Mutton Masala Restaurant Style Loaded with Mum's Love

Vacations...

And Happiness...

And Books...

On my bedside at the moment is a big pile...the pile of books is my new bed side table...

I have Inferno-Dan Brown's newest offering of the same old,same old but adorable Harris Tweed and Cordovan Loafers sporting Mickey Mouse watch wearing professor of iconology and symbology-Robert Langdon...

Yes...the persona is as cool as the story...

And then I have Baldacci...

Clice Cussler...

Ernest Hemingway...

Mark Mills...

Cecelia Ahern...

A library at my disposal,and what daddy always said...in not so colourful a way though...

So the at onset of the vacations,I wanted to nothing except read and lie in bed...

So I read and lay in bed...

Dinner time and an almost Yakhni later...

Mutton masala that tasted better than any restaurant special...

Almost YAkhni?North India has been reeling under a heat wave-44C to 46C just passing by.The heat you can stand,its the humididity that saps your energy.

So we have to contend with air getting frizzier and sweat trickling down from everywhere along with the heat.

From the air conditioned comforts of the TV room, I was beseiged with requests for Mutton Masala-Restaurant Style...

So here it is...

Greasy,with oil floating over well cooked pieces of mutton...

Served with hand closed ghee laden chappatis and mum's love...

Mutton Curry served in restaurants generally tastes similar.Just a few shades of difference -a bit spicier or a bit oilier.

But across the board they are all tasty...

And taste best piping hot with chappatis fresh from the tandoor-or in our case -at home fresh off the tawa or fresh off the gridle...

It’s all about chance...

All about watching a TV show-where the hosts waited for the mutton which was pre boiled...

So that is what I have started to do...

And ended up with mutton that tastes amazing!

Just pressure cook the mutton with a little bit of water up to one pressure, make the base of the curry and then add the al dente  mutton and stock to the cooking base...

Hey presto! You have restaurant style mutton at your table.

To start with

For the

Mutton Curry Restaurant Style –served with Mum’s love...

You need

500 gms assorted cuts of mutton-ribs, shoulder and marrow bones

200 gms sliced onion

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

½ cup freshly grated tomatoes/2-3 tbsp packaged tomato puree

Salt, red chilli powder to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tbsp Meat Masala Powder (basic garam Masala to which a few extra spices are added-I used Catch Meat Masala)

3 tbsp Mustard Oil/Ghee

You need a pressure cooker for the mutton, and if you don’t have one...simple-just use a heavy bottomed pan.

Place the mutton in the pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water along with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder.

Open once the pressusre drops. If you do not have a pressure cooker, add 1 cup water extra. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 15 minutes. Just one whistle/pressure will do otherwise.

In a wok/kadai/flat bottomed pan, heat the mustard oil or the clarified butter to smoking point. Clarified butter or ghee tastes best but the cholesterol haunts!

Once the fat smokes, add the onions and fry till they are translucent.

So what are you baking today???

Now add in the ginger garlic paste. Either ginger or garlic will be fine too.

Now fry till the onions get a nice caramelised hue, adding the salt, turmeric and 1 tsp red chilli powder.

Add in the Meat Masala and add in some of the stock to deglaze the pan...

Place the pieces of cooked mutton in next and sauté...

Keep adding the stock at regular intervals...

Add in the tomatoes and stir...

If you run out of stock, add water.

The mutton needs to be cooked on a medium to low flame till the sauce is thick and is napping and wrapping the pieces of mutton, coating it silkily and lovingly

By this time, the mutton will be cooked and the grave thick, with the oil/fat separated and floating on the surface...

You can add a little water for runny gravy, if you want to eat this with boiled rice...

Me?

I prefer the gravy, wrapped around my ribs...

Accompanied by hot, hot chapattis, straight off the griddle.

For this, sweet child and hubby dear, sit at the table. I make the chapattis, slather them with a wee bit of homemade clarified butter or ghee and close them in my fist and serve...

They say that when the woman does this for her family...she is enclosing her love in the fisted chapatti. The wee bit of ghee, helps the spices go down easy, as they coat the lips and prevent you from feeling the heat of the chili laden super spicy gravy.

The Meat Masala is just a spicier garam Masala that helps to thicken the gravy and bring the right combination of spices to the curry.

Simple meal, served with sliced onions, liberally splashed with lemon juice and loads of love.

Ps raw onions help cool the heat in the body and reduce cholesterol. So you balance meats with a salad/salsa of raw onions...

Try the fisted chapatti/chopri roti (as it is known in Punjab)...you may hurt your hands, but the chapatti is always tastier...

Coming up...

A green chocolate cake, that brings back memories of After Eights...

So what are you baking today???

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Of Chocolate Stains on Pillow Cases,Dentists and Memories of The X Files- A not so boring moral Story

“A little magic can take you a long way.” 

― Roald Dahl

The truth has an uncomfortable way of always revealing itself...
Especially in the dead of  the night.
Sleep ...
Sleep,my love...
The night will cushion your pain...
I dream of the decadence...
Of melting chocolate on my fingers...
Of the scent of the chocolate liqueur...
Of the taste on my tongue...
The richness and the hint of the bittersweet ...
And then the lusciousness of it all on my lips...
@#$%^&&*()!!!!!!!!!
What was that again?
Chocolate stains on my pillow covers...arghhhh!
They are murder to remove.
But then ,I don't even have chocolate in my house...So where are these wrappers coming from?

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Always rumpled by my bedside...
Got to admit it...my nocturnal visitor sure has style!
But...
My doors are locked and my feet and slippers are clean...
So I could not be sleep walking ?
Or could I ?
What worries me the most is this consistent pain...
Pain!
Tooth Ache??
Well yes...
A sign...
A sign that something is not quite right...
Maybe its time to bring out the magic from the box that I have hidden...My tarot cards...
I feel the cards in my hands and deal out my first cards in years...
I need the benevolence of the cards...

I draw Ten of Discs-reassurance needed-I know...
Then -The wheel of fortune-new hopes and efforts for my achievements...

Ten of wands-delays in success and more hard work needed.
Something I already knew...
Nothing really solves my dilemma.
I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth with my new electronic toothbrush...
AAgrh!!!!!
The pain...was that The Hermit card that I thought I avoided-the tarot card indicating death-severe pain in the least???
Thank God the friendly neighbourhood dentist works till late...its only 9 30 pm...
Never though I'd visit the dentist in my jammies...
Hello...after a look the toothie declared that I may have needed an RCT or a Root Canal Treatment on one of my Pre Molars had I delayed just a few more days...
But the magic of pain saved me...
The pain I understand...but the chocolate I don't...
Maybe there's paranormal activity in my house...
Sleep evades me for a while...and then suddenly I feel the presence of someone at my bedside...
Almost like Lady Godiva...or is she?

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Ethereal...
She whispers in my ear...
Listen to your dreams baby...and check your hubby's pockets!
OMG!
I discounted hubby dear and his love for all things dark and chocolate...
One smooch on my lips before bed time...
And some chocolate stains on the pillow cases...
All that worrying was for nothing...
Argh!
Well at least I visited the dentist...
His laughter booming, punctuated with the words ghosts and aliens and Fox Mulder and Dana scully and X files and choclate loving alien visitors and ghosts...
According to him the moral of the story would be..."Brush your teeth twice a day and when in pain-tooth ache go to the dentist ....and always ask around before you doubt and call on the aliens!"

This post is an entry for Colgate Total Pro Gum Health Contest "The Moral Of the Story Is..." for Indiblogger. More details on Oral health care can be found at My Healthy Speak.


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Of Pink Frosting,and Eggless Victoria Sponge Cake and Sarcasm

School...
And Summer...
Two things ,like oil and water...just don't mix.
Too hot to study,to difficult not to...such a vast syllabus to cover...
And then the trials of dealing with teenagers who seem to know much more than they should. They do what they should not be doing, while not doing what they should.
Is that a universal problem?
So we resort to Sarcasm.

And at the staff room table,there are those who speak sarcasm...those who I prefer to converse with primarily because we speak the same language...
Those like me ,who are few and far between.
So when one of my species moves away to warmer(stickier )climes...pun unintended-One needs to wish them well.
This cake was for a colleague...who is now moving to Kolkatta-hence stickier climes-Nothing could be warmer than Jalandhar City at this time.
To Mrs Punam Kapoor...thank you for all the help and for your excellent company.
We'll miss you in the staff room...the conversation will not be as piquant...or interesting...
All the best ,and we wish you enjoy your stay in Kolkatta.

So this Victoria Sponge cake was in your honour!Made at night...when I discovered my stock of plain flour was severely diminished and I had no neighbour called Kanchan Bhartari to ask from...so I had to use custard powder.
Early morning, I have to leave home by 7 10 am to ensure that even if the rail road crossing is closed...I can still make it to school before the bell rings.
So,up at 5 40am...I hacked the non dairy cream from is frozen state and managed to whip it into this pretty pink fluffy concoction...
Why pink...because white it too plain...
And I felt like a pink frosting today...
That's why!

Quick to make ...
Difficult to transport ...
And quick to finish...
That's how I like food!

for the

Pink Frosting,and Eggless Victoria Sponge Cake...

you need

One recipe of the eggless sponge from here
250 mils non dairy rich cream
125 mils mixed fruit jam
drop pink food colouring

The cake...
Follow the instructions...
I made two recipes as I had to make cup cakes for sweet child,his vacations have begun..only the teachers have to trudge and sweat it out till the end of next week...to counter his woes of nothing to eat at home.
While sifting,I realised that I was a half cup of flour short...so I substituted with custard powder...
I so miss you Kanchan...I have nobody to call when I need stuff in the middle of the night.

 So 12 cuppies and 1 cake later...

I packed up for the night...covered the cake with film of course...
Early next morning...I had to hack out the frozen non dairy cream and whip it up...
Tinted pink...

 I whisked the jam too...
Jam is not an aberration...it is compulsory in a Victoria sponge.
Victoria Sponge Cake is a simple tea cake,made with a sponge ,sliced and filled with fresh fruit preserves-I used mix fruit jam and topped with fresh cream.
Sliced...And a wee bit of milk poured in...

 Topped with the whipped jam...I never bothered to clean the whisk blades,so the jam was full of cream...

 Topped and prettified.
And now the cuppies...
I dug a hole(in the evening-I may be superwoman-but I am not mad...I need to get to work on time!)

 Filled the holes with melted chocolate...

And topped with the left over cream...
And check out my sunflowers...
From my garden...
Sunshine and yellow go together...

 Pretty...
The frosting was melting under the crazy heat 43C here...

So sweet and yummy...
But I'll miss the sarcasm...

All the best Mrs Punam Kapoor...we'll meet again some time soon...
If all else fails ...there is face book and Whats App!


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Chocolate Mousse Cake-Real Chocolate and Real Mousse and Melt in your mouth "Mousse"ness!

Stress!

And some more...

You read about the stories of Marie Antoinette and how the teenagers in my class only remembered her for her faux statement of "Let them eat cake!"

Well ,now its payback time!!!

They paid me back!

Hence,the overdose of chocolate!

After Marie Antoinette and all her shenanigans...it was time to talk about how Poland became a democracy....Yes grade 9,Social Science!!!!
Solidarity...
Solidarity is more than just a word here...
It was a complete movement ...
That helped place democracy in Poland...
And after spending more than 12 classes on that ,I get "Solidarity is a group of sailors." in a test...
I mean What the f@#%#@^#$& !!!
Argh!

Hence the double dose of chocolate!
Something firm under the soft and silky chocolate mousse!
Pure and blissfully simple chocolate mousse...
Made with dark chocolate, whipping cream and whipped egg whites...
Something to take away the pain...
The pain of those emotional speeches of and about Lech Walesa and the awe on the face of the (now that I know) almost recalcitrant children...
Awww...
What a waste...

So we let this land on our waists...
A wee bit of sweetness,a touch of the bitter...and the almost there quinelle( a pretty shape made with two spoons) of chocolate mousse on the tiny square or the soft One bowl eggless chocolate cake with water ...
Thank god for small mercies!
Thank god for dinner parties!
To serve 8 people...


for the

Chocolate Mousse Cake-Real Chocolate and Real Mousse and Melt in your mouth "Mousse"ness! and a compensation...


you need

One 1/2 cake http://baketitude.blogspot.in/2013/05/one-bowl-eggless-chocolate-cake-and.html
250 mils non dairy whipped cream
250 gms dark chocolate
5 egg whites  
a few drops of lemon juice
3-4 tbsp icing sugar -if needed

Start with the half cake...
Sliced and placed on the serving platter...

That's the cream and the chopped chocolate...
Yes,with the meat cleaver...actually it sliced through the chocolate like a dream...its 40C on an average day these days...

Bring the cream to an almost boil...I do it on a double boiler...and tip in the chocolate after you take it off the heat.Stir to blend well and then pop in the freezer to super chill for a few hours.
In the mean while let the egg whites sit out...
Add a few drops of lemon juice... And begin to whip ...till they quadruple in size and more.

 After a few hours..the chocolate cream...

 And the stiff peaks in the egg whites...
This is what will give the form to the mousse...so make sure they are STIFF!

 Like wise,whip the chocolate cream...to about a a little more than what it was...it should be SMOOOOOTH!

 Now fold in the whites...

 And check if the mousse needs sweetening...ideally whip the sugar into the egg white...but this is not an ideal world...there fore the fact that solidarity is made of a group of sailors!

 Pour over the ring mould...if you don't have a ring mould...use a glass bowl to set your mousse or...just use glasses!

 About a small bowl full as leftovers...
And set in the fridge...

 A Little bit of the chocolate fudge sauce I had in my fridge, I warmed and poured over.
Spread sprinkles...
And served...
No pictures of the slices ...as there were no leftovers...
So the remaining half of the cake and the left over chocolate mousse were used for the pics...

After doing the dishes...
Midnight desserts...

So aside from the teaching of social sciences and baking ,I am also a midnight dish washer!
Glass washer...

But chocolate always makes it worth your while...
Mwaah!

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Tribute to Mom...for her...

My mom is a never-ending song in my heart 

Of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the

 words ...

But I always remember the tune.

- Graycie Harmon 

Happy Mother's Day to my mum and all the other super moms in blogosphere!
I know ,for a fact that my mum is the best...I always manage to send her flowers -even though she pays the flower delivery boy most of the time-but this time...I wanted my words to bring a smile to my mums face...hey ma...you are smiling right??
My mum is super...always has been- I know that I could not have achieved so much without her prodding and pushing and constant support.
Mum...
You may have been unrelenting and persistent,
But that was only because you wanted me to achieve something.
You have been my inspiration and support...
I'm sure sweet sister will echo that...
We may have been stupid and may have sulked...but at the end of the day...
Mum YOU ROCK!
Your heart is like a bottomless pit, you are so forgiving and simple...and you have such an amazing capacity to love...
Even your grandchildren are always vying for the lions share of your love.

Nani!!!!!!!

I want to talk to Nani!!!!!!!!

Thank you for being you.Any time and every time!

I love you mum! 

Always! 
You are so,so happy at the smallest of our accomplishments....
Let this one be yours!

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‘I am writing a Tribute to Mom in association with Parentous.com‘

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