Arikkadukka (Stuffed mussels)

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Ingredients

Medium sized mussels - 25 nos.
Par Boiled rice - 400gm
Coconut grated - 1/2
Aniseed - 2 teaspoon
Cumin seed - 1teaspoon
Small onion - 10 nos.
Oil - for frying
Salt - to taste

For Masala:
Chilli powder - 2 table spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
Aniseed - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste

Method:

Scrape and remove the entire dirt from the mussels.
Wash them several times in cold water till clean.
Drain the water.
Cut each one half way down. Keep aside to remove excess water.
Soak rice in hot water for 4-5 hours.
Wash and drain the excess water.
Add all the ingredients, except oil to the rice and grind the rice to a smooth thick paste.
Stuff each mussel neatly with rice paste.
Steam it till done and remove from fire cool and remove the shell.
Mix the ground masala in a little water and make a thin batter.
Heat oil. Dip each mussel in masala and shallow fry till done.
Remove and drain the excess oil and serve hot.
Making time: 2 hours
Makes: 6-7 serving
Shelf life: Best fresh

Mutton Biriyani

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Ingredients

Mutton - 1kg
Basmathi rice - 1kg
Onions - 500gms
Garlic - 50gms
Ginger - 50gm
Green chillies - 100gms
Coriander powder - 3 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Tomato - 300 gms
Poppy seeds - 2teaspoon
Fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1small bunch
Mint leaves - 1 small bunch
Curd - 1 curd
Lime juice - 4table spoon
Ghee - 5 table spoon
Oil - as required
Cashew nuts - 50 gms
Raisins - 50gms
Garam masala powder - 2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste

For garam masala powder:
Cinnamon - 2" piece
Cardamom - 3-4
Cloves - 3-4
Nutmeg - 1/4
Aniseed - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seed - 1/2 teaspoon
Mace - 2 strand
All these garam masala items should be sun dried and powdered

Method :

Cut and clean the mutton in big pieces.
Slice the onions, grind green chillies, ginger and garlic.
Grind poppy seeds and fresh coconut and keep aside.
Chop coriander leaves and mint leaves.
Heat a pressure cooker and add oil and 3/4 of sliced onion and fry till transparent.
Add ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry for 2- 3 minutes
Add the coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, and saute for some time and add the chopped tomatoes and fry for some time.
Add the mutton and fry for a few minutes and add curd and salt
Cover the cooker and cook on slow fire for 15 - 20 minutes.
When mutton is cooked add the ground poppy seeds and coconut and heat for few minutes and keep aside.
Wash and drain the water from the rice.
Heat ghee and add rice and fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add salt and double quantity of water and cook till the rice is cooked.
Remove from fire.
Heat heavy-bottomed vessel and fry onions, cashew nuts, and raisins and keep aside.
Take a vessel and pour some rice and spread little coriander, mint leaves, lime juice and fried onion and cashew nuts and raisins.
Put one layer of mutton over that and repeat the process till all rice and mutton are over.
Preferably do three layers.
Cover with a heavy lid and put dish in oven or place some coals on top for 10 minutes.
Serve with curd kachumber and papad.
Making time: 2 hours
Makes: 4-5 servings
Shelf life: Best fresh

Mutta Mala And Kinnathappam (Egg Snow With Yellow

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Ingredients

For Mutta Mala:
Eggs - 15
Sugar - 500gms
Water - 3cups

For Kinnathappam:
Eggs - 15
Cardamom powder - 6 nos.
Left over syrup from mutta mala

Method For Mutta Mala:

Separate the yolks and whites of the egg. Keep the whites for kinnathappam.
Strain the egg yolk through a muslin cloth into a clean dry bowl.
Clean a coconut shell and make a very small hole at the center.
Put sugar and 2 cups of water in a wide heavy vessel. Add a little egg white, rubbing it well.
Place it on the fire. When it boils remove all the scum.
Remove it from the fire and strain through a muslin cloth.
Heat it again and make syrup of one string consistency.
Take the coconut shell and fill it with egg yolk, stopping the hole with the finger.
Remove your finger and pour the yolk in the boiling syrup in a circular motion to form chain like strings.
Pour it continuously until the egg yolk in the shell has all been used up. By this time the yolk will be cooked.
Reduce the heat and sprinkle a little cold water.
Remove the egg strings from the syrup with out breaking them.
Spread in a thali and keep slightly raised to remove the excess syrup.
Use up all the eggs yolks this way. When the syrup becomes thick add a little water to bring it back to one string consistency.
Arrange the mutta mala or the garlands in a large plate and put kinnathappam in the middle.
Note the left over syrup can be used for kinnathappam.
Method for Kinnathappam:
Beat the egg whites well.
Cool the mutta mala syrup and add it to the egg white.
Beat till frothy. Add cardamom powder.
Heat water in pressure cooker.
Grease a wide vessel and pour in the beaten egg white.
Steam it in the pressure cooker till firm.
Remove and cool.
Cut into diamond shaped pieces and serves with the muttamala.
Note: Duck eggs are better because the yolk will be red
Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 4-5 serving
Shelf life: Best fresh

Unnakayi (Banana Rolls)

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Ingredients

Half ripe nendran banana- 2 nos.
Eggs - 2 nos.
Sugar - 2-table spoon
Raisins - 1 tea spoon
Cashew nuts chopped - 1 tablespoon
Fresh grated coconut - 1 tablespoon
Ghee - 2 tea spoon
Oil for frying Cardamom powder - To taste

Method:

Cut the banana into two and steam and remove the skin and the black seeds in the center.
Grind the banana to smooth dough with out adding any water. Keep aside.
Mix the eggs with sugar.
Heat 2 tsp. of ghee in a saucepan. Add the egg mixture and stir it well till it reaches scrambled egg consistency. Add the cashew nuts, grated coconut and raisins.
Remove from the fire and add cardamom powder.
Oil your palms and take small balls of the ground banana. Flatten on your palm into a small purr.
Put 2 tsp. of scrambled egg in it. Fold the edges and press lightly. Now roll it with your hands, and shape it like rolls.
Heat oil and deep fry to golden brown and remove and serve hot.
Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 6 unnakayi
Shelf life: Best fresh (with out frying stays in the refrigerator for 1 week)

Alisa (Cracked Wheat With Mutton Porridge)

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Ingredients

Cracked wheat or dhalia - 200 gms
Mutton - 1/2 kg
Small onion - 2tsp chopped
Onion - 1 big
Cinnamon - 1 piece
Ghee - 4 table spoon

Method:

Cook the wheat with mutton, big onion and cinnamon in sufficient water till the wheat is very soft.
Remove from the fire and mash it well with a masher. Keep it aside.
Heat ghee and fry chopped onion till golden brown. Remove from fire.
Add the ghee and onion to the mashed wheat and stir. Serve hot with sugar.
Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 4 serving
Shelf life: Best fresh

Meen Pathiri (Steamed Rice Flour Pie With Fish)

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Ingredients

For pathiri:
Rice flour - 3 cup
Water - 3-1/2 cup
Aniseed - 3 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Small onion - 25 - 30 nos.
Coconut - 2 cup

To Marinate The Fish
Mackerel or pomfret - 12 pieces
Red chilly powder - 2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Ginger - 1 small piece
Garlic - 4-5 cloves
Salt - As required
Oil - To fry

For The Fish Masala:
Onion - 6nos
Green chillies - 6nos
Ginger - 1 small piece
Tomato - 4nos
Coriander powder - 4 teaspoon
Red chilly powder - 2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2-table spoon

Method:

To marinate the fish:

Clean and cut the fish and apply the ginger garlic paste, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt
Marinate it for 1 hour and fry it in oil and keep aside.
For the fish masala

Heat 2-table spoon of oil and saute onion and green chillies.
When the onion becomes transparent add ginger and curry leaves.
Stir for a while and add coriander powder, chilly powder, and garam masala and turmeric powder.
Add the tomatoes and stir well.
Add 1/2 cup water and 1 cup of the coconut mixture, which was kept aside.
Simmer the flame for a while.
Add the fried fish to it and keep on the fire for few more minutes.
Remove from fire and cool.
For Pathiri:


Boil water and salt add the rice flour and mix well and take it of from fire.
Knead the dough well. Keep aside.
Grind small onion, aniseed and coconut and keep 1-cup aside.
Rest ground small onion, aniseed and coconut knead well to the dough.
Oil your palms and shape into small balls and flatten it like a chapathi.
Make one more of the same size.
Place a piece of fish and some masala on one pathri and spread evenly cover with another pathiri.
Press the edges well with oiled fingers.
Make the remaining the same way.
Place a cooker with water on the fire. Put the lid with holes.
Arrange one or two pathiris filled fish in a vessel and steam for 10 minutes or till done.
Remove from the vessel and serve hot.
Making time: 2 hour
Makes: 12 pathiris
Shelf life: Best fresh

Adaku Pathiri (Layered Rice And Egg)

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Ingredients

For egg batter
Egg - 4nos
Sugar - 4-table spoon
Coconut milk - 4 table spoon
Salt - A pinch
Turmeric powder - A pinch
Cardamom - 3nos

For rice batter:
Rice flour - 4 desert spoon
Coconut milk - 350ml
Sugar - 5-table spoon
Salt - A pinch
Cardamom - 4 nos.
Ghee - As required

Method :

For egg batter, beat the eggs and sugar and add the rest of the ingredients and keep aside.
For rice batter, mix rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, pinch of salt, cardamom and keep aside.
Now both the batters are ready for steaming.
Take a pressure cooker and pour some water and keep a greased small vessel in it.
Pour 4-table spoon of rice batter into the greased vessel and steam it till it is done.
Spread 1 teaspoon of ghee evenly on the cooked layer.
Now pour 2-table spoons of egg batter and steam till done.
When egg batter is cooked pour again 4-table spoons of rice batter and steam it.
No need to apply ghee on the egg batter. It should be applied only on the rice batter.
Repeat the layers till both the batters are over.
When all batter is over steam it again for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas.
Cool and remove from cooker and cut it into desired shapes and serve as a snack. When cut you can see the layers of white and yellow.
Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 4 -5 servings
Shelf life: Best fresh

Kabargah Ta Tabaq Maz

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It means Fried Pre-cooked Mutton Pieces.

It is a gravy-less fried meat preparation, generally served as a last meat course by Kashmiri Pandits, and is very delicious.

Ingredients

1 kg About 2" x 4" oblong pieces of Mutton from Ribs with fatty layer and skin intact, and each piece with 2 or 3 Rib Bones.
250 gms ghee
1 cup curd
2 tsp Red Kashmiri Chili Powder
1 tsp Ginger Powder
1 tsp Aniseed Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
Asafoetida - a pinch
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsps salt
1/2 cup Milk
2 nos. cloves

Method:

In a 'Patila', of about 3 litres capacity, pour 1/2 litre of water, and the l/2 cup of milk.
Add turmeric, ginger and aniseed powders along with cloves, a tsp salt and the asafoetida.
Stir and place the meat pieces in the 'Patila', and boil on a medium flame.
After l/2 hour or so, when the meat becomes tender, and almost all water gets absorbed and evaporated, remove the 'Patila' from the stove and let it cool down to some exetent.
In a bowl, add to the curd, the chili powder, garam masala, and a tea spoon of salt, and make a batter of these by beating with a spoon, or by means of a hand churner.
Take out the cooked meat pieces from the little gravy left, which, after straining, can be used for some soup or mixed with the above batter.
Keep aside the meat pieces.
Heat the ghee, in a kadai, on slow fire and deep fry the meat pieces on by one, after dipping each in the prepared batter.
Fried brown, these 'Kabargah' pieces are ready to be served piping hot.
Note:

'Tabaq Maz' varies from 'Kabargah', because of its last process of cooking. Instead of deep trying in ghee, as in case of 'Kabargah', in this case, the cooked and battered pieces of cooked meat, are placed in baked clay plates, called 'Tabaqs' or 'Tabchi' in Kashmiri, after smearing 'Ghi' inside the plates. Covering, each plate with another 'Tabaq', the rims are sealed with kneaded wheat flour dough. These 'Tabaqs' are then placed on a slow fire of live charcoals or smokeless burning cow-dung cakes to that the meat pieces get sauteed, in an hour or so, to a deep brown colour. Some live coals are also placed on the top of these 'Tabaqs'. This slow steam cooking of meat getting grilled in earthenware plates, imparts a special flavour and aroma to the Dish.

Remember that this Dish should always be served steaming hot.

Shyaem

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It means minced mutton cutlets cooked with curd.

Ingredients

Part A:
1 kg Minced Mutton, of Leg, Shank and Shoulder mixed with some fatty pieces
1 kg pure ghee
1 tsp Ginger Powder
1 tsp Aniseed Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Curd
1 tsp Asafoetida Solution

Part B:

1/2 cup Mustard Oil
3 nos Cloves
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/2 kg curd
1 cup milk
1 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp aniseed powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
Crushed Seeds of 5 Green Cardamoms
1 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1 tsp Black Cardamom Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 tsbp ghee
Salt as per taste
1/2 tsp Sugar

Preparation:

In a basin mix nicely, by hand, all the in-gredients, items 1 to 8 of part A. Then by means of a wooden pestle and a stone mortar, pound it into fine homogenous mass. If the mortar is not big enough, pound small portions at a time, and then mix and pound the whole together. This facilitates the process. Often the meat with condiments, instead of being pounded in a 'Havan Dasta', is pounded on a flat stone by means of a wooden mallet. This turns it into a fine putty like mass.

Now divide this Mince into four to eight por-tions, according to the desired size of 'Shyami' slices. With oiled hands mould each portion into a compact cylindrical shaped sausage of about 1.5'' to 2'' diameter, and put these aside in a plate.

In a bowl of about a litre capacity, mix and churn together, with a churning stick, the 1/2 kg. of curd, 1 cup of milk, 1 tsp ginger powder, 2 tsps aniseed powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar, out of the list B of ingredients, and put aside.
Method:

Take a steel or tinned copper or brass 'Patila' of about 2 litres capacity.
Pour 2 cups of water in it and bring it to boil on a stove.
Gently put the prepared minced meat cylindrical pieces, one by one, and side by the side in the 'Patila', and allow these to boil for about 15 minutes, till these turn stiff and get somewhat cooked.
Remove the 'Patila' from the heat, and take out the pieces by a perforated ladle to let these get cooled in a plate.
Keep the Soup in a separate bowl to cool down.
Cut the cooled cylindrical pieces, into 1/2" thick round slices, by a sharp bread knife, and keep aside in the plate.
Add the soup to the curd mixture (part b) and mix nicely by a steel ladle.
After wiping the inside of the 'Patila', pour into it the mustard oil and heat it on a medium flame.
When froth disappears and oil begins to smoke a little, remove the 'Patila' from the fire for a few minutes to let the oil cool a bit.
Add cloves, cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida powder.
Stir, add the curd and soup mixture, and resume heating the 'Patila', while stirring the contents constantly, so that the curd does not crack and separate.
After boiling for a few minutes, the contents blend into a homogenous gravy.
Add the minced meat slices to the boiling gravy, to get cooked for 10 minutes on low heat.
Shake the 'Patila', or stir gently with a steel or wooden ladle, now and then.
Now let simmer for half an hour or so till the gravy thickens and the oil begins to separate.
Add the remaining ingredients of 'B' list, i.e., garam masala, caraway seeds, crushed green cardamom seeds, powdered black pepper, black cardamom and cinnamon, along with the ghee.
Mix with the ladle, or by holding the rim of the 'Patila' with a cloth and shaking it gently.
The 'Shyaem' is ready for serving.
Note:

In case the dish is not to be served immediately, then the above mentioned remaining condiments etc., of ingredient list 'B' part are added just before serving when the 'Patila' is reheated on a medium flame.

Neni Qaliya (Mutton Qaliya)

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Ingredients

1 kg Meat
100 gms Suet and Fatty portions of Intestines (cut into pieces)
1 tea cup Milk
1 tea cup Curd
2 pcs Green or Dry Ginger (Approx 10 gms)
1 tbsp Aniseed unground
2 nos. Cardamoms Big
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Aniseed Powder
1 tsp Dry Ginger Powder
1 tsp. garam masala
10 nos. Green Cardamoms
3 nos. Cloves
1/2 tsp Caraway Seeds
2 pinches Asafoetida Powder
1/2 tea cup Mustard Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
Salt to taste

Method:

In a steel or tinned brass or copper 'Patila' of about three to four litres capacity, pour a litre of water and put in it the meat, along with the suet and fatty intestine pieces.
Add green or dry ginger pieces, after crushing these a little by pounding.
Also add 2 tsps. each of turmeric and whole aniseeds, along with half a tea spoon of chili powder, 2 crushed big cardamoms, 2 tsps of salt and a pinch of asafoetida.
Stir well and put the 'Patila', after covering it with a lid, on medium heat to boil slowly for half an hour.
Generally in Kashmir, to prepare this dish earthenware vessels, a 'Leij' for a kg. and a 'Deg' for 3 to 5 kgs. of meat, are used. These give a special aroma to this cherished Dish, which is a must in all big Dinners.
Remove the vessel from the fire, and by straining through a colander or a strainer or a coarse cloth, collect all the soup in a bowl.
Sort out all the semi-cooked meat pieces from the strained mass and discard all the boiled ginger pieces, aniseed, cardamoms, bone pieces etc.
Wash the vessel and pour in it the soup.
Add the milk and curd, after thoroughly churning these together along with powdered aniseed, remaining turmeric and powdered dry ginger.
Bring it to boil again, while the contents of the 'Patila' are constantly being stirred by a wooden or a steel ladle, so that the curd and milk do not crack, and separate from the soup.
When a homogeneously blended gravy is formed, add the sorted and half cooked meat, fatty intestines and suet.
Occasionally stir the contents gently.
Let it simmer on low heat.
Meanwhile in a pan or a 'Kadahi' heat the mustard oil, till the foam disappears, and after removing the pan from the fire, let the oil cool a bit.
Add a pinch of asafoetida, cloves and the cumin seeds.
Stir till the cloves, cumin seeds and the asafoetida gets fried but not charred. This imparts an aroma to the oil.
Add this oil along with fried Spices to the meat, while it is simmering.
Stir with a ladle and let cook on low heat, till the meat is tender.
Now add garam masala and caraway seeds, and a bit crushed green cardamoms. stir and remove the 'Patila' from the fire for serving the dish.
Note:

If the dish is not to be served immediately, then the garam masala, caraway seeds and green cardamoms, are added a little time before serving, while the dish is again brought to boil.

'Qaliya' should be piping hot while being served. In feasts it is always served as a first course, directly ladling it on the 'Bata' (Plain Cooked Rice).

Sometimes saffron, some blanched almond kernels and a tablespoon of ghee, are also added, while the meat is simmering. Then this Dish is called 'Dara Shahi Qaliya'. The quantity of green cardamoms added, is also increased in that case.