Mirch ka Salan with Mishti Pulao

Mirch ka Salan is a famous Hyderabadi dish. The dish is said to have originated in the kitchens of the Nizams. I would believe that, as the dish uses tamarind as souring agent, a practise mostly used in South India. Also peanuts (local produce) and sesame are used instead of other nuts and dry fruits(more prevalent in Awadhi cuisine). Whatever be its origin, Mirch ka Salan always elevates the meal from a common to an exotic one. It finds a definite place in wedding feasts and other important festive meals.

At our home, Mirch ka Salan is a holiday favourite. The star of a luxurious, happy meal. The main dish when important guests come over. Almost always, Mirch ka Salan is paired with the most fragrant Mishti Pulao, a sweet, fragrant Bengali dish, also a festive treat. One Hyderbadi, one Bengali..but the pairing is made in heaven. A happy marriage which we relish down to the last morsel. The tango of the sweet and aromatic Mishti Pulao with the tart, hot, spicy Salan has to be experienced to be understood.

I was introduced to this very fragrant Mishti Pulao by my dear friend Deepasri Deb. I have followed her recipe to the T. It never fails to make the most perfect, heavenly, fit-for-Gods Mishti Pulao. Check out her treasure trove of recipes at www.hamareerasoi.com 

Here are the recipes for both the dishes.

MIRCH KA SALAN

I have adapted Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe for this. Changes to his recipe include chopping of the fat Bhavnagari Chilli into inch long batons, deseeding them, and not using any extra chillies in the recipe. This helps to scale down the heat in the Mirch ka Salan. I have also made a few changes in the preparation method. Here is how I made Mirchi ka Salan.

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Contains peanuts. NOT SUITABLE for people with nut allergy.
• Does NOT contain gluten, lactose, corn, soya, egg. Suitable for people with gluten intolerance or lactose intolerance.

Preparation Time – 15-20 minutes, Cooking Time – 30 minutes, Serves – 4 as main course or 6 as side dish if used with other accompaniments in the meal.

YOU NEED

COOKWARE – Sharp knife, cutting board, 3-4 litre wok, long flat ladle, small bowl, Mixer-grinder

INGREDIENTS -

1. 250 gms or 15-18 fat Bhavnagari chillies (bajji mirchi)
2. A small lemon sized ball of Tamarind
3. 1/4 heaped cup raw peanuts with skin
4. 1/4 level cup white sesame seeds
5. 1/4 level cup fresh grated coconut
6. 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
8. 3-4 cloves garlic
9. A thumb size knob of fresh ginger root
10. 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup finely chopped red onion)
11. 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
12. a few curry leaves
13. 2 tablespoons cooking oil
14. a pinch turmeric powder (add upto 1 teaspoon if you want a yellow coloured Salan)
15. 1 heaped teaspoon salt

METHOD

1. Wash and wipe down the fat chillies. Remove the stem, cut into inch long thick batons, and scrape out the seeds from within.
2. Soak tamarind in half cup warm water. Squeeze out tamarind juice from it. Repeat with some more warm water. Set tamarind extract aside.
3. Heat the wok over medium flame. Dry roast the peanuts first. As they begin to brown, tip in sesame. Roast until the sesame begins to crackle. Add the coriander and cumin seeds and roast until aromatic. Do not burn. Keep stirring. Remove to mixer grinder jar.
4. Return wok to heat, add a drizzle of oil. Fry the ginger and garlic for a minute. Remove this to mixer jar too.
5. Add the fresh grated coconut to the mixer jar, add some water and grind to smooth paste. Set aside.
6. Add the rest of the oil to the wok, temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. When this crackles, add the finely chopped onions and keep stirring over medium flame. When onions turn pink and shiny, add the chopped chilli batons. Saute over high heat for 5 minutes. Keep stirring to avoid charring.
7. Pour tamarind juice into the wok, add salt, turmeric, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes over medium flame, until the chilli just softens.
8. Pour in the ground mixture, add half a cup of water, and simmer covered for another 15 minutes.
9. Switch off flame. Rest for half an hour for flavours to develop. Serve warm or hot with fragrant, sweet, Mishti Pulao.

MISHTI PULAO

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Contains Cashew nut. People with nut allergy can avoid adding cashew nuts to the recipe.
• Does NOT contain gluten, corn, soya, egg, or lactose. Suitable for people with gluten or lactose intolerance.

Preparation time – 15 minutes, Cooking Time – 30-35 minutes, Serves – 4 as main course

YOU NEED-

COOKWARE – 3-4 litre wok with fitting lid, ladle, colander

INGREDIENTS -

1. 1 heaped cup Gobindobhog rice, or Jeera rice, or Basmati rice
2. 1/4 cup fresh/frozen green peas
3. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
4. 2 tablespoon ghee
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. a fistful each of broken cashews and raisins
7. 1’' piece of cinnamon bark broken into two
8. 2 bay leaves
9. 3-4 cloves
10. 2 green cardamom
11. 2 black cardamom
12. 1 mace flower
13. 5-6 black peppercorns
14. 3 tablespoon sugar
15. 2 cups drinking water

METHOD -

1. Rinse the rice well under running water. Set to drain in colander. Rub in the turmeric powder into the rice and spread the rice in the colander to drain well.
2. Heat ghee in the wok, add cashews and raisins. Fry over medium flame until golden brown and raisins plump up.
3. Add spices – cinnamon, bay leaves, mace, peppercorns, cloves, green and black cardamom.
4. When the spices release aroma (about a minute or two over medium flame) add the rice and sugar. Stir well continuously over medium heat. Add the green peas midway and continue stirring until rice gets a sheen from the ghee. (About 7-10minutes)
5. Add salt, 2 cups water. Increase flame to highest and bring water to boil.
6. After water has come to a boil, set wok on your smallest burner, turn down heat to minimum, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. Switch off flame.
7. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Then, open wok, fluff up rice.
8. Serve along with tangy, spicy Mirch ka Salan.

Eggless Thandai Mousse – Holi Special

King Hiranyakashipu hated his son, Prince Prahlada for being a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. The father wanted his son killed because he refused to worship his father as God, instead. Hiranyakashipu was a self-proclaimed Lord of all three worlds – Heaven, Earth and Hell. His ego did not permit worship of any other being. So the king tried heinous methods to finish his own son’s life! The king inflicted several cruelties like poisoning the child’s food, ordering rogue elephants to trample on the tiny child, throwing the young five year old over a precipice, and many more. Surprisingly none of these even hurt as much as a hair on the child-devotee’s head.

At his wit’s end, the evil king asked his sister Holika to sit with the child on her lap inside a raging fire. Holika had a special boon by which she would not be burnt by fire. However, the boon did not work when she sat with the evil intent of killing some one. The child sat through the raging fire on Holika’s lap with the Lord’s name on his lips and emerged safe. Holika was burnt to death instead.

Holi is the festival celebrated in memory of this great devotee’s escape from fire. A huge bonfire is lit and ‘Holika’ the demoness is symbolically burnt. The victory of true devotion and unwavering faith is celebrated by lighting the bonfire and playing with colours.

Whew, that was a long story, was it not?

If you are still with me on this page, allow me to explain why I am narrating mythology here – I am a sucker for ‘victory of good over evil’ stories. I can listen to them any number of times. They give me new enthusiasm to tackle life headlong. With Holi festival around the corner, what better time than now to dwell on this legend and the faith and hope the story brings!

I tried this Thandai Mousse as a variant from the usual Holi Thandai drink, because I wanted the flavours of Holi in a new avatar. I have adapted the basic thandai formula from Tarla Dalal’s website. Unlike my previous desserts, this one is neither low calorie nor low fat. It is indulgent, creamy, and exquisite. But then, it is so rich and flavourful that a small serving will satisfy you! Every spoonful takes you through a rhapsody of aromas, surprises you with the sharpness of pepper and engulfs you with the soothing notes of cardamom. Being eggless, this recipe can easily fit into your festive menu too.

A note on the ingredients for a better thandai. Do not substitute black for white pepper corns. White pepper has a slight difference in the sharpness from the black ones. The black colour also ruins the appearance of thandai. Use only Lucknow saunf – this is different from regular saunf. You can recognise it by the greener, thinner appearance. The aroma of Lucknow saunf is also more intense than regular saunf and more suitable for using in sweet preparations. Lastly, use real good quality saffron, if you want the colour. The aroma of saffron in thandai is unbeatable. You could omit it for a variation in thandai flavours too. *The food colouring does not add any value to the mousse other than tingeing.

Do yourself a good turn and try out this mousse this Holi.

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Contains milk. NOT suitable for lactose intolerance.
• Contains almonds. NOT suitable for nut allergy.
• Contains soya as soy lecithin.
• Does NOT contain egg, yeast, corn.

Preparation Time –30 minutes + 8 hours chilling time, Cooking Time – 10 minutes, Makes about 10 servings.

You Need -

Cookware –Hand-held electric whisk, Mixer grinder, bowls, thick bottomed sauce pan, stirring spoon/ladle, refrigerator,

Ingredients -

For the thandai paste -

1. 1/3 cup whole almonds
2. 15 white pepper corns
3. 2 tablespoon poppy seeds
4. 2 tablespoon Lucknow saunf
5. 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground cardamom powder
6. A few teaspoons water
7. a few strands of saffron (optional) OR* a tiny pinch orange food colouring (optional)

For the mousse -

1. **200 ml Tropolite (OR any non dairy whip topping) OR 200 ml fresh cream, preferably heavy cream
2. 200 ml whole milk
3. 1/2 cup sugar (taste and add more if needed)

Method -

1. **Chill whatever whipping cream you are using for the recipe well ahead of preparation.
2. Soak the poppy seeds in boiling hot water for half an hour. Soak the almonds in boiling water separately for 10 minutes. Peel skin after 10 minutes of soaking.
3. Drain water from poppy seeds, and grind with the skinned almonds, white pepper corns, and Lucknow saunf in a coffee grinder/small jar of mixer grinder to a very smooth paste. Add just enough water to help grinding.
4. Heat milk in a thick bottomed saucepan. When milk comes to a boil, switch off flame. Add 3 tablespoons of the ground thandai mixture, stir in the sugar. Dissolve well and return the saucepan to flame. Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly. You may need to boil for about 4-5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, pass through a sieve if it looks grainy, and chill in refrigerator at least for an hour.
5. Whisk the chilled whipping cream you are using in a deep bowl until it forms stiff peaks. Whisk in the chilled ‘thandai milk mixture’ also.
6. Ladle out about 3-4 tablespoons into each dessert bowl for individual portions, top with rose petals or saffron strands and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Happy Holi everybody! Wishing for good to triumph over evil in your lives as well.

Technorati Tags: Holi Recipe,Festival Recipe,Thandai,Thandai Mousse,Eggless Mousse,Eggless thandai mousse

Thandai Panna cotta

 

Wishing all readers a very colourful and happy Holi. The season is filled with fun, happiness, spring and a riot of colours. I find all food sites, blogs filled with recipes for the special festival menu. Mawa gujiya, samosa, kachori, and several other delicacies.

My dessert is inspired by the flavours of the festival too. I had tried out a Thandai mousse last year. Somehow, I’m surprised it has not found it’s way to the blog. So it had to be panna cotta this time. I have kept the cream to milk ratio at 1/2:1, thereby reducing on the fat content. I plan to try it out with skim milk alone the next time.

Initially, I was quite worried about getting the consistency, flavour and proportions right. After making a mental map of the procedure, and after discussing the recipe with two of my great friends, Deepa and Sreelatha, I decided to go ahead and test it out. Quite happy with the outcome, even if I say it myself. But then, unless you try it out and fill me in, I wouldn't know for sure.

For the main flavouring, I followed Tarla Dalal's recipe to make the thandai paste. For the Panna cotta, here is what you need -

1. Home made or store bought Thandai paste – 2 level tbsp
2. Skim milk – 1 cup
3. Fresh cream – 1/2 cup ( I used Amul )
4. Sugar – 5 tsp
5. Agar agar – 7 gm
6. Water – 1/2 cup
7. Butter or vegetable oil – 1/4 tsp, for greasing

Optional – 2 tbsp Khus Syrup as a top layer for the panna cotta. I used store bought syrup.

To Assemble

1. Combine the skim milk, fresh cream, sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan, and set on heat. Keep over medium flame and stir constantly.
2. In a separate smaller saucepan, heat the 1/2 cup water, and stir in the agar agar. Set this over a low flame too and keep stirring to mix well and to avoid burning. If you cannot manage to stir both at the same time, get the milk mixture boiled first and then proceed with the agar agar.
3. When  the milk mixture reaches a boil, add the thandai paste and simmer for a minute, and keep stirring again. After a minute, set aside. Be alert to the milk mixture, it can boil over quite suddenly. Strain through a mesh sieve into a suitable bowl.
4. If you have not started on the agar agar + water boiling as yet, go ahead with it now. You may need to simmer it for 5-7 minutes over low flame until it has blended into a homogenous jelly like texture. Pour through a sieve or tea filter directly into the milk mixture. Mix well, and return the milk to heat. Simmer again for a minute, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
5. Grease 6 dessert bowls / katoris / cups with the butter/oil. Divide the mixture into the bowls. Cover with cling film / lids and refrigerate for an hour or two.
6. To unmould, run a wet sharp knife through the sides of the panna cotta and invert into serving plate. You may serve directly from the bowls too.
7. Optional toppings include some khus syrup drizzled,  or few strands of saffron, or some cardamom powder sprinkled, or rose petals for garnish!
8. Happy Holi and enjoy your wonderful Panna cotta.