DING-DING – ANGLO-INDIAN SUN DRIED MEAT - Summer is the right time to make Pickle and Ding Ding














DING-DING – ANGLO-INDIAN SUN DRIED MEAT  - Summer is the right time to make Pickle and Ding Ding
 The hot, hot summer that we are having these days in Bangalore brings back memories of my mum and Aunt Celine making use of the heat of the summer sun to make Ding-Ding  - our very own Anglo-Indian Sun dried meat crispies. Meat, either beef or mutton was cut into very thin slices, washed and then marinated in a mixture of chillie powder, turmeric powder, salt, pepper powder and vinegar for a few hours. The marinated meat was then strung on a string and hung on the verandah or back porch to dry in the summer heat. Sometimes the meat was placed on flat plates and left to dry. It would take a couple of days to dry completely to a crisp. The dried meat was then carefully stored away in airtight tins to be used at a later date.
The dried meat would be soaked in cold water first and beaten flat with a rolling pin and then shallow fried in hot oil till brown and crisp. It made a wonderful side dish with  Rice and Pepper Water or Rice and Dol (Dhal) Curry.
Anglo-Indian men in the olden days were fond of hunting especially those living in the Tea Gardens, Mining Colonies, Railway Colonies etc . A group of them would venture into the  woods and farms in search of game. They would invariably return with wild Boar, pheasants, wild ducks etc. The spoils would be shared with neighbors and friends and the remaining meat was always preserved in this way by drying it after marinating it with vinegar. How this dried meat dish actually got its name Ding-Ding is unknown. Presumably, the meat dangling from the string gave it its name since most Anglo-Indian Dishes have rhyming alliterative names. This recipe and lots of other old Anglo-Indian Recipes are featured in my Recipe Book  ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE – A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST.
Note: For those who do not want to dry the meat in the sun, the meat could be dried in an oven instead. 

Recipe for DING DING
Ingredients
1 kg beef from the shank end of the leg (cut into very thin slices)
3 or 4 teaspoons pepper powder
2 teaspoons chillie powder
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
½ cup vinegar
Wash the meat and marinate with the pepper powder, salt, chillie powder, vinegar and turmeric powder for 2 or 3 hours.  String the pieces of meat on a string and hang to dry.  (Alternately the marinated meat could be placed on a flat plate and kept in the sunlight to dry). The pieces should be dried thoroughly. 
Store in an airtight container and use whenever required at a later date.

To use at a later date, soak the dried meat pieces in cold water for a couple of hours.  Beat each piece with a rolling pin and then shallow fry with a little oil. This goes well with rice and pepper water.

HOME MADE CURRY POWDERS USED IN ANGLO-INDIAN COOKING - Curry Powder, Vindaloo Powder, All Spice Powder, Pepper Water Powder











HOME MADE CURRY POWDERS USED IN ANGLO-INDIAN COOKING - Here are a few recipes to make your own Homemade Curry Powders at home - Anglo-Indian Every day Curry Powder, Vindaloo Powder, All Spice Powder, Pepper Water Powder. Homemade powders always give a better taste to curries than store bought curry powders. Make small quantities and store in air tight bottles or jars for future use.


1. BASIC CHILLIE  POWDER
½ kg Red Chilies (long or round variety for pungency)
½ kg Kashmiri Chilies or any other non spicy chillies (for adding colour)

 Roast the two types of chilies in a pan or in a microwave oven for a few minutes. Powder them at home in the dry blender or get it done at the mill.
A teaspoon or two of this chillie powder could be used for any type of dish that calls for chillie powder. It can be stored for more than a year.



2. ANGLO-INDIAN EVERY DAY CURRY POWDER
250 grams Red Chillies for pungency    
200 grams Kashmiri Chillies or any other chillies for colour
100 coriander seeds
100 grams cumin seeds

Roast all the above ingredients separately then mix altogether and grind to a fine powder either in a blender or mixer at home or get it ground in a mill.

A teaspoon or two of this powder can be used for almost all curries both vegetarian and non- vegetarian. It can be stored and used for more than a year.

3. PEPPER WATER POWDER
250 grams Red Chilies
50 grams pepper corns
50 grams cumin seeds
50  grams coriander seeds
20 grams turmeric powder

Roast all the above ingredients and then grind together to a powder.
2 teaspoons of this powder should be added to 2 cups of water, juice of 2 tomatoes, a lump of tamarind and a little salt and cooked for 5 minutes to make instant pepper water. This pepper water should be seasoned with mustard, garlic and curry leaves.

4. ALL SPICE POWDER (GARAM  MASALA POWDER)
1 teaspoon pepper corns
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon cardamoms
3 (one inch) pieces of cinnamon
1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)

Roast all the above lightly for a few minutes then dry grind to a fine powder.
A teaspoon of this spice powder can be used for any recipe that calls for all spice powder or garam masala.


5. VINDALOO CURRY POWDER / PASTE
25 grams mustard seeds
250 grams red chilies for pungency                                           
50 grams cumin seeds
10 grams pepper corns

Roast all the above ingredients together for a few minutes then powder in a mill or dry grind in a blender.

Use 2 teaspoons of this powder for every ½ kg of meat when cooking Vindaloo along with the other ingredients as per the recipe. If this powder is stored in an airtight bottle it will stay fresh for more than a year. The same mixture can also be made into a paste if ground in vinegar but it should be stored in the fridge.