Lamb Thattukada Fry

Traveling by a public transport bus in Trivandrum at around 6 in the evening is a very pleasant experience – IF the bus is not crowded and you have a window seat. It offers you an arial view of the places you are passing through and there is a gentle breeze ruffling your hair. But the best thing about it is the fact that almost every main junction is witness to big crowds huddling around their favorite Thattukada (roadside food stall) snacking on vada or bhajji or an early dinner of parotta or dosa with a chicken 65 or a beef fry.

Reminiscing about that caused so much turmoil in me that I decided that I just had to have a taste of something remotely close to the dishes in a Thattukada. And that dear friend, was the reason why this lamb fry was born (hence the name :)).

What Goes In:  

• Lamb (cut into small cubes) – 1/2 kg
• Chili powder – 1 tbsp
  Coriander powder – 1 1/2 tbsp
  Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
  Pepper powder – 1 tbsp
  Cumin powder – 1 tsp
  Ginger-garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
  Garam Masala – 1/2 – 1 tsp
  Tomato Puree – 2 tbsp
  Salt – to taste
• Water – 4 tbsp
• Onions (finely sliced) – 2 (large)
  Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  Desiccated Coconut – 1/4 cup
  Dried Red Chillies – 2
  Coconut oil – for frying
  Salt – to taste
  Curry leaves – tons :)
  
  

The 'How To':

• 
  
  Clean the lamb and rub in the ingredients given in the second bullet point into the lamb cubes. Keep aside for 15 mins.
• Pressure cook (this vessel is godly!) the marinated lamb with the water on high flame. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to low and cook for 40-45 mins. Take off the stove and keep aside till the cooker loses its pressure.
• If there is any water left in the lamb, after pressure cooking, cook till the water is dried.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, chillies, curry leaves and onions and fry till the onions turn golden brown. Add the cooked lamb and desiccated coconut and salt (if required) and mix well. Stir over a low flame, till it is roasted well.
• 
  Take off the heat and serve hot with neychoru, chappatis or rice and a curry.

Tuna Cutlets

 A cutlet is a flat croquette of minced food often associated with chicken or vegetables. Making it from scratch involves a laborious process with different specific and necessary stages – which is probably why cutlet making was always a joint activity at home when I was small with my Grandmom and Ma toiling over boiled meat and potatoes and painstakingly providing them a structure that ensured that they did not break off halfway through frying. This duty passed on to my sis when she grew up – while yours truly stayed as far away from the kitchen as possible; until, of course, the beautiful smell of readied cutlets wafted through to my room. Chacha (my father) and I generously dipped into all the reserves of cutlets with no thought to the labour involved as freshly fried homemade cutlets have a taste and smell that beats the ones bought in a store, any day.

Once, at an aunt's place, I chanced upon home made fish cutlets which was quite a blessing as Aravind and I lived in Hyderabad at the time and our collective knowledge about buying and cooking fish hovered around nil. She used tinned tuna to make them – and I filed away the knowledge for future use. Last week, as I shopped at the Morrisons store in Hounslow, I chanced upon some tinned tuna and mashed potatoes and decided to give a simplified version of cutlets a go. They turned out really well and Aravind was licking his fingers long after :)

What Goes In:

Tinned Tuna Chunks– 2/3 cup

Mashed Potatoes – 2 cups

Green chillies (finely chopped) – 3

Garlic Cloves (chopped) – 10

Onion (chopped) – 2 large

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp plus for deep frying

Curry leaves (chopped) – 2 sprigs

For coating:

Egg (beaten after seasoning with salt and pepper) – 1

Wholemeal Bread crumbs – 2 cups

The 'How To':

1. In a pan, heat the oil and fry onions, green chillies, curry leaves and garlic till the onions start to brown.
2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 min. Bring the heat to medium and add the masala powders. Saute till the raw smell disappears.
3. Drain the tinned tuna, shred them coarsely with your hands and add to the above mixture. If you are using fresh boneless fish, you will need to boil it first with a little salt, cool and then add to the mixture. Fry to ensure that all the water has evaporated.
4. At this stage, add the mashed potatoes and salt (taste to see if it is required) and mix well to ensure that there are no lumps. Once potatoes are well incorporated, remove from heat and keep aside to cool.
5. For coating the cutlets, keep the eggs readied in a wide mouthed bowl and spread the bread crumbs onto a plate.
6. Gather a small portion of the fish and potato mixture into a ball the size of a lemon, keep on the palm of your hand and press by putting pressure with your other palm. Dip this in the egg and immediately coat with the bread crumbs. Repeat with all the other portions. The size of the cutlet would depend on the size of the portion chosen. You may also shape the cutlets in any other way as you desire.
7. At this stage, the cutlets can be stored in a zip bag or container in the freezer, in case you are making them in advance for an occasion or for later use.
8. When required, deep fry the cutlets, drain onto absorbent paper and serve hot.

I made 14 large cutlets with the quantities mentioned above. Since my success rate with frying frozen cutlets (without breaking them) is very low, I fried the cutlets in advance and stored them in the fridge – heating them in the microwave, when required.

The cutlets can be served with ketchup or a dip as a snack or had with rotis or rice.

Kadai Biriyani – Chicken

George Bernard Shaw once wrote, "There is no love sincerer than the love of food." I abide by that. However, love of food need not always translate as the love of cooking. Cooking requires a great deal of patience which sadly has never been attributed to me. Therefore, I refrain from creations that are too fancy or time consuming. Which is why the end of a month and a near empty piggy bank always puts me in a dilemma, especially when I am craving for a tasty bite.

To top it all, think of the tug-of-war that my heart and my mind were engaged in when the craving was for Ma's biriyani. So I made a mock biriyani – in a kadai – to satisfy myself till I meet her next. If you are used to making yummy biriyanis, you'll probably rubbish this recipe. But for the novice in me, this dish was a pretty good consolation :)

The ingredient list looks daunting but trust me – you probably have all of these in your kitchen cupboard.

 

What Goes In:

For the Rice:
Basmati Rice – 11/2 cups
Water – 3 cups

Bay Leaf - 1

Green Cardamom – 2

Cloves – 4

Cinnamon log – 1” piece
Salt – to taste

For the Chicken:

Chicken (cut into medium sized pieces) – 1/2 kg

Onion (sliced) – 1 1/2

Green chillies (chopped) – 1 tsp

Garlic Cloves (chopped) – 2

Black Cardamom – 1

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon log – 1” piece

Black Pepper (coarsely crushed) – 1 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Black Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Tomato (chopped) – 1

Coriander leaves (chopped) – 2 tbsp

Mint leaves (chopped) – 1 tbsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Ghee – 1 tsp

For Assembling:

Onions (sliced and fried in ghee till brown) – 1/2

Cashewnuts and raisins (fried in ghee) – optional

Ghee– 1 tsp
Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp

Boiled egg (sliced) - for garnish

 

The 'How To':

1. To the boiling water, add the basmati rice and other ingredients and cook on medium heat. The rice should be completely cooked through (yes, I know what I am doing!). Fluff the rice gently with a fork (do not use a spoon as it could break the grains). Keep aside to cool.
2. In a deep pan, heat the oil and ghee and add the whole garam masala, green chillies, garlic and onion. When the onions start to brown, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell disappears.
3. Add the masala powders and crushed black pepper and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry the mixture till all the water evaporates.
4. Add the chicken and salt and fry on high heat till the chicken pieces are lightly browned. Add the mint leaves and half of the coriander leaves to the chicken, reduce the heat to medium and cook covered till the chicken is well done. Remove from heat.
5. Keep aside 1/2 of the chicken. Layer 1/2 of the rice, 1/2 of the fried onions, cashewnuts and raisins (if using), 1/2 tsp of ghee and chopped coriander leaves on the chicken in the kadai. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken, rice and other ingredients.
6. Return to the stove on low heat for 5 mins till the heat seeps through to the all the rice. Serve immediately.

The biriyani can be served with a raita and pickle, garnished with a boiled egg.