Chicken Rogan Josh

A Kashmiri classic, Rogan josh is an aromatic lamb dish of Persian origin, which is one of the signature recipes of Kashmiri cuisine. Roughan means clarified butter or fat in Persian, while josh means intensity or passion or heat. Rogan josh thus means cooked in oil at intense heat.

Rogan josh, is actually brought to India by the Mughals which is inspired in turn from persian cuisine. The unrelenting summer heat of the Indian plains took the Mughals frequently to Kashmir as this place is having cooler climate. This recipe was adapted and now its the staple food in Kashmir.

Traditional Kashmiri Rogan Josh has thin gravy and a thick layer of oil on top.
Brilliant red colour traditionally comes from liberal amounts of dried Kashmiri chilies that have been de-seeded to reduce their heat

Kashmiri Pandits don't use onion and garlic.
Without onion it is amazing mutton curry in North India. Specially in UP this is cooked with Onions. Quality of meat plays an important role in this dish. Select meat with a lot of fat.

Authentic Kashmiri Pandit Style preparation:

1 Kg Mutton/Chicken/Lamb with lots of fat

Marinating Spices:
½ tsp ground Kashmiri chillies
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground green cardamoms
½ tsp ground black cardamoms
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground black peppercorns
½ tsp ground fennel seeds

Main Gravy Ingredients:

½ cup vegetable oil/mustard oil
1-inch cinnamon stick
2 whole black cardamoms
5 whole green cardamoms
6 whole cloves

1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 tsp asafoetida powder
2 tsp dry ginger powder2 tbsp ground Kashmiri chillies 
2 cups whole-milk yoghurt
¼ cup rattan jot infusion (optional)
Salt as required

Note:
Rattan jot is a root of a herb. It is used as natural food coloring for its vibrant red colour.
Soak a small piece in hot oil or lukewarm water or  ground to a powder.
Rare nowadays, instead you can use standard red food color.
or
For the colour, you can get ‘kashmiri lal mirch’ powder; easily available in local market at least. And if you can, use mustard oil. Nothing beats the flavour of mustard oil in most authentic Indian regional dishes.

Method:

1. Clean the meat and wash it properly.
2. Add the marinating spices one at a time.
3. Press the spices into the meat, then keep aside for a 15-20 minutes.
4. Heat a pan on high flame for few minutes.
5. Add ½ cup vegetable oil/mustard oil and heat the oil until it starts smoking.
6. Reduce heat and add 1-inch cinnamon stick and 2 whole black cardamoms and 5 whole green cardamoms.
7. Add 6 whole cloves and 1 tsp whole peppercorns.
8. Increase heat and add 1 tsp whole fennel seeds.
9. Add the marinated meat and toss/fold the meat.
10. Coat evenly with the oil.
11. Cook until the meat is caramelised.
12. Add 1 tsp asafoetida powder.
13. Add 2 tsp dry ginger powder.
14. Fold into the meat and cook for 1 minute. 
15. Add salt to taste and fold into the meat. 
16. Add 2 tbsp ground Kashmiri chillies and fold into the meat.
17. Add ¼ cup rattan jot infusion if available else use red food color (optional)
18. Beat 2 cups whole-milk yoghurt and add to the pan.
19. Gently fold the yoghurt until it thoroughly coats the meat.
20. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for about 1½ hours depending on meat type or until the meat is cooked and the rogan (red oil) comes to the surface.

Note:
If you are not fond of so spicy food, just reduce the quantity of the spices and use a slightly sweet yoghurt. 

Restaurant Style Preparation:

INGREDIENTS:

750gm lamb or mutton or chicken, bone intact, cut into pieces
7 black peppercorns
3 black cardamom pods
5 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece mace
2 large onions, finely chopped
Paste of 6 garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red chile powder
2 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 and 1/2 tsp garam masala (ingredients given below)
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
6 tbsp vegetable oil/mustard oil
Salt as required
Boiling water, as required
Handful chopped fresh cilantro

Garam Masala Ingredients:

7 black peppercorns
1 black cardamom pods
5 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 piece mace

Method:

1. Dry roast the Garam masala ingredients and blend it into a fine powder. Keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. 
3. Add the black peppercorns, black and green cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and mace and fry until the spices are sizzling and fragrant. 
4. Add the chopped onion, and saute until golden brown. (It would be more tasty if you can add fat to it and let it cook)
5. Add the meat pieces and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir and let it cook until the meat pieces are evenly golden brown. 
6. Add the garlic and ginger paste it, stir well to combine evenly.
7. Reduce the heat and let it cook for 5 minutes, stirring in between. 
8. Add the ground coriander, cumin, red chili powder, fennel seeds, garam masala and stir it in medium flame.
9. Fold into meats and add tomato, yogurt and salt to taste. Stir well.
10. Cover the pan with a lid and then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the gravy is dried out. 
11. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to the gravy, stir well and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in between to avoid gravy from burning.
12. Let it cook until the gravy is thickened. 
13. Add sufficient boiling water to almost cover the meat and bring the mixture to a boil.
14. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook until the meat is cooked through. 

Serve with steamed basmati rice or chapatis, naan, pulav. Garnish with some coriander leaves. Quick squirt of lemon juice.

Paneer and Spinach Fritters

Perfect snack with a hot cup of tea on a rainy day.

Quick to put together for a sudden get together or for a lazy weekend evening snack.

Ingredients:

150 gms cottage cheese
4 spinach leaves
5 to 6 green chillies
1 cup gram flour
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp garam masala powder
½ to 1 tsp carom seeds
½ cup water or as required
Salt as required
Oil for deep frying (Optional Mustard oil)
Chaat masala for sprinkling

For the Ketchup Chutney:

½ cup Ketchup
1 tbsp Water
½ tbsp Chaat Masala
½ tsp Sugar
Sea Salt/Rock Salt as per the taste

Method:

To Prepare Paneer Pakora: 

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients, except paneer and oil.
2. Make a smooth and thick batter. Make sure to make it lump free.
3. Check the seasoning and adjust the spice level and salt.
4. Cut the cottage cheese into cubes.
5. You can pan fry the cottage cheese cubes till golden brown. (optional)
6. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai. (You can use mustard oil, it will add nice aroma)
7. Dip each cube of cottage cheese in the batter and coat the cubes evenly with the batter.
8. Deep fry the paneer pakoras in medium flame till crisp and golden.
9. When oil stops bubbling around pakora, drain paneer pakoras on paper towels to remove excess oil.

To Prepare Spinach Fritters:

1. Dip each spinach leaf into the batter and coat it evenly. 
2. Gently place the batter coated leaf in the medium hot oil.
3. Deep fry the spinach fritters till golden and crisp. 
4. Drain spinach fritters on paper towels to remove excess oil.

To Prepare Green Chilli Fritters:

1. Slit the chilli in the middle.
2. Dip each chilli into the batter and coat it evenly. 
3. Deep fry the chilli fritters till golden and crisp.
4. Drain chilli fritters on paper towels to remove excess oil.

To Prepare Ketchup Chutney:

1. Mix all the ingredients together. Mix well.
2. Adjust the seasoning as per your requirement.

Serve hot paneer pakoras, spinach fritters and chilli fritters sprinkled lightly with some chaat masala with ketchup chutney.

Cauliflower in Pickling Masala (Achari Gobi)

Ingredients:

500 gms cauliflower, small florets
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree/finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp lemon juice (if you want more sourness)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
3 tbsp of oil to fry Cauliflower + 1 tbsp oil for cook Achari Gobi
Salt as required

For the pickling masala

2-3 dry red chillies (You can roast Green chillies if you don't want red chillies)
1 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp nigella
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 inch cinnamon (optional)

Method:

Preparation of pickling masala:

1. Dry roast the spices in low flame.
2. Grind it to fine powder.

Preparation of Achari Gobi :

1. Marinate the cauliflower florets with some salt and turmeric.
2. Heat oil and saute till they are half cooked. It should retain the crunchiness.
3. Once done, take it out of the pan and keep it aside on kitchen towel.
4. In the same pan, add 1 more tbsp of oil if oil left in pan is not sufficient. 
5. Heat oil and add nigella seeds and mustard seeds. 
6. Once it starts sputtering, add garlic, ginger.
7. Immediately as chopped onions. Toss it.
8. Season with salt and stir well.
9. Saute the onion till it gets softened or translucent.
10. Add the pickling spice you prepared freshly.
11. Mix well and cook in medium flame until the spices are cooked and oil starts separating from the sides. 
12. Keep stirring to avoid it from getting burnt at the bottom. This should take about 10 minutes.
13. Add lemon juice to it. Mix well.
14. Add the tomato puree or finely chopped tomatoes. I prefer to use the latter.
15. Season with salt and sugar (if using). 
16. Cook for another 10 minutes and make sure to have tomato puree mixed properly with rest of the ingredients. If using chopped tomatoes, cook till it starts melting.
17. Add the chili powder and yogurt. Mix well. Cook in medium heat.
18. Add the partially fried crunchy cauliflower. Give a toss.
19. Cook for another 5 minutes, check for seasoning and add any if required.

Serve hot with Indian bread or steamed rice.

Prawn & Malabar Spinach with Mustard Gravy

Ingredients:

250 gms Fried small sized prawn
250 gms Malabar Spinach
2 medium size Tomato
3 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp panch phutan
4 tbsp mustard oil

For Mustard paste:

1 tbsp mustard seeds
6 garlic cloves
3 dry red chillies/ green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds.

Method: 

1. Wash the prawn properly.
2. Marinate it with turmeric powder & salt. 
3. Mix it properly.
4. Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a frying pan.
5. Fry prawns till it turns golden brown.
6. Rinse malabar leaves and separate the leaves from stem.
7. Cut the stem into small pieces (length 1 inch).
8. Chop the leaves. 
9. Drain out the excess water.
10. Take 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan on a medium flame.
11. Add pancha phutana.
12. Once it splutters, add red dry chillies.
13. Add chopped onion, saute until they are golden brown.
14. Add chopped tomatoes, cook till it melts.
15. Add turmeric powder.
16. Add mustard paste and immediately add 1/2 cup water. 
17. Add the stems as well. Let it boil till malabar spinach stems are cooked.
18. Add chopped malabar spinach leaves, cook for a min.
19. Add fried prawn and add salt. Mix well. 
20. Boil it properly until the oil come out from the water.

Serve with steamed rice.

Baby Corn Chilli Fry

INGREDIENTS:

15 baby corn, diagonally cut
1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 inch ginger, finely chopped
4 green chilies, slit
5 garlic, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion/spring onions
1 tbsp soy sauce or as required
1 tbsp white vinegar (optional)
1 tbsp chopped celery
1 tbsp black pepper powder
2 tbsp water
1 tsp corn flour to be sprinkled from above
Salt as required
Sugar as required (optional)
Oil to shallow fry/deep fry the baby corn
2 tbsp oil for the sauce

For the batter:

2 tbsp all purpose flour (optional)
4 tbsp cornflour (If not using all purpose flour, then take 6 tbsp of cornflour)
water as required to make a thick paste
salt and pepper as required

METHOD:

Preparing the batter:

1. Make a smooth paste with the corn flour, all purpose flour, salt, pepper and water.
2. Rinse and paper dry the baby corn.
3. Heat oil on a frying pan.
4. Dip each baby corn piece in the batter and coat it well with the batter.
5. Deep fry the baby corn on medium flame till the edges and sides are golden brown.
6. Drain the baby corn on kitchen towels.

Preparing the sauce:

1. In pan, heat about 2 tbsp oil.
2. Once hot, add chopped onions or spring onions, ginger, garlic and slit green chilies.
3. stir fry on a high flame till the onions have become translucent. If you cannot handle high flame, do it on medium flame.
4. Add green bell pepper and stir fry till the they have partly cooked but still retain their crunch.
5. Add the soy sauce and mix well.
6. Sprinkle black pepper powder, salt and sugar (if using). 
7. Add 2 tbsp water and stir.
8. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of corn flour. 
9. Mix well and cook for  about 1-2 minutes.
10. Add white vinegar and stir again.
11. Add the deep fried baby corn with chopped celery to this mixture. Mix well.
12. check the taste and add salt, pepper or soy sauce if required.

Serve chilli baby corn as a starter or with veg fried rice.

Veth Chaman

Chaman means paneer in Kashmiri language. Spices like sonth or dry ginger powder and saunf or fennel powder which is unique to the Kashmiri cuisine are used in this recipe. No onion or garlic are used in it and hence is good Sattvik food.

Ingredients:

250 gms Cottage cheese
1 cup water
A generous pinch of Asafoetida
2 tbsp oil

For gravy:

1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds
1/2 inch Cinnamon
3 Cloves
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1.5 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp Dry ginger powder
3 tbsp Curd
3/4 cup Milk
1 Brown Cardamom
3 Green Cardamom
2 tsp fennel powder
1.5 tsp freshly prepared Garam Masala
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

For garam masala:
4 to 5 Cloves
1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp Black peppercorns
1/2 tbsp Coriander seeds
3 Green Cardamom
1 Brown Cardamom
1 inch Cinnamon
1/4 tbsp Dry Ginger powder

Method:

1. Boil the water and add the asafoetida to it and keep the heat on low. 
   
2. Separately heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan.
3. Cut the paneer in cubes and when oil is hot, add it. 
4. Toss it for few times. Once paneer starts browning, remove it from heat and keep it on paper towel so that extra oil will be absorbed. (You can have paneer minimally fried if you want to retain its softness.)
5. Put all the fried paneer pieces into the asafoetida water. Keep aside.
6. Dry roast the spices listed under garam masala (except dry ginger powder) on low heat. 
7. Once roasted, add the dry ginger powder and immediately take off the gas. 
8. Grind into a fine powder mix.
9. Take the same pan where paneer is fried and use the oil left after frying the paneer pieces. Add 1 more tbsp if you feel it's not sufficient.
10. When hot, add the cumin seeds and saute.
11. Once it starts spluttering, add cinnamon, cloves and stir.
12. Add the dry ginger powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
13. Immediately add 3 tbsp of the asafoetida water so the spices do not burn. 
14. Beat the curd and add the milk, cardamoms and saunf powder. (Use the milk and curd at room temperature and it minimizes the chance of curdling.) Mix well.
15. Add into the pan and sauté.
16. Increase the heat gradually. This will avoid the milk from curdling. 
17. Stir and mix well. 
18. Add the paneer pieces and 1.5 tsp of the prepared garam masala powder.
19. Add the asafoetida water only to balance the gravy. Give it one boil.
20. Cover it and simmer for a couple of minutes.
21. Remove it from the heat.

Serve hot. 

Note:

If you want to serve it later, then add a little milk just before serving to get a little gravy as the gravy dries up quickly.

Mini Eggplant Pizza

Globe eggplant is a spongy, mild-tasting vegetable that's meaty yet low in calories.  It's never eaten raw, but it can be baked, grilled, or sautéed.   The best eggplants are firm and shiny eggplants with unbroken skin.

In this recipe the eggplant is wonderfully flavoured and meshed so well with the pizza toppings.
Instead of sauce you can use slice of tomato.
I eat the whole eggplant since no one else likes eggplant.
It has protein from cheese and veg, sometimes I make garlic toast to go with it.
Also before oiling eggplant, I season oil with Italian seasoning... yummy!

To make it Hawaiian, you can add cubes of ham and pineapple-much more flavor that way. give it a try.

Add some protein more. Ham, sausage, pepperoni. anything. You will not dissapointed.

Pleasantly surprise on how simple, quick and tasty this recipe was try and I will be trying this one again and sharing.

Ingredients: 

1 globe eggplant, 9-10 inches long
1 Tbsp salt, for drawing water out of eggplant (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil, for brushing eggplant before roasting
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, for sprinkling on eggplant before roasting
10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan/mozzarella
hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling finished pizza (optional)

To prepare Sauce:
3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Salt as required

Method:

1. Remove the stem from the eggplant,then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices.
2. Sprinkle salt on both sides of slice.  (You can skip this, it will just make the slices brown. Sprinkling salt prevents slices from browning)
3. Keep the salt coated slice about 10 minutes to draw out the water. 
4. Meanwhile turn on the oven to 190C.

Preparing Sauce:

1. Heat 3 tsp olive oil.
2. Once hot,add finely chopped garlic and saute in medium flame for about 1 minute or till raw aroma goes away. Don't let it brown.
3. Add the diced tomatoes.
4. Once it starts melting, add dried Italian seasoning and dried oregano.
5. Let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it's thickened. 

Preparing Pizza:

1. After 10 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels, it 
2. also take the salt out.
3. Take the bake tray and apply/spray the olive oil on it.
4. Lay eggplant slices on, brush/apply the tops and sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil.
5. Roast the eggplant about 25 minutes or till the slices are done. Make sure not to over-baked that slices lose their shape.  
6. While the eggplant roasts, finely slice the fresh basil leaves (if using).
7. Combine freshly grated Parmesan and low-fat mozzarella. 
8. After 25 minutes or when eggplant pieces are done, remove the slices from the oven.
9. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice.
10. Sprinkle with thin basil slices (if using) and top with a generous amount of cheese.  
11. Put pizzas in oven with broil mode and let it broil until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. This took 8 minutes for me.

Sprinkle red paprika flakes and dried oregano on pizza.Serve hot