J for Jadoh from Meghalaya

J for Jadoh from Meghalaya

So next is J . And here we would talk of a very special Biryani - Jadoh prepared by Khasi tribes. 

But before we talk about Jadoh, Jhal - muri is another local evening street food enjoyed in West Bengal , Bihar and jharkhand. Its nothing but the puffed rice with spices, vegetables, and chanachur or bhujia something like bhelpuri of mumbai.

Now Jadoh - Traditional Jadoh is a characteristic food of the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya.  Here ‘Ja’ means rice and ‘Doh’ means meat. In Khasi food some or the other form of meat is a must. Vegetables here are generally  consumed only as salads or for add on. The locals enjoy its original preparation called  ‘Jadoh snam’ which is cooked in blood. Jadoh for a Khasi is like biryani for a North Indian, i.e.  rice cooked with meat with their own special spices without use of much oil. In Jadoh snam the type of blood is chosen carefully as it can both enhance or destroy the taste. 

Here we would talk about simple Pork Jadoh (Pork can be replaced with chicken or mutton)

Ingredients

Rice – 2 cups (Short grain preferably)

Port – 300 gm with fat cut in small cubes. ( Alternatively chicken can be used, For Veg it can be replaced totally with vegetables)

Onion – 1 Chopped

Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

Black Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Bay leaves – 2

Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Cilantro  for garnishing

Preparation :

Wash Rice and keep it aside for 15-20 mins

Heat oil in a flat bottomed pan. Add onion and sauté till it becomes pink. Add ginger paste, turmeric powder, black pepper and sauté .

Burn the tip of the bay leaf and drop in the pan. Add Pork pieces and fry till turns light brown. (Cook on low medium flame).

Add rice (water strained out) and fry for 5 mins. Add salt and 4 cups of water and let it simmer and cook till all become tender.

Garnish with herbs (Cilantro / mint / Coriander ) and serve with fermented soya paste and pork cooked in sesame (Tungrymbai & Dohneiiong respectively).

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, H - Halwa Paratha, I- Idiyappam

Other Genres in the Challenge : 

English Poetry

Hindi Poetry

Short Story

Regional Food

Aditya Sinha
11.04.2020

I for Idiyappam

I for Idiyappam

Continuing with the list of regional dishes, now I move to the letter I.

And when we think of food from I , the first thing that comes to our mind is the most common working lunch / snacks prevalent across India - Idli Sambhar. Nice taste, light  & healthy food, no use of oil served with Sambhar and south indian coconut chutney . You can go for  it any time. 

The second common in this is the North Indian famous sweet - Imarti.  And you  would start craving for it the moment you think of it. So in the Corona affected lockdown period , you can try making it at home or its simper version Jalebi.

But here we would talk about Idiyappam,  another rice based dish from South India. Idiyappam is enjoyed across Kerala, Sri Lanka & even in Tamil Nadu. 

Idiyappam  or String Hoppers is an easy to make delicious, steamed rice noodle.  It is made instantly from rice flour,and is enjoyed with Veg Kurma / Sambhar / and sweetened coconut milk in breakfast or at dinner.

Ingredients 

Rice floor - 2 cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Water - 2 cup
Salt as per taste 

Preparation

Add 2 tbsp oil to the water and boil. Once it boils, put of the flame . We will use this boiled 

water to knead the rice floor.

In a separate bowl, take rice flour add salt and mix well. Slowly add the hot water little by

little and mix. When all floor is mixed with water adding water slowly and no more water is

required, knead it properly to make a non sticky dough.

Tale an Idiyappam press, grease it from inside , put a portion of the dough in the press. 

Grease the steamer plate and press the idiyappam dough onto the steamer plate slowly.

Steam the idiyappam for about 5 mins or until cooked. Let it cool a bit, take from the 

steamer plate and transfer to a serving plate. ( Alternatively you can press the idiyappam

on idli stand and steam. )

                       

Serve hot and enjoy with spicy veg kurma (seasonal vegetable or simply veg used in mix

veg made in coconut paste & cashew paste) or  sweetened coconut milk or sambhar.

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, H - Halwa Paratha

Other Genres in the Challenge : 

English Poetry

Hindi Poetry

Short Story

Regional Food

Aditya Sinha

10.042020

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

E for Eromba from Manipur.

E for Eromba from Manipur.

When we think of dishes with E, the first that comes to our mind is Egg. So Egg Roll is the first one which all of us must have devoured upon while strolling on streets. The variants can be innumerable depending upon the stuffing used in it. Mix Veg Roll, Keema Roll, Double egg roll, Chicken Egg Roll,  Kabab Egg Roll....and so on.

Other common dishes of egg are the Egg Curry, Omlette, Poach, Half Boiled, Egg Bhurji etc we use in our daily routine. Egg sandwiches are also common.

Another dish from E is Ennai Kathirikai Kulambu from Tamil Nadu. Ennai here means oil and kathirikai is Brinjal. So it is fried small sized brinjal in full sauted and then dipped in sour curry with regional flavour and served with steamed rice.

But as part of the challenge I would talk about Eromba, one of the most popular dish Manipuris' prepare for their lunch or dinner. As per Wikepedia, Eromba is an ethnic cuisine of the Meitei community of Manipur. The dish is equally enjoyed in other parts of Northeast too. It's usually made with boiled vegetables mashed with ngari (fermented fish) and chillies. It is basically used as a side dish, a type of chutney ar can also be used as curry. It has its own local variants as per the additional compositions. The garnishing too varies from  as simple as coriander and onion to complex chopped local herbs.

Ingredients

Fermented dry fish ( Ngari/Shidol ) : 5-6 pcs.

Boiled Tomatoes-2, 

Boiled Potatoes-2 ( or any other locally available or seasonal vegetables like colocasia, ladies finger,bamboo shoot etc.) 

Green chilies : 3-4 / Red chilies : 3-4

Chopped Onion  : 1 large

Garlic : 2-3 pods (optional)

Copped Coriander leaves for garnishing 

Recipe

Clean the dry fish removing all scales etc, rinse in water, drench and keep aside.

In a bowl take tomatoes, potatoes & garlic pods and green chilies and steam or pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles with minimum water. Strain and separate from water. Keep the water as well.

In another bowl take the boiled green chilies and drenched dry fish and mash well. In a separate bowl, mash tomatoes along with garlic. Add coarsely mashed boiled potatoes. Then add the fish and chilly mash to it and mix them together nicely. Add chopped onions, salt as per taste and mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix.

If required add the strained warm water or fresh warm water to it to make slightly loose consistency. The Eromba is ready.

Garnish with chopped onion and coriander leaves dry saute chilly and serve with fresh steamed rice accompanied with fried fish, fried dry shrimps or just anything.

Other Cuisines on the list of A to Z so far are

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

Aditya Sinha
05.04.2020

D for Dhuska from Jharkhand

D for Dhuska from Jharkhand

As discussed with A, B & C, D too has lots of regional dishes attached to it. 

The first that comes to the mind is the Gujarat special Dhokla. Dhokla is a light sweet salt snack made of steamed gram floor (Besan). Very popular and enjoyed in most art of the country. 

Another famous complete meal is the Dal Bati Churma of Rajasthan. Its a must to try when you are in Rajasthan . Roasted Wheat flour balls (Bati) dipped in Pure Ghee along with Special rajasthani Dal and aate ka churma as the sweeet dish is just unforgettable.

Dham from HP is another meal you must try. Its a special luncheon served in a special way on community fooding or festivals in the hill state. It comprises of Rice served with different types of Dals and sabjis served one by one and ends with a sweet dish. The variety of sweet dish and even the sequence of lentils and shaks changes with the different districts and regions there.Even the preparation and serving is done piously by special people who prepare Dham.

And how can we miss the Dosas from the south. It can be, plain, masala, paneer, paper etc.etc. The south Indian Dish practically rues the entire country today.

But different from all these is the original Snacks with its own flavour from the tribal state of Jharkhand - Dhuska.  we do have similar dishes in different parts of country as well  and may be we are having it daily in different names on our dining table. But just a little different combination that it has makes it original and directly originating from the tribal lands.

Its a a deep fried snack of paste made from soaked parboiled rice, gram pulse (Chana Dal) and Urad Dal served with coriander chutney or Rasdar aloo sabji. Mustard Oil is used as the medium to fry.

Ingredients : 
Pre Boiled Rice  - 1 cup,  Uard Dal ( Pulse) - 1 cup, Gram Pulse  - 1 cup
Green Coriander - 50 gram , corsely chopped, Onion - 3 peices - coarsely chopped.
Green Chilli : 3 - 4 peices., Salt - as per taste, Mustard Oil : For frying.

Preparation of paste:
Soak the three separately for two  to three hours in water. Remove it from water when soft. Grind in a mixer and make a paste each one separately with minimum of water.
Mix the three and beat it with spoon or whisk to make it light. Add salt, coarsely chopped onion, green coriander and green chilies. 


Cooking:
To cook, pour in small amount through serving spoon in pre-heated mustard oil . Deep fry on medium flame till it is golden pink. 


Serve hot with coriander chutney  and mustard sauce or rasdar aloo ki sabji (Gravy Potato)

For more on this pls go to my earlier post Dhuska. Cook and Relish.

Other Cuisines on the list of A to Z so far are

A - Appam, B- Bhutte Ka Kees, C - Chhena Poda

Aditya Sinha

04.04.2020