H for Halwa Paratha from Numaish of Aligarh

Halwa Paratha , Numaish Aligarh

When I say Iwould talk about Halwa Paratha as a special regional dish, all of you must be thinking what;s so special in this . All of us make Halwa, and that too Rawa Halwa as a common dessert in India. In fact the Halwa in India can be made of anything. Common among them are the Rawa (Sooji) halwa, Almond Halwa, Gajar Halwa, Lauki Halwa, Papaya Halwa, Wheat Atta Halwa, Singhare ka atta ka halwa, khajoor ka halwa, Moong Dal Halwa, Besan Halwa and many more. Halwa is basically frying the Floor or grated fruit in pure gheen and then adding water and sugar to a nice edible consistency and garnishing with nuts. The magic here is in the way you have fried and the aroma that has come out of it. So cuisine of all these halwas are available on the Youtube and can be made easily.

But Halwa Paratha that I am talking about is the special street food that can be seen all over the city of Aligarh in UP during the annual festival of Numaish during the peak winter.. Its presentation is what makes it so special.

Halwa - Paratha:

This dish is believed to have originated from the adjoining district of Meerut. However,  some old residents of Aligarh also say that this actually arrived from Karanchi during partition. And usually used to be made on annual get together's when these families used to meet here in Aligarh. Whatever is the truth, let's enjoy the recipe. 

Paratha:

Paratha :  Is actually a huge Puri made of Maida (all pupose flour) (250 gm for one puri). Maida is kneaded with enough of moin (three four tbsp of refined oil / ghee). It should be loosely kneaded so that it can be easily spread into Puri of almost 2ft diameter. To spread it into paratha, make a single ball of approx 250 gm and put it on a greased flat base and press it slowly starting from center till it is evenly spread and becomes a large paratha as in the picture. Then it is deep fried in flat base kadhai.

Halwa :

Halwa is normal Rawa Halwa made richly in Desi ghee and garnished with Coconut sices, chironji and nuts.

Ingredients :

Rawa : 250gm

Pure Desi Ghee : 150 gm

Sugar : 100 gm

Coconut slice, dry fruit, chironjee and Cherry to garnish

Preparation :

Take about 100 gm ghee and medium heat it. Add rawa  and fry stirring regularly till you get a light pink colour.

Add water (three cups) and keep stirring till it starts setting. Add sugar to it. Keep stirring. When all sugar melts 

and mixes add 50 gm ghee and remove from flame. Spread on a flat bottom plate and garnish with dry fruit, 

Coconut and Cherry.

Serving : In the fair this is normally served hot and by weight . A portion of puri is given along with it. 

Do enjoy it if you are in Aligarh around January 1st week.

Other Recipe as part of A to Z challenge 

A - Appam, B- Bhutte Ka Kees, C - Chhena Poda , D - Dhuska, E - Eromba F- Fish Curry (Goan) , G - Gulaoti Kebab

Other Genres in the Challenge : 

English Poetry

Hindi Poetry

Short Story

Regional Food

Aditya Sinha

09.04.2020

G for Galouti Kebab - From the Lands of Nawab

G for Galouti Kebab - From the Lands of Nawab (Lucknow - UP)

One of the common dish from G that we devour upon are the  Gol Guppas or Paani Puri. This street food you would find in each market of the country and the outlet would be surrounded by foodies in madness. The water filling would vary from Sour to sweet and can even have varieties like pudina, tamrind, khatai, teekha etc etc. 

Gajar ka Halwa ( Carrot Halwa) is another dish, and a common dessert in Indian food. Yet another dessert or rather regional Sweet is the Ghevar enjoyed in the western UP. This special delicacy is rich in Ghee and is especially made during the Rainy season.

But different from all this is the special non-veg Kebab that you would find across India with the name of the city from where it originated, tagged to it. Right the Galouti Kebab from Lucknow . Tender Galauti Kebab that dissolves in the mount is a integral part of Awadhi cuisine. Kebab other wise is made in many ways and is the most common cold / packed food accross the world esp the Seek kebab varieties. Another variety are the shami kebabs. With some modification in Bundelkhand region a different preparation is done which is also very tender so I call it Nargisi Mutton Kebab. So as you move from one region to the other, there is some twist in the way it is prepared and and  this makes it different. Gulawati kebab is however totally different and is enjoyed with a special type of Paratha. Tunday's Kebab Parath in Lucknow is especially famous for this.

This galouti kebab recipe has finely ground mutton keema seasoned with a bouquet of herbs and spices and fried in ghee that gives it a special mild smoky aroma and rich taste.

Old saying waves the story that galouti kebab was invented for an old toothless Nawab of Lucknow who was not ready just as yet to give up the pleasures of kebabs. Thus, the name ‘galouti’ or ‘galawati’ which literally means ‘melt’ or melt in the mouth. 

Ingredients

Keema - 250 grams (minced mutton), ground 3 times to a fine consistency
Raw papaya with skin, ground to a paste -1 1⁄2 tbsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1⁄2 tsp
Coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya) -1 tsp
Green cardamom - 3- 4
Red chillies - 2
Cloves (laung) -3/4
Black cardamom pod (badi elaichi), broken, seeds to be used -2
Cinnamon powder (dalchini) -1/2 tsp

Mace powder (javitri) -1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder (jaiphal) 1⁄2 tsp
Roasted cashew nuts - 3 Tbsp
Chironji - 3 Tbsp
Onions - 2 medium finely sliced and fried till crispy
Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Roasted gram flour 3 tbsp
Thick cream 1 tbsp
Kewra water 1 tbsp

Salt as per taste
Ghee, for frying

Garnish -Green chillies 3, fresh, slit in half,
Onions, -2 medium, sliced in thin rounds, 

Recipe :

1. Put keema (minced meat) into a bowl. Add salt and raw papaya paste; mix thoroughly to combine and set aside to marinate for 2 hours.

 

2. Prepare dry masala powder: Put cumin seeds into a grinder add coriander seeds, green cardamom , dry red chillies, cloves, black cardamom seeds, cinnamon powder, mace powder, nutmeg powder and grind well.

3. Prepare wet masala paste: Take roasted cashew nuts in a wet grinder add roasted chironji, fried onion, garam masala, black pepper powder, roasted gram flour (roasted besan), dry masala powder, thick cream, and kewra water. Grindand make a smooth paste. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons water if required

4. Turn marinated keema in a bowl; add wet masala paste and mix thoroughly. shift to a casserole or wide bottom bowl with lid and make a hole in the center. lay an onion layer (cup shaped) in the center gap and place a hot burning piece of charcoal onto the onion. Pour 2 teaspoons ghee onto the charcoal; it will start smoking. Immediately cover the dish tightly with the lid and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the smoke to infuse the keema mixture.

 

5. Make kebabs: Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix well. Lightly oil your palms . Take small portion of the mixture, golf ball size, roll into a ball between your palms, then flatten slightly to form a smooth fat disk. Set it down and repeat the same for the remaining mixture. Should make 18 to 20 kebabs.

6. Place a heavy pan on high heat; add ghee. Once hot but not smoking, carefully place the kebabs in the ghee without crowding the pan. Fry the kebabs till golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side, adjusting heat as needed. Remove from pan and place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

Garnish with slit green chillies and onion slices; serve hot with green chutney and Paratha ( especially made for this of all purpose floor). In Lucknow it is made on reverse of the tawa.

08.04.2020Aditya Sinha

F for Fish Curry (Goan Style)

F for Fish Curry (Goan Style)

So now we move on to F. And the first food that comes to our mind is what we have been taught since the childhood. Right F is for Fish. But before we start talking about with Fish,  there are some other regional dishes which needs a mention here. 

Farra is one of them. This regional dumpling where dal is stuffed in rice and then steamed / boiled and is served with chutney or. In MP / UP this is commonly served with chutney. The same is called Piththa in Bihar and is normally enjoyed with Ghughni (curry of black gram). Some part also fry and enjoy this. 

Firni is another, a sweet dish, made of crushed rice in milk. Its a variety of Kheer with a regional twist and is devoured in almost all household. 

Fish Curry in India differs in taste with every state.  Where in Bihar it is made in mustard oil and mustard paste, in UP the curry is developed in Tomato and onion paste. West Bengal has its own varieties and Rui Bhapa is one of them. The south makes its own changes with spices and sea fish. So it changes with every step perhaps. Goan Fish Curry is also one of the same. 

Goa is known for its beaches and exotic seafood. An authentic Goan Fish Curry recipe, is differentiated by its tangy and spicy taste. The curry has an exquisite aroma and can be used with any fleshy fish. It is generally served with  plain steamed rice. 

Ingredients

Fish (Surmai) -1kg

Tamarind Paste – 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds -4 tsp

Cumin seeds - ½ tsp

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

Onion – 1-2 chopped, Garlic cloves – 10, Green Chili -1

Salt as per taste, Oil for sautéing -2tbsp,

Red chili – 4 to 5

Grated coconut -2 tbsp

Recipe 

Clean & cut the fish into blocks / pieces. Marinate the pieces using salt and turmeric powder. Keep it aside for a while.

Meanwhile, prepare the masala for the curry. In a mixer, add all the spices, grated coconut, chopped onion and green chillies with little water and make a fine paste.

Take a pan, heat the oil in it over medium flame and Dry red Chilli saute and add the masala paste  and stir to cook for a few minutes till oil leaves from side.

Add the marinated fish to the pan and let the fish soak in all the masala. Don’t stir much otherwise the fish will crush. Let it simmer in slow flame for few minutes. After it soaks the masala well add 3 cups of water and salt as per taste and let it cook on slow medium flame till oil separates and fish is well cooked.

Transfer it to a serving platter, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy.

Other Recipe as part of A to Z challenge 

A - Appam, B- Bhutte Ka Kees, C - Chhena Poda , D - Dhuska, E - Eromba

Other Genres in the Challenge : 

English Poetry

Hindi Poetry

Short Story

Regional Food

Aditya Sinha

07.04.2020