BRINJAL / EGGPLANT WITH TOMATOES

BRINJAL / AUBERGINE / EGG PLANT WITH TOMATOES 

Ingredients:

250 grams long Brinjal / Aubergine / Eggplant either the purple or green variety

2 onions chopped

2 tomatoes chopped1 teaspoon chillie powder, 
½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, 
1 teaspoon cumin powder, 

1 tablespoon vinegar, 
1 teaspoon sugar,
Salt to taste, 
2 tablespoons oil

Cut the Brinjal / Aubergine / Eggplant into medium size pieces and soak in a bowl of water to which a pinch of salt has been added. 
Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for some time. Now add the chillie powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, sugar and tomatoes and fry till the oil separates from the mixture.

Drain the Brinjal (Aubergine / Eggplant), and add it along with the vinegar. Mix well and simmer till the gravy is sufficiently thick and the Brinjal is cooked.

 Care should be taken not to overcook the Brinjal. Serve with Rice or Chapattis, 

VICHY CARROTS OR GLAZED CARROTS

VICHY CARROTS OR GLAZED CARROTS
Ingredients
250 grams baby carrots cut in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chillie powder
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

Heat the butter in a pan and add the chopped garlic. Saute till golden. Add the carrots, salt, sugar and chillie powder and mix well. Cook on medium heat till the carrots are tender. Mix in the honey / maple syrup.
Serve along with any Anglo-Indian Roast Meat Dish

CABBAGE FOOGATH

CABBAGE FOOGATH

(A typical Anglo-Indian vegetable side dish. A light, stir-fried, vegetable dish gently tempered with fried onions, curry leaves and mustard seeds)

Ingredients

1 small Cabbage chopped Fine 

2  or 3 dry red chilies broken into bits 

1 onion sliced

2 pods of garlic chopped

¼ teaspoon mustard seeds 

1 sprig curry leaves

½ cup grated coconut (optional) 

2 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard, garlic and curry leaves. 

When the mustard splutters, add the chopped onion and red chilies and fry till the onions turn slightly brown. 

Add the Cabbage and salt and mix well. 

Cover and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes till the cabbage is cooked. Mix in some grated coconut if desired

Serve as a side dish at lunch with Rice and Curry 

Coconut Rice, Ball Curry, Doll Curry, Devil Chutney

ANGLO-INDIAN MEAT BALL CURRY / BAD WORD CURRY

Ingredients; For the Curry

3 large onions chopped                  

1 sprig curry leaves

2 teaspoons chillie powder               

1 ½ teaspoons coriander powde

3 teaspoons ginger garlic paste     

2 big tomatoes pureed

1/2 cup ground coconut paste            

1. 1 teaspoon spice powder or garam masala 
   Salt to taste                                    
   3 tablespoons oil
   1 teaspoon coriander leaves chopped finely for garnishing
   ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
     
   Ingredients for the Meat Balls (Koftas)
   ½ kg fine beef mince or lamb / mutton mince   
   ½ teaspoon spice powder
   3 green chilies chopped                
   A small bunch of coriander leaves chopped finely
   Salt to taste                                  
   ½ teaspoon turmeric 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 chillie powder, coriander powder, spice powder or garam masala powder, turmeric powder and coconut and fry for a few minutes till the oil separates from the mixture. Now add the tomato juice and salt and simmer for some time.  Add sufficient water and bring to boil. 
   
   
   Meanwhile get the meat balls ready. Mix the spice powder, salt, chopped green chilies, turmeric 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.
   
   

AUBERGINE VINDALOO 

(Pieces of tender Aubergine cooked in a tangy vinegar sauce. A legacy of the original Portuguese dish VInha-de-aholoswhere the main ingredients were garlic and wine)

Serves 6    

Ingredients:

½ kg medium sized round brinjals or aubergines cut into quarters 

3 potatoes boiled and peeled and cut into quarters 

2 onions chopped, 

2 teaspoons chillie powder,

½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 

2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste, 

1 teaspoon cumin powder, 

½ cup tomato juice / puree, 

2 tablespoons vinegar 

1 teaspoon sugar, 

Salt to taste, 

3 tablespoons oil

Make a paste of the chillie powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, sugar and tomato puree and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté brinjals for a few minutes till they change colour. Keep aside.

In the same pan add a little more oil and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and cinnamon and fry for some time. Now add the mixed paste and fry till the oil separates from the mixture.  Add the brinjals, boiled potatoes and the vinegar and simmer till the gravy is sufficiently thick and the Brinjals are cooked. 

Serve with rice or any Indian Bread

CAULIFLOWER PEPPER FRY

(A typical Anglo-Indian vegetable side dish. A light, stir-fried, vegetable dish gently tempered with fried onions, curry leavesand ground pepper)

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 big cauliflower cut into medium size florets

2 large onions sliced finely 

1 teaspoon garlic ginger paste 

2 bay leaves

8 pepper corns

1 piece of cinnamon (one inch length)

2 teaspoons ground black pepper / pepper powder 

2 tablespoons butter

Salt to taste

Wash and soak the cauliflower for 1 hour in warm salt and vinegar water. 

Cook the cauliflower in a little water for 5 minutes, then drain.

Heat the butter in a pan and add the sliced onions, bay leaves, pepper corns, cinnamon and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute for a few minutes. 

Add the cooked cauliflower, salt and pepper and mix well. Fry on low heat for a few seconds then turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped mint or parsley

SAFFRON COCONUT RICE

(A popular Anglo-Indian Rice Dish that is an all-time favourite and has remained unchanged for more than a century. A light Rice dish cooked in Coconut milk, whole spices and saffron and forms the fragrant yet light base of any Anglo-Indian Meal)

 Serves 6  

Ingredients

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 turmeric powder or a few strands of saffron

Salt to taste

4 tablespoons butter or ghee

3 cloves, 3 cardamoms, 3 small sticks of cinnamon and 2 bay leaves 

Heat ghee in a large vessel or Rice cooker and fry the spices for a few minutes. Add the washed rice, salt, turmeric and 4 cups of coconut milk and cook till the rice is done

DOLL (DHAL) CURRY

1. Ingredients
   1 cup Red Lentils (Masur Dal)
   
   2 tomatoes chopped finely, 
   1 teaspoon chillie powder, 
   1 teaspoon coriander powder,                     
   ½ teaspoon turmeric powde
2. 1 onion chopped, 
3. 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 
   salt to taste
   For the seasoning: 
   1 teaspoon mustard, 2 red chilies broken into bits and a few curry leaves and 1 tablespoon oil.
   Method
   
    Wash the dhal and cook it along with the  tomato, chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and onion with sufficient water in a pressure cooker.  When done open the cooker, add salt and some more water and mash well.  In another pan heat oil and add the mustard, broken red chilies and smashed garlic and fry for some time. When the mustard starts spluttering,  pour in the cooked dhal. Serve with rice.
   
   
   DEVIL CHUTNEY OR HELL’S FLAME CHUTNEY 
   Devil Chutney is a fiery red chutney or sauce. Its bright red colour often misleads people to think that is a very pungent and spicy dish. It is actually a sweet and sour sauce and only slightly pungent. The vinegar and sugar react with the onion and red chillie to produce the bright red colour. Devil Chutney is also known as ‘Hell fire or Hell’s flame chutney or Fiery Mother-in-law’s Tongue Chutney” due to its vivid colour.

   Ingredients
   2 medium size onions chopped roughly 
   1 teaspoon red chillie powder

   

   
   1 tablespoon raisins (optional) 
   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. 

   
   

   
   

CAULIFLOWER FOOGATH

CAULIFLOWER FOOGATH

(A typical Anglo-Indian vegetable side dish. A light, stir-fried, vegetable dish gently tempered with fried onions, curry leaves and mustard seeds)

Serves 6           

Ingredients

1 small cauliflower chopped into small florets

2  or 3 dry red chilies broken into bits 

1 onion sliced

2 pods of garlic chopped

¼ teaspoon mustard seeds 

1 sprig curry leaves

½ cup grated coconut (optional) 

2 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard, garlic and curry leaves. 

When the mustard splutters, add the chopped onion and red chilies and fry till the onions turn slightly brown. 

Add the Cauliflower and salt and mix well. 

Add ½ cup of water. 

Cover and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes till the cauliflower is cooked

Serve as a side dish at lunch with Rice and Curry 

CHICKEN PAN ROAST WITH BRAISED VEGETABLES

CHICKEN PAN ROAST WITH BRAISED VEGETABLES

This simple and delicious Chicken Roast makes a perfect meal either for lunch or dinner on Christmas Day. The left overs make good sandwiches the next day. 

Serves 6   Preparation Time 1 hour

Ingredients

4 whole Chicken thighs and legs or one small whole chicken 

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons ground black pepper 

1 teaspoon Chillie powder

2 tablespoons oil or ghee

2 or 3 dry red chillies

A few whole pepper corns

3 carrots peeled and cut lengthwise

8 or 10 runner beans broken into halves

Marinate the chicken with the salt, pepper and chillie powder for about half an hour.

Heat oil or ghee in a thick -bottomed pan and add the chicken thighs together with the broken red chillies and pepper corns. Turn the chicken from side to side and fry on medium heat for about for about 5 minutes or till the pieces becomes firm. 

Add about half cup of water and mix well. Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook first on high heat then over low heat turning the chicken occasionally till the chicken is cooked and all the water / soup  is absorbed.

Add the carrots and beans and cook till just tender. Continue to cook till the chicken is roasted to a lovely golden brown. 

Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes and bread 

DING-DING - SUN DRIED MEAT CRISPIES - CHICKEN DING-DING

CHICKEN DING-DING

(An old Anglo-Indian Sun-dried, Savoury Crispy dish, usually made with meat and which originated when game was plentiful and the meat was dried in the sun and preserved for a rainy day. It was a Back Up Dish for those days when fresh meat was not available. A delightful starter at Parties and Dinners or as an ideal accompaniment to Pepper Water and Rice or Doll Curry and Rice. Now given a twist with fillets of chicken breast and without drying in the sun. The cornflour helps in giving the crispy effect) 

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 kg boneless tender chicken breast sliced very thinly into strips or fillets

3 teaspoons fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon mild chillie powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons corn flour

Marinate the chicken slices with all the above ingredients (except the corn flour) for atleast 8 hours or overnight.

When ready to fry, bring it to room temperature and mix in the corn flour.

Deep fry in hot oil till crisp and brown.

Serve with Tartar Sauce

MUTTON / LAMB PEPPER CHOPS

MUTTON / LAMB PEPPER CHOPS 

An old Colonial favourite, Lamb or Mutton Pepper Chops is a simple and easy dish to prepare and requires no elaborate preparation. You could have it as a main meal with mashed potatoes and steamed or sauteed vegetables or as a side dish with rice and dal 

This recipe is featured in my Cookery Book ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST 

Serves 6 Preparation Time 45 minutes

Ingredients 

½ kg good Lamb chops (Flatten them)

3 potatoes (Boiled, peeled and cut in half lengthwise)

3 big onions sliced

2 teaspoons ground black pepper (as per choice) 

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons oil 

Mix the chops with the salt, pepper and turmeric and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a suitable pan and fry the onions till light brown. 

Add the chops and mix well. Fry on medium heat till the chops get firm. Add 2 cups of water and simmer till the chops are cooked and the gravy is thick. 

Add the boiled potatoes and gently mix in.

Celebrating Anglo-Indian Cuisine - Feature on me in the Business World

http://www.businessworld.in/article/Celebrating-Anglo-Indian-Cuisine/08-11-2019-178656/

Bridget White Kumar, a chip off the old block has been carefully preserving Anglo Indian cuisine through her books and collaborations with the hospitality industry. Her desire to fuse her passion with the need to keep her legacy going had her formally tread this path with gusto from the year 2000 when she left her full-time job at a national bank. Here in the capital to help curate a winter menu at the only-of-its kind restaurant Anglow, she says, “I am happy to be a part of any endeavour that strives to preserve and promote the culture. It is nice to see a renewed interest in the cuisine that is close to my heart.” Bridget reminisces of her time growing up in the Anglo Indian colony of Kolar Gold Fields where the meals would be a staple of curries made of seasonal vegetables and meat, stews, “fugad” or stir-fried vegetables and milk pudding that was the ultimate “comfort food”. Later the family shifted to Bengaluru for better opportunities and she continued to cook and take pride in her roots, feeding all those who showed the narriest of interest. Thus Anglo-Indian cuisine which evolved over many hundred years was the result of reinventing and reinterpreting the quintessentially western cuisine by assimilating and amalgamating ingredients and cooking techniques from all over the Indian sub-continent. Thus a completely new contemporary cuisine came into existence making it truly “Anglo” and “Indian” in nature, which was neither too bland nor too spicy, but with a distinctive flavour of its own. It became a direct reflection of the multicultural and hybrid heritage of the new colonial population. The cuisine developed differently from region to region, according to the local offerings. Bridget enlightens, “Even when it comes to the oil, in Kerala the same dish could be made with coconut oil, In the North with gingelly oil and in places like Calcutta mustard oil.” Some of the familiar creations that became local culture would be the Railway cutlet or the Calcutta chops that are now almost street food. With winters almost here, Bridget throws light on what comprises a typical “winter fare”; “Roasts, Soups, Stews, Baked Dishes and Casseroles made with meat. Fish and poultry are normally Winter Dishes using more of pepper, ginger, and root vegetables. Dry fruits and nuts are used in cakes and puddings.” Christmas time, of course, is that time when every family challenges their culinary skills. A typical Christmas lunch at an AngloIndian home, Bridget tells us would be “a large meal comprising of a Meat Pulao, Chicken Curry, Stuffed Roast turkey or Chicken Roast, Pork Vindaloo, Duck Vindaloo, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, bread, dinner rolls, Christmas pudding, cakes, sweets of all kinds, all washed down with a glass or two of Grape Wine, Ginger Wine or a peg or two of whiskey, brandy or other liquor.

CHICKEN LIVER PEPPER FRY

CHICKEN LIVER PEPPER FRY

Serves 6    Preparation Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

½ kg chicken liver cut into pieces       

2 large onions sliced finely

2 or 3 teaspoons ground pepper                             

2 green chillies slit

Salt to taste                                                               

3 tablespoons oil

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Wash the chicken livers well.  Boil them with a little water and salt till done. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown.  Add the cooked gizzards and liver together with the slit green chillies, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt and keep frying on low heat till dry and brown

STEAMED DATE AND NUT PUDDING

STEAMED DATE AND NUT PUDDING

A Steamed Pudding, served warm, is the ultimate comfort dish on a cold or rainy day. Often made as a dessert for dinner, steamed puddings can be made with a variety of tastes. Steamed Plum Pudding and Steamed Ginger Puddings are generally made at Christmas time. But a Steamed Date and Nut Pudding could be enjoyed at any time of the year. The pudding could be made and stored in the fridge. Just before serving, steam it once again for a few minutes so that its nice and warm. It could be served with any sweet sauce or Custard Sauce or just sprinkled with caster sugar. Sharing an easy recipe for Date and Mixed Nut Pudding that I’ve been using over the years. I’ve spread a layer of Apricot Jam on top.

Serves 6

Ingredients

250 grams pitted dates
100 grams mixed nuts such as walnuts, almonds, etc., chopped coarsely

1 cup water

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda / Baking Soda

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

¼ cup bread crumbs

Boil the dates and water in a saucepan on medium heat, till the dates soften.

Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Once cold, puree it in a blender and remove any sediments.

Meanwhile cream the butter and sugar together till smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract and mix to a very smooth consistency.

Add the date puree and mixed nuts and mix well.

Slowly add the flour, baking soda and bread crumbs and mix gently.

Grease a 1.5 litre pudding bowl and pour the mixture into the bowl.

Cover the pudding with a greased piece of greaseproof paper or foil.

Put the bowl inside a covered steamer or pressure cooker and steam for about one and half hours till the pudding is cooked. Test by inserting a toothpick.

If desired spread a layer of apricot jam on top or just sprinkle castor sugar on top.

Serve the pudding warm with vanilla sauce or ice cream

CHICKEN CURRY IN TOMATO AND COCONUT GRAVY

CHICKEN CURRY IN A COCONUT AND TOMATO GRAVY

A simple and tasty Chicken Curry in a Coconut and Tomato Gravy. Goes well with rice, bread or any Indian Bread)

Ingredients

1 kg chicken jointed and cut into medium size pieces

A small bunch of coriander leaves washed and chopped

2 large onions chopped

2 tomatoes chopped very finely or pureed 

4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 or 2 teaspoons chillie powder depending on choice of pungency 

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder 

2 cloves, 2 small pieces of cinnamon, 2 cardamoms, 1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste

3 tablespoons oil 

Salt to taste

4 tablespoons thick Coconut milk

Heat oil in a pan and add the onions, Fry till golden brown. Add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, ginger and garlic paste and sauté for a few minutes. 

Now add the chicken, salt, chillie powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and fry for some time till the oil separates from the mixture. 

Add the tomato puree, coconut milk and mix well. Add just a little water and cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is thick