Archive

Some years ago, when my husband was posted in Bangalore and the girls were in their early teens, they wanted to give a party to their many friends from whom they had received hospitality. "All right,” I said, "wafers and sandwiches, as usual.” "Most definitely not,” was the answer. "Our friends expect better from you than wafers and sandwiches.” So a barbeque was decided on.

Menu to serve 12-15

BHOOJELOO GOSHT

(Barbecued Lamb)

Knowing what teenagers’ appetites can be like I had ordered 6 kg of lamb on the bone and believe me nothing was left!

Lamb on the bone (6 kg)

Refined or Salad oil (2/3 cups)

Worcestershire sauce (2 tbsp)

Sugar (1-2 tsp)

Salt (2 tbsp)

Grind to a coarse paste

Garlic (2½ — heads)

Papaya (3” piece — semi-ripe)

Coriander powder (100 g)

Cumin powder (50 g)

Cumin seeds (50 g — roasted)

Red chillies (100 g — dry)

Black pepper (3 tsp — coarsely ground)

Malt Vinegar (1 cup)

Wash meat and pat dry. Remove bones, fat and gristle from meat. Cut into one-and-a-half inch cubes.

Combine spice paste with oil, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and salt. Rub into meat and place in a glass or earthenware dish. Marinate for 6-8 hours. If the weather is hot keep in the refri­gerator and remove two hours before cooking. 

Pierce meat onto greased skewers and grill over a char­coal fire for 15-20 minutes turning skewers and basting all the while.

BHOOJELI KALEJI NÉ BOOKA

(Barbecued Liver and Kidneys)

Lamb’s kidney (18)

Lamb’s liver (750 g)

Refined or Salad oil (6 tbsp)

Black peppercorns (15 — coarsely ground)

Salt (2 tsp)

Grind to a paste

Ginger (2”  piece)

Garlic (8 cloves)

Lime juice (3 tbsp)

Clean kidneys and liver. Cut kidneys into half and liver into one-and-a-half-inch cubes.

Combine ground spices with oil, pepper and salt, rub into kidneys and liver, and marinate for two hours.

Pierce onto grea­sed skewers and grill over a charcoal fire for about five minutes, turning skewers and basting all the while.

Note: Kidneys and liver should not be over-cooked, as they get tough.

OOMBERIU NÉ CHUTNEY

(Sheet Beans and Chutney)

Lamb (1 kg — cut into 1½” pieces with bone — optional)

Sheet beans (vaal/saem — 1 kg,  trimmed)

Sweet potatoes (4 — unpeeled and cut into 2” pieces)

Brinjal (500 g — small, slit)

Baby potatoes (1 kg — unpeeled and kept whole)

Garlic (2  heads, kept whole)

Green garlic (a small bunch, if available)

Ajwain (2 tbsp)

Salt (2 tsp)

Oil (4 tbsp)

Grind to a paste for Chutney

Ginger (2” piece — chopped)

Garlic (1 head)

Green chillies (8 — seeded and chopped)

Coriander leaves with stems (200 g — chopped)

Mint leaves (50 g — chopped)

Spring onions with greens (12 —  chopped)

Bombay duck (10 dry —  cleaned, roasted and pounded — optional)

Lime (2-3 — juiced)

Salt (2 tsp)

Mix chutney with meat and vegetables, keeping them separate.

Traditionally this dish is cooked in a matka (earthern pot with a small mouth) that has been washed and soaked in water for two hours. Arrange mango flowers (optional) in the base of the pot and line it with mango leaves and softened banana leaves. Arrange a layer of mixed vegetables in the pot, followed by meat (if used) and cover with remaining vegetables. Stuff the pot with more mango and banana leaves and mango flowers. Secure the mouth with a banana leaf. Dig a shallow hole in the garden and line it with hay and twigs. Set it alight and when the fire dies down put a potato over the mouth of the pot and invert it into the hole. (When the potato is cooked the dish is ready.) Cover the pot with more hay and twigs and set it alight. Keep the fire burning gently for one-two hours. Yes! One-two hours. But you see those were the lazy, hazy days when the pot would be set for cooking the dish and we would go for a walk while it was cooking.

But you can cook the oomberiu sealing the lid on the pan with a paste of atta (dough) with waer on the lid or cook in an oven  (350°F - 180°F) for 45 minutes.

MASOOR

(Whole Egyptian Lentils)

Whole Egyptian lentils (sabut masoor —3 cups)

Oil (3-4 tbsp)

Onions (5 — medium, finely sliced)

Dhansakh masala powder (2½ tsp)

Salt (2 tsp)

Tamarind (the size of a large lime soaked in 1 cup water)

Jaggery (1½ tsp — grated)

Grind to a fine paste

Ginger (3” piece — chopped)

Garlic (1 head — chopped)

Goa or Kashmiri red chillies (6-8 — dry, broken)

Chilli powder (2-3 tsp)

Cumin seeds (4 tsp)

Coriander seeds (3 tbsp)

Wash dal and soak in water for one hour.

Heat oil in a pan over moderate heat. Add onions and fry till pale brown. Add dhansakh masala and spice paste and sauté for two-three minutes. Drain dal and add to pan with salt and three cups water. Cover pan and simmer till dal is cooked and thick.

Strain in tamarind juice and mix in jaggery. Mix well, bring to boil and remove from heat. Serve with gor-amli kachum­ber, hot burger buns or rotlis. You can also serve it with four-six peeled onions slit into quarters without separating the segments, crushed with a flat, wooden spoon and sprinkled with vinegar, salt and a few seeded chopped green chillies. 

Note: Cook it well in advance and reheat before serving as all dals taste better if kept in a cool place for two-three hours or overnight.

WHITE RADISH AND CARROT STICKS

White radish (6-8)

Carrots (8)

Salt (½ tsp)

Lime (1 — juiced)

Scrape radish and carrots. Trim ends. Split them lengthwise into four, them cut each into 4” segments.

Fill a glass with water coming up to 1” below the rim. Mix in salt and lime juice. 

Place radish and carrots in glass, chill and serve.

FRUIT SALAD

Apples (4 — large, hard)

Pears (4)

Peaches (6 — ripe)

Lime  (4 — juiced)

Sweet lime (3)

Bananas (4)

Kiwi fruit (3)

Green grapes (300 g — seedless, separated from stems)

Black grapes (300 g — seedless)

Syrup

Sugar (150 g — granulated)

Cinnamon (1” stick)

Star anise (1)

Cloves (2)

White or red wine (1½ cup)

Salt (¼ tsp)

Decoration

Mint sprigs

Put all ingredients for syrup in a pan and cook slowly, stirring constantly, till sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and remove from heat immediately. Cover pan and allow to cool. 

Peel and cut apples, pears and peaches into small chunks and place in a bowl. Mix in lime juice.

Peel sweet lime and remove pith and seeds from segments. Catch any juice that falls out into the bowl.Peel and slice bananas and kiwi fruit.Add to fruit bowl with grapes. Strain in cooled syrup and chill.Spoon into individual bowls, decorate with mint sprigs and serve.

Note: You can use any fruits in season.

Bhicoo J. Manekshaw, a graduate of the prestigious Cordon Bleu School of Cookery, London and author of Traditional Recipes of India and Parsi Food and Customs, has been associated with a variety of haute cuisine  organizations in the country.