Mutton Lazeez...!!!

Mutton Lazeez is an aromatic rich mutton recipe which I learned recently from one of my food lover friend. The “lazeez” is an Urdu Word and it means delicious. As the name implies it is a flavourful ,rich mutton preparation which you will surely favour to prepare as your weekend indulgence. Moreover it doesn’t take much of your time unlike other mutton recipes.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Mutton :800gm
•  Onions 5-6 medium 
• Ginger Garlic paste 2tsp 
• Cloves 5-6 
• Black peppercorns 1 tsp 
• Green Cardamom 4-5 Black 
• Cardamom 2 
• Cinnamon 1stick 
• Kashmiri Whole Red Chilies 3-4 
• Tomato Puree 1cup 
• Green Chilies 3no. 
• Red Chili Powder 1-2tsp 
• Cumin Powder 2tsp 
• Coriander Powder 2tsp 
• Nutmeg powder a couple of pinches 
• Ghee 3-4tbsp 
• Salt to taste.

Method:

• Heat ghee in a handi – add whole garam masalas and whole red chilies and let it splutter for a minute. 
• Now add finely sliced onions, salt and mutton – stir and mix well. Cook until onions and mutton are bhunnoed and ghee separates and gets the golden colour. 
• Now add ginger garlic paste and bhunno for 5 minutes. Now add tomato puree (while making puree, add and grind the green chilies as well), red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well and bhunno till ghee leaves the masala. 
• Now add ½ cup of water (or more as required) to just cook the meat. Add more water if required so that the masala doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. 
• Cook covered on low heat until the mutton is tender and the masala is napped around it. 
• Once the mutton is cooked, add nutmeg and adjust the seasoning. Remove from flame and serve hot.

                                                                                                                   Enjoy Your Food...!

Butter Fish...Makhanwala Machchli....Machchli Makhanwala....!!!!

Butter Fish or Machchli Makhanwali is my little one’s one of the most desired fish preparations. I sometimes make this especially for her and  serve with some pulao or rice dishes. The procedure is not very complicated .It just needs few more ingredients than the other simple fish  recipes and that’s all. Any type of fishes can be used in this preparation, especially bhetki( Lates) or Surmai ( King Fish)are the best options. But I prepare it with any of the fishes according to the availability .This time I made it with Katla and the taste was immensely good.

Here is the procedure:

Ingredients:

• Fish Steaks: 5/6 (Washed, Pat Dried)
• Salt: 1 tsp for marinating fish + Cooking
• Turmeric Powder: 1tsp + ½ tsp.
• Red Chili Powder: ½ tsp (Adjust according to your choice)
• Sugar: ¼ tsp.
• Oil: 1 tbsp .White oil.
• Butter: 2 tbsp.
• Ginger Paste:1 tsp.
• Onion Paste: 2 tbsp
• Garlic Paste: ½ tsp.
• Tomato Puree: 3 tbsp.( I used store bought tomato puree, you may prepare it fresh)
• Cashew Paste: 2 tbsp.(Soak 10-12 nos cashew nusts in half cup of warm milk for 10-15 minutes and blend it in a mixer grinder to  make a smooth paste).
• Poppy Seeds Paste: 1 tsp.
• Yoghurt: 2 tbsp.( Whisk the yoghurt properly with little water and a pinch of flour to avoid curdling)
• Water: 1 Cup (warm)
• Cinnamon Sticks: 1
• Green Cardamoms: 2-3 nos.
• Cloves: 3-4 nos.
• Sha jeera (Caraway Seeds) :1/2 tsp.
• Fresh Cream: 1 tsp. ( Optional)

Process:

• Wash and pat dry the fish steaks and marinate them for 10- 15 minutes with little salt, turmeric powder and a 1tsp of white oil.
• Now take a deep bottomed vessel. Heat the butter first and melt it and then add 1 tsp of oil into it. Mix and once it becomes very hot, reduce the flame and fry the fishes on both sides slightly. But don’t over fry them. You can keep the fish without frying but personally as I don’t like to cook raw fish I always  fry them before adding them into the gravy. Take them out of the vessel and keep aside.
• Now discard the remaining butter-oil mixture in the vessel. Add some fresh butter and once it melts add 1 tsp of white oil and make it hot. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves and the cardamoms. Fry for 30 seconds. Feel the fragrance and then add the caraway seeds. Let it splutter for few seconds.  Then add the sugar, fry till brown.
• Add the garlic paste, make a quick stir and add the tomato puree. Mix well. Add the onion paste and mix thoroughly. Add the salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and mix well. After 3-4 minutes add the ginger paste. Stir well and add the poppy seed paste, whisked yoghurt and the cashew paste.
• Cook until oil starts releasing from the sides of the pan. Then add the a cup of warm water into the vessel ,give a very nice stir . Increase the flame little and let the gravy boil for few minutes.
• Now add the fried pieces of fish and cover. On low flame cook until the fish steaks become very soft ,tender and the gravy becomes thick and coats the fishes well.
• The butter fish prepared in this way is soft like cotton and almost melts in the mouth. You may pour a teaspoon of fresh cream on top and then serve with Pulao or rice dishes.

                                                                      Enjoy Your Food...!!!

Rohu Fish In Mustard and Poppy Seeds Paste ....!!!

Cooking fish as a most important side dish while preparing lunch or dinner for the family is almost an each day job of a Bengali home maker. The eminent saying “Machhe Bhate Bangali ( Fish and Rice make a Bengali ) “ is so very apposite for us, the people of Bengal. Here I must talk about the importance of poppy seeds, mustard oil and mustard seeds in fish or any other vegetable preparations. These three ,predominantly the former two  (poppy seed and mustard oil) are very exclusive and widely used ingredients in a Bengali Kitchen which have the capacity to turn the taste of any ordinary preparation into a very luscious one.

Anyway, let’s start discussing today’s topic. I am going to share a simple Bengali fish recipe now. Rohu/katla Fish In Mustard and Poppy Seeds Paste Gravy. A very simple yet a scrumptious preparation which would go perfect when served with steaming hot rice.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Katla /Rohu Fish Steaks: 5/6
• Poppy Seeds Paste: 2 tbsp.
• Mustard Seeds Paste:1 tbsp.
• Green Chili:3/4
• Onion:2 medium ( thin sliced)
• Salt: To taste
• Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp.
• Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp ( adjust according to your tolerance)
• Tomato: 2 ( chopped)
• Onion Seeds( Nigella Seeds): 1 tsp . (Optional though)
• Water: 1 Cup ( Warm)
• Mustard Oil: 3 tbsp.

Preparation:

• Wash and pat dry the fishes. Now marinate them with ½ tsp turmeric powder, salt and 1 tsp of oil . Keep it aside for 5-10 minutes.
• Now heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a deep bottomed vessel and slightly fry the fish steaks on both the sides and take them out. Soak the extra oil using a kitchen tissue and keep aside.
• Then discard the fried oil and heat 1 tbsp of fresh mustard oil . Add the onion seeds and the green chili. Let them splutter from few seconds and now add the chopped tomatoes.
• Once the tomatoes become little mushy, add the sliced onions and fry until the onion slices become translucent. Add the poppy seeds paste and mix thoroughly.
• Mean while dissolve the mustard seed paste with little water and add into the vessel. Subsequently add the ½ tsp of turmeric powder, salt and red chili powder. Mix well and cook for few minutes. Then add a cup of the warm water into the spices mix dissolve thoroughly. Let it boil on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Now add the fried fish steaks into it and cover and on low flame cook until all the water gets absorbed  and the gravy comes to a thick consistency. Taste the seasoning. If required add little salt and mix. 
• Turn off the flame and pour ¼ - ½ tsp of raw mustard oil on top and serve with steaming hot rice,garnishing with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves.

                                                                                                              Enjoy Your Food...!!!