a red hot yakhni ... with mutton or lotus stem...

I have been on  non vegetarian spree on Banaras ka khana, and here is a recipe to appease both the meat lovers and the veggie lovers. Replace just one ingredient and adjust the cooking time according to the meat or vegetable you are cooking. This is a foolproof recipe of a yummy curry in a hurry... pun intended !!!

This is nadur yakhni as the kashmiris call it but they will shrink their noses for the liberties I have taken with this beautiful curry. Aromatic too.

The curry is as aromatic as the authentic one, my version is hot while the authentic one is quite mild. You can always adjust the heat in a curry and you have an advantage here to use either green chillies or red chilly powder as I do. Preference is all yours, color it as you wish. Minus the red chilly powder this curry will be a nice white aromatic thin gravy hitting your nostrils before you palate, a foodies delight. Truly.

So what do I call this curry?

Yakhni bhen, yakhni with lotus stems, quick yakhni or yakhni my way. Call it by any other name, it remains a convenient take on a nice authentic recipe. Whenever you like it.

ingredients...
lotus stems cleaned and sliced 250 gm (or mutton, curry cut 250-300 gm)
beaten fresh curds 250 gm
fine fennel powder 1 tbsp or a bit more
ginger powder 2 tsp
red chilly powder 2 tsp or as much as you like (or 2-3 green chillies broken)
powdered green cardamom 5 nos.
whole peppercorns 2 tsp
bay leaves 2 nos.
cinnamon powder 1 tsp
mustard oil 1.5 tbsp
salt to taste

procedure ...
This must be the quickest curry you might have tried, that it is cooked in pressure cooker helps a lot in being convenient.

Mix all the ingredients except the lotus stem (or meat if using), whole black peppers and bay leaves, into the pressure cooker pan itself. Whisk with the balloon whisker or a stand mixer as I did. This paste is going to be the base of the gravy.

Add the bay leaves, black pepper corns and the sliced lotus stem or meat. Place the lid and cook under pressure. The timing will be 5-6 minutes for lotus stem and 25-30 minutes for meat (mutton).

Keep the flame low after the first whistle and adjust timing according to your ingredient.

Cool after the required time to cook and serve hot with chapatis or rice.

We like it with chapatis...

The oil will float on the surface after the pressure cooking and the curry will be very aromatic.

Lotus stem is no less than meat for it's texture and even it's nutrient content. It is high in calories too compared to other vegetables but overall a healthy recipe ....

Tell me how did you like it. I have promised more meat recipes and I will post them too, this one is no less. Lotus stem is considered as meat for vegetarians.

keema matar ... minced meat with green peas...

Who doesn't like keema matar , minced meat and peas curry ... and who doesn't like meat without fuss ...so here you are with an authentic keema matar . The way it is made in UP kitchens ...

This is a recipe of keema matar by some masterchef I once saw on TV many years ago . I was a vegetarian then and learnt this recipe for the husband .... now i like my nonveg food and this recipe has become the one authentic keema matar in my repertoire ... I have cooked this keema matar for a 40 something get together once and it was the most sought after dish that day....and it is so whenever i cook it even now....
 ( make sure you include some of the mutton fat when cooking this keema matar for a large crowd , big quantities turn out more yummy this way and the curry will be rich too )

I nice fragrant bowl of keema matar , is something like a comfort food for many. I like it with a hot and fluffy naan , fresh out of the oven ... or as i make it on my stove top.

I prefer coarse mince for my keema matar so i have to instruct the butcher specially to make it like this. The coarsely minced keema is better for a dry curry and a fine mince will be better for a gravy like curry , the peas almost floating in a dense gravy....so choose the mince the way you want it. The procedure for the curry will be the same.

I use my home made curry powders for this keema matar , and that makes this curry even more flavorful . If you don't use this spice powder , you can use your own spice mixes if they are close to these powders in flavor...

So here is the step wise procedure ....

Heat oil in a thick base kadai , throw in the cumin seeds . Add the chopped onions after the cumin seeds start spluttering ...After the onions become pinkish , add the ginger garlic paste and fry till everything gets cooked but not browned....

 Add the everyday curry masala , turmeric powder and the red chilly powder ... mix well keeping the flame very low at this point as the powders may get burnt otherwise. Sprinkling a little water while frying the masala will be better if it is getting smoky...Let it fry nicely till aromatic .Add salt to taste.

Add the minced meat , mix well and keep stirring and frying on low heat..The meat starts getting brownish first , the small pieces shrink a bit and then everything gets homogeneous while frying . This step takes about 20 minutes of dry frying ( bhuno) on low flame...

 Add the green peas to the cooking mixture and mix .... adjust salt and add some additional black pepper at this step . Add the special garam masala too . addition of black pepper powder and garam masala at later stage of cooking is done because the aroma is preserved better this way .

Add the curds , mix well and bhuno some more till the mixture turns almost dry again. i normally do not need any cover or lid on the kadai as this is cooked on low flame and is stirred almost all the time . Many things can be done while this curry is cooking a s it takes quite a long time to cook , using finely minced keema minimizes time though...do multitasking as you go...



Now is the time to add the green aromatics... the mint...

Mint is crucial to this recipe as it provides a nice earthy flavor to the curry...chopped green chillies also go with the mint ...It will take just a couple of minutes more on the heat.
Cover lastly and let it rest off heat for a few more minutes..


Serve hot with naans or chapatis....buttered or plain...I like it with plain whole wheat naan...home cooked glory...at it's best...

Let me list the ingredients ...for 3- 4 portions....

keema (minced meat) 300 gm
green peas 200 gm
diced onions 1.5 cup
ginger garlic coarsely pounded 2 tbsp
everyday curry powder 1 tbsp
turmeric powder 2 tsp
red chilly powder 2 tsp or to taste
special garam masala powder 1 tsp

black pepper powder 1/2 tsp
fresh curds 1 cup
chopped mint leaves 1/2 cup
chopped green chillies 1 tbsp ( optional)
ghee 2 tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp

The keema matar will see you smiling after all the cooking and stirring you did over the stove top....The aroma of mint leaves is great ... i like mint leaves in my biryani too...just do not cook too much after adding the mint if you like it aromatic , otherwise too the flavor is good...

I make the keema matar kaleji too by this same recipe . I just boil the liver pieces in a separate pan with salt and turmeric . When the liver pieces are soft and done and almost dry in the cooking liquid , add them to the cooked keema matar .... i do it with the leftover keema matar sometimes . Cooking the liver pieces with the curry is not advised as the taste changes a lot.....boiling the liver separately allows the flavors of the keema matar stay well and the liver is having it's own burst of taste when you bite into the pieces....

I do not like mutton liver normally , but with keema matar it can be a good treat . Those nuggets of liver in the keema matar are really delectable...

There is one more variation to this keema matar recipe , a vegetarian version of keema matar . Just use boiled and drained soya granules ( nutrela types) instead of keema and you have a nice quick yummy curry...and this one cooks fast.

enjoy....