Parsi Prawn Curry

The 69,000 strong Parsi community of India is special indeed!

 Apart from contributing so much to trade and economy they have added a sense of honesty to business for centuries!

And more importantly they have shown us how to make eggs in a hundred ways .....given us iconic dishes like Salli boti, Patrani Macchi , Dhansak and more , each of these stunning dishes is a celebration of fusion of Persian cooking with Gujrati cooking techniques  !

Like all Indian cultures, the Parsi way of life is one of assimilation. Their language, customs, food are a combination of Persian and Gujarati traditions. 

We love Parsis for their generosity, idiosyncrasies,prominent noses, great hospitality , love for the good things in life- food, alcohol, travel,western classical music , a passion for two-wheelers , a rollicking sense of humour and for making Bombay a great city!

I am lucky to have know N for so many years....she is a great cook who knows so much about every day home style Parsi food.


          


This curry is my favorite , its fool proof and my go to recipe for fish and prawns!

And I must mention this is N's aunts recipe!

 So this  is Freny Mamis Parsi Prawn Curry...
 SERVES 2 

300 g prawns de-veined , washed 

For the curry powder 

White sesame seeds 1.5 tablespoons
Coriander seeds 1.5 tablespoons
Poppy seeds 1.5 tablespoons
Cumin seeds 1 tablespoon
Kashmiri whole dried chillies 7-8 (with seeds removed )

1 tomato
1 onion
7-8 cloves of garlic
A few curry leaves

25g maggi coconut milk powder packet diluted in 1.5 cups of water 
OR
1.5 cups coconut milk fresh or from a can

Lemon juice and coriander leaves to garnish 

2 tablespoons oil (refined oil)

PROCEDURE

Dry roast the ingredients together mentioned under Curry powder on a hot griddle/tawa for 2-3 minutes on very low heat . Once they are just a little toasted cool and blend to a powder in a blender.
Then add the tomato, onion and garlic cloves into the blender and blend with the curry powder to obtain a curry paste.

In  a pan heat some oil , add curry leaves and cook the curry paste for 5-10 minutes . Then add the prepared coconut milk and let it come to a 
boil.

Add prawns cook for a further 5 minutes till prawns are cooked,dont over cook prawns. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and some coriander leaves.

Serve with steamed rice!

Tomato and garlic chutney recipe

      

Hello! I thought of sharing this very simple recipe......I love garlic in all its glorious forms .
This chutney is very potent and only for garlic and chilli lovers!

A small amount goes a long way ....its awesome with yellow daal and chawaal !

I hope you try it!

Tamatar and Lassan Chutney

2 red juicy tomatoes cut into 4's
10-12 cloves of garlic
a pinch of cumin seeds
2 teaspoons refined oil
1/4 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Grind the tomatoes and garlic to a fine puree without using any water.

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok and add cumin seeds. Once they splutter add the kashmiri red chilli powder, now very quickly tip in the tomato + garlic puree.

Watch out it may make you cough and sneeze :))

Cook the chutney for another 5 minutes till oil separates and raw flavor of garlic n tomato goes away.

You can double the recipe and store in the refrigerator !

Gajjar Ka Halwa

 Gajjar ka halwa is an iconic part of winters in North India.

 Come the winter months and the market is flooded with bright red, sweet and juicy carrots....Delhi and Gajjar ka Halwa are synonomus .....to such an extent that in all other parts of India the juicy red carrots of the winter months are sold as "Dillie ki Gajjar"

Winter in India also happens to coincide with the festive and wedding season. Growing up I have such fond memories of greedily eating bowl after bowl of Shaadi walla Gajjar ka Halwa at every single wedding.

No winter wedding up North is complete without Gajjar Ka halwa, Moong dal Halwa , Garam (hot) Jalebi and Kadhai walla Doodh ( Milk painstakingly cooked till it thickens in a cast iron wok)

The fact that this Halwa is seasonal because of the seasonal nature of the carrots (only available for 3-4 months of the year in the winter) makes me lust after it more so....

Ofcourse any carrots can be used but the winter carrots with their earthy sweetness and deep color result in the best halwa! Hence this fudgy sweet dessert with hints of cardamom and the creamy sweetness of milk/khoya can be best enjoyed in the winters!

Nothing and I mean nothing can warm your soul better on a winter night than a bowl of Gajjar ka Halwa!

I have tried making Gajjar ka Halwa on several occasions and made a mess of it.....I used to wonder what do I need to do differently for my halwa to have that perfect color and consistency .....so this winter I decided to call all my Buajis and aunts and after putting together every single tip and trick they were generous enough to give me.....I am happy to say this recipe is now perfect!

Please watch my youtube video so you dont miss any of the little top secret steps :))






Its got the same  taste that only patient , loving  slow cooking roasting can impart.....and a beautiful color just like the Shaadi walla Gajjar ka Halwa  I have enjoyed growing up....

I hope you try this :)


Authentic Gajjar ka Halwa recipe that results in a deep red color halwa .


Carrots - 2 kgs washed, peeled and grated

Sugar 160-180 grams ( Regular Sugar)

Ghee 1 tablespoon

Dry fruits

Elaichi Powder - Optional

Khoya 120-150 grams


Add grated carrots to a dry heavy bottom Kadhai or wok. Cook covered with a plate for 20-25 minutes on very low flame.

Keep checking and stirring the carrot mixture at regular intervals even during these 20-25 minutes to make sure nothing burns.

Once the carrots have lost a lot of their moisture add the sugar. Once you add the sugar the carrots will leave still more moisture.

Cook covered for another 20- 25 minutes on low flame .Do not leave halwa unattended at this stage it needs constant care and stirring.

Once the carrot sugar mixture looks a little dried out add the ghee and dry fruits. Mix well to incorporate everything.

Next add the crumbled khoya. Once you add the khoya the halwa needs about 20 minutes of dry roasting .

When the halwa changes to a deep red color with no more white specks of the khoya showing , its ready.

Garnish with some more dry fruits and reward yourself for all the hard work with a bowl of halwa straight off the flame!

Sirke Wale Pyaaz - Indian restaurant style pickled onions

Sirke Wale Pyaaz - Indian restaurant style pickled onions

Ruby red , crunchy , sweet and sour all at once these pickled onions were a standard accompaniment to all Indian /Punjabi  meals that you ate in  restaurants in the 90s .

For some reason I dont see them so much these days but I love them so I decided to make them . A little bit of trial and error this recipe worked the best just like the sirke walle pyaaz at Kumar Sweets in Dehradoon.

The first time I tried making these I just put onions in vinegar but that resulted in only a very slight pink color and not such a great taste! I guess thats how American pickled onions are made ......since thats all I could find on the internet .



 But this recipe is perfect....the secret to getting a nice full bodied color is the beetroot! :)

INGREDIENTS
Onions (the tiny kind ) : 200 grams cleaned 
Regular White Vinegar : 1 cup
Peppercorn : 7
Bay leaf : 2
Sugar : 4 teaspoons
Salt: to taste
Beetroot : 1 small beetroot chopped

DIRECTIONS

Boil vinegar along with peppercorns , bay leaf , sugar and salt for around 5 minutes .

Add thinly sliced beetroot.

As soon as you add the beetroot vinegar will change color to a ruby red .

Boil for another 2-3 minutes.

Put clean dry onions in a clean dry clean glass bottle .

Strain the red vinegar solution into the glass bottle .

Add a few pieces of the beetroot that you strained out into the bottle as well.

Keep in the fridge .

Eat after 24 hours , gets better with time as onions loose their sharpness 

.Keeps well for 2-3 weeks as long as it dosent come in contact with water!