COCONUT RICE, MEAT BALL CURRY & DEVIL CHUTNEY


Here’s a typical Anglo-Indian Lunch menu.. Yes you guessed right. Its Coconut Rice, Meat Ball Curry (Bad word Curry) and Devil Chutney 
  COCONUT RICE 
Serves 6 
 1 pack of coconut milk diluted with water to get 4 cups of milk or 1 fresh coconut grated and milk extracted to get 4 cups of diluted milk
2 cups of Raw Rice or Basmati Rice 
 ½ teaspoon tumeric powder or a few strands of saffron 
 Salt to taste 
 4 tablespoons butter or ghee 
 3 cloves, 3 cardamoms, 3 pieces of cinnamon 
 Heat ghee in a large vessel or Rice cooker and fry the spices for a few minutes. 
 Add the washed rice, salt, tumeric and 4 cups of coconut milk and cook till the rice is done. 

  MEAT BALL CURRY 
Serves 6 
 Ingredients; 
For the Curry 3 large onions chopped 
 1 sprig curry leaves
 3 teaspoons chilly powder 
 1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder 
 3 teaspoons ginger garlic paste 
 3 big tomatoes pureed 
 ½ cup ground coconut paste 
 1 teaspoon spice powder or garam masala 
 Salt to taste 
 3 tablespoons oil 
 1 teaspoon coriander leaves chopped finely for garnishing 
 ½ teaspoon tumeric powder 

 Ingredients for the Mince Balls (Kofta) 
 ½ kg minced meat beef or mutton (fine mince)
 ½ teaspoon spice powder 
 3 green chilies chopped 
 A small bunch of coriander leaves chopped finely 
 Salt to taste 
 ½ teaspoon tumeric powder 
 Heat oil in a large pan and fry the onions till golden brown .
Add the ginger garlic paste and the curry leaves and fry for some time. 
 Now add the chilly powder, coriander powder, spice powder or garam masala powder, tumeric powder and coconut and fry for a few minutes till the oil separates from the masala. 
Now add the tomato juice and salt and simmer for some time. 
 Add sufficient water and bring to boil. 

Meanwhile mix the spice powder, salt, chopped green chilies, tumeric powder and coriander leaves with the mince and form into small balls. 
When the curry is boiling slowly drop in the mince balls carefully one by one. 
Simmer on slow heat for 20 minutes till the balls are cooked and the gravy is not too thick. 
 Serve hot with Coconut Rice and Devil Chutney. 

  DEVIL CHUTNEY (HELL’S FLAME CHUTNEY) 
Devil Chutney is a fiery red chutney . Its bright red colour often leads people to think that is very pungent and spicy, when actually it is sweetish and only slightly pungent The vinegar and sugar react with the onion and red chilly to produce the bright red colour. It is also known as HELL FIRE OR HELL’S FLAME CHUTNEY due to its vivid colour. 
 2 medium size onions chopped roughly 
 2 red chillies
2 teaspoons sugar 
 A pinch of salt 
 2 tablespoons vinegar 
 Grind all the above ingredients together till smooth. If chutney is too thick add a little more vinegar.
 Serve with Coconut Rice 

  These recipes are featured in my Recipe Book THE BEST OF ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY.

ANGLO-INDIAN BEEF STEAK

The word “Steak” is derived from an Old Norse word “steik” meaning "roast”. It is a continental dish, popular all over the world, served in restaurants and Steakhouses with or without various accompaniments such as Potatoes, Vegetables, etc.

Steak is actually a slice of meat such as Beef or Lamb from the most tender cuts of the animal such as the short loin, sirloin and rib areas with names such as Porterhouse, T-bone, Rib-eye, etc. It is cut on a slant, perpendicular to the muscle fibres, so that it can cook fast. The steaks cut from these parts are quite tender and range in thickness between half to one inch and are cut in a size intended to be one serving per person. Steaks from the short loin, rib, and sirloin are best when grilled or broiled / pan-fried. Steaks can also cut from the chuck, round, plate, and flank. However these are a bit tough if not cooked properly. However they should be marinated for a few hours then cooked.

Steaks are typically grilled, but they are also often pan-fried or broiled, using dry heat, and served whole.The meat should be a bright red, the fat should be a creamy white and there should be thin streaks of fat running through the meat. Grilling makes it usually dry where as cooking or broiling it in a pan would make it more juicy. The perfect steak needs the right flavors, and different steak cuts are prepared differently. The amount of time a steak is cooked is a personal preference. The shorter the cooking time, the more juice is retained. The longer the cooking time would result in drier, tougher meat. A vocabulary has also evolved to describe the degree to which a steak is cooked such as Raw, Blue rare or Very Rare, Rare, Rare, Medium Rare Medium, and Well done.

Steak was first introduced in India by the British as early as the 16th Century. As was the case of almost all of our cuisine, which started out as insipid concoctions, in the days of the British Raj, the original “Beef Steak” introduced by them was quite bland and tasteless. Over the years many more ingredients and spices were added to this dish to make it more spicy and delicious as it is today. It has become synonymous with Anglo-Indian Cuisine, as our famous Anglo-Indian Pepper Steak and Anglo-Indian Masala Steak,. These dishes are relished by all of us and I’m sharing the recipes for them below. So let your steaks sizzle the old fashioned way in a skillet or heavy fry pan. However, the steaks could be grilled if desired using the same ingredients.

BEEF PEPPER STEAKS
Serves 6 Preparation Time 45 minutes

1kg Beef Undercut or Sirloin cut into steaks

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 or 4 teaspoons fresh pepper powder

3 tablespoons oil

2 big onions sliced finely

2 big tomatoes chopped

3 potatoes peeled

Salt to taste

Wash the meat well and marinate it with the pepper powder, salt and turmeric powder in a flat plate. Pour the oil on top and keep it over night in the refrigerator (or for at least 4 hours before cooking), Pressure cook for just 5 minutes or cook in a pan for about 15 minutes along with the potatoes. Add the onions and tomatoes and continue frying on low heat till the tomatoes turn pulpy and the steaks and the potatoes are a nice brown colour. Serve hot with boiled vegetables and bread.

ANGLO-INDIAN MASALA STEAK
Serves 6 Preparation Time approx 1 hour

Ingredients

1 kg boneless Mutton or Beef from the Round portion cut into steaks

2 medium size onions sliced

2 medium potatoes sliced

2 cups water

Salt to taste

3 tbsp Oil

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

2 teaspoons coriander powder

1 teaspoons cumin powder

½ teaspoon tumeric powder

1 teaspoon pepper powder

Heat the oil in a large, wide pan . Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes. Remove half the quantity of onions and keep aside. Add the meat and stir-fry for 10 minutes until the pieces turn brown. Reduce heat to medium and add all the other ingredients except the potatoes. Mix well. Add the water and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Add the potatoes and salt to taste. Stir and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked. Now add the pre fried onions and mix well into the Steak

These recipes are featured in my Cookery Book FLAVOURS OF THE PAST

Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny Soup was actually the anglicized version of the Tamil “Melligu -Thani”. (“Melligu” meaning pepper and “Thanir” meaning water). As the name suggests it was originally just pepper in a watery soup.

The original Mulligatawny Soup can be traced back to the early days of the East India Company in Madras to around the 18th century. It was originally a soup made with chicken or mutton/lamb stock. Mulligatawny Soup had no history in India before the British Raj. Supposedly, it was simply an invention to satisfy the Britishers, who demanded a soup course for dinner from a cuisine that had never produced one till then. The Tamil servants in those days concocted a stew like dish, that contained pepper and water on the lines of their local “Rasam” or “Melligu –Thanir. It was an interesting mix of East meets West, and was the nearest thing to soup in the cuisine of Colonial India.

In course of time a lot of other ingredients such meat, chicken, coconut, turmeric and other spices were added to give it a completely different flavour. A variety of “Mulligatawnies”, then came into existence which quickly became popular throughout the Common Wealth. Recipes for mulligatawny were quickly brought back to England by the British and its popularity spread through out the country. It has made a lasting impression on British cuisine right down to the present day, though it has undergone many changes. It is still an excellent “Comfort” dish on a cold rainy day and will surely lift the spirits when one is down in the dumps.

Mulligatawny Soup is now firmly entrenched not just in cookbooks but history books as well as a thick, spicy meat soup which is a wholesome meal in itself served with bread or rice. It has remained popular in the United Kingdom and is now available even in cans in some stores. The Mulligatawny Soup of today bears little resemblance to the original “MELLIGU -THANI”. And despite the name, pepper itself is not an important ingredient in the dish.

Though purported to be a classic Anglo-Indian dish since it came into existence during the Colonial Era, and was very popular then, Mulligatawny is not a typical Anglo-Indian dish. The real dish we Anglo-Indians call "Pepper water" is actually closer to the Tamil Rasam than Mulligatawny. Mulligatawny ultimately culminated into our very own Breast Bone pepperwater and various other variations such Shrimp Pepperwater, Dal Pepperwater, Horsegram pepperwater, etc.

CHICKEN MULLIGATAWNY
Serves 6 Preparation time 45 minutes

½ kg chicken chopped into medium size pieces

1-teaspoon chilly powder 2-teaspoons pepper powder

1-teaspoon cumin powder 1-teaspoon coriander powder

1-teaspoon crushed garlic 2 big onions sliced

1 cup coconut paste or coconut milk Salt to taste

2 cloves 2 small pieces cinnamon

2 cardamoms 1 tablespoon oil or butter

Cook the chicken and all the ingredients with 6 to 8 cups of water in a large vessel on high heat till it reaches boiling point. Lower the heat and simmer for at least one hour till the soup is nice and thick. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve with bread or rice.

(Mutton or Lamb could be substituted for chicken)

BREAD PUDDING – THE POOR MAN’S PUDDING

Bread Pudding is an old fashioned dessert that had its humble beginnings in the 13th century in England. It was first known as a "poor man's pudding" as it was created as a means of making use of stale left over bread for poor people to eat. It was just moistened in water, to which a little sugar, spices and other ingredients were added. Today after it has passed through so many centuries, we think of bread Pudding as a Rich Treat.

Bread pudding is a dessert popular in British cuisine. It is also a popular dessert item of Belgian, Spanish and French cuisine as well. The French refer to it by the English name "pudding" without the word "bread" and the Belgians call it “Bodding”. It is also referred to as "Migas" and "Budin de Pan" in Spanish.

For those unfamiliar with this dish, (which I’m sure there aren’t many), bread pudding is typically made the British way, by soaking slices of bread cut into cubes in a mixture of milk, egg, and sugar; adding raisins and spices and baking or steaming the mixture. Actually its taste is not that much different from French toast, except much moister. In Spain, bread pudding is made using stale (usually left-over) bread, suet, eggs, sugar, spices, dried fruit and / or golden syrup. The bread is soaked (often overnight) in some water, squeezed dry, and mixed with the other ingredients. The mixture is transferred into a dish and baked. It is then served with a sweet liquor sauce of some sort, such as whiskey sauce, rum sauce, or just caramel sauce. However in the U K and Southern USA where it is now quite popular, it is typically sprinkled with sugar and eaten cold in squares or slices along with custard sauce. In France oranges and other fruits are added to give it a different flavour.

Bread Pudding was introduced in India by the British during the time of the East India company. It was an easy dessert for the colonial servants to make and became popular in Anglo-Indian cusine which is loved and enjoyed even today. Each family has its own recipe for making bread pudding whether baked or steamed. Adding Condensed milk, cream, etc adds to the taste and calories!!!

Bread pudding can be made into a savoury dish as well by substituting sugar and raisins with chopped tomatoes, green chillies or capsisums / chillie peppers etc. You could experiment and make your own tasty pudding. Of course, one’s choice of bread, the addition of optional ingredients, and the details of preparation can make bread pudding into art form. Bread pudding can be made into a rich heavy dessert or just a simple light dish that even an invalid can digest. The possibilities are endless. Try out the recipes given below.

OLD FASHION BREAD PUDDING

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour

3 cups Milk 8 slices of bread cut into cubes
200 grams butter 200 grams sugar
2 beaten eggs 1/4 tsp salt
200 grams raisins and chopped nuts 1 tsp vanilla essence

Heat milk to scalding, and pour over the bread cubes. Set aside to cool for some time then add all the other ingredients. Add more milk if too dry. Pour into a buttered baking pan or dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Serve warm.

The same pudding can be steamed in a pressure cooker as well

MANGO FRUIT PUDDING

An easy to whip up mouth watering dessert that captures the glorious flavours of mangoes.

750 ml mango puree
250 ml condensed or evaporated milk
1 tablespoon unflavoured gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
250 ml hot water
8 ice cubes

Add the gelatin and sugar to the hot water and stir until completely dissolved and smooth.

In a large bowl mix the mango puree, condensed / evaporated milk and ice cubes together. Add the gelatin mixture and stir until the ice cubes have melted. Pour the mixture into a jelly mould or bowl and chill until set (about 3 hours).

To serve, dip the jelly mould briefly in hot water, then turn onto a plate. Top with slices of fresh mango or strawberry and the left over condensed milk.

SPICY ANGLO-INDIAN PORK ROAST

Serves 6 Preparation time; 2 hours

2kg pork (1 whole piece) from the shoulder portion 2 teaspoons pepper powder
4 dried red chillies broken into bits 3 pieces of cinnamon about ½ inch each
1 teaspoon chilly powder ½ teaspoon tumeric powder
2 or 3 onions sliced 1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste
Wash the pork and rub it well all over with the salt, pepper, chilly powder and tumeric powder. Spread the sliced onions evenly in a fairly large greased baking dish. Lay the chunk of pork on the layer of onions. Sprinkle the broken red chillies and cinnamon over it. Drizzle the oil all over the meat. Shake the dish so that it spreads evenly. Cook in a moderate oven (355 0 ) for about one and a half hours till the meat is soft and brown. (Turn the meat over every half hour so that it browns all over evenly).

Serve with mash potato and Bread or Rice.

The Pork Roast could be prepared using a Pressure cooker instead of baking in an oven.