AN ANGLO-INDIAN FESTIVE LUNCH OR DINNER PLATTER - Chicken Buffarth, Anglo-Indian Chicken Roast with Braised Vegetables, Pepper Mince and Potato Cutlets / Chops, Pork Vindaloo, Pork Roast, Chiocken Pilaf / Palau, Steamed Ginger Pudding

AN ANGLO-INDIAN FESTIVE LUNCH OR DINNER PLATTER - Chicken Buffarth, Anglo-Indian Chicken Roast with Braised Vegetables, Pepper Mince and Potato Cutlets / Chops, Pork Vindaloo, Pork Roast, Chiocken Pilaf / Palau, Steamed Ginger Pudding 

1. CHICKEN BUFFARTH  (Breakfast Stew on Easter Morning )

This wholesome stew was a ‘must have’ in Anglo-Indian homes for Breakfast on Easter Sunday in the earlier days. It goes well with bread or buns.

Serves 6      Preparation Time 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken

1 large cabbage cut into 4          

3 carrots cut into medium pieces

2 potatoes peeled and chopped

     1 teaspoon turmeric powder       

2 teaspoons salt

4 large onions sliced                    

6 green chilies slit lengthwise

1 teaspoon crushed garlic           

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

½ cup vinegar                             

½ cup oil or ghee

1 teaspoon spice powder            

2 teaspoons chillie powder

1 teaspoon pepper powder          

2 Bay leaves

1 teaspoon cumin powder            

Cut the chicken into about 8 big pieces. Wash well and add all the above ingredients to it.  Mix well. Heat the oil in a large pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with the cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Add the chicken mixed with all the ingredients.  Add 3 cups of water. Cover the pan and cook first on high heat then simmer on low heat for 30 minutes till the chicken pieces are well cooked and the buffad gives out a nice aroma. Serve hot.

 2.. ANGLO-INDIAN CHICKEN ROAST WITH BRAISED VEGETABLES

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

Serves 6   Preparation Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1 whole chicken cleaned and washed well. Chop into 8 big pieces

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons ground black pepper powder

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 together with the broken red chillies and pepper corns. Turn the chicken from side to side and fry for about for about 5 minutes or till the pieces becomes firm. Add about 2 cups 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.

3. PEPPER MINCE AND POTATO CUTLETS /CHOPS 

Serves 6  Preparation Time 1 hour

Ingredients

½ kg finely minced meat

1 medium sized onion chopped finely    

2 teaspoons pepper powder

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons oil

1 egg beaten

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

3 large potatoes

Boil the potatoes, remove the skin and mash well. Keep aside. In a pan add the mince, onions, pepper powder and salt with a little oil and cook till the mince is dry.  Remove from heat and cool for some time. Form the mashed potatoes into even sized balls. Make a depression in the center and fill with the pepper mince. Flatten each ball to form a round cutlet. Dip in the beaten egg then roll in the breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a flat pan and shallow fry the cutlets on low heat till golden  brown on both sides.

 4. ANGLO-INDIAN PORK VINDALOO

A typical Anglo-Indian Favourite on festive days. This dish is a Portuguese legacy to Anglo-Indian Cuisine.

Serves 6        Preparation Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg pork cut into medium pieces

3 big onions sliced finely

1 tablespoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon mustard powder

3 teaspoons chillie powder

2 teaspoons pepper powder

3 teaspoons garlic paste

1 cup vinegar

3 tablespoons oil

1 sprig curry leaves

Salt to taste

Marinate the pork for about one hour with the salt, vinegar, chillie powder, cumin powder pepper powder, mustard powder, turmeric powder and garlic paste. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry the curry leaves and onions till golden brown. Add the marinated pork 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.

5. SIMPLE PORK ROAST

Serves 6   Preparation time 1 hour

Ingredients

1 chunk of pork weighing around 2 kgs with fat and lard

3 potatoes peeled

3 whole red chillies 

1 teaspoon pepper corns

3 cloves

3 cardamoms,

1 Bay leaf

Salt to taste

Wash the pork and rub well with the salt and a pinch of pepper. Place in a pressure cooker together with the red chillies, peppercorns, spices, bay leaf and a little water and pressure -cook for 15 minutes. Open the pressure cooker and add the whole potatoes. Simmer on low heat turning the meat around till nicely browned on all sides.

Alternately, the meat can be roasted with all the above ingredients in an   oven for 2 hours or till the meat is soft and brown.

 6. CHICKEN PALAU

Serves 8   Time Required 1 hour

Ingredients

1 kg Basmati Rice or any other Good Rice. (wash and soak for about 1 hour)

2 kgs chicken cut into fairly big pieces

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons spice powder or garam masala

½ kg tomatoes chopped

3 small sticks of cinnamon, 4 cloves, 5 cardamoms

1 nutmeg flower / Star Anise

2 cups oil or ghee

Salt to taste

6 green chilies ground

3 tablespoons ginger garlic paste

2 teaspoons chillie powder

 ½ kg onions sliced finely           

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup curds / yogurt

Wash the chicken and marinate with the spice powder, green chillie paste, curds / yogurt, half the quantity of ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder for half an hour.

Heat the oil or ghee in a large vessel and add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg flower / star Anise, remaining ginger garlic paste and onions and sauté for some time. Add the chopped tomatoes, mint leaves and chillie powder and simmer till the oil separates from the mixture and the tomatoes are reduced to pulp. Add the marinated chicken and salt and cook for 10 minutes till the chicken is done. Remove the chicken 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 chicken and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat till all the liquid is absorbed and the Biryani is almost dry. Serve hot with Curd Chutney.

 7. STEAMED GINGER PUDDING

 Ingredients 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened,

2 tablespoons flour 

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon dry ginger powder

½ cup plus sugar 

1 large egg 

1/3 cup coarsely chopped candied ginger (optional)

1 tablespoon honey 

1 tablespoon whole milk 

4 tablespoons apricot jam 

Butter an oven proof pudding basin or mixing bowl.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and ground ginger in a small bowl. Add the butter, bread crumbs and sugar into the bowl and mix well, Mix in the egg. Add flour mixture, chopped ginger, honey, and milk and mix until just combined. Spoon the jam into the bottom of the buttered Pudding bowl. Pour the batter on top, then smooth with a spatula. Cover the bowl with a lid and steam the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes till done.

Leave aside to cool for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around edge of bowl then invert the pudding onto a plate. Serve warm either with more Jam on top or with fresh cream

ANGLO-INDIAN EASTER TREATS - Home Made Chocolate and Marzipan Easter Eggs, Butter Sponge Cake with Butter Icing, Hot Cross Buns

Some of my recipes for Easter Goodies from my Recipe Book A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN RECIPES featured in THE HINDU Newspaper on 22/03/2016.
Anglo-Indian Easter Treats - Home Made Chocolate and Marzipan Easter Eggs, Butter Sponge Cake with Butter Icing, Hot Cross Buns, etc 

A SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN VEGETARIAN LUNCH - Pepper Water, Steamed Rice, Mixed Vegetable Curry, Carrot and Peas Foogath, Vegetable Cutlets, Onion Fritters etc

A SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN VEGETARIAN LUNCH 
A wholesome and simple lunch consisting of typical Anglo-Indian Favourites - Pepper Water, Steamed Rice, Mixed Vegetable Curry, Onion Fritters, Carrot and Peas Foogath, Vegetable Cutlets and mango pickle 

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE EVENT AT COCHRANE PLACE KURSEONG

I've just got back from the most amazing Food Event at the launch of the Gourmet Week at Cochrane Place Kurseong in the Darjeeling Hills. Conceived and curated by Dr Ashish Chopra who is India's top Culinary Historian, Author, Gourmand, T V Host, Flavour Analyst and Travel Writer. The launch of the Cochrane Place Gourmet Club, was a Week long festival celebrating the love of food. (Feb 14th to 19th). Thank you Ashish for making this happen. You are Santa Claus
Cochrane Place Kurseong is the restored stately British Colonial home of late Percy Cochrane the District Magistrate of Kurseong. Perched on a ridge surrounded by lush tea gardens the building is set in stone, log and cast iron splendour offering panoramic views of the Himalayas, it was the perfect setting for a week of scrumptious Food.
I’m just repeating the words of Dr Ashish Chopra "Its all happening at COCHRANE PLACE,KURSEONG in the midst of Tea country this month .. Bridget White Kumar weaves her magic with Anglo Indian cuisine, Sohini Basu, Cordon Bleu Pastry chef does magic with her cup cakes, Susmit Bose, the legendary Urban folk musician enthralls us with his golden voice, Ramaa Shanker cooks up some soul food of tasty Vegetarian Dishes, Kaveri Ponnapa Kambiranda, the celebrity author, Anthropologist and Gourmand teaches us how to make a Coorg special and one of my favourites Pandi curry, Avijit Dutt, the grand theatre man and actor shares his travel and culinary experience, Yours truly Ashish Chopra musters up dishes from my forthcoming book Tribal cuisines of India and introduces the black bird kadaknath. GROVER ZAMPA joins in the fun and gets us to taste their wines and pair them with respective cuisines” 

“On day One, our lunch began beautifully with a group of British Heritage Railway enthusiasts dawning upon Cochrane Place to savour a specially created Anglo Indian Railway menu served during the days of the Raj... With Bridget White Kumar cooking and Dhiraj Arora in assistance taking over the kitchen and mustering up a splendid meal consisting of Railway Chicken Curry, Egg Vindaloo, Railway Vegetable Cutlets, Vegetable Jal Frezi,Country Captain Beans, Mulligatawny Soup with a twist and the most awesome Pineapple upside down cake baked by Sohini Basu along with a Beetroot Carrot Halwa” 
In like manner t he Menus were specially crafted each day to revisit the days of Colonial Raj Cuisine. A 2nd World War Army Camp Menu was specially created to honour 2 Army Generals of the Area who were the special guests at dinner such as the Army Camp Soup, Col Standhursts Lamb Curry, Bengal Lancers Mince Cutlets, etc. Other Colonial Anglo-Indian Dishes such as Pork Vindaloo. Dak Bungalow Mutton Curry, Grandma’s Country Captain, Inspection Bungalow Vegetable Stew, Chillie Pork Fry, Stuffed Aubergines, Brown Sahib Soup, Okra and Potato Pepper fry, Vegetable Jal Frazie Shepherd’s Pie, Vegetarian Cottage Pie, A variety of baked dishes, etc, etc, were on the menu and thoroughly enjoyed by the guests. The Chicken and Lamb Roasts were marinated in a Grover Red Wine Marinade and the Stews and soups were given a liberal dash of Grover White Wines.

 To round off all the Hot Food, we stuffed ourselves with decadent Desserts prepared by Sohini Basu and her two talented assistants from Mrs, Magpies Kolkotta Apart from the Gourmet Dinners, the Chefs and Kitchen staff of Cochrane Place dished up some delicious local dishes, Bengali Food and Chinese Dishes. They excelled in feeding us sumptuous Breakfasts, Snacks and Short Eats besides the endless cups of hot tea in different flavours to offset the cold weather. We were well and truly stuffed !!!!!

COCONUT PANCAKES / PAN ROLLS FOR SHROVE TUESDAY / PANCAKE TUESDAY

SIMPLE COCONUT PAN CAKES / PAN ROLLS 

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, i.e. the day before the commencement of the season of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year. The name Shrove comes from the old English word "shrive" which means “to confess”. In the Middle Ages, people used to go to confession and confess their sins on Shrove Tuesday, so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time of fast and abstinence and of making sacrifices and giving things up. The Church liturgy laid much emphasis on eating very plain food and refraining from food that would give pleasure during the period of lent. In many cultures, this meant no meat, dairy, or eggs. So in earlier times, Shrove Tuesday became the last chance for people to indulge themselves in good food on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and to make use of the items of foods that were not allowed during Lent.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Shrove Tuesday is more commonly known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day, as it is customary to eat PANCAKES on this day. Pancakes thus became associated with the day preceding Lent, because it was a way to use up all the rich foodstuffs in the house such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent began.

Here is a simple recipe for some soft crepes or pancakes stuffed with sweetened grated coconut. 

SIMPLE COCONUT PAN CAKES / PAN ROLLS 

Serves 2 

Preparation time 30 minutes

1cup flour (maida)                       

2 eggs beaten well

2 tablespoons sugar                   

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

1 tablespoon butter or ghee       

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder       

1cup milk

Mix all the ingredients together to get a thin smooth batter without lumps. Heat a non- stick frying pan. When hot wipe all over with a piece of cloth dipped in a little oil. Pour a ladle of batter in the pan with a swirling motion and then shake the pan so that the entire pan is covered. Cook on both sides and remove. Serve hot with Jam or honey.

Make the coconut Pan Rolls by placing  a spoon of sweetened grated coconut in the middle then roll them up. Serve hot.
For Fruit Pancakes, add finely chopped fruit such as Pineapple, Banana, Apple, etc to the batter and make the Pancakes as above. 

EGG MOILEE

EGG MOILEE

A delightful and delicately flavoured Egg Stew bursting with the flavor of Coconut Milk and a hint of Green chillies and freshly crushed Black Pepper

Serves 6   Preparation and Cooking Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

6 hard boiled eggs shelled and halved  

2 big onions sliced finely

2 small tomatoes chopped into quarters

3 or 4 green chilies sliced lengthwise (reduce the quantity if desired)                             

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1cup thick coconut milk                                                     

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper / pepper powder 

3 tablespoons oil                                                               

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a suitable pan and lightly fry the boiled eggs for about 3 minutes till they turn light brown. Remove the eggs and keep aside.

In the same pan, (add a little more oil if required) and fry the onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic till the onions turn glassy. Now add all the other ingredients including the eggs. Mix well so that all the Eggs get covered. Cook on medium heat till the gravy thickens. The tomatoes should not be cooked too much. They are added just to give a little colour to the dish. Garnish with a few Curry Leaves if desired

Serve with rice, bread, dosas or hoppers.

ANGLO-INDIAN HAM ROAST

ANGLO-INDIAN HAM ROAST

 A simple Ham Roast Anglo-Indian Style for Christmas Dinner if you don’t feel like having Roast Turkey or Pork Roast this year. All you need to do is to let it simmer on its own for a short while and your Ham Roast is ready. Serve with Roast Potatoes, Steamed vegetables and Bread.

 Ingredients

 1 chunk of Smoked Ham  or Uncooked Ham with the Bone weighing around 2 Kgs (with some fat)

3 potatoes peeled and halved

1 teaspoon chillie powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

3 whole red chillies 

1 teaspoon pepper corns

3 cloves

3 cardamoms,

1 Bay leaf

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon ground pepper 

1 tablespoon vinegar

 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Make a few small cuts on the Ham. Rub the Ham well with the salt, vinegar, chillie powder, turmeric and pepper. Pierce the Ham with the a few cloves if desired.

 Place the ham in a suitable pan together with all the above ingredients and a little water and cook first on medium heat then on low heat till the ham is cooked and all the water dries up.

Simmer on low heat turning the Ham around till nicely browned on all sides. (Add a teaspoon of sugar to brown it faster)

 Alternately, the Ham can be roasted with all the above ingredients in an oven till the Ham  is soft and brown.

A SIMPLE PLUM CAKE

Sharing the recipe for a Simple Plum Cake from my consolidated Recipe Book A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-a NDIAN RECIPES. Try it today. 
Simple Plum Cake 
Ingredients: 
300 gm flour or maida; 
250 gm butter; 
250 gm powdered sugar; 
3 eggs (whites beaten well separately); 
1 tsp baking powder; 
2 teaspoons chopped orange or lemon peel; 
100 gm black currants chopped;
 2 tbsp date syrup (for colour); 
2 cloves and 2 small pieces of cinnamon powdered;
 1 tsp vanilla essence;
 ¼ tsp salt.

Method: Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Dust the orange/ lemon peel and chopped black currants with a little flour. Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the egg yolks, date syrup, cinnamon and clove powder and vanilla essence and mix well. Add the orange/ lemon peel and black currants. Slowly add the egg whites and flour and fold in well. If the mixture is too thick, add a little milk. Pour into a greased and papered baking tin or dish and bake in a slow oven for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when done and set aside to cool.

BRIDGET WHITE-KUMAR - FEATURED IN THE FOOD LOVERS MAGAZINE WINTER 2015

Sharing a Feature on me on my efforts to preserve Anglo-Indian Cuisine in the latest issue of Food Lovers Magazine - Food Lovers - Winter 2015 (Vol 9 Issue 3). My sincere thanks to Kripal Amanna, Indulekha Surendranath and the Team for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I enjoyed my session with you all. God bless 
The winter edition of Food Lovers Magazine is now in stores across India! With features that explore the culinary landscape of Progressive Indian Cuisine in Dubai, with some of best Indian chefs across the globe; a first-of-its-kind pairing of wine and robust, rustic Indian fare, representing the length and breadth of our diverse gastronomic tradition; a study of India’s Anglo Indian Cuisine to tell a story of forgotten colonial influences in the kitchen; and a fascinating culinary investigation of Gaggan, Bangkok, the first Indian restaurant to make it to the top 10 in the list of the World's Best Restaurants.
For all this and more, get your copy of Food Lovers Magazine today. To subscribe for a physical or digital copy, log on to www.foodlovers.in/subscribe

MUTTON CHOPS AND POTATOES IN GRAVY - AN OLD ANGLO-INDIAN FAVOURITE

Mutton Chops and Potatoes in Gravy is an old Anglo-Indian favourite dish. Tender mutton or lamb chops are cooked in a slightly spicy gravy. It goes really well with bread or rice.  This recipe and lots of other old Anglo-Indian recipes are featured in my prize winning recipe book ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE - A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST.

MUTTON CHOPS AND POTATOES IN GRAVY

Serves 6     Preparation Time approx 1 hour

Ingredients

½ kg Mutton /Lamb Chops (Flatten them)

3 or 4 potatoes, Boiled, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

4 big onions sliced

2 green chilies slit lengthwise

1 or 2 teaspoons chillie powder (depending on how spicy one likes)

2 teaspoons cumin powder

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste        

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons oil

Marinate the chops with all the above ingredients (except the onions and potatoes) and keep aside for one hour. 

Heat oil in a suitable pan and sauté the onions till golden brown. Add the marinated chops and mix well. Cook the chops with sufficient water till tender. Keep cooking on low heat till  the meat is a nice brown colour and the gravy thickens. Just before turning off the heat add the boiled potatoes and mix once so that the mixture covers the potatoes.  Serve hot with bread or rice.

MADRAS CHICKEN CURRY - AN OLD COLONIAL ANGLO-INDIAN DISH

MADRAS CHICKEN CURRY - AN OLD COLONIAL ANGLO-INDIAN DISH

This is an old Anglo-Indian Recipe from my book A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN RECIPES

The ingredients for the Madras Curry Powder is said to have originated as early as as the 1600s in the South of India. It got its name from the main city namely Madras and was mostly used in the preparation of Vegetarian Dishes. However, over time the same ingredients were used to cook many meat and poultry preparations such as wild boar, vension, wild water fowls and ducks, etc.

The Madras Curry Powder consists of a few basic spices and condiments such as dried red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, cinnamon, fennel seeds and black pepper. These ingredients are dry roasted in a pan and then pounded to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle or a dry grinder and mixed with turmeric powder and stored till required.

This Curry Powder formed the base for many Anglo-Indian Dishes as well -  Our very own “Pounded Curry Masala” in Anglo-Indian Terms. It was also sold in tins and packets in the olden days.

Here is a simple recipe for the “Old Madras Chicken Curry”

Serves 6    Time required: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg chicken cut into medium size pieces    

3 onions sliced finely

2 tomatoes chopped finely

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons chopped mint

2 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves

3 tablespoons coconut milk

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons oil

A few Curry leaves to garnish

 Roast and powder the following ingredients together in a dry grinder or a coffee grinder

 2 or 3 Red Chillies

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds   

1 small piece of cinnamon (about one inch)

½ teaspoon pepper corns

½ teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)

 Mix the chicken with the salt and the powdered ingredients for about 10 minutes.

 Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions to golden brown. Toss in the marinated chicken pieces, chopped tomatoes, coriander leaves and the mint and mix well. Fry on low heat till the oil separates from the mixture. Add the coconut milk and about 2 cups of water and mix well. Close the pan with a lid and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes till the chicken is cooked. Garnish with a few curry leaves.

Serve with Steamed Rice or bread

A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN RECIPES BY BRIDGET WHITE

‘A COLLECTION OF SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIAN RECIPES’ is a revised, consolidated version of four of my earlier Cookery Books, namely Anglo-Indian Delicacies, A Collection of Anglo-Indian Roasts, Casseroles and Bakes, The Anglo-Indian Snack Box and The Anglo-Indian Festive Hamper.

 More than 350 Recipes of traditional, popular and well loved, Anglo-Indian Dishes have been specially selected from these earlier cook books and featured in this Omni-bus Edition. This single consolidated  Imprint of easy- to- follow Recipes of popular  Anglo-Indian Dishes  features Soups & Pepper Water, Curries & Fries, Roasts & Stews, Rice dishes & Pilafs, Foogath and Sambal, Pickles & Relishes, Casseroles and Baked Dishes, Short Eats, Nibbles & Finger food, Sweets & Desserts, Custards & Puddings, Christmas & Festive Treats,  Homemade wine, Curry Powders, etc.

 The huge selection of Recipes featured in this Cookery book will surely take one on a sentimental and nostalgic journey down  memory lane of old forgotten Anglo-Indian Delicacies. All the old dishes cooked during the time of the British Raj have now been revived to suit present day tastes and aplates. This Cookery Book would also serve as a ‘Ready Reckoner’ and a useful guide for teaming up dishes for everyday Anglo-Indian   Meals as well as for festive and special occasions.

 So what are you waiting for? Delve into this awesome collection and you’ll find simple and easy recipes for preparing your favorite Ox tail and Trotters Soups, Plain Pepper Water or Bone Pepper Water, Vindaloos and Curries, Devil Fries & Chops, Nana’s Special Duck, Chicken, Beef & Pork Roasts, Country Captain Chicken, Papa Pat’s Pork Chops, Mince Cutlets, Stews, Croquettes & Rissoles, Yellow Coconut Rice & Ball Curry, Junglee Palau & Vegetable Jalfrazie, Cabbage Foogath & Tomato Sambal, Brinjal Pickle, Fish Padda and many more ANGLO-INDIAN DELICACIES.

 Add that special ‘Anglo’ touch to your meal by baking a simple and tasty Shepherd’s Pie, a Pot Luck Casserole, a Pork Mince Pie or any of those old ‘one dish meals’  that your grandma baked in your childhood. Choose your favourite baked dish recipe from A COLLECTION OF ANGLO-INDIAN ROASTS, CASSEROLES AND BAKES. The very names of the recipes will make you drool. Round  it off with a creamy Caramel Custard, Bread Pudding, Strawberry Flummery, Apple Grunt or any other lip-smacking Anglo-Indian Dessert or Sweet from the vast selection that has been featured.

 Host a Party and serve your guests old Anglo-Indian Short Eats and Nibbles from

THE ANGLO-INDIAN SNACK BOX, that were the rage at ‘Parties, Soirees and Elegant Evening Gatherings’ in the olden days -  all innovated and made famous by the Mog Cooks of yore in the Tea Gardens in the Hills. Snack on Liver on Toast Squares, Scotch Eggs and Deviled Eggs, Cheese Straws, Mince Curry Puffs, Coconut Puffs, Mince Panthras, Fish Fingers, Fritters and a whole lot more,

 What’s your favourite childhood Christmas memory?  Do you associate Christmas with the smells, sounds and sights of the season?  This Cookery Book aims at just that. The separate section on THE ANGLO-INDIAN FESTIVE HAMPER features recipes of all the old Anglo-Indian Christmas favourites such as the Traditional Christmas Cakes, Plum Cakes, Mince Pies, Fruit Cakes, Kalkals, Rose Cookies, Coconut Sweets, the Christmas Pudding, Bole Cake, Semolina Cake, Dodol, Beveca, Marzipan Sweets, Peanut Fudge, Cashew nut Fudge, , etc, etc. It will awaken long forgotten magical memories of   childhood - Of  the smell of the decorated Pine Christmas Tree in the sitting room, the enticing aroma of Christmas Cakes being baked, the Kalkals and Rose Cookies being fried and the aroma of the other Christmas Goodies being prepared in the kitchen by Mama and Nana - Memories of the whole family sitting round the dining table on “Kalkal Making Day” rolling the kalkals on the back of a fork or fighting to lick the left over cake batter in the mixing bowl come flooding back.  Recreate the Christmas of your childhood with these recipes of all the old Christmas Treats. Then to round off the festive spread, you could make your own home-made Grape and Ginger Wine.

 The recipes in this book are simple and easy to follow and only easily available ingredients have been suggested. The easy-to-follow directions for preparing these old, popular, sumptuous dishes make cooking simple, enjoyable and problem-free. The pungency of the dishes can be adjusted according to individual taste by reducing or increasing the amount of chillie powder, spices or pepper powder suggested in each recipe. 

All the recipes in this Book are for 6 generous servings. If cooking for a smaller or larger number, the quantities should be adjusted accordingly.

The word “Everlasting” means ‘something, that once created, endures through time and never ceases to exist’. Anglo-Indian Cuisine is “EVERLASTING” and will endure forever and ever. 

ANGLO-INDIAN FISH PEPPER FRY

FISH PEPPER FRY

Serves 6   Preparation Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1/2  kg of any good fleshy fish cut into thick boneless fillets 

3 large onions chopped finely

1 large tomato chopped

2 green chillies sliced lengthwise

2 teaspoons Ground Pepper Powder

¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons oil

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the tomato and chilies and fry till the tomatoes turn pulpy. Add the pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt and fry for a couple of minutes. Add ½ cup of water and bring to boil. Now add the fish fillets and mix carefully. Cook on low heat for about 7 to 8 minutes till the fish is cooked.

Serve with Rice or Bread

ANGLO-INDIAN FOOD COOKING WORKSHOP AT SUJAN RAJMAHAL PALACE JAIPUR

I'm just back from Jaipur where I conducted a Cooking Training Workshop for 3 days on Colonial Anglo-Indian Cuisine at the Sujan Rajmahal Palace for around 20 of the Chefs and Khansamas of the various Hotel properties of the Sujan Luxury Group such as Sher Bagh Ranthambhore (the tiger Camp), The Serai Jaisalmer (Desert Camp), Jawai the Leapord Camp, and the Rajmahal Palace Jaipur. Had an amazing and out of this world experience at the Rajmahal Palace and a fulfilling and wonderful teaching session sharing Classic Colonial Cuisine to a very receptive and eager to learn batch of learners. Many thanks to Mr. Yusuf Ansari for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
‪#‎angloindiancuisine‬, ‪#‎bridgetwhite‬, ‪#‎angloindianrecipes‬, ‪#‎Sujanluxury‬

Old Colonial Anglo-Indian Dishes that were recreated and demonstrated were The Dak Bungla / Bungalow Mest Curry, Grandma's Country Captain Chicken, Railway Mutton Curry, Lamb Chops, Pork Vindaloo, Chicken Vindaloo, Junglee Pilaf, Coconut Rice, Lamb Mince Ball Curry, Butter Parsley Rice with Nuts and Raisins, Mince Fricadels, Fish Rissoles, Egg Chops, Mince Curry Puffs, Lamb Mince Panthras, etc. 

ANGLO-INDIAN YELLOW COCONUT RICE, MINCE BALL CURRY AND DEVIL CHUTNEY - OUR WEEKEND SPECIAL - CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

ANGLO-INDIAN YELLOW COCONUT RICE, MINCE BALL CURRY AND DEVIL CHUTNEY - OUR WEEKEND SPECIAL - CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

My mum was en exceptional cook and even the most ordinary dishes cooked by her tasted delicious. She was very versatile and imaginative when it came to cooking. She would improvise and turn out the most delicious curries and side dishes with whatever ingredients were on hand. Every dish she prepared was delicious even if it was just the basic Rice and Meat Curry that was cooked every day. My mum had a procedure for everything. The onions had to be thinly sliced and the green chillies and coriander leaves chopped finely. Even the tomatoes for the curry were first scalded or blanched and the skin removed, then chopped into bits and strained through a strainer / sieve so that only the pulp was used and the seeds and skin thrown away!!!

 While our everyday lunch was considered simple, lunch on Saturdays and Sundays was special. Saturday lunch was invariably Yellow Coconut Rice, Mince Ball Curry (or Bad Word Curry as the word ‘Ball’ was considered a bad or slang word in those days), and Devil Chutney. My mind still recalls and relishes the taste of the Mince Ball Curry and Coconut Rice that my mum prepared on Saturdays for us. On Saturdays we had only half-day school so we were back home by 12.30 pm ravenously hungry and we’d be assailed by the delicious aroma of the Coconut Rice and the Tasty Mince Ball Curry even before we reached our gate.

 The mince for the Ball Curry, had to be just right, so the meat, (either beef or mutton), was brought home fresh from the Butcher Shop, cut into pieces, washed and then minced at home. (We had our own meat-mincing machine and Coconut Scraper which was fixed to the kitchen table like every Anglo-Indian family in those days. No making of the Mince at the Butchers as it had to be double ground in the Mincer only at home). The ground meat or mince, was then formed into even sized balls along with other chopped ingredients and dropped into the boiling Curry which was meanwhile cooking on the stove. The curry was then left to simmer till the mince balls were cooked and the gravy reached the right consistency.

 The Yellow Coconut Rice was always prepared with freshly squeezed coconut milk, Sometimes, two fresh coconuts would be broken and then scraped or grated. The scraped/grated coconut had to be soaked in hot water and the thick milk extracted. For every cup of rice double the quantity of coconut milk was the right proportion; a little more would make the rice ‘pish pash’ or over cooked, and a little less would mean that the rice wouldn’t be cooked well. So very accurate measurements were required. The raw rice and coconut milk would then be simmered with ghee or butter, saffron or turmeric, bay leaves and a few whole spices of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves till the rice was cooked perfectly. This delightful fragrant Rice preparation formed the perfect mild subtle base of our Saturday Special Anglo-Indian Meal. 

The Yellow Coconut Rice and Mince Ball Curry (also known as Bad Word Curry) was always accompanied with a typical Anglo-Indian Sauce or Relish known as Devil Chutney.  Devil Chutney is a fiery red chutney or sauce. Its bright red colour often misleads people to think that it is a very pungent and spicy dish, while its actually a sweet and sour sauce, and only slightly pungent. The vinegar and sugar used in its preparation react with the onion and red chilli 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.

I would now like to share my mum’s recipes for these three special dishes. They are very easy to prepare.

 YELLOW COCONUT RICE   

Serves 6   Preparation Time 45 minutes

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.

 Coconut Rice is best served with Ball Curry or Chicken curry and Devil Chutney.

ANGLO-INDIAN MINCE BALL CURRY (BAD WORD CURRY)

(Mince Koftas in a coconut based gravy)

Serves 6    Preparation time 45 minutes

Ingredients for the Curry

3 large onions chopped

6 or 7 curry leaves

3 teaspoons chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

3 teaspoons ginger garlic paste

3 big tomatoes pureed or chopped finely

½ cup ground coconut paste

1 teaspoon  all 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 Mince Balls (Koftas)

½ kg minced meat beef or mutton (fine mince)

½ teaspoon all spice powder or garam masala 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 chili powder, coriander powder, all 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 puree and salt and simmer for some time. Add sufficient water and bring to boil.

Meanwhile get the Mince Balls ready - Mix the all spice powder / garam masala powder, salt, chopped green chilies, turmeric powder and coriander leaves with the mince and form into small balls. When the curry is boiling, 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)

Ingredients

2 medium size onions chopped roughly

1 teaspoon red chilli powder (use Kashmiri 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 and Mince Ball Curry