Blinkist

Ambe Sasam


It is mango season now and my mom is here in Hyderabad. So she cooked this Konkani dish which is a must in most Konkani weddings which happen around Summer season. In other seasons, mangoes can be replaced by pineapple and grapes.

Ambe Sasam


Method

  1. Grind 1 cup grated coconut, 1 marble sized tamarind, 2 red chillies to a coarse paste adding little water. 
  2. Dry roast 1 tsp mustard seeds till they splutter. Add this to the grinder along with 2-3 tsp jaggery (according to your taste) and grind it again.Add 1 cup of mango deskinned and cut into cubes. You can also add pineapple, grapes, orange cubes (deseeded). Mix well.
  3. This goes well as a side dish with rice.

Chettinad Chicken Curry



I like chicken cooked in south Indian flavours with mustard seeds and curry leaves flavoring the gravy. Tried my hand at Chettinad Chicken today and it turned out good.

Chettinad Chicken

Method
  1. Marinate 1 kg of chicken with salt, turmeric and chilli powder for at least an hour
  2. Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 7-8 dry red chillies, 1 cup grated coconut, 1 tsp poppy seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 cardamom, 3-4 cloves, 1 inch piece cinnamon, 1 tsp fennel seeds(saunf) 1 inch piece of ginger and 7-8 cloves of garlic, 1 twig (around 10-12) curry leaves and roast them till the masala is cooked. Grind this into a fine paste in grinder
  3.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a vessel and when the oil is hot add 1 Bay leaf , 1tsp mustard seeds,1 tsp cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start popping,  fry 1 large sized onion till brown. Add 1 twig of curry leaves and the ground paste. Add 3 finely chopped  tomatoes, 1 tsp red chilli powder, pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste.
  4. Add chicken and mix and cook for 5 mins.
  5. Add two cups of water, juice of 1 small lemon and cover and cook till the chicken is done (This can take upto 20-30 mins). Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with chapatis or rice.



This is again a favorite Konkani dish. The taste of Sichuan Pepper (Tepal) and Turmeric leaves gives this dish a flavor that lingers on.




Method
  1. Clean and cut around 20 mushrooms into 4 pieces.
  2. Take 1 cup freshly grated coconut, 10-12 red chillies, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 small lemon sized tamarind and grind them together into a very fine paste in the grinder.
  3. Mix this paste with mushrooms in a pan. Add salt to taste. Add 1 tsp coconut oil. Add 8-10 sichuan pepper (tepal in Konkani/Tirfal in Marathi).



4. Cover with 4-5 pieces of haldi leaves
5. Cover this pan and cook on small flame for 30 mins.
6. This is how the dish will look after its cooked.

Serve as a side dish with rice. Dont forget to remove the haldi leaves before serving!

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto



We like Italian cuisine. Being prolific rice eaters, we have  developed taste for Risottos. Tried Chicken Mushroom risotto yesterday for the first time and it turned out good.

This is how I cooked this dish.


Method

  1. Heat  1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Add 1 thinly sliced onion and saute till translucent. Add  2 garlic pods  finely chopped and saute. Add 1 cup of Rice and saute till the rice is well coated with oil. Do not wash the rice before adding it to the pan. I used 1 cup of Riso Arborio. 

  2. Boil 500 ml chicken stock on another stove as the onions are sauteed. I used Maggi stock cubes but I am sure home made stock will taste even better. Add chicken stock to the mixture to just cover the rice and stir the mixture until the stock is absorbed. Add more of the stock and keep continuing this till the rice is just cooked right. Dont overcook the rice. This can take upto 20 mins. By the time the rice is cooked your hand surely should start to hurt :)  If you fall short of stock you can add some water.

  3. Add salt and pepper to the rice according to taste.
  4. In the meantime also add 1 tbsp oil to a  pan. When the oil is hot, add 1/2 cup of boneless chicken cut into cubes and 1 tbsp chopped garlic and saute for 5 mins. Add 1/2 cup mushrooms and chopped basil and saute for 2 mins or until the mushrooms and the chicken are cooked.
  5. Now add this to the rice. Top it with butter and grated parmesan cheese and serve hot


Shark Curry (Mori Ambat)

This is one of the tastiest Konkani Curries and features on my list of favorite Konkani dishes. Comes a close second to crab curry !!
Mom is here and hence she brought along Shark pieces from Mumbai. Shark is a difficult fish to clean as its skin needs to be removed so remember to ask the fish monger to clean and cut it for you. Shark is also available in dried form but here we have used the fresh fish.

Here is my moms Shark Curry recipe 

Method

  1. Wash the fish and keep aside



2. Dry roast 1tsp coriander seeds, 7-8 red chillies, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 clove for 2-3 mins. Make it into a fine paste together in a grinder along with 1 cup freshly grated coconut, 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind and a pinch of turmeric.

3.Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan and Add 1 finely chopped onion. Fry it till it is translucent and then add the shark pieces.Add 1 cup of water and let the shark pieces cook. This may take around 10 mins on medium flame.

4.When the shark pieces are cooked add the paste. Add salt to taste. Adjust for water depending on how thick you want the gravy.
5. Cook for another 5 mins of medium flame or till the gravy boils.
6. Serve with rice.

Corn Palak pulao


This is a very easy dish to cook and the spinach and corn combination is very tasty. Really good for a light meal.






Method

  1. Wash 2 cups of basmati rice and keep aside to remove the starchy content.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker, add whole garam masalas like 3 cloves, 1 cardamom, 5-6 black peppercorns, 1 inch cinnamon stick and 2 medium sized onions finely chopped and saute till brown. Now add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and saute.
  3. Add 1 cup of finely chopped spinach and 1/2 cup of sweet corn kernels chopped into 2. 
  4. Add 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp garam masala powder, 1 tbsp cumin powder and stir for 1 minute.
  5. Add drained rice and saute for 2 mins till the masala coats the rice well.
  6. Add 5 cups of water. Mix well. Add salt to taste and cover the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles or till rice is just well cooked.
  7. Garnish with coriander and serve


Paneer Butter Masala


We had relatives visiting us on Friday and I had to cook after coming back from work and did not have much time. So tried this quick recipe which I had written down in my book but had never tried before. I wasn't very sure how it would taste. But at the cost of sounding immodest, I must tell you that this turned out better than dishes served in restaurants:) 




Method
  1. Take a non stick pan and fry 1 grated onion in 1 tbsp oil/butter and saute till brown. I add some salt while sauteing the onions as the salt gets absorbed and the dish tastes better.
  2. In the meantime, take a bowl. Add 2 tsp of coriander powder, 2 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp of kasoori methi powder, puree of  2 tomatoes and half a cup milk and whisk it and leave aside. I add spices always   based on my judgement and my preferred tastes..so you can change this according to your liking.
  3. Add 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste to the onion and saute. Now add the above mixture and let it cook on a slow flame for 3-4 mins.
  4. Add  250 gms paneer cubes and salt to taste and bring it to one boil. Garnish with coriander and serve with Chappatis. You can add cream if you want but I skipped it.


The video for this recipe can be found here at http://www.vahrehvah.com/Paneer+Butter+Masala:3536. I used fresh onions and fresh tomato puree instead of fried onions and ketchup that the chef is using here.

Chicken Jalfrezi



This is originally a Pakistani recipe. I like the tomato flavor in this dish which makes it different from other chicken dishes. In restaurants, they usually also add capsicum, but  I gave it a miss as I am not a big fan of capsicums :)




Method
  1. Marinate 500 gms of boneless chicken with turmeric, chilli powder and salt.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp  oil pan. Add 1 large sized grated onion and saute for a minute. Add 5 cloves of garlic, and saute till onion is brown in colour. 
  3. Add the chicken and saute well for at least 5 mins.
  4. Now pour 3 medium sized grated tomatoes and saute well. Now cover and cook for 20 mins.
  5. Remove the lid  and Add 1 tbsp cumin powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder and saute.
  6. Now cook for another 10 mins till all the excess liquid evaporates. 
  7. Sprinkle 1tbsp ginger juliennes and finely chopped coriander and serve

Murgh Kofta curry

Murgh Kofta is an elaborate recipe if you cook it the traditional way. But time is a big constraint these days and that makes me invent quicker recipes. 

Here is my 30 min chicken kofta recipe (I bought ready to cook koftas from the supermarket). I especially liked the texture of the gravy and the richness from the cashews that go into this recipe.



Method
  1. Deep fry the chicken koftas and keep aside.
  2. Take 1 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. Add 2 roughly cut onions and saute till translucent. Add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 inch piece of cinamon, 1 -2 cardamom seeds, 2-3 cloves and saute for a minute. 
  3. Add 2 roughly chopped tomatoes, around 10 cashew nuts, 2 tsp red chilli powder, pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 3 tbsp curd,  salt, water according to taste and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
  4. Now let out the steam of the pressure cooker and open the cooker. Blend the above mixture in a blender to get a smooth paste. '
  5. Add the koftas and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add 1 tsp garam masala powder and salt if needed.
  6. Serve with Chapatis/roti.
Here is a more detailed recipe from Show me the curry - you can also check this link to know how to make the koftas at home

Dahi Vada


Another tasty evening snacks recipe that I like.

Dahi Vada


Method

  1. Soak 1 cup  urad dal in water for 3 to 4 hours.
  2. Wash and drain the urad dal and grind it to a smooth paste in a blender.
  3. Add a pinch of cooking soda  and salt to the urad dal paste and mix well till the batter is light and fluffy. Add 2 tsp each of finely chopped ginger , green chillies, curry leaves and coconut. You can also add ginger, chillies to the urad dal while grinding it but I like the crunchiness and hence don’t grind them.
  4. Take oil in a kadhai for deep frying. Wet your hands with water and take around 1 tbsp of the batter and shape it into a circle and drop them into the hot oil. Cook the vadas on a slow flame till they are golden brown. This should take 7-8 mins for each batch.

  5. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside. The vadas can be served with chutney as an evening snack. We call it biscuit ambado in Konkani.
  6. Soak the vadas in warm water for 10-15 mins. Take 2 cups curd, whisk it. Add salt, pinch of sugar, cumin powder, rock salt, chilli powder, and amchur powder according to taste.
  7. Remove the vadas from water and squeeze out the water and add it to the curd.
  8. Garnish with finely chopped coriander and serve.     

Ragda Patties


This is one of my favourite roadside chats which I miss a lot here in Hyderabad. Hence I decided to try this recipe out. The potato and the white peas make it so filling that it is almost a complete meal in itself.



Method

For the Patties
  1. Boil and mash 3 potatoes. Add 1 cup of bread crumbs, 1tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1tsp each of turmeric, coriander powder, jeera powder, chaat masala and garam masala
  2. Add the salt according to taste.
  3. Make patties from the mixture and shallow fry on a pan on slow flame.
For the Ragda
  1. Overnight soak 1 cup of dried white peas. Add 3 cups water a pinch of haldi and cooking soda and pressure cook for 3 whistles or until the peas are soft.
  2. Add 1tbsp of oil in a pan. Add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, pinch of  hing (asafoetida)
  3. Add 2 medium sized onions chopped finely. Once brown add 1 tsp red chilli powder, haldi powder and 1 tsp garam masala and salt. Sauté and once the masalas have left their raw taste.
  4. Add 1 finely chopped tomato. Add 1 green chilli finely chopped.
  5. Add cooked peas and add 2cups of water and let it come to a boil. 
Serve with tamarind and green mint chutney. Add finely chopped onions and coriander leaves.



I stumbled upon this Middle Eastern recipe long time back and had it written in my dairy. Yesterday while going through my dairy I again saw this one and decided to cook it today. I love masoor dal and hence this recipe was a natural choice.

Today while cooking I again checked the internet for the recipe, read 2-3 versions and finally cooked my version which is a mix of all that I read :)

A very easy recipe to cook ...


Method

  1. Wash and Soak 1 cup masoor dal for an 30 mins in 2 cups of water. Take a vessel and cook the dal for 15-20 mins or till the dal is cooked. I added 1 Bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick and one slit green chilli to the water while boiling for added taste.Dont overcook. Drain the masoor dal and keep aside. I saved the water used for boiling Masoor.
  2. Now cook 1&1/2 cup of Basmati rice in the same water used for boiling Masoor.You can add additional water if needed.  This way the rice is flavored with the same spices and you don't lose out on the nutrition. Add 1 bay leaf if needed. Cook the rice till its just done, drain and set aside.

  3. Add 3 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter in a vessel. When hot, add 2 thinly sliced big onions and saute them till they are caramalised. For this you can use medium flame till the onions are translucent and then cook on high flame till the onions are brown and crispy. Add salt and pepper powder to the onions.
  4. Now mix the rice, masoor dal and top it with caramalised onion and serve.  I added 1 tsp each of ginger powder and cinammon powder on top for additional flavour. Adjust for the salt.
  5. Serve with raita


A simple and yummy recipe which my grandmother taught me. My granny who is 78 loves to cook anything new (and of course within the cuisine that suits her) that she reads or sees on TV.  Whenever we call her, she always has some or the other new recipe to tell us about. She likes to share new recipes which she tried out and liked. I hope I am able to be half as enthu as her when I am old :) So this is one such tried and tested recipe that she had read in a newspaper.


Method
1. Clean and de-vein the prawns. Keep the tail on - it gives a crunchier taste to the dish.
2. Marinate the prawns with red chilli powder, salt, turmeric, ginger garlic paste for at least half an hour
3. Add one egg white to the marinated prawns.
4. Heat refined oil for deep frying. Roll the prawns in cornflour and deep fry on medium flame till crispy brown. Drain on absorbent paper.



P.S. I was so hungry that I forgot to take pics after frying these. We started our lunch and then when a few were remaining, it struck me that I should take a pic..thats why this pic with a so few prawns...will replace the pic next time I cook this again!!

Mint Chicken

This is a recipe shared by a cousin of mine. I like the fresh taste of mint and lemon in this dish.This dish does not require a lot of oil as the chicken is cooked in steam and hence is healthier than other deep fried starters.




Method
1. Marinate 500 gms of chicken with 1 lemon juice, salt, pinch of turmeric, 2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp Cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder for at least an hour. The more you marinate the better. I also add 2 tbsp of curd to the marination.
2. Take 2 tsp oil in a non stick pan. Add 2 chopped green chillies, 10 cloves of garlic chopped finely and 1 inch of ginger chopped finely and saute.


3. Add 2 medium size onions cut into cubes and saute for a minute
4. Add the marinated chicken and saute. Sprinkle some water. Cover it and let it cook in the steam on a low flame till almost done. 
5. Grind 1/2 cup mint with 1/2 cup of coriander leaves to a coarse paste


6. Add it to the chicken once chicken is 80-90% cooked. Add 2 tsp garam masala powder and saute for 5 mins. Sprinkle some crushed  Kasoori Methi
7. Adjust the salt, squeeze 1 lemon juice and serve hot as a starter or a side dish with the main course.

Punjabi cuisine is incomplete without the mention of sarson ka saag and makke di roti. This dish is prepared in every Punjabi kitchen during the winters when these mustard leaves are widely available. Again a recipe from Rajneet's kitchen. 


Method
1. Clean 2 bunches of saag , 1 bunch of spinach and ½ bunch of bathu (if easily available). The general proportion of saag:spinach:bathu is 4:2:1. Scrape and use even stalks of saag as they enhance the taste.
2. Wash the saag leaves thoroughly and boil it for 15-20 mins on a low flame. Now add washed spinach and bathu leaves and boil it for more 20 mins. Then blend it in a grinder.

L--R Saag, Bathu, Spinach 


3. Take a pan, add ghee and the above mixture. Add salt, red chilly powder ( or you can use finely chopped green chillies) and cook it for around 30 mins. Keep stirring to prevent burning.
4. We generally prepare this in the evenings till this stage and leave it overnight. The next day before eating add the tadka. This gives an uncomparable authentic tatse. Also saag is prepared in bulk traditionally, so it is stored in fridge after this stage and tadka is added to the quantity to be consumed.

5. For the tadka, take ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. After they crackle add grated ginger garlic (2-3 inches piece of ginger and around 7-8 cloves of garlic) and sauté till they turn light brown. Then add the cooked saag. Heat it for more 10-15 mins while stirring in between. Adjust the water and salt.
6. Add little butter and serve it hot with makke de roti and onions.


For Makke Di Roti



Method
1. Take 1 cup makki (maize) flour in a large plate and add little salt and pinch of ajwain. You can also add ¼ grated raddish (after squeezing water), finely chopped green chillies and cilantro if you wish as the original taste is quite bland. 
2. Add little warm water and mix it thoroughly. Knead it to a soft smooth dough applying little more pressure than required for the normal dough. Divide it into equal parts. 

3. This roti is not made with a belan but by flattening with your hands.
Now the traditional method goes this way. Take 1 part and roll it into a ball with your wet palms. Flatten it by applying little pressure in between the palms and then roll it to roti by just transferring the flattened ball from one hand to the other. Smoothen the edges with fingers and put it on hot tava. (This flour tends to dry quickly, so you can use few drops of water if required in this process). 
4. The other modified techniques are to place the ball on the tava and flatten it directly over it with your palm taking care that you don’t burn your hand. 
The most easiest way is to place the ball on a thick plastic sheet, sprinkle few drops of water. Then place another thick plastic sheet over it and apply pressure with your palm or a flat based plate. Transfer it to hot tava.

5. It will take slightly longer to cook this as it is thicker than the normal roti. Flip it over when one side is cooked and spread ghee over it immediately. Cook the other side too and again apply ghee. 
6. Repeat this with all the remaining parts of the dough. 1 cup flour will make around 5-6 rotis. This roti is crispier and even the ghee required is little more than the normal rotis. (They should be consumed immediately after they are cooked as after storage it becomes difficult to eat them).
7. Serve it hot with sarson ka saag. The traditional bland taste of this roti goes well with the delicious saag.

Kaane Masala Fry



I had tasted this dish in a restaurant in Kundapur and fell in love with it immediately so much that I asked the waiter for the recipe :) Of course, I did not remember the recipe word to word and cooked my own version.
We dont get as big Kaane fish ( also called Nogli ) here so managed with smaller ones. This fish is probably called Lady fish in English (not sure though - Google came up with some results which said that)




Method
1. Clean the fish, cut off the head and the tail. Make slits in the fish for masala to sink in. Marinate the entire fish with salt, turmeric and chilli powder
2. Grind together 1/2 onion sliced, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 3 red chilli, 5-6 garlic flakes, 1 marble sized tamarind, a pinch of asafoetida, 1 tsp turmeric and 1 inch ginger.


3. Add this masala to the fish and keep it aside for 1 hour.
4. Take a pan and add 2 tbsp coconut oil. Add 1 small onion finely clopped and saute till translucent. Add 1 twig of curry leaves. Now add the fish along with the paste and let it cook on low flame. Dont stir too much. Let the fish cook in the masala. It takes around half an hour for the raw taste of the masala to go away.

I lived in Kolkata for a some time as a paying guest with Padma Aunty. Padma Aunty used to cook amazing Kerala curries. This is one of my favorite curries. I have tried to replicate from what I remember - Probably some not so Kerala elements have creeped into my recipe. So I cant boast as this being authentic Kerala prawns curry but it comes quite close.

Prawns in Coconut milk

I could not get a good view of the prawns in this pic - I need to work on my photography skills :)

Here is my version of Kerala prawn curry in coconut milk

Method
1. Take 2 cups of freshly grated coconut, add 1 cup of warm water and a pinch of salt and grind in a grinder. Strain it using a muslin cloth to extract the thick milk. Again add some water to the coconut and blend in a grinder and strain it to get thin coconut milk. Keep this aside
2. Add 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pab. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and saute till they crackle. Add 1 split green chilli and saute for a minute. Add a pinch of asafoetida. Add 1 medium sized onion finely chopped and saute till translucent. 

3. Add 1 inch piece of ginger juliennes and 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 min
4. Now add 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp black pepper powder, 1 tbsp cumin powder and saute. 
5. Add 2 cups of cleaned and de-veined prawns and saute  for 4-5 mins till its well coated with all spices

6. Add 2 finely chopped tomatoes, mix well. Cover the lid and let this cook on a slow flame for 3-4 mins. The tomato will leave some water and the prawns will cook in the same.
7. Now add 2 cups of coconut milk. Add salt according to taste. Cover and cook for 5 mins. 
8. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice.




Khubbe(Clams - one type of shell fish) is generally used in curries, but I like it most in this cutlet form. Its a task to clean up clams - you need to break open the shell and then scoop the clam out.




Here is the recipe of Khubbe vade.
Method
1. Take 1 tbsp oil in a small pan and add 1 tsp coriander seeds and 8 red chillies and roast it 
2. Soak 4 tbsp of raw rice and 4 tbsp toor dal for 15 mins in water


3. Grind together coriander seeds, red chillies, 1 cup coconut, 1 marble sized piece of tamarind to a coarse paste without much water. Drain the water from rice and toor dal and add it to the grinder and coarsely grind it with the coconut paste.
4. Add 1 cup onion finely chopped  and 1 cup of cleaned clams. Mix them together to a cutlet like consistency. You can add some chopped cashew nuts for added taste


5. Make them into small cutlets, roll in semolina (rava) and shallow fry them on a tawa with 1 tbsp oil. Once one side turns golden brown, turn over the cutlets and fry the other side.


Serve as a side dish.

Paneer Paratha





Stuffed parathas form an important part of the traditional north indian breakfast. Here I share the authentic recipe of paneer parathas again cooked by Rajneet ;)




Method
1. Knead a soft dough with 2 cups of whole wheat flour and cover it with a wet muslin cloth and set aside for 10 mins.
2. Till then prepare the filling with grated paneer (200 gms).  If paneer is hard thaw it before using and squeeze the excess water. I just crumble the paneer with hands in stead of grating as it is very soft.
3. Finely chop 2 large onions, 2 green chillies, 2 tsp corainder leaves and grate 1 inch piece of ginger and add it to the paneer.
4. Now add 1 tsp red chilly powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp dry mango powder and a pinch of ajwain (optional) and salt. Mix properly and divide this filling into 5 equal parts.

                                     

5. Here for one paratha use almost twice the dough used for making chapatti. Flatten the ball, add little flour and roll it to half the size of chapatti with edges thinner than the centre and apply 2-3 drops of oil esp at the edges.
6. Put one part of the filling in the centre and gather the edges to cover the filling making a larger ball this time.
7. With little flour roll out the paratha uniformly and put it on the hot tava and cook it on medium flame.
8. When one side is completely cooked flip the paratha to cook the other side and apply oil / ghee on both the sides before removing it from the tava.
9. Repeat this procedure to make the remaining parathas and serve it with curd and pickle.

Mutton Curry (Konkani Style)


Ever since I have come to Hyderabad, I have tasted some awesome mutton preparations like Mutton Biryani, Haleem, Patthar ka Gosht and many more. I have now developed a taste for Mutton so much that I have started preferring it to Chicken. 
Today I cooked Mom's Konkani Mutton Gravy. Tasted awesome.



Method

1. Prepare a paste of 2 green chillies, 7-8 garlic flakes, 1 inch ginger, handful of mint and handful of coriander leaves. Marinate the 500 gms of mutton with this paste. Add 1 cup of curd, 1 tsp turneric and 1 tbsp chilli powder and salt. Leave to marinate for 1 hour.

2. Dry roast 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 4-5 dried red chillies, 1 inch cinamon stick, 5-6 cloves, 5-6 pepper corns, 2 cardamom with 3 tbsp of freshly grated coconut. When slightly brown remove from flame and let it cool. Then grind in a blender to get a fine paste.

3. Take a pressure cooker and add 2 tbsp oil. Add 1 big onion finely chopped and saute it till translucent. Add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and saute till cooked. Now add the marinated mutton and cover the cooker. Cook for 4-5 whistles - mutton takes longer to cook.

4. After the whistles remove the pressure cooker lid and add the finely ground paste and bring to boil. Adjust the salt. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

This mutton goes well with rice rotis or rice. In Konkani cuisine, we use a lot of coconut. In the original recipe, we add around a cup of coconut since coconut adds to the volume and makes the gravy thick. However I prefer adding more curd and less coconut to get a slightly thinner gravy.

Boost your productivity by reading more in less time.