Goat/Mutton

Nawabi Daal Kheema/Chicken Mince with Legumes

November 26, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

Daal Kheema or chicken mince with legumes is a Nawabi rich dish which combines two unusual ingredients that work so well with each other. It’s delicious, perfect to entertain and will transport you to a Delhi Nawabi kitchen.

For hundreds of years, the Indian city of Lucknow has been famous for its opulent cuisine traditions, which are still practiced by a few chefs. Until the British arrived on the scene, Lucknow and the surrounding area were controlled by Nawabs. Incredibly wealthy, each Nawabi ruler had a team of chefs, who competed to create the most sumptuous meals. Theirs was a luxurious style of cooking — heavy on cream and oil, marinated meat and innumerable spices.

Thankfully a handful of recipes remain and the chefs have left some traditional and well loved recipes. When the Mughal empire crumbled the chefs and cooks were left to fend for themselves, they set up shop in the open market areas of Old Delhi and a love affair was sealed.

The Nawabi food is exotic. It had to be unexpected. Nawabi cuisine were riddle dishes. At one 19th-century feast, cooks used sugar, honey and other sweets to create an entire riddle meal. Desserts masqueraded as entrees like kebabs, curries and even whole fish. Even a simple, everyday dish would use, shall we say, instead of three or four spices, every day, it would change and would include 30 odd spices, condiments with flavoring agents. But what would always be essential there is an aromatic spice, which is dominant. … It is, again, like music.

Now, the Nawabi lifestyle is no more.

Our good friends mom comes from a royal family in Delhi. Their khandani Bawarchi(family chef) would make authentic nawabi food. She is passionate cook and a treasure cove of stories. Whenever she comes to visit her son in US, we are lucky to be invited to her place for dinner. I am very grateful to have eaten the amazing food. Even more thankful to have some recipes that she’s shared with me. This is the simplest of dishes I’ve learnt from her. Although, this recipe is a toned down version, easy ingredients, it does not lack in flavor. While it might not stand up to the chef or my aunt, it is extremely delicious.

Do try it out!! So good!

…

Ambur Chicken Biryani

September 10, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

Hello Biryani lovers!! Here’s the most popular South Indian AMBUR CHICKEN BIRYANI. If you love biryani, this chicken biryani will WOW you. This one pot biryani is so flavorful and will become your go to biryani recipes. You will love this easy and delicious recipe that screams comforting!

Ambur Chicken Biryani #amburbiryani #chickenbiryani

I’ve never met a biryani I didn’t enjoy. Can anything be more marvelous than a big pot of Biryani? My favorite right here is the AMBUR Chicken Biryani.

Biryani making is an Art. It’s about the process as much as it is about that final waft of smell when you open the pot and see the separate grains of flavorful rice, the first spoon and the tender fall off the bone chicken. India has a kaleidoscope of recipes when it comes to Biryani: there’s the Hyderabi style chicken biryani, Yakhni Pulao, Awadhi Biryani, Kolkata biryani, Malabar biryani, Dindigul Biryani, Memoni Biryani and more. I can assure you, a biryani lover does not play favorites. Then again, there’s one child you favor a tad bit more than the other. This one does it for me.

Woke up bright and early ready to embark on the art of making biryani.

…

Yakhni Pulao

January 22, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

Yakhni pulao is a light, yet full flavored rice dish. The Yakhni or the broth is where all the flavor lies, the more flavorful, rich and aromatic your broth is, the better the pulao. It’s simply irresistible with a spicy curry.

If you’ve been a reader of the blog for a while, you already know how inquisitive I can be about new food, the food I love and I don’t rest easy until I get the recipe. I’ve always been intrigued by different dishes from different regions of India and the World.

My hubby’s very good friend comes from a royal family in Aligarh, India. His mom is a stunner, has a glow about her. I still remember meeting aunt and uncle for the first time here in US. They had invited us for dinner. As a young bride, very protected..I was quite nervous and overwhelmed, before meeting them. After our initial introductions, the conversations flowed easily and comfortably. Aunt brought out shammi kababs, mantu dumplings and samosas and I immediately knew, we had something in common. FOOD. She started explaining how her family bawarchi/chef was the best and he was taught by his granddad who was also a royal chef. Aunty learnt a lot from him. I could sense how passionate aunt was about food when she explained in detail how to make the perfect chai….

Easy Mutton Curry

January 7, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

This Indian style Easy Mutton Curry might just become your family favorite. It’s a good balance of flavors and the mutton is fall of the bone delicious. MUST MAKE!

Happy 2021!

Let’s face it – at this point it is not magic and life is not going to get back to normalcy just like that. lt’s messy and confusing at the moment. So many of us are counting on the little things to get us through the day – a spritz of perfume, fixing your hair – if you can even get that far. For some of us, it could simply be keeping up with a workout and a shower followed

I haven’t made New Year Resolutions in the longest time. A few years ago I stopped making year-long-goals and started making life-long-goals. And for the latter, waiting for a new year, isn’t wise. You need to start the moment you realize you need change. After all, kal ho na ho (translation: there might or might not be a tomorrow) *cliche.but.true*. But a new year seems like a good reason to reflect back and enforce them, stronger! For this year, I’d say: to get by without expectations is my resolution.

…

Mutton Ghee Roast – Goat Curry in Spices and Ghee

October 19, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

This slow cooked goat curry is one of my most requested ways to cook mutton. Everyone who tries it seems to love it! Slow cooking goat meat with Indian spices results in a perfectly tender, juicy, and flavorful curry. This mutton ghee roast is just a keeper of a recipe.

Every meal is a celebration.

My Amma (grandma) made sure I realized that. She was not what you’d consider pious or orthodox. She was a modern thinker when it was frowned upon. She didn’t believe in fasting or the regular norms of life. But, she respected her sons and daughter in laws who were religious and had beliefs of their own. After a month of festivities and vegetarian food, she made sure to make some of the most delicious non-vegetarians meal for her clan of six boys and a loving daughter in law.

When she decided she was going to make meat at home, it was a process. Every process was thoroughly enjoyed; she lived in the moment. Amma took great pride in going to her favorite butcher and buying the perfect cut of fresh meat. She sat in our back veranda on a wooden mannai(stool), washing and rewashing while her hands turned a pretty hue of orange from the turmeric. I wondered then, how the masala didn’t fall off the ammikkal(flat version of mortal and pestle). On a beautifully cured mann-chatti(clay pot), she cooked and fried. It took hours. Then she calls me, Ashu and sits me down. Carefully blowing it so it doesn’t scorch my tongue, she feeds me the first bite of the juicy, spicy, and flavorful curry. I’ll always remember that first bite. Maybe it was her hands that fed me or those hands that cooked it. I’ll never be able to recreate that. But, this is close.

My grandma was known for her meat dishes. Not many at our home enjoyed goat meat. Lamb chops were loved, but not goat curry. Me included. She would shop for the best meat at her favorite place and meticulously cook the curry. Slow cooked curry is the best, she said. I never got it then. My palette definitely had not blossomed back then….