I come from a very small Maharashtrian community and we call ourselves Pathare Prabhus. We are one of the oldest communities in Mumbai and have been here for over 700 years. The cuisine of this community is quite distinctive, yet similar to that of Maharashtra. However, our vegetarian food is often embellished with the unnecessary, yet welcoming addition of shrimp and mince. Shrimp and mince add to the decadence and brazenness of our culture and food. What we call Pathwad is, in fact, what the rest of the state calls Aluwadi, or the Konkanis call Patrode or what the Gujaratis call Patrel. Rolls of taro leaves of the Colocasia plant are smeared with gram flour and stuffed with spices, tamarind and jaggery. The Pathare Prabhus and shrimp or mince or both!
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
3 taro leaves
1/2 cup prawns, cleaned, de-veined and finely chopped
1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
2 green chillies
1/4 inch ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp jaggery
A pinch of baking soda
1-2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped
You will also need; A steamer
Hint: 15 mins; Serves 3; hot pav
METHOD
Wash and clean the taro leaves. Grind chillies, ginger, garlic and coriander seeds into paste. Place the leaves upside down and flatten their veins by pressing with a rolling pin.
In a bowl, mix gram flour, ground paste, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, soda, sesasme seeds, tamarind paste, jaggery, finely chopped prawns and 1-2 tsp of water into a thick batter.
Place the largest leaf on a flat surface and apply 1-2 tsp of batter evenly over it. Layer another leaf on top of the first leaf and apply the batter. Repeat with third taro leaf. Roll the leaves from the base towards the tip.
Steam this roll in a steamer for 10-15 minutes or until you are able to insert a toothpick that is still clean on removal. keep the rolls aside to cool. Then cut them into small pieces.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
PRAWN & DRUMSTICK CURRY
Vegetables together with fish make for a very healthy diet. Vegetables with a meek and mild character work perfectly with Continental and Mediterranean fish preparations. However, pairing the right fish with the right vegetable is something you can leave to the East Indian community. I have to admit that prawns with drumsticks is a killer combination as both have distinct tastes and textures. Drumsticks are midly bitter and fleshy, while prawns add a sweetness and plumpness. Together with bottle masala, it makes for a robustness that is calmed only with coconut milk, and reignited with the sourness of tamarind.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 cup prawns, shelled, cleaned and de-veined
8 drumsticks, each cut into three-inch pieces (pumpkin, cauliflower and white raddish are good alternatives)
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp bottle masala
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Tamarind to taste
1/2 cup water
Hint: 15 mins; Serves 3; hot pav
METHOD
In a vessel, heat oil and onions. Fry the onions till they are transparent. Now, add the prawns and fry them till they turn pink in colour.
MUTTON
Not very long ago a young bride, about to be married, was in for a rude shock. In the middle of the proceedings, the groom's family suddenly halted the wedding. Instead of the usual demands like more dowry, a bigger car or more gold, they took exception to the chicken biryani that was on the menu and demanded a swap for mutton biryani. Emotions ran high and the spunky bride turned down the groom. This is a true story; the incident took place in Bangalore. I understand the groom's angst-mutton cannot be ousted by any other meat.
SHIKARI PULAO
I have never hunted for game in my life and never will. Shikar (hunting) was introduced to India by the mughals and continued to be a royal sport for the maharajas. Even today, we encounter rare cases of this bloody sport albeit under cloak and shortgun.
I confess I am a sucker for recipes that emerged from this custom of cooking game in the jungle. Shikari Pulao was designed for exactly that. By that logic, it should've been a wham, bam, cook the ram recipe, but it's much more. Afterall, it's not like the maharajas and English sahibs camped and hunted in the jungles all by themselves, leaving the khansamahs and hamals behind.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
1 kg mutton
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 black cardamom pods
2-inch stick of cinnamon
8 cloves
1 tsp of peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
4 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste
7 cups water
Fresh coriander leaves
Hint: 60 mins; Serves 4-5; green chillies or raita
METHOD
In a large vessel, boil the meal and bay leaves in four cups of water. Keep the meat covered until it is cooked and the water has completely dried. Set aside.
Heat the ghee in a frying pan. Temper all the whole spices. Add onions and fry till they turn down.
Add ginger paste, garlic paste, tomatoes and mix well. Add all the powdered spices and fry. Poor a little water, so that the spices cook well without sticking to the pan. Add fresh coriander and continue to fry until the ghee starts to separate from the masala.
Add rice and fry for a minute or two. Add the cooked meat and three cups of water.
When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat and allow the rice to simmer in the gravy until it is completely cooked and the water fully evaporated.
Serve hot.
KHEEMA PARATHA
After all, a Kheema Paratha is just minced meat stuffed in bread. As if it is the father of the Malaysian Murtabak, the brother of the Baida Kheema Roti and the stepbrother of the Italian Lasagna, they will all tell you that a Kheema Paratha is only as good as the kheema stuffed in it.
According to me, the cipher to a great kheema is the choices of spices and then most importantly, resisting the tempation to pour water while cooking. You can flavour your kheema with all the masalas in the world, but I personally favour the green masalas.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
The Stuffing
1/2 kg mutton, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
11/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4 green chillies, finely chopped or paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp bishop's weed (ajwain)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
A pinch of garam masala
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Coriander, finely chopped
The Paratha
2 cups wheat flour
3 tbsp plain yoghurt
Oil or ghee
Hint: 60 mins; Serves 4; butter, mango pickle or yoghurt
METHOD
Heat oil in a pan on medium flame. Add cumin seeds and fry to for a minute. Add chopped onions and fry till they turn golden-brown.
Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the minced mutton along with all the powdered spices. Cook for a few minutes till the oil separates from it and the meat is tender. Do not pour water.
Remove from flame and keep aside to cool.
Add wheat flour and curd in a bowl.
Knead the dough just like you would for a chapati. Shape it into ten small balls.
On a floured surface, roll out each ball to medium-sized parathas.
Place cooked meat stuffing in the centre of the paratha. Lift paratha's edges to the centre to cover the stuffing. Flatten it out again first with your hand and then a rolling pin. Heat a tava or griddle. Gently place the paratha. When it turns brown, smear oil or ghee around the edges.
Roast until both sides are golden-brown.
GREEN KHEEMA
I'm fastidious fussy and finicky when it comes to Kheema. I like it green. It's the way the remaining few Chiliya restaurants in Mumbai make it, green chillies and coriander. The muslim Chiliya Momins are originally from the villages of north Gujarat. In the early 50s and 60s, they set up cafes and eateries similar in style to that of the Irani joints, but with muslim food. You could probably find a few of them still left in Mumbai and some in Ahmedabad. Look for names like New Lucky Restaurant, Olympia, Alla-Behli, Paramount, Bagdadi or simply, Patel Restaurant. You'll find Green Kheema for sure. I like a full portion of it with sunny-wide up eggs. Bear in mind, however, that it's a breakfast dish, so most restaurants won't serve it to you after 9 AM.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 kg ground mutton mince
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, cut in chunks
5 green chillies, split and de-seeded
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
4-5 cloves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup plain yoghurt
3 tbsp ghee
A bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
You will also need a heavy pot
Hint: 40 mins; Serves 4-6; hotbread or chapatis
METHOD
In a bowl, combine the minced mutton, yoghurt, salt, turmeric powder and cumin seeds. Mix it well and set aside for an hour.
In a heavy post, heat the ghee and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves.
Let them splutter; then add thinly sliced onions. Cook the onions till they turn golden-brown.
Add the minced mixture and saute well.
Cook the mutton on medium flame till it releases water. Then add the slit and de-seeded green chillies, onion chunks and finely chopped garlic and mix well.
Continue cooking till all of the liquid has evaporated and the meal is tender.
Garnish with freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped coriander.
Serve hot.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
3 taro leaves
1/2 cup prawns, cleaned, de-veined and finely chopped
1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
2 green chillies
1/4 inch ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp jaggery
A pinch of baking soda
1-2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped
You will also need; A steamer
Hint: 15 mins; Serves 3; hot pav
METHOD
Wash and clean the taro leaves. Grind chillies, ginger, garlic and coriander seeds into paste. Place the leaves upside down and flatten their veins by pressing with a rolling pin.
In a bowl, mix gram flour, ground paste, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, soda, sesasme seeds, tamarind paste, jaggery, finely chopped prawns and 1-2 tsp of water into a thick batter.
Place the largest leaf on a flat surface and apply 1-2 tsp of batter evenly over it. Layer another leaf on top of the first leaf and apply the batter. Repeat with third taro leaf. Roll the leaves from the base towards the tip.
Steam this roll in a steamer for 10-15 minutes or until you are able to insert a toothpick that is still clean on removal. keep the rolls aside to cool. Then cut them into small pieces.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
PRAWN & DRUMSTICK CURRY
Vegetables together with fish make for a very healthy diet. Vegetables with a meek and mild character work perfectly with Continental and Mediterranean fish preparations. However, pairing the right fish with the right vegetable is something you can leave to the East Indian community. I have to admit that prawns with drumsticks is a killer combination as both have distinct tastes and textures. Drumsticks are midly bitter and fleshy, while prawns add a sweetness and plumpness. Together with bottle masala, it makes for a robustness that is calmed only with coconut milk, and reignited with the sourness of tamarind.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 cup prawns, shelled, cleaned and de-veined
8 drumsticks, each cut into three-inch pieces (pumpkin, cauliflower and white raddish are good alternatives)
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp bottle masala
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Tamarind to taste
1/2 cup water
Hint: 15 mins; Serves 3; hot pav
METHOD
In a vessel, heat oil and onions. Fry the onions till they are transparent. Now, add the prawns and fry them till they turn pink in colour.
Once the prawns are pink, add bottle masala and fry for a minute or so. Now, add the drumsticks. Pour the water for the gravy and add salt to taste. Cook till the drumsticks are tender.
Pour the coconut milk, stir well and cook for a few minutes. Add tamarind pulp. Stir vigorously, so that all the ingredients mix well.
Cook till the curry comes to a boil. When the curry is boiled, take the vessel off the fire.
Serve hot.
Not very long ago a young bride, about to be married, was in for a rude shock. In the middle of the proceedings, the groom's family suddenly halted the wedding. Instead of the usual demands like more dowry, a bigger car or more gold, they took exception to the chicken biryani that was on the menu and demanded a swap for mutton biryani. Emotions ran high and the spunky bride turned down the groom. This is a true story; the incident took place in Bangalore. I understand the groom's angst-mutton cannot be ousted by any other meat.
SHIKARI PULAO
I have never hunted for game in my life and never will. Shikar (hunting) was introduced to India by the mughals and continued to be a royal sport for the maharajas. Even today, we encounter rare cases of this bloody sport albeit under cloak and shortgun.
I confess I am a sucker for recipes that emerged from this custom of cooking game in the jungle. Shikari Pulao was designed for exactly that. By that logic, it should've been a wham, bam, cook the ram recipe, but it's much more. Afterall, it's not like the maharajas and English sahibs camped and hunted in the jungles all by themselves, leaving the khansamahs and hamals behind.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
1 kg mutton
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 black cardamom pods
2-inch stick of cinnamon
8 cloves
1 tsp of peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
4 tbsp ghee
Salt to taste
7 cups water
Fresh coriander leaves
Hint: 60 mins; Serves 4-5; green chillies or raita
METHOD
In a large vessel, boil the meal and bay leaves in four cups of water. Keep the meat covered until it is cooked and the water has completely dried. Set aside.
Heat the ghee in a frying pan. Temper all the whole spices. Add onions and fry till they turn down.
Add ginger paste, garlic paste, tomatoes and mix well. Add all the powdered spices and fry. Poor a little water, so that the spices cook well without sticking to the pan. Add fresh coriander and continue to fry until the ghee starts to separate from the masala.
Add rice and fry for a minute or two. Add the cooked meat and three cups of water.
When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat and allow the rice to simmer in the gravy until it is completely cooked and the water fully evaporated.
Serve hot.
KHEEMA PARATHA
After all, a Kheema Paratha is just minced meat stuffed in bread. As if it is the father of the Malaysian Murtabak, the brother of the Baida Kheema Roti and the stepbrother of the Italian Lasagna, they will all tell you that a Kheema Paratha is only as good as the kheema stuffed in it.
According to me, the cipher to a great kheema is the choices of spices and then most importantly, resisting the tempation to pour water while cooking. You can flavour your kheema with all the masalas in the world, but I personally favour the green masalas.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
The Stuffing
1/2 kg mutton, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
11/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4 green chillies, finely chopped or paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp bishop's weed (ajwain)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
A pinch of garam masala
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Coriander, finely chopped
The Paratha
2 cups wheat flour
3 tbsp plain yoghurt
Oil or ghee
Hint: 60 mins; Serves 4; butter, mango pickle or yoghurt
METHOD
Heat oil in a pan on medium flame. Add cumin seeds and fry to for a minute. Add chopped onions and fry till they turn golden-brown.
Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the minced mutton along with all the powdered spices. Cook for a few minutes till the oil separates from it and the meat is tender. Do not pour water.
Remove from flame and keep aside to cool.
Add wheat flour and curd in a bowl.
Knead the dough just like you would for a chapati. Shape it into ten small balls.
On a floured surface, roll out each ball to medium-sized parathas.
Place cooked meat stuffing in the centre of the paratha. Lift paratha's edges to the centre to cover the stuffing. Flatten it out again first with your hand and then a rolling pin. Heat a tava or griddle. Gently place the paratha. When it turns brown, smear oil or ghee around the edges.
Roast until both sides are golden-brown.
GREEN KHEEMA
I'm fastidious fussy and finicky when it comes to Kheema. I like it green. It's the way the remaining few Chiliya restaurants in Mumbai make it, green chillies and coriander. The muslim Chiliya Momins are originally from the villages of north Gujarat. In the early 50s and 60s, they set up cafes and eateries similar in style to that of the Irani joints, but with muslim food. You could probably find a few of them still left in Mumbai and some in Ahmedabad. Look for names like New Lucky Restaurant, Olympia, Alla-Behli, Paramount, Bagdadi or simply, Patel Restaurant. You'll find Green Kheema for sure. I like a full portion of it with sunny-wide up eggs. Bear in mind, however, that it's a breakfast dish, so most restaurants won't serve it to you after 9 AM.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 kg ground mutton mince
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, cut in chunks
5 green chillies, split and de-seeded
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
4-5 cloves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup plain yoghurt
3 tbsp ghee
A bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
You will also need a heavy pot
Hint: 40 mins; Serves 4-6; hotbread or chapatis
METHOD
In a bowl, combine the minced mutton, yoghurt, salt, turmeric powder and cumin seeds. Mix it well and set aside for an hour.
In a heavy post, heat the ghee and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves.
Let them splutter; then add thinly sliced onions. Cook the onions till they turn golden-brown.
Add the minced mixture and saute well.
Cook the mutton on medium flame till it releases water. Then add the slit and de-seeded green chillies, onion chunks and finely chopped garlic and mix well.
Continue cooking till all of the liquid has evaporated and the meal is tender.
Garnish with freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped coriander.
Serve hot.
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