PORK VINDALOO

Serves 6 Preparation Time 45 minutes

1 kg pork (With a little fat /lard) cut into medium pieces

3 big onions slices finely

3 big tomatoes pureed

1 tablespoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon tumeric powder

1 teaspoon mustard powder

3 teaspoons chilly powder

2 teaspoons pepper powder

3 tablespoons ginger garlic paste

1 cup vinegar

3 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

Marinate the pork for about one hour with the salt, vinegar, chilly powder, cumin powder pepper powder, mustard powder, tumeric powder and ginger and garlic paste.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the marinated pork and the tomato puree and keep frying for some time. Now add more water and pressure cook till the meat is well cooked. Serve hot with rice or bread

MUTTON /LAMB PALAU

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour

1 kg Basmati Rice or any other Good Rice …wash and soak for about 1 hour

1 kg Mutton / Lamb (or Beef) cut into fairly big pieces

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons spice powder or garam masala

½ kg tomatoes chopped

3 pieces cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 cardamoms 1 nutmeg flower

2 cups oil or ghee

Salt to taste

6 green chilies ground

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 teaspoons chilly powder

½ kg onions sliced finely

1- teaspoon tumeric powder

½ cup fresh mint leaves

Wash the meat and marinate with the spice powder, green chilly paste, half the quantity of ginger garlic paste and tumeric powder for half an hour.

Heat the oil or ghee in a large vessel and add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg flower, remaining ginger garlic paste and onions and sauté for some time. Add the chopped tomatoes, curds, mint leaves and chilly powder and simmer till the oil separates from the masala and the tomatoes are reduced to pulp. Add the marinated meat and salt and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pieces and keep aside. Now add sufficient water to the gravy in the vessel so as to get about 7 glasses of liquid. Add the rice and cook till half done. Now add the cooked meat and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat till done. Serve with Curd Chutney or salad

Jhovaan - (Meal in Konkani): Railway mutton and vindaloo

Jhovaan - (Meal in Konkani): Railway mutton and vindaloo

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.

COLONIAL STYLE PEPPER CHICKEN

1 kg chicken cut into medium size pieces

3 large onions sliced finely

2 teaspoons pepper powder

1 teaspoon tumeric powder

2 tablespoons oil

salt to taste


Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions lightly. Add the chicken and mix in the pepper powder, tumeric powder and salt. Add ½ cup of water and cook on low heat till the chicken is tender and semi dry. Simmer for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally till the chicken gets a good shiny colour.

Alternately, the chicken can be par boiled with a little water and then added to the sautéed onions and pepper.

ANGLO-INDIAN GINGER WINE

100 grams fresh ginger root
2 kgs sugar
6 limes / lemons (extract the juice)
3 pieces cinnamon
6 litres water

Peel and wash the ginger root and cut into thin strips. Put the ginger pieces, sugar and cinnamon together and bring to boil on high heat. Lower the heat, then simmer for atleast 2 hours on low heat till the water reduces and the mixture becomes slightly thick and coloured. Remove from heat then add the lime /lemon juice and mix well. When cold, strain through a thin cloth. Bottle and use as a digestive after all the heavy Christmas fare. This wine lasts for 3 months in a refrigerator.

GRAPE WINE

1 kg black sweet grapes

1 kg sugar

2 litres water

1/4 teaspoon baker's yeast

Wash the grapes we.. crush them well with the sugar. Add water and yeast and leave aside in a jar or a suitable vessel for 21 days. Open and stir the mixture every alternate day. After 21 days strain the mixture and leave aside for the sediments to settle. Strain once again then transfer to bottles.

To add more colour to the wine. Burn some sugar with a little rum / brandy/ wine in a saucepan. When the sugar gets caramelised add to the wine and mix well. It will then have a lovely rich colour.

Note: For making larger quantities of wine, increase the ingredients accordingly

COCONUT SWEETS (BARFI)

2 cups coconut scrapings

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter or ghee

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 teaspoon pink or green food colouring

Take a thick bottomed vessel and heat the sugar and 1/4 cup water on high heat. When the sugar melts, add the coconut, vanilla essence, ghee / butter and the milk. Cook on medium heat stirring all the time till the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the vessel. Drop a teaspoon of the mixture in a cup of water and if it forms a ball when rolled between the thumb and fingers, the right consistency is reached. Grease a flat plate and pour the mixture on it. Spread well and flatten with the back of a spoon dipped in water. Cut into squares when slightly cool.

ANGLO-INDIAN DOLDOL (THOLE THOLE)

A SPECIAL ANGLO-INDIAN CHRISTMAS SWEET MADE WITH RICE FLOUR AND COCONUT MILK

INGREDIENTS
1 kg Sugar
500 grams Almonds chopped
300 grams find Semolina / Rava (Roasted lightly with a little ghee)
500 grams ghee or clarified butter
5 cups thick coconut milk extracted from 3 coconuts or 5 packs of ready coconut milk
1 kg Puttu Rice or Red Rice Flour

METHOD

In a fairly big vessel, boil the sugar and coconut milk together till it forms a syrup. Mix the Rice flour and Semolina together and add to the syrup a little at a time, stirring constantly. Add the ghee and almonds. Stirring continuously, keep cooking on low heat till the mixture is thick and leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and pour onto a greased plate. Cut into squares when cold. The Doldol will be black in colour.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour

200 grams fresh bread crumbs
200 grams butter
2 teaspoons instant coffee (Nescafe or Bru)
2 teaspoons golden or caramel syrup
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs beaten well
¼ cup rum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
100 grams raisins
100 grams chopped sultanas
100 grams mixed peel
½ teaspoon salt
100 grams sugar

Cream the butter and sugar together then add the eggs and mix well. Gradually add all the other ingredients and mix well. Grease a Pudding Mould or any suitable bowl with butter. Pour the pudding mixture into it then steam the pudding for about 1 hour on low heat till it is firm to touch.

Note: This pudding can be made in advance and refrigerated till required. Steam for 10 minute or microwave for 3 minutes before serving

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour

200 grams refined flour or maida
2 eggs
200 grams sugar
200 grams butter
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons broken cashew nuts of walnuts

Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, salt, cocoa powder and vanilla essence together till creamy. Add the flour and mix well. If mixture is too thick add a little milk. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured cake tin and sprinkle the broken cashew nuts or walnuts on the top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in a moderate oven. The top should be brown and crisp.

ANGLO-INDIAN CHRISTMAS TREATS

ANGLO-INDIAN CHRISTMAS TREATS

KAL KALS (Fried sweetened balls of dough)
Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients

I kg refined flour or maida
6 eggs beaten well
2 cups thick coconut milk
½ teaspoon salt
300 grams sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Oil for deep frying

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together. Add the coconut milk and eggs and knead to a soft dough. Keep aside for an hour. Form kalkals by taking small lumps of the dough and roll on the back of a fork or a wooden kalkal mould, to form a scroll. Alternately, roll out the dough and cut into fancy shapes with kalkal or cookie cutters. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry as many kalkals as possible at a time. Keep aside.

To ice the kalkals, melt 1 cup of sugar with ½ cup of water and when the sugar syrup crystallizes pour over the kalkals and mix well. Store in airtight boxes when cold.

ROSE COOKIES
Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients

½ kg refined flour or maida
250 grams rice flour (optional)
1 cup coconut milk
200 grams sugar
6 eggs beaten well
½ teaspoon salt
1 litre oil for frying
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix all the ingredients together to form a smooth slightly thick batter.
Heat oil in a deep pan till it reaches boiling point. Now place the rose cookie mould into the oil to get hot. When the mould is hot enough dip it half way only into the batter and put it back immediately into the boiling oil. Shake the mould to separate the cookie from it. Heat the mould again and repeat the process. Fry rose cookies till brown. Continue in this way till the batter is finished.

Note: The batter will stick to the rose cookie mould with a hissing sound only if it is sufficiently hot otherwise it will just slide off the mould

CHOCOLATE NUTTY FUDGE

Makes 24 pieces Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients

300 grams sugar
100 grams cocoa powder
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
100 grams chopped walnuts and cashew nuts

Heat the milk in a suitable pan. When warm mix in the sugar, vanilla essence and cocoa powder. Simmer on low heat stirring continuously. When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan, add the butter and chopped nuts and mix well. Remove from heat and pour onto a greased plate. Cut into squares or diamond shapes when slightly cool

SIMPLE CHICKEN AND POTATO ROAST

Serves: 6
Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 whole chicken jointed into 4 to 6 pieces
6 medium size potatoes peeled
3 large onions quartered
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh chopped mint
1 teaspoon pepper powder
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon vinegar

Method

1. Wash the chicken and the potatoes.

2. Mix in all the above ingredients and leave aside for 15 minutes.

3. Arrange the marinated chicken and potatoes in a buttered oven proof dish.

4.Cover the dish with foil.

5. Bake in a moderate oven (355 degrees) for about 45 minutes.

Serve with Steamed vegetables and any type of bread.

Article about my books in THE HINDU METRPLUS 3/11/07

Bridget White’s earlier books, “The Best of Anglo-Indian Cuisine – A Legacy”, “A Collection of Anglo Indian Roasts, Casseroles and Bakes”, and “Flavours of the Past”, were largely influenced by South In dian flavours. For her new book, “Anglo Indian Delicacies”, Bridget, born and brought up in Kolar Gold Fields, has included favourites from North India and Kolkata.

The book features old favourites such as pork bhooni, the Portuguese devil curry, which as the name suggests is fiery with chillies, and Fish Kedegeree, (an anglicised kitchri, a rice and lentil dish) among other things.

Bridget’s father, Sydney White, served in the REME during World War II and he would tell stories of his Army days and the glorious camp soup. The book includes regimental recipes such as camp soup, Bengal Lancers shrimp curry, one eyed Jack and boiled mutton chops. The recipes are simple and can be tried with easily available ingredients.

With the festive season upon us, the second book, “The Anglo Indian Festive Hamper” is just the ticket. The book is a collection of popular Anglo-Indian festive goodies such as cakes, sweets, puddings, sandwiches, preserves and home-made wines. The cakes section is exhaustive. From the rich plum cake to yule log, the walnut cake to the fruit mince pies, the list is endless. Then there are different kinds of icing. Besides, there are Easter eggs, hot cross buns, kalkals, rose cookies, marzipan, fritters, marshmallows, fudge, toffees, puddings, blancmange, cookies, pancakes, marmalades and preserves. These books are a sure way of surprising family and friends with a treat that’s easy to cook.

For copies contact Bridget at 0091 80 25504137 / +91 98455 71254
bridgetkumar@yahoo.com