Chickpeas with Mutton (Mansghor Ghugni)

This is something which I like to normally have for a brunch or a Sunday breakfast. Its a heavy one at that and it goes down well.

I usually prepare Chickpeas without meat but this is something which my mom used to make on an occasion so I thought I would refresh that taste. It always helps that there are people to eat at home when I make things.. he he !!

Normally, while entertaining, I would make “Luchis” or Puris to go with this dish.

But at home I usually go with phulkas/rotis.

This dish could serve 5 to 6 people.

Ingredients

• 21/2 cups Chickpea soaked overnight
• 1/2 kg mutton cut ( medium to small pieces) marinated with turneric, chilli powder and salt
• 3-4 small to medium potatoes cut into medium pieces ( see pic)
• 3-4 tomatoes cut into big pieces ( see pic)
• 2 inch ginger crushed
• 8 – 10 pods garlic crushed (I grind them in a mortar and a pestle and leave them whole and not make a total paste to retain the flavor)
• Grind in a mortar and pestle
  • 2 red chillies
  • 3 cardamom
  • 2 cinnamon sticks (half a finger size)
  • 3 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 11/2 tbsp of Everest Chole Masala ( you can use whatever brand you prefer)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder ( the Degi mirch )
• 2 medium onions sliced
• Salt to taste
• 1tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp clarified butter ( ghee)
• 3- 4 cups water
• 1 small handful of coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

1. Take a big pressure cooker, I usually take the 3 litre long shaped one.
2. Heat oil and ghee in the cooker and add the ground spices, that is,  cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves.
3. Add red chillies, crushed garlic, crushed ginger and stir a little, till you get a nice smell of all the flavors mixing.
4. Add potatoes and stir fry for 3 – 4 minutes.
5. Add Turmeric and Chilli powder.
6. Add tomatoes and stir fry till tomatoes start to become mush.
7. Add the meat and simmer a little till the juices are let out from the meat.
8. Add the chickpeas and let it cook over medium flame with stirring it now and then for about 10 minutes.
9. Add water to cover this mix. The water should submerge all of the content but not so much that they start to swim around. Just enough so that it is held together.
10. Add salt and close the pressure cooker and give it a couple of whistles. ( why I say couple is depending upon where you live, you will have to measure how long it takes to cook chickpeas and meat. In my kitchen, the ingredients took about 10 – 12 whistles under medium flame)
11. Allow the pressure to cool and when its ready open the over and see the consistency of the gravy. You can cook over high flame if you want to reduce the gravy.
12. Garnish it with coriander.
13. Serve it with dry rotis or Puris.  There you go.. Hope you enjoy this dish.

Telapia Jhol (curry)

This is a fish whose flavor I find very delicate. Typically I would prefer it fried or grilled and have it with salt and sliced onions on the side. I do not like this fish with loads of spices..

Today I wanted to do something different..common with other fishes but thought it would go well with this fish..

This dish would easily serve 4 who like fish..

Ingredients

• Telapia Fish – 1 kg ( good to get live and fresh)
• 3 medium sized tomatoes
• 4-6 medium hot green chillies (if  you have chillies thats too hot then give as desired)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp corriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp degi red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp oil
• 3 – cups water
• Finely chopped corriander to garnish
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Marinate the fish with turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp corrainder powder and keep aside for abou 10- 15 min.
2. While the fish is marinading, finely chop the tomatoes and the green chillies. If you get local tomatoes and not the hybrid ones its best. I had the normal ones and not the local ones so I made do with that.
3. Lightly fry the fish. When I say lightly it need not be stiff and dark brown. The skin of the Tilapia is very thin and you have to be careful to fry it in low heat. As you will see in the pics I lost the skin on some of the fish as the heat was turned on high.  I fried them one by one in a small pan giving drops of oil to the pan for each of the fish and the heat turned down low.
4. Heat a wok or a kadai and add oil and once its heated, add fenugreek seeds and wait for it to sputter.
5. Add the green chillies and the chopped tomatoes.
6. Add the rest of the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix and fry the tomatoes till the mixture is mushy
7. Add 3 cups of water and allow it to boil. Cover it and simmer it.  I like curry with gravy so I add more water.. not to make it to watery but to be able to mix it with rice.  To have a drier gravy, you can boil the water a bit more till you are satisfied with the consistency..
8. When the water boils add the fried fish and turn up the heat and boil for about 6-7 minutes. The fishes wont take much to absorb the gravy.
9. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Voila !! its ready to be served with white steamed rice..    Hope you like it.