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!

Junglee Maas

My grandfather was eighty plus when one fine day he loaded a rucksack into the back of our jeep. Picked up an old army pal of his and drove straight across the country, from the south to the north east. We had no clue where he had gone or when he would be back. A month later he returned, with a rejuvenated laugh and a twinkle in his eye. And a huge wild boar in the back. Ready to be skinned and pickled.

Shikaar! Aah! That word throws up romantic images of tough men on horseback or open jeeps, rifles slung on the shoulders, tracking the elusive beast through dense jungles. Fearless and focused. Images of late night campfires and rustic food. Smells of sweat, rum and meat mingling with the smoke and the cool night air. 

I've never been on a shikaar or hunting expedition. But the vivid recollections of my father and grandfather transport me to those adrenaline fuelled times. When being true to the roots also meant being in touch with the most basic survival skills handed down by the primitive tribe. 

Hunting expeditions often lasted for days and meals had to be rustic and basic. Carrying fancy ingredients was out of the question. The meat was shot fresh and the only spices used were those that would not perish in the punishing heat. Out of these expeditions was born the hunter's Junglee Maas. A one pot dish with no frills and just a wholesome meaty flavour. High on calories and protein, this was the perfect meal to energize travel weary bones and sore muscles.  

The original recipe calls for ghee, red chillies, salt and of course, meat. The resultant dish is a mildly spiced, juicy and tender meat, crowned by a flaky and crisp exterior. A contrast that delights with every bite. The gravy is thin with a buttery goodness. And if you make it under a starry sky on an open fire, the smokiness from the wood will elevate it to a whole other dimension. 

Ingredients:
Goat Meat                 1 kg
Dry Red Chillies       20
Ghee or Butter          250 gm
Salt                            to taste

 Method: Melt the ghee/butter in a deep pot. Add the meat and the red chillies and cook for a medium flame till all the pieces are generously coated with the ghee. Add the salt and just enough water to reach the level of the meat pieces. Reduce the flame and cook covered till the meat is done. Stir occasionally, adding water if the dish starts to dry. Slurp it like stew, soak it with bread or serve up with some steamed rice.

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 ;)

Pork Sorpotel

My earliest memory of my uncle was of a tall, mustachioed guy with a booming voice. It was dislike at first sight. How dare this loud creature take my delicate Masi away from us. I clambered furiously up to my aunt's arms and declared. " Masi iss aadmi ke saath nahi jayegi!" (My aunt shall not leave with this man!) No one paid heed to my decree. And for that i am grateful!
Over the years I came to adore him. He was a madcap friend with a great taste in music and a shared love for PJs and puns! He was a neatness freak who drove us crazy. He was the life of the party, always up for a pint. And he was a insatiable foodie who was also a fantastic cook!
Sunday afternoons at his place usually meant beer, conversation and pork. Cooked with his meticulous perfection and served with a whole lot of love. When I started my food blog, he was always the first to leave a comment. He was my testbed for some of the more experimental recipes. And he always complained that I didn't devote enough space to his favorite red meat!
The last time I met him, I promised I would perfect my skills and wow him with the ultimate pork dish. And I did! Perfect it. But I still needed his final approval on it. I clicked a pic and sent it across. He texted that it looked tempting and he was looking forward to the taste test. Alas! That shall never be. He was taken away too soon, too sudden.
This post is in your memory my MeshoMoshai ( I can see your eyebrows shoot up and your mouth hang in shock at that traditional address!) I guess I'll have to wait till I join you up there for your seal of final approval. Till then, I know you look down and send me all the love and luck. And plentiful beer to go along with this spicy Pork!

Ingredients:

Pork                        1 kg

Red Chillies            25

Coriander seeds      1 tablespoon

Peppercorns            15

Garlic                      10 cloves

Cinnamon               2 inch

Tamarind                an onion sized ball ( roughly 5 tablespoon)

Turmeric                 1 tsp

Cumin                     4 teaspoon

Onions                    4

Green chillies         6

Ginger                    2 inches

Vinegar                  1/4 cup

Sugar                     1/2 teaspoon

Method: 

Finely chop the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Grind together the rest of the ingredients except pork and sugar. To the pork, add just enough water to reach the level of the meat. Boil pork till it becomes light pink in colour. Add the ground masala, the chopped ingredients and salt to the pot. Pressure cook for 30 minutes. Once the cooker cools, add the sugar and thicken to the consistency you like. Serve hot with steamed rice and chilled beer!

Awadhi Meat Biryani

When it comes to biryanis, there is always a tussle for supremacy between the Hyderabadi Biryani and its cousin, the Awadhi Biryani. The main difference between the two lies in their use of meat. While the Hyderabadi version uses uncooked marinated meat (Kacche gosht ki biryani), the Awadh version is marked by its use of tender cooked meat. And while the Hyderabadi Biryani enjoys more visibility and popularity, the connoisseurs of the Awadhi Biryani swear by every moist morsel!

The recipe for the Awadhi Biryani varies from each family, and this particular recipe is an amalgam of the better known versions. Tried, tested and finger lickin good....this traditional delight is worth the effort! 

Ingredients:
½ kg goat’s meat

½ kg basmati rice

100 grams butter

100 ml cream

2 saffron strands

Marinade:

3 onions (fried, ground to a paste)

1 handful fresh coriander

3 tablespoons ginger and garlic paste

300 grams natural yoghurt

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

salt (to taste)

For the Rice:

1 teaspoon ghee

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

3 black cardamom

2 green cardamoms

½ inch cinnamon

15 mint leaves

For the Meat:

3 black cardamom

2 green cardamom

2 ½ inch cinnamon

1 bay leaf

3 cloves

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste

1 teaspoon  coriander powder

2 pinches of ground nutmeg

2 pinches of mace

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

2 handfuls fresh mint

Method: 

Marinate meat overnight or at least 3 hrs.

Parboil rice with all the ingredients.

Mix the butter and cream and microwave for 30 seconds.

Soak the saffron in the butter-cream mix.

Heat ghee/oil in a cooker, and sizzle all the whole spices mentioned in the meat ingredient list.

Add ginger garlic paste and coriander powder and fry a while.

Add the meat, with 1/2 cup water and pressure cook till nearly done.

Remove whole spices.

Add the remaining ingredients and cook till done.

Reserve a cupful of the gravy.

ASSEMBLY:

In a heavy bottomed pan, layer the meat, then rice, and then the saffron cream mix. Repeat layers, ending finally with a layer of rice. Sprinkle the top of the rice with slivers of fried almonds and browned onion strips. Put a lid on the pan and seal the edges with thick dough. Cook on low flame for 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm with the reserved gravy (called qorma) and curd raita.