Crunchy Mutton Chops

Crunchy Mutton Chops

Mutton Chops are my fav and they go well with anything and everything, be it just chilled beer, or with paratha/roti or even with something like sambar rice or dal rice! I prefer chops from goat meat instead of lamb meat, and today have tried to follow a Syrian Christian recipe, with some of my own deviations ofcourse!

INGREDIENTS:

Mutton Chops 500 gms, 3 medium sized onions finely chopped, ½ tsp each pepper powder and red chilly powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp oinion-garlic masala powder, 2 tbsp oil, curry leaves, salt to taste

METHOD:

Heat 200 ml of water in a pan and add the mutton chops. Add salt and turmeric and cover n cook on low heat for 40 mins, till the water almost dries up.

In a wok, heat 2 tbsp oil, add curry leaves and the onions.

Fry for 5 mins till they turn light brown. Add all the dry spices one by one. Saute for another 5 to 7 mins on medium heat till the onion-masala combo is nicely fried.

Add the almost cooked mutton chops to the wok, and fry for about 5 mins stirring regularly. Add half a cup of water. Cover and cook for about 15 mins, turning a few times. Switch off the burner, leave for 2 mins, squeeze half a lemon, and serve hot!

Ema Datshi (Chilli Cheese Stew)

Pronounced in the Dzongkha Language as E-ma Dar-tshil, this is the national dish of the Mountain Kingdom of Bhutan. Made in every household, this can be best had with rice, or if its made with thicker consistency, then goes well with bread too. The salted cheese and hot chillies strike a fine balance of flavours, while one can have different variants by adding other ingredients like onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and even garlic.

Ingredients:

1 medium size onion(chopped lengthwise), 6 chillies(seeds removed, slit and cut into 1 inch pieces), 2 large tomatoes(chopped lengthwise), 75-100 gms of cheese.

1 tbsp Oil, salt to taste

Method:

Heat Oil in a pan, add the onions, and sauté on medium heat for 2 mins, 

add the chillies and further sauté for a minute.

Now add tomatoes, sauté for a minute, and then add 3 cups of water. Bring to boil, with a cover ON.

Now add the cheese and cook for about 5 mins, with a lid on, keeping low heat,  till the cheese melts. Add salt to taste, taking care since the cheese is salted.

Your Ema Datshi is ready to be served. Have it with steaming rice! Bon Apetit!

SCRAMBLED EGGS

SCRAMBLED EGGS

Preparing Scrambled Eggs is always a challenge. I too have struggled a lot, in order to get them right. Even tried the way Gordon Ramsay makes them, but couldnt get them just perfect, And then I came across this recipe where you indulge in very slow cooking and in the process get them right! Today they turned out just Superb!

INGREDIENTS

3 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Milk
1 Teaspoon butter
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh Coriander to garnish

METHOD

Break the eggs into a bowl and add a Tsp of milk. Whip them real fine, do it at length, this will get your eggs soft n fluffy.

Take a small size pan (tapela/patila or whatever its called) and boil 250 ml of water in it. When water comes to boil, lower the burner to SIM, keep a glass bowl on top, and add a spoonful of butter. When the butter melts, gently pour the beaten eggs into the bowl.

This is slow cooking, and after about 3 mins they will begin to cook. Keep on stirring so they don't form large lumps, and within next 5 mins or so, the eggs will be cooked just perfect. Switch off the burner and cover the eggs for a minute.

Mix well, serve in a plate, add crushed pepper and garnish with fresh coriander.

People love them on toast. I have my own way! Take a bowlful of hot sticky rice, and squeeze juice of half a lemon into it. Add red chilli flakes, mix well, and have this rice with the scrambled eggs for a perfect Sunday meal! Bon Apetit

Lemon Butter Prawns Spaghetti

The “lemon butter” in the name attracted me to prepare this recipe. I had never used lemon zest in any kind of culinary exploits till now. And it did turn out too good!

Ingredients:
Lemon Zest ½ tsp Red Chilli Flakes ½ tsp

50 gms Salted Butter (Amul)

8 medium sized Prawns

100 gms Spaghetti (Bambino)
Salt, Pepper, Lemon juice to taste

Method:
For the Prawns:

Add Lemon Zest & Chilli Flakes to the butter, mix well with a spoon, and keep it overnight. This will help infuse both the lemony and the chilli flavour into the butter.

Heat butter in a pan, and add the prawns, and sauté on low heat, turning them once, for 2 mins. Add salt n pepper to taste. Cover and cook for 3 mins and the prawns are done.

For the Spaghetti:
Add Spaghetti to boiling water, stir once in a while, add a spoonful of salt and cook for 10 to 12 mins.
Remove the Spaghetti once done, into a plate, and squeeze juice of half a lemon into it.

Now gently add the prawns and the lemon sauce to the Spaghetti, and enjoy it while it is still hot!

Note: take care while adding the salt, the butter is salted, and the Spaghetti too has been cooked in Salted boiling water.
Lemon Zest: Grate the lemon surface gently on a smallest size grater, and one lemon gives you half a tsp of zest.

Mutton Sukka

Mutton Sukka

Ingredients:

400 gms boneless mutton, into medium sized pieces

2 onions finely chopped, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

3 tbsp oil, 15-20 curry leaves, 2 tsp mutton masala powder

1 tsp coriander powder,  ½ tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp raw papaya paste (tenderizer), black pepper powder, salt & lemon to taste

Method:

Clean mutton pieces, apply ½ tsp turmeric powder, and 1 tsp raw papaya paste(tenderizer), and keep in the fridge for 8 hrs, to marinate.

Heat oil in a pan, and saute chopped onions till tender & translucent.

Add curry leaves, and ginger-garlic paste, and sauté for 3-4 mins on medium heat till onions turn brown.

Add the mutton pieces, and sauté on high heat for 5 mins. Mutton will release moisture. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5 mins or till the water dries out. 

Add masala powder and saute for 2 mins. 

Then add 2 cups of hot water to the pan, mix well, cover and cook on low heat for half an hour.

Add salt and pepper to taste, add half a cup of water, and cover and keep for 10 mins.

Remove cover, and sauté for 5-7 mins on medium heat till the water dries out completely and the mutton pieces are almost dry. Squeeze juice of one lemon, stir well, and serve hot.

These spicy and tender pieces of meat can be best enjoyed with chilled beer, or rasam rice, and even curd rice, and plain dal rice!