MUDHI MANSA - Puffed Rice with Goat Meat Curry

Mudhi  Mansa or puffed Rice with Mutton Curry and Baripada in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha are synonymous with each other. This famous delicacy is served as a main course where goat meat curry or Mansa tarkari is mixed with puffed Rice or Mudhi along with some other side items.  It is a belief with the people of Mayurbhanj that if you consume Mudhi after a meal, it will help in digesting the food you eat. No marriage seems complete in Mayurbhanj if you do not offer the Barajatris or Baratis, Mudhi Mansa. The popularity of Mudhi Mansa among  most of the Odia people speaks the volume about the delectable taste of the dish. It is rightly said , if you have visited Baripada and not tasted the Mudhi Mansa, you have not tasted anything.

In coastal parts of Odisha where I am born and brought up, Mudhi or  Puffed rice is generally considered as an ingredient for the evening snacks where it is mainly eaten with mixture . Whereas in Mayurbhanj, it is eaten during lunch and dinner also. It is such an integral part of their life that, Mudhi can be enjoyed with anything and everything.  You name it and they eat it. Mudhi mansa, mudhi aloodum, mudhi tarkari, mudhi machha,singada aloochop mudhi, dahi mudhi, mixture mudhi and even Baigan Poda with Mudhi and list is endless. Try it once and you will fall in love with its taste.

Recipe: Odia

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 20 to 25 minutes

Serves:4

Ingredients for the Mansa tarkari: 

• 500 gms Goat Meat with extra fat
• 2 large onions
• 2 medium potatoes cut into halves
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder
• 1 bay leaf
•  2-3 cloves
• 2 to 3 green cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 tbsp mustar oil (for the typical taste)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp garam masala( grind 4 to 5 green cardamom and 1 inch cinnamon stick)
• Salt to taste

Let's learn How to make the Odia Mansa Tarkari:

• Marinate the mutton with 1 tsp mustard oil, turmeric powder and red chilli powder for 1 hour minimum.

• Chop the onions and tomatoes and keep aside. Peel the potatoes and cut into halves and keep aside.

• Heat Mustard oil in a Pressure cooker to a piping hot mode so that it would remove any strong odours from the oil .Shallow fry the potatoes and set them aside. 

• In the same oil, add the sugar and let it caramelize. Then add the whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamon and bay leaf).

• Add the chopped onions and fry till it turns golden brown in clour. Then add your ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of the paste goes away.

• Now add chopped tomatoes and cook till the oil separates from the spice mixture and then add coriander powder, chilli powder and a little water. Tomatoes are not usually added in the recipes in Odia Mutton curry but it is a personal preference , so I add, you can skip if you do not like.

• Now add the marinated mutton and coat it evenly with the spices. Keep frying the mutton for a few more minutes on a medium heat. You will notice the fat melting and adding to the richness to the masala. keep sauting on low flame till you see the masalas leaving the sides of the pot.Add potatoes now.

• Pour 2 cups of boiling water and cover the lid and allow it to cook on medium flame till you have the first whistle of the pressure cooker. Now lower the flame and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. This would help the mutton fat to gradually melt and add to the richness and flavour of the dish.

• Let the pressure cooker release all the steams naturally and then open the lid and sprinkle the garam masala over it. 

• Your delicious Odia mutton curry is ready. There will be a thin layer of oil over the mutton curry, which indicates a good mutton curry.

Ingredients to make Mudhi Mansa:

• 1 cup Mudhi
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 green chilli finely chopped
• 2 to 3 tbsp chopped cucumber
• 1 tbsp chopped tomatoes
• Fresh sprig of coriander leaves, finely chopped
• A pinch of Odia jira lanka gunda (roasted cumin seeds and red chillies grind together )

Let's assemble the dish:

• Mix all the ingredients together and finally add a some mutton curry with a few chunks of meat. Your Mudhi Mansa is ready to be savoured.

This Mudhi Mansa, an exclusive odia delicacy Which remains a niche in its own state made from the  leftover gravy from the mutton curry mixed with onions, green chillies and fresh coriander along with the puffed rice , needs to be brought to the  limelight for the world to know. Hence,this delicacy is going to be part of the #44th Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme of #Indianspices.

Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower

This Thai Red Curry with cauliflower made for lunch is the most warm and comforting food I have tasted. The last couple of weeks has been very taxing as far as work goes for me, managing home, office and keeping a balance is always a challenge for me and this always leaves me in a dilemma what should I cook  which can be made in a jiffy and yet flavorful and comforting. This red Thai curry fits to my requirement perfectly.

For the last one month I was unable to contribute to Cooking from Cookbook Challenge  which is a group of bloggers who will be cooking from their offline content and blogging on the weekends for a month. I have received this Simply Nigella cookbook from Better Butter.in for the Chicken & Mutton Challenges hosted by them where my Chicken Rezela recipe has been selected. You can check this recipe which was awesome. This book has got some awesome recipes but most of the recipes uses ingredients which is not available at my place. So I settle down to try this simple recipe which was awesome in taste.

 

Cuisine: Thai

Recipe Source: Simply Nigella

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size cauliflower
• salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 2 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 to 3 green cardamoms
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander stalks
• ¼ cup Red Thai Curry Paste
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 1 lime
• Chopped fresh coriander for garnishing

 

let's Learn How to make this recipe:

• Boil the cauliflowers with salt and bay leaves till they are cooked yet firm in shape. Remove and transfer to a ice cold water so that it remains firms and fresh and does not  get  over cooked.
• Heat oil in  a pan, add the chopped onions, chopped ginger, cardamom and cumin seeds and the finely chopped  coriander  stalks  over medium heat for a minute or so.
• Add the Red Thai curry Paste and the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Transfer the cauliflower to the pan and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.Check Seasoning and squeeze in some lemon juice and take off from heat.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and Serve it with steamed rice or naan.

Radhaballavi ( Stuffed Chana Daal Poori ) with Niramish Aloo Dum

Radhaballavi or Stuffed Chana Daal Poori is undoubtedly is the favorite breakfast of a typical Bengali Household. This mouth watering delicacy   found its way to the heart of many people just like me who despite not being a Bengali love this lip smacking Radhaballavi served with spicy aloo dum in a bowl of sal leaves . whenever I travel to Kolkatta, I make it a point to have this once, but I have never made it at home, despite it being high on my priority list.You will find this combo mainly made during Pujas and other  functions in many Bengali households where it is served either with cholar daal or aloo curry.

This recipe has got it’s name when  the Zamindars family offered these stuffed pooris to Lord Krishna in their temples. Though Radhaballavi and Hing er Kachuri are referred interchangeably, there is a huge difference between them. The Hing er Kachuri is smaller in size and flavoured with hing and urad daal as stuffing. However, radhaballavi is made with chana daal paste, ginger, green chilli, fennel and bhaja masala.. In other words both are same with stuffing of different daals.

I got a wonderful opportunity last Sunday, when I was treated with this delicacy at a friend’s place . Her mother taught me this recipe which I am going to share with you all. For a welcoming change from the regular Pooris, do try this Bengali delicacy at your home and treat your family to this traditional regional breakfast recipes from the state of west Bengal.

Cuisine: Bengali
Recipe Source: Jhimki Kar 

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For TheRadhaBallavi

• 2 cups All purpose flour
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• Water as require to make a smooth dough.

For Stuffing

• 1 cup Chana daal   
• 2 tablespoon Oil or ghee/clarified butter
• 1 inch piece Ginger
• Green chili – 3 to 4
• 1 teaspoon Asafetida or hing
• 1 tsp Bhaja Masala( 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 2 dry red chillies dry roasted and ground to a coarse masala)
• Salt to taste
• Sugar to taste

Method

• Wash and soak the Chana daal overnight. Wash again and grind the lentils with green chillies , ginger and salt. Keep aside.

• Take the flour in a large bowl. Add ghee and salt. Rub the flour till it looks like breadcrumbs. Add lukewarm water gradually and  Knead until you get a  pliable dough that means when you see that the dough does not stick to your hands. cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Now heat 2 table spoon ghee  in a nonstick pan. Add hing or asafetida then add the lentils ginger and green chillies paste. Stir well. Add sugar and the Bhaja masala. Mix well.Keep stirring until the mixture dried up completely. Scrape the sides and let the mixture cool.
• Make small balls from the dough. Flatten with your palm. Put one teaspoon stuffing in the middle. Bring the edges together. Close the ball completely. Roll the balls with rolling pin with the help of little oil and see that there is no crack in the surface. Repeat the process for rest of the pooris.
• Heat sufficient oil in a Kadhai or heavy bottomed pan. When heated slide the radhaballavi carefully in the oil. Press gently with a spatula to see it all puffed up and fry till both the sides are golden in color.Transfer to a kitchen towel to do away with excess oil in the pooris. Your Radhaballavi is ready to be served.

Ingredients for Niramish Aloo dum

• 6 nos of large potatoes
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp dry ginger powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp Hing or asafetida
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Let;s Learn how to make this recipe:

• Wash, Boil, Peel and coarsely mash the potatoes so that large chunks remain intact.
• Make a paste of the dry ginger powder, turmeric powder , red chillii powder, garam masala powder with the help of a little water.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add dry red chilli and cumin seeds . Once it starts to splutter add the hing and turn off the gas.
• Add the masala paste and stir well and now turn on the gas and add the mashed potato along with salt to it. Saute for 1 minute and then add water as require for the gravy. Let it boil. Cover and cook on simmer for 5-6 minutes or till the desired consistency of the gravy is reached.
• Sprinkle coriander leaves on top .Serve this no onion garlic dum aloo or aloor dom with fluffy yummy Radhaballavi.

Note: The original recipe has not used the fennel seeds and Bhaja Masala , but I have added as per my own taste.

Maah choliyan di daal (Slow cooked Punjabi Style Mixed Lentils gravy)

Maah di Dal, Kaali Dal or Urad Dal with skin – This Daal  has so many different names which only indicates how widely loved and popular it is.  “Maah di Daal” is a famous lentil curry savored with rice or roti in the Northern parts of India. Made with black lentils, mainly Urad, and flavored with flagrant spices, is indeed a treat to be enjoyed. The typical Punjabi name for this daal is “Maah choliyan di daal” is almost same as kaali dal except it is made from split urad dal and chana dal. Maah means urad dal and chole dal means chana dal i.e. a combo of Urad dal (Maah/split black gram) and Chana dal (Choliyan/bengal gram). Traditionally this daal is prepared in earthen pots on a clay stove which impart an earthy taste and creamy texture to it.  

Maah choliyan di daal is similar to Dal makhani in many ways as it uses the same lentils. However this daal is much lighter in terms of its preparation and gets most of its flavors from the slow cooking over hours. There are as many variations of Maah di Daal found on the internet — there is a great deal of confusion over what exactly goes into it. Some recipes use cream, others use butter, and most use ghee. But every version out there uses urad dal  as the lentil base but some use whole lentil, others use the split lentil, but with the black skin on. Some add a second lentil to it, usually chana dal, and yet others confuse it with its more famous cousin that’s often found on Indian restaurant menus, the luscious Dal Makhani, which has rajma or kidney beans added to it. The Chana dal  adds a bit more texture and a slightly different flavor to this daal.

This daal  isn’t a commonly made Daal in eastern parts of the country . So my association with this daal before is with “restaurant” food .For a long time, I had Maah Di Daal in dhabas and restaurants only. I can completely understand if a lot of you will not associate with the way I have made this recipe, without a lots of butter or cream, but this is the way I have been making this daal on a regular basis without feeling guilty and keeping as much as the creamy texture and taste without going overboard with cream / butter.

 Lentils not only are an excellent source of protein for vegetarians , they also make low fat and low calorie meals and they are super tasty. Typically, the ginger-garlic paste is not added to this daal,but chopped and fried with lots of onions till everything caramelize together. The use of Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) really bring in an amazing flavour to this daal and not to forget the garnish of  fresh coriander leaves.

Cuisine: Punjabi
Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves:2

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Chana dal (Bengal gram)
• ½ cup Urad dal (I have used both whole and split)
• 2 large tomatoes pureed
• 1 large onions finely sliced
• 2 to 3 green chilies finely chopped
• 5 to  6 large garlic cloves, minced or crushed
• ½ inch  ginger grated
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder 
• 1  tsp red chili powder
• 3 to 4 black pepper
• 1 bay leaves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tbsp Kasuri methi
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
• 2 tbsp oil 

Let's Learn How to make this daal:

• Soak the two lentils together in hot water for almost an hour. Drain  rinse well and keep aside. 
• Chop the onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic and keep them ready. 
• Puree the tomato and keep aside.

• Pressure cook the dal with turmeric and salt and 3 cups of water till 3 whistles. Turn to slow heat and keep on the gas stove for another 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off and let it cool.Open the cooker when the pressure eases off. Check the consistency of the dal, it should be thick and should get mashed easily when stirred.  
• In a wide and heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil. Add cumin seeds in it and let them splutter. Add bay leaves, green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, pepper and let it release it's aroma for 10-12 seconds. 
• Add in chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies. Let them fry for half a minute on low flame. Take care not to burn them. 
• Add in chopped onions, mix and let everything cook for 5-6 minutes till onions turn little brown in colour. Keep the flame on medium so they don’t stick and keep stirring frequently. Its an important step so have patience and let onion gets cooked properly. 
• Now add in tomatoes, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and mix well. cook the paste, covered for about 3-5 minutes till tomatoes get mushy and cooked.
• Once tomatoes are cooked and the raw smell of the spices is vanished, add cooked daal into this and mix well. Check the seasoning at this point and adjust accordingly. 
• Let daal simmer for another 10-12 minutes. Add garam Masala and turn off the gas.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and sliced onions and serve hot with Naan, Paratha, roti or plain boiled rice.
• This daal is traditionally made thick so you could eat it with chapatti or roti. If you want to have it with rice, adjust the consistency accordingly.

Sending this beautiful Maah choliyan di daal to our 38th  Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme of # daldelight

Note: 

• I usually mix both the whole black daal and the split blak daal along with some rajma when I make this daal. If you like , you can skip adding rajma to this.

• If you are cooking in a pan, soak both daals for at least 2 hours . Cook for 40-45 minutes covered with  a lid. And after mixing with the tadka, let it cook for another 15-20 minutes to reach it's creamy consistency.

Buta Dali Aloo Kakharu Tarkari – Chana dal with potato and pumpkin curry

Buta Dali Aloo Kakharu Tarkari – Chana dal cooked with potato and pumpkin is a a very sought after dish in every odia household. This daal is liked by all for it’s amazing taste of spicy lentils blended with sweetness of pumpkin. It is a nutritious and a wholesome dish which goes very well with rice or poori. This daal is prepared with Buta dali or Chana daal or Bengal gram as popularly known as along with bay leaf, potato, pumpkin , ginger and coconut mostly on festive occasions and does not include onion or garlic in it. This simple no onion garlic aromatic daal is easy to make and taste absolutely divine.

This tarkari made out of Bengal gram is quite different from the other lentils prepared in rest of the country. Buta dali or Bengal gram is a little hard compared to other daals which when cooked holds it’s shape better than other lentils.The use of potato and pumpkin in this daal along with the richness of coconut makes the daal creamy and luscious and makes your dining a never to forget affair of odia traditional cuisine.

Now if you want to cook this simple, extremely tasty, authentic odia dish on a week day or specially for Sunday lunch for your family and friends, donot wait too much, go ahead and check this recipe below. This daal goes extremely well with Pooris  or rice and serve with a sweet kheer as side dish.I have literally grown up eating this daal prepared every alternative day as we have a tradition of not eating non veg food during 4 days a week. Every time I prepare this daal, it reminds me of home and of childhood.

Cuisine: Odia

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

serves:4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Buta daal (channa daal)
• 1 cup pumpkin  diced
• 1 large potato diced
• 1-inch ginger grated
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
•  2 to 3 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp Roasted cumin and dry red  chilli powder(3 teaspoons cumin seeds
  8-10 dried red chillies)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ghee
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 1 tsp sugar
• Chopped coriander and coconut  to garnish
• Salt to taste

Let's Learn how to make this recipe:

• Dry roast the cumin seeds and red chilies for the cumin chili powder  till you get the aroma. Care should be taken not to over roast and burn the seeds.Grind it and store it in an airtight container.

• Wash and cut the potatoes in cubes along with the pumpkin and keep aside.

• Soak the Buta dali for 30 minutes.Wash Buta Dali and bring to a boil along with potato, pumpkin, salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker up to one whistle. Do not overcook the daal.

• Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds , dry red chiilies and bay leaf .When they start to splutter, add grated ginger and stir for a minute.  Add chopped tomatoes and cook till done.

• Add the boiled dal to the above masala, grated coconut  and simmer for few minutes. Garnish it with cumin and chilli powder and chopped coriander leaves and chopped coconut .

•  Serve it with Puri or Rice. The consistency of the dish is a personal preference. So add water accordingly and enjoy.

Chuin -Aloo –Baigan-Badhi- Tarkari( Drumstick-Potato -Brinjal in mustard sauce)

The cuisine of Odisha has a distinctive rusticity in it which has not withered with the passage of time. A typical main course consists of rice along with dali( daal), bhajja( Bhajji),tarkari( curry), bharta (mashed vegetables), ambila/sakara (sweet and sour preparation) and Mitha(dessert) that always makes it the most sought after food in any odia household. But unfortunately odia cuisine has not got it’s due share in the limelight as compared to it’s neighboring counterparts. There are plenty of such odia delicacies which needs to be brought forward for the entire world to see. Mustard oil, besara (mustard seeds pounded with garlic), panch phutana (panch phoron) are the three important ingredients in odia cuisine. 

Tarkari is a generic term mostly used in odia homes for vegetables and meat in gravy. The gravy may be thick or thin ,spicy or bland as per the dish cooked. The thinness of the jhola(gravy) makes the dish light on the palate and demands expertise to raise it to a level distinct from water.This is a humble effort on my part to bring to you certain flavorful classic odia dishes in a series of post which will make you understand the rich heritage of odia cuisine. Besara is a typical form of odia cooking which is prepared with mustard paste as the primary ingredient. Chuin -Aloo –Baigan-Badhi- Tarkari is a classic example of this type of cooking.

Drumstick is called sajana chuin in odia, saijan in hindi, murungakkai in tamil, soanjhna in punjabi. There are many way to cook this drumstick and it is a common vegetable which is available in almost throughout the year. Drumsticks are rich in vitamins like B, C, K, manganese and protein and is very good for our heart and skin. It also helps to purify our blood and lowers blood sugar label.

Cuisine: Odia

Recipe Source: Own

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking time:20 minutes

Serves:4

Ingredients:

• 2 nos Drumsticks
• 1 large potato
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 Brinjal
• 5 to 6 nos garlic pods
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 2 to 3 green chillies
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 8 to 10 Badi( Sun dried chunks of batter prepared from black grams)
• 2 nos dried red chilli
• 2 to 3 tsp of mustard oil
• 1 tsp pancha phutana
• salt to taste.

 

Let's learn how to make this curry:

• Peel off the outer layer of drumstick (chhuin) and cut it into 2 inch pieces. Cut the potato and brinjal in wedges. Cut the tomato into long strips .

• Soak the mustard seeds for 30 minutes and then grind the mustard seeds along with garlic pods and green chillies into a fine paste. Keep aside.

• In a pan, add 2 cups water, salt, turmeric and the ground mustard paste and bring to a boil. Add  sliced potatoes first as it takes maximum time to cook and simmer.

• Once the potatoes are half cooked ,add the sliced brinjal and drumstick.Keep a watch on the drumstick so as not to overcook the drumsticks . in the last add the tomatoes. Take out from heart and keep aside.

• In another container, heat oil. Add panch phutan, dry red chilli and as soon as the panch phutan stops crackling, add the boiled vegetables and bring to boil.Take out from heat and before serving add the fried Badi and coriander leaves.

• Serve hot along with steamed rice.