Tamate ka katt (Tomato extract)

This one is for the bookmarks, the little sheets of paper that you pull out to cook from, the recipe lists that you scribble for inspiration or an online link that you save and forward  to yourself.  This viscous red concoction that fires up the taste buds with its simple but incredible taste.

Growing up, I loved eating the tangy tamate ka katt, a staple in Hyderabad with boiled eggs and shaami kababs on a mini heap of rice. But, my mother in law’s  version of the dish that is something else,  the first time I ate it I was blown away and continue to do so every time I eat. The difference is that the hyderabadi version uses a thickening agent and this one does not, its pure tomato in all its glory. My praise may seem a little superfluous but perhaps I’m biased with my love for the tangy and mild flavors, maybe you can try?  

When I cook Tamate ka Katt these days it is mostly in bulk as it is labor intensive. I freeze atleast 2 boxes and devise menus in the coming weeks to find an excuse to  defrost a box. 

Ingredients (bulk version, scale down quantities accordingly)

4 kg ripe tomatoes ( if you live in Bangalore, you will find  a round , uneven variety and a thick long , firmer ‘ salad’ variety , I prefer to use a 1:1 mixture of the two)

5 red onions medium sized

1 tsp haldi

2 tablespoon oil

2-3 tea spoons red chilli powder

2 table spoons zeera and methi seeds powder

2 green chillies

Salt to taste

Tadka / baghar / tempering

2 tsp zeera

10 garlic cloves

3 dried red chillies

2 tsp rye/ mustard seeds

10-12 fresh or dried curry leaves

Oil for tempering (about 2 table spoons)

Slice onions lengthwise and chop tomatoes into small cubes.

In a large pressure cooker, fry the onions till translucent.  Add green chillies.

Add salt, haldi, red chilli powder and zeera methi powder.

Add the tomatoes, put on the lid and whistle and let it cook for 15 mins. There is no need to add extra water.

Open the lid, once cooled. The tomatoes should taste cooked and there should be a little floating oil on the surface.

Take a sturdy large metal wire mesh sieve and pass the tomato mixture to extract the pulp. This step takes a bit of time and requires care. The pulp must be sieved completely yet bits of skin should not pass through, the red color will intensify because of the very superficial layer of pulp just below the skin , be sure to get it out. Do not use a hand blender. My mother in law uses a tightly pulled cloth to sieve, the consistency is super smooth but I prefer the metal sieve for practical reasons.

Cook the extracted mixture for about 20 minutes, till the raw smell of tomatoes completely disappears. Adjust the spices if required.

Heat oil in a tempering spoon and add the ingredients in the following order – Garlic, mustard seeds, zeera seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves. Once browned add to the katt.

Serve garnished with boiled eggs. The katt goes really well with shaami kabab, fried/grilled fish and pepper chicken along with white rice.

Lamb Kofta Curry

Minced meat or kheema is a favorite amongst most meat eaters. There are numerous ways of cooking this chewy shred of meat but kofta, shaami or the hyderabadi shikampur remain popular. I had tasted meatballs (kofta both in the dry and the gravy form) but always considered the gravy version difficult to cook. I would fear that the balls would break resulting in a mushy inedible paste. The book "Hajra's recipes of life, for life", about which I blogged a while back had a simple and clear recipe that seemed fool proof , so I decided to give the kofta curry a shot.

The key to creating firm kofta I learned was the no water rule in the kofta making and the use of roasted gram dal that gives the required binding.

I followed the recipe to the T and have made this dish two time around, to achieve perfect results both times.

Ingredients

Kofta
500 gms mutton minced ( kheema)
2tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
7-8 green chillies
5 almonds blanched
1/2 tsp garlic paste
2 medium onions finely chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 pinch turmeric
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup husked bengal gram dal / chana dal roasted and powdered
1-2 tbsp yogurt (optional

Curry
2 medium onions finely chopped
2 medium potatoes quartered ( I skipped this)
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1 1/2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 medium tomatoes pureed
1 cut yogurt
Juice of a lime
few strands of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk

Method

Kofta
1. Wash the mince and squeeze out the water completely, by clenching handfuls in batches. This is really important to ensure that the koftas do not break.

2. Blend coriander leaves, green chillies, almonds, garlic paste, onions, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala powder, salt in a food processor to make a paste, do not add water. Add a yogurt if too dry.

3. Add the mince mutton in to this mix and grind for a short turn only to ensure that its mixed with the paste.

4. Add the powdered gram and mix well

5. Make 2" balls and spread on a steel plate/platter

Gravy / Curry

1. Take a wide flat bottomed non stick cooking vessel. Add oil and fry the onions to a golden brown.

2. Add ginger and garlic when the onion is at the translucent stage and fry with a few sprinklings of water for 5 mins or so

3. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking till oil emerges from the sides

4. Add whisked yogurt gently and cook fo r 5 mins

5. Add some water and bring the gravy to boil. Place the meatballs gently carefully in the gravy , make sure they are well spaced, the gravy should just about be covering the balls. Cook on moderate heat without disturbing.

6. Add the lime juice and saffron and continue cooking to achieve the desired consistency.

7. Serve hot with naan or rice.

Whole spices and tomato chicken

Who does not love a chicken curry? who does not love a chicken curry that is easy to cook and tastes heavenly. This curry recipe uses whole spices , cinnamon , cardamon and caraway seeds to give this lingering yet not overpowering aroma to the dish. Apt for everyday lunch or an elaborate dinner.

1 kg chicken
6 tblspoon oil
3 medium onions sliced

Whole spices
4 cloves
4 green cardamom
3, 1/2 inch cinnamon  sticks

1tsp garlic paste
1tsp ginger paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
 3 medium tomatoes pureed
few saffron strands soaked in milk
2 tbsp coriander leaves

Method

Wash and clean the chicken and drain out the water. Add about a table spoon of salt and mix well, leave this aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Take oil in a thick bottomed pan and fry the onions to a golden brown, the edges should turn crispy. Reserve half the onions for later.

Add the whole spices to the onions and fry for about two minutes. Add the chicken and fry for about 10 mins, adding water as required.

Add the ginger and garlic and fry with the chicken. Add the spice powders next and mix in.

As the spices mature and the chicken starts turning light brown add the tomatoes.

Turn the heat high and stir strongly for 5 mins to create a cohesive gravy.

Add some more water (about 1 cup) and the saffron milk. Let the gravy cook on medium heat till the oil separates.

Crush the fried onions and add to the curry.

Serve garnished with coriander with rice or roti.

Ande ki kadi (tangy egg curry)

I love eggs. If my husband and I ever happen to take part in one of those game shows where you are asked questions about your spouse like his/her favorite color, dream vacation, celebrity crush, favorite food, I think he has it easy on the food question (not sure about the rest though!).
As a kid, I remember I was forced to eat eggs in a attempt to make me gain weight and grow tall. Though I loved eating them, I became extremely fussy about the way it should be cooked, I liked it fried the masala way with loads of onions and coriander along with red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste fried to a brown ( not yellow ) color or the sunny side up with the yolk both intact and liquid and the edges browned to a thin crunchy lining. As the years went by my equation with weight reversed and eating eggs became a not so routine affair and other forms such as poached, boiled and scrambled whites (shudder) made inroads into my meals. Now my relation with eggs rests comfortable with two good fried eggs once a week. And or other occasions I manage to sneak in boiled egg as 'garnishing' on curries and rice.

Enough said about my adulation for the little humpty dumpties, the recipe that I have to share today is an elevation of status of some sorts for my oval friend, it makes its foray into the main course and is not relegated to a garnishing or a scrambled to bits sharing space with five different ingredients in rice.


This ande ki kadi is a tangy gravy that perfectly offsets the blandness of eggs.

Ingredients
Curry
1 onion sliced
1tsp garlic paste
2tsp red chilli powder
2tsp zeera powder
1tsp coriander powder
1 pinch turmeric

1tspsalt

4 tablespoon tamarind pulp
1 tbsp fresh coconut paste
6 green chillies slit
6 eggs hard boiled and shelled

Seasoning
6- 8 tbl sp oil
1/2 tsp mustard leaves
12 curry leaves

Ground to paste
1 medium onion
4 medium tomatoes
2tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method
Pour the oil in a cooking vessel and let it warm. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and let it splutter
After a minute or so add the onion and fry till brown.
Add the garlic paste and fry for 5 mins with sprinkling of water as required
Add all the powders and fry for 5 mins
Pour the pureed onions and tomatoes, cook for 15 mins.
Add the green chillies and coconut and cook for 10 mins.
Drop the hard boiled eggs just before serving . Leave to simmer for 5-10 mins


Enjoy with steamed white rice