she never tasted a sip of the stuff. The rest of us, well, we were a 'happy' bunch! 

My paternal grandfather was quite the vintner as well. He was more experimental and apart from grapes, also distilled beetroot, carrot, apricot and mixed fruit wines. He was also known to brew his own beer at times. But that's a tale for another post. 

It comes as no surprise then that every year I distill a few bottles of the potent stuff for my friends and lazy sunday brunches. If you think wine making is complicated and time consuming, you are wrong. It really is the simplest. And requires very little effort on your part. After all, Nature does most of the hard work. 

Ingredients:

Grapes       2 kg

Sugar         1 kg

Yeast          1 tsp

Water         just enough to cover the grapes

Rum           1/2 cup (optional)

Method:

 Remove the stalks of the grapes and wash them thoroughly. Put them in a large glass jar with a wide mouth. Pour the water and mash the grapes coarsely. You can use your fingers or a potato masher. Add the sugar, mix and keep in a cool, dark place. Make sure the lid is secure. The next day, add the yeast to 1/4 cup luke warm water. When it froths, mix into the grapes. Cover and return to dark place. Let it stand for 21 days, ensuring you stir it with a clean, dry spoon every two days. On the 21st day, strain through a muslin cloth and add the rum. Pour into clean, dry and sterilized glass bottles. Store in a cool, dark place and leave to mature for two months. After two months, call over your friends and uncork a bottle for some good times!

Homemade Raisins

Its been a while that I've posted on the blog. That didn't mean I wasn't experimenting and turning my kitchen into a lab! The last I posted I was working my way through a large batch of oranges. Well, the oranges met a delicious end. And then came the avalanche of grapes. They found their way onto salads and fruit cream and the monster munchkin's snacks. But just when I thought I was done with them, a whole new bunch would make it to my fridge. This needed large scale tackling and I figured let me save them for a rainy day. Now the only way to make them last intact till the aforesaid rainy day was the sundried way aka raisins.

Now, i am a raisin phobe. Cannot abide those slimy squishy things in any dessert or cake. But hubby dear and monster munchkin like em well enough. And they are great for zinging desserts when we've got company. I trawled the net for various recipes and in the end settled for one I found between the yellowing pages of the first recipe diary I started at the age of ten! It is simple and requires practically no effort from my end, And a few glorious days later, I get rewarded with glossy, granola worthy raisins. It was almost like Farmville all over again!

Ingredients:

Seedless Grapes     1 kg

Water                      1 litre

Milk                        1 tablespoon

Method:

Remove the grapes from the stalk and wash them well. Boil the water and milk together in a deep pan. Add the grapes and continue boiling till the grapes turn a lighter green. Drain well in a colander. Spread out on a thin cloth under the sun. Cover with another thin muslin. After three to four days of bright sunshine, voila, the grapes are now golden raisins!