Bharwaan Kheere Ka Saalan ( Stuffed Cucumber Curry)

Last weekend, while browsing through some cookbooks in a bookstore I came across a book with some good concepts but fairly mediocre recipes. One of those consisted of stuffing cucumbers with meat. It was a good concept but one look at the photo (consisting of whole cucumbers) and a quick read through of the gravy, it was a clear no-go. Sadly, it was touted as being one from the kitchens of the Indian royalties. I mulled upon the concept of having stuffed cucumbers for the whole week and then yesterday decided on how I will end of doing it and the gravy to go with it. 

Bharwaan Kheere Ka Saalan
 ( 6 Portions)


Ingredients:
Cucumbers - 4-5
Lamb/ Mutton, minced - 500 gms

For the Filling:
Ghee - 4 Tblsp
Onions, sliced - 2
Ginger, chopped - 50 gm
Red Chili Powder - 3 Tblsp
Coriander Powder - 3 Tblsp
Cloves - 6
Green Cardamoms - 6
Cinnamon Powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Water - 1/2 Cup

For the Gravy:
Ghee - 2 Tblsp
Onion Paste - 100 gm
Ginger Garlic Paste - 6 Tblsp
Yogurt - 2 Cups
Red Chili Powder - 2 Tblsp
Coriander Powder - 1 Tblsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Almond Paste - 1/2 Cup
Lamb/Mutton Stock - 3 Cups
Salt - To Taste
Kewra - 2 drops

Masala Powder (Make a powder of these whole spices):
Black Peppercorns - 6
Cinnamon Stick - 1" stick
Cloves - 3-4
Green Cardamoms - 4
Black Cardamom - 1
Mace - 0.2 gm

Method:
For the Bharwaan Kheera (Stuffed Cucumbers):
1. Peel the cucumbers. Hollow out the centers (keeping the cucumbers whole) and boil them in salted water for 15 minutes.

2. Drain and cool.
3. Heat ghee in a large pan/wok.
4. Add the sliced onions and fry till they are brown.

5. Add in the minced meat. Mix well.
6. Add in the ginger and other ingredients for the filling. Saute until mince in browned.
7.  Add in the water and cook till mince in cooked. Cook till all water evaporates.

8. Fill the hollowed cucumbers with the cooked mince.

For the Gravy:
1. Whisk the yogurt with red chili powder, coriander powder & turmeric powder.
2. Heat ghee in a large pan that is wide enough to hold the stuffed cucumbers.
3. Add in the powdered masala and after 10 seconds add in the ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute and add in the onion paste.

4. Cook till the flecks of fat start to appear on the surface.
5. Take the pan off the flame and stir-in the whisked yogurt mixture. Return to the flame and cook till fat starts to appear on the surface.
6. Add in the almond paste and cook till fat leaves the sides.
7. Add in the stock and cook on low heat for another 10-15 minutes.

Bringing it together:
1. Add in the stuffed cucumbers to the gravy and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. (add in more water if required)

2. Sprinkle kewra,stir, remove and adjust the seasoning.
3. Remove the cucumbers and slice them into roundels.
4. Place each roundel on a plate on a bed of the gravy. You can even choose to pour the gravy on top.
5. Serve hot with rice or roti.

NOTE: Vegetarians can experiment with adding in an assortment of fillings ranging from paneer to corn and mushrooms.

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Seekh Kabab (Skewered Lamb Mince Kababs)

No Tandoori platter is complete without the Seekh Kabab. Not only is a nicely made Seekh Kabab juicy & delicious but also a nice test of the chef's skill. The balance between the ingredients is of utmost importance which I have learned over the intial years through hit and miss. A lot of people prefer either the use of gramflour as a binding agent or using egg. The catch with using gramflour is that it tends to make the kabab bitter if used excessively. Egg, also if used excessively, can make the mixture too wet to hold onto the seekh (Skewer) and fall into the tandoor or grill. I prefer to use both egg and gramflour in little quantities to arrive at the right mix to bind the mixture and hold onto the seekh. Another key is regular basting to ensure the kabab is juicy and not a dried up item.

The origins to this can be traced to Babur's time, when royal cooks used to wrap ground beef around iron rods and grill them on open flames.



Seekh Kabab



Ingredients:

Lamb/Mutton Mince - 500 gm

Egg, lightly beaten - 1

Gramflour (Besan) - 2 Tblsp

Onion, finely chopped - 1

Green Chillies, finely chopped - 1

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tspsp

Ginger, finely chopped - 1 Tsp

Garam Masala - 3 Tsp

Garlic, Minced - 1 Tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 Tsp

Salt - To Taste

For Garnish

Lemon Wedges

Chaat Masala - 1 Tsp



Method:

1. Combine all ingredients (Except for garnish) in a bowl. Mix and knead well.

2. Rest for 2hours.

3. Divide the mixture equally into balls.

4. Wet hands and Skewer each ball and make a 2 inch long kabab shaped like a cigar.

5. Put the skewers either in the tandoor or the grill and cook for 6-7 minutes.

6. Take the skewers out and baste them with some oil. Put it back into the tandoor or on the grill. Cook for 6-7 more minutes. Repeat till Kababs are cooked.

7. When done, remove the kababs from the skewers gently.

8. Serve hot on a platter sprinkled with some chaat masala and lemon wedges on the side.

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Lost & Found Evening - (Friends And Keema!!!)

Rinku, my oldest friend ( we have known each other since our 6th grade in school), came home last weekend. We had lost touch over the last decade and finally found each other again last year through the world wide web. Now this is the second time we did so. The first time we lost touch after our 8th grade and then bumped into each other when we entered college. After a brief meeting, we lost touch again and then traced each other again.
It's so strange meeting old classmates. And after all these years, it's stranger.We had our better halves and kids with us, and it's great to see your kids bonding and you travel back to memory lane.
It was also a lost & found evening for another reason. Mutton Keema(Mince) is my favorite dish and one that I can cook with my eyes closed. Somehow, I had stopped making it for more than a year. Doesn't it happen to everyone,atleast once, when they get tired of making the same dish over and over again. Guess, it is what happened to me. This time, I felt the urge to make Keema, and it felt so good cooking it after all these years.
This happens to be my signature recipe and all I can say is "eat it with some Malabari Parantha or nice grilled bun."

"Keema Kao Mast Ho Jao! "

Mutton/Lamb Keema ( Lamb Mince)

Ingredients:

Lamb/Mutton Mince - 500gm
Onion Paste - 2 Cups
Ginger Paste - 4 Tblsp
Garlic Paste - 4 Tblp
Green Chillies, finely chopped - 3
Tomato Paste - 2 Cups
Yogurt,whisked - 1/2 cup
Green Peas - 1 1/2 Cup
Bayleaf - 1
Cloves - 5-6
Black Peppercorns - 10
Black Cardamom - 1
Green Cardamom - 4
Red Chili Powder - 3 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 2 Tsp
Ghee - 4 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Heat Ghee in a large pan. Add in the whole masalas (Bayleaf, cloves, black peppercorn, black cardamom) and let them crackle.

2. Add the onion paste and fry till it starts to turn golden brown.

3. Add in the ginger, garlic pastes alongwith the finely chopped green chillies.

4. Fry till mixture starts to turn brown. Add in the garam masala powder & red chili powder.

5. Add in the minced meat. Mix well and let it cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently.

6. Add in the tomato paste and mix well.

7. Add in the whisked yogurt. Mix well.

8. At this time the minced meat looks more of a gravy dish, than a dry one. Add in the green peas and let them cook. If they are frozen add them now. Incase they are fresh ones, add them after the gravy has reduced by half.

9. Let it cook, till all water evaporates. Add in the green cardamom (crushed or powdered).

10. Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

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