Biryani

Lamb or chicken on the bone 3lbs
Basmati rice 2 coffee mug full
Onions 4 medium
Garlic 12 cloves
Ginger 2 inch
Yoghurt to marinade
Large fresh lemon sliced thinly into discs
Cooking oil 6 tbs
Ghee approx 6 tbs

Saffron 1 large pinch
Cinnamon 9 one inch pieces
Cloves 12
Black cardamom 6
Green cardamom 12
Black peppercorns 12
Red chilli powder 2-3 tsp

For Dum (optional)
Coal
Ghee

Take 6 cloves, 6 cinnamon, half the cardamom and peppercorns and grind them in a mill to powder.
Blend 3 onions, all the garlic and ginger in a blender or alternatively use a shredder.
Marinade the lamb/chicken with yoghurt and salt
Soak the washed rice along with the leftover cloves, cinnamon and cardamoms in water ( usually double the quantity of rice) for an hour. Add a tbs ghee just before cooking.
Soak the saffron in 1/4 cup of warm milk
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed dish and add the bay leaves till they splutter. Then add the blended onion, garlic, ginger paste. Fry till golden and add the chilli powder. Fry for another minute and raise the heat, then add the meat pieces slowly so as not to lower the temprature. Fry on medium or low heat till tender and the oil starts to seperate.
Meanwhile start cooking the rice till al dente ( slight bite). Once done quickly spread on a flat platter to prevent steam cooking. Seperate into two portions and sprinkle the one with the saffron and milk mix.
Slice the leftover onion thinly and deep fry in some oil till browned but not burned and keep aside on kitchen towel paper to absorb the excess oil.
Use a heavy clay pot or a casserole dish for the final preparation. Use ghee to grease the bottom and the sides. For layering, start with the plain portion of the rice first and sprinkle on top with some of the freshly ground spices. Next spoon in the meat/chicken and sprinkle again. Layer the lemon slices and use the saffron flavoured rice next. Sprinkle the rest of the spices before finally adding the layer of fried onions. Put a few spoons of ghee all over the dish.
For smoking the dish use a small metal katori on top of the whole preparation and put a small piece of smouldering coal on top. Pour some ghee on this carefully and quickly seal the dish to prevent the smoke from escaping.
Put the whole casserole in a preheated oven about 140 degrees for about an hour.
Open just before eating and mix layers well before serving piping hot.
Accompaniments: raita (a special one called burrhani, I'll do yhe recipe later)
Simple onion salad
Poison of your choice but I prefer chilled beer.

Kaliya

Now this is another one of my sister's kashmiri recipes for lamb. Kashmiris have two main types of curry sauces - the more spicy one as in Rogan Josh, Mats etc and this one which is a bit milder nevertheless as delicious.

Ingredients

Meat 1kg (Shoulder, ribs slightly fatty)

Green cardamom 5 (smashed)

Cardamom 1

Cinnamon Stick 1”x 2

Haldi ½ tsp

Sounth ½ tsp

Saunf powder 1tsp

Oil 2tbs

Method

Add oil till hot

Fry meat lightly (5 min)

Add whole spices

Add water (1 cup)

2 pinches asafoetida

Boil till meat is tender

Add 1/3 cup of milk

Bring to boil and add saunf, sounth (dry ginger powder) and haldi (turmeric)

serve with rice, downed with chilled Rose or white wine.

Railway chicken

My sister swears by this recipe. It has got a south Indian flavour to it and is a big hit at her dinner parties. haven't tried it yet but will give it a go soon

Ingredients

Chicken 1kg – with bones

Chicken stock ½ litre

Ginger 1 inch

Garlic 3 cloves

Roasted cumin seeds 1 tsp

Roasted Coriander seeds 2 tsp

Haldi (Turmeric) ½ tsp

Ghee 2tbs

Onion 1 large sliced fine and long

Curry leaves 6

Potatoes 2 large big slices

Coconut milk ¾ cup

Tamarind paste 2tbs

Method

Grind - Ginger, garlic, red chillies, cumin, coriander and haldi into a paste

Heat ghee

Add curry leaves

Fry onion till pink

Add chicken

Sauté chicken and evaporate all water

Add ground paste and sauté

Add potatoes

Sauté

Add stock & salt

Cook for 25 minutes

Add coconut milk after chicken is well cooked

Add tamarind pulp.

Garnish coriander and chillie

Serve hot with rice.

Should go nicely with a bottle of nice crisp chardonnay!

Mutton Rogan Josh

This is a classical Kashmiri Recipe. I have always been disappointed whenever I have had rogan josh in restaurants as the recipe is never same and taste can be as variable as a womans mood! However, the classical taste is from a Kashmiri kitchen. I am told that there are two ways of making a Rogan Josh, one the Kashmiri Pandit style and the other the Kashmiri muslim way. The difference is the use of onions in the muslim way. I was lucky that my sister was married to a Kashmiri and she picked up the recipes from her mother-in-law taking it even further. Being a gifted cook she has evolved her own recipes and the following is her take on the classical Rogan Josh (though the recipe is pretty classical Kashmiri Brahmin style). It is a highly flavoursome and my favourite comfort food with rice after a tiring day at work with some chilled beer!

iv>Kashmiri Rogan Josh

Lamb 1Kg - use chopped shoulder peices on the bone + Ribs chopped into squares on the bone

Oil (mustard oil if you have it)10 tbs depends on fat on the lamb

Asafoetida (a pungent spice easily available) - 1/2 tsp

cloves 6

Cinnamon - 1" x 2

Black Cardomom -2

Green Cardommoms - 6

Kashmiri Red Chilli powder - 2tps (alternative red paprika)

Ground Ginger powder (sounth (hindi)) 1.5 tsp

Fennel powder 2 tsp (fresh better)

Yoghurt 3-4 Tbs

• Heat oil (not too hot) in the pressure cooker (or any heavy bottomed deep dish)
• in hot oil add half asafoetida powder and as soon as it splutters add the lamb and salt (according to taste, though this dish is best slightly on the saltier side)
• on lowish heat keep stirring the lamb till the moisture dries up and lamb turns slightly brownish (about 25 mins)
• on low heat move the lamb pieces to the side to create a central well of oil.
• In the oil first add the whole spices
• when spices splutter add the chilli powder and after a minute once the oil has taken the colour stir all the lamb pieces in the oil and spices.
• Add in the fennell and Dried ginger powder and the rest of the asafoetida.
• Add plain yoghurt and stir in for about a minute
• Add hot water - <200>
• Cook for about 20-30 minutes till the mutton/lamb is tender.

To serve - plain boiled rice and a little bit of the concentrated gravy. mix it in with fingers till the rice takes a light red colour and then stuff your face. If its a bit mild use more gravy if strong add a wee bit more rice.

Booze - chilled beer nicely washes it down.

Lamb or Mutton Do-Pyaza Recipe

This is the way my mum made Mutton Do pyaaza, the most amazing taste. The recipe originates in the kitchens of the Jaunpur regalty. The ruling class of Jaunpur were well known for their decadence, indulgence and sophisticated tastes in art, food and generally good things in life.

The part of my family from Jaunpur were Hindu land owners from Jaunpur, but their cooks were Muslims claiming descendence from the great Khansamas of the mughals. One such cook was Ibrahim Mia who was responsible for passing on some of these recipes to our family. Their cooking skills were an art form and their eccentricities no less than geniuses and artists. I dedicate these recipes and blog to all such cooks who loved their trade and took it to dizzying heights.

Lamb (Gosth) Do-pyaza (do=2; pyaz= onions)

Lamb 1 Kg

Onion 1.25 Kg - Sliced circular, perpendicular to the vertical axis - could use a slicer, it is important for the taste
Garlic 1 large bulb (all the cloves)
Ginger 1" piece
whole Red chilli 15 large ones (dont worry it wont be too hot) - broken roughly into big peices
Cloves 10-12
Whole black peppers 1 tsp
Cinnamon 1" x 4
Green Cardomom 9 (smashed not dissected)
Black Cardomom 7 (smashed not opened up - Just bash this and the above once with something heavy without splitting it completely)
Bay leaves 4
Oil - 10 Tbs (or more) (some would use just ghee, though would increase the amount of staturated fat)
Ghee 2 Tbs

Heat oil in p. cooker or a deep dish (casserole will do nicely, something with a good heavy lid)
Add bay leaves to oil, when crackles add all onion, garlic & ginger.
Fry for 10 mins (medium heat, without it sticking to bottom) keeping covered Keep removing the lid every few minutes
Add lamb (keep frying, just keeping covered and a few peeks to give it a stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom)
add salt to taste -
Add all the whole spices and chillies broken up.
Fry for about 20-30 mins depending on how well its cooking it needs to look slightly brownish and the oil should start seperating (the water should have evaporated)
Add ghee
Add hot water (depending on the consistency of the gravy desired
Cook for 20-30 min depending on how long it takes for the lamb to get tender.
Garnish with coriander/crispy Fried brown onion slices (optional)

Best served with rice/chapattis

Booze: Some nice red wine complements it really well. Most indians will however consume it with whiskey diluted with chilled sparkling water!