Rajisthani Keema

I love 'Mutter Keema' well I also loved this woman who turned out to be 'dou bachou kee maa' but as they say, everything is fair in love and disappointments.

My MOM ladies and gentlemen makes the best Mutter Keema in the world. Yes, better than your mom, your mom and your mom.

In memory of that Mutter Keema I decided to make something which is different than the regular Mutter Keema but has both Mutter and Keema.(If that makes any sense)

Rajisthani Keema is one of the very first things I made previously for the blog but could not find all the pictures so I had to pass it down for some other time.

CHEF SHAMSHER FACT - most of the recipes you see are made for the very first time.

Found this recipe in an old Urdu cook book that my mom has. Thought I should give it a try. It is different, originally has potatoes in it but I did not use any of those for (I do not like a third party in my Mutter Keema) various reasons.

Too much talking now lets get started.

Ingredients

Beef mince ½ kg

Oil ¼ cup

Ginger paste 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste 1 teaspoon

Onion 1 medium

Potatoes 2 medium boiled

Peas ½ cup boiled

Green chilies 2 – 3 chopped

Lemon juice 1 – 1 ½ tablespoon

Dry mango powder/khatai powder 1 tablespoon

Chili powder 1 teaspoon

Turmeric 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon crushed

Kalonji 1 teaspoon

Badiyan phool (star anise) 1 teaspoon grounded

Salt to taste

Button red chilies 6 – 7 or dried red chilies long 3 – 4

Coriander leaves ¼ bunch (chopped)

Heat oil on low heat in a pan. Add ginger paste and garlic paste. Stir for 30 seconds.

Add ground beef and chopped onion. Fry on medium heat until the water dries completely.

Add potatoes (if you want them), salt, red chili powder, crushed cumin, ground badiyan phool, turmeric, dry mango/khatai powder, lemon juice, green chilies and sliced dried red chilies button/long in the ground beef and onions and mix it well.

Turn the heat to low, cover the lid and cook from 8-10 minutes.

RISHTA TIP FOR LADIES - Whenever someone says to cook by covering the lid that means you turn the heat to low, then put the lid and cook.

After 8 - 10 minutes take the lid off. Add the boiled peas and fry it on high heat from 2 - 3 minutes more. Rajasthani Keema is ready to serve.

I was once inside a kitchen of this desi restaurant back in Lahore where I saw this guy setting up the tray for a keema dish. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you RAJASTHANI KEEMA.

Kashmiri Fried Lamb Chops

I'm a Kashmiri and I'm not handsome. Breaking stereotypes but that is true. I don't have fair skin and I've spent most of my life in sunlight.

Nonetheless according to our elders the family tree starts from Kashmir and when the going got tough over there. Our people migrated to this small village near Gujranwala called Ghakharh.

None of this has to do anything for what I'm about to describe today (YES I'M SO LAME) but for the fact this very nice person Junaid bhai who is also from Twitter and New Dehli and Srinagar told me to try to make Kashmiri Lamb Chops. Couldn't find the recipe for the one he referred because it involves gravy but I managed to find another DEEP FRIED version.

This deep fried version is very tasty and involves two types of different milk in the cooking process. A bit delicate to make because over frying it kind of ruins the taste but if you get it right, you'll love it.

Ingredients

12 lamb chops

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1⁄2 teaspoon fennel seed

1⁄2 teaspoon black peppercorns

3 whole green cardamom pods

1 teaspoon salt

2 1⁄2 cups milk

2⁄3 cup evaporated milk

2⁄3 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1⁄2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 pinch salt

1 1⁄4 cups canola oil

mint leaves chopped

lemon juice

Place the lamb chops in a big size pan. Add Cinnamon, peppercorns, fennel seeds, bay leaf, salt and milk. Bring it to a boil on high heat. The bring the heat to low or medium and cook it for 15-20 minutes or till the milk is evaporated to half if its quantity,

The milk is not evaporated to the half quantity. Time to add evaporated milk and and cook the meat until all the milk is completely evaporated.

Now take the chops out of the pan and drain all the solid ingredients of the pan.

Meanwhile the lamb chops are cooking you can make the coating by adding yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, a pinch of salt, garam masala, red chili powder and flour.

Dip the chops in the mixture and coat it well. Heat oil in a deep sauce pan on medium heat. When the oil is heated up, lower the heat and start frying the chops. Turn them once or twice and fry them to a slight golden brown color.

NOTE - Do not over fry it because that will ruin the whole taste and harden the lamb chops.

Kashmiri style Lamb Chops are ready. Sprinkle some chopped mint leaves on them. Drizzle some lemon juice as well. Enjoy it with naan or roti. Bhai Junaid told me that there is another version with rice and gravy which he will tell me how to make later on. Till then enjoy this. I'm just so happy to make something from my ancestral homeland. Please this blog and recipe with everyone you know and thank me later.

Chicken Boneless Achari Handi

Achaar is one of my favorite things to eat with Daal Chawal, Pratha and a couple of other desi dishes. Women love it for obvious reasons. Men love it for their reasons but who else loves it? My Iranian friend who was in Pakistan for a good 2 years for his job.

According to my Iranian friend Pakistani food gave him the diarrhea for starters because Iranian food is very mild but then his stomach got accustom to the food and he loved it.

So, upon his request I decided to make Chicken Boneless Achari Handi.

This recipe is also dedicated to Nageen Naqvi as she told me to "MAKE IT JALDI"

Ingredients:-

For Chicken Marinade:-

500 grams boneless chicken cut in cubes

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 red chili powder

1 tablespoon oil from achaar bottle

Other Ingredients:-

4 tablespoon oil

2 onions finely chopped

4 tomatoes finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato puree/paste

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2-3 green chilies slit

2 tablespoon yogurt

1 teaspoon salt or up to your taste

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon fennel(saunf) seed

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek(methidana) seed

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon kalonji seeds

10 curry leaves chopped

1 lemon juice or you can use more to make it more tangy

1 heaped tablespoon of pickle/achaar

Marinade the chicken cubes in salt, pickle oil, turmeric powder, chili powder and ginger garlic paste. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to over night.

Mix the coriander, fennel and fenugreek seeds, roast them in a dry pan for a minute or two until they are aromatic, then crush them to a rough powder.

Put some oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken on high heat. Keep that in mind that this is just to seal the chicken as it will be further cooked in the gravy. So, do not over cook it right now. Take it out from the pan and keep it aside.

Put some more oil in the same pan and add the mustard seeds on medium heat. When they start making a popping sound or spluttering add the chopped curry leaves and fry them for 30 seconds.

Now add the chopped onions and cook them till they are golden. Add the ginger garlic paste when they are golden and fry for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Now add chopped tomatoes, tomato puree/paste, all the roasted and crushed seeds, salt and red chili powder. Cook till the tomatoes are thick and they release oil from the sides. Then add the yogurt and give it a good mix to combine.

Now lower the heat, add the chicken cubes, slit green chilies and kalonji seeds. Give them a good stir. Cover with lid and simmer it for a good 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and the gravy is cooked.

Now add in the lemon juice and a spoon full of achaar which will take the taste of this dish to a whole new different level.

Stir and taste, adjust the seasoning if needed. Turn of the heat and let the dish rest for 15 minutes so all the flavor is infused in the chicken. Ladies and gentlemen I give you after a lot of hard work and wait Chicken Boneless Achari.