Mutton-Do-Pyaja मटन दो प्याज़ा (Indian Mutton Savory)

Mutton-Do-Pyaja

Steamed Rice and Mutton-Do-Pyaja

Mutton-do-pyaja is succulent pieces of mutton in gravy made by using onion in two different form i.e. long thin cut onion and well browned onion paste. The amount of onion taken is almost double by weight than that of mutton. I personally feel that since mutton has its own flavor which it imparts to the gravy also thus too much masala (Spices) overwhelm mutton and the muttonny flavor is completely camouflaged. Do-pyaja gravy has its origin in Lucknow in Mughal era. To give it Mughlai aura lots of Cashew nut, Almonds were added. I prefer Mutton-Do-Pyaja without any further addition of nuts so that the mutton can be enjoyed completely.

Preparation Time: 1 hrs.(Marination time not included)

Cooking Time: 1.30 hrs (Approximately)

Servings: 10 Large Servings

Ingredients Required For Making Mutton-Do-Pyaja:

• 1 kg. Mutton (Goat meat)
• 1 and 1/2kg. Onion
• One tomato (roughky 100 gm)
• 10-15 gm Garlic
• 15 gm. Ginger
• 2-3 Teaspoon Powder of Red Kashmiri Mirch Powder(optional)
• 2-3 Lawang (Cloves)
• 2 Bay leafs
• 2 Whole Red Chili
• 4-5 Sabut Kali Mirch (Pepper corn)
• 2-3 cm. Stick of Cinnamon
• 4-5 Teaspoon Coriander seed powder (Dhaniya)
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 4 Red chili powder(Or to taste) (optional)
• 10 ml. Cooking oil (I use mustard oil) 5+5 ml.
• 10-15 ml. Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 100 gm. Thick fresh Curd

Direction for Making Mutton-Do-Pyaja:

1.       Making Marinade:

• Make fine paste of Garlic and Ginger. 
• In a large bowl mix:
• Curd
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon Red chili powder
• 1 Teaspoon Kashmiri Mirch powder
• 2 Teaspoon Dhaniya powder
• Garlic-Ginger paste
• Turmeric powder
• Thick uniform paste of marinade is ready.

2.       Marinating the Mutton:

• Wash mutton thoroughly in flowing water.
• Drain water completely.
• Mix marinade to mutton making sure all pieces of mutton are coated with marinade.
• Keep the mutton with marinade in a covered bowl for at least 2 to 3 hrs. Longer it is kept more will be the flavor of mutton and spices mixed with each other. Or 
• Can keep for marinating before chopping work is done.

Marinated Mutton

3.       Cooking Process for Mutton-Do-Pyaja:

• Peel 1/2 kg of onions and cut them to long pieces. Any thickness will do as they have to be cooked and made to paste.
• In a thick bottom wok take 5 ml. of oil and heat. When the oil is hot add all cut onion and reduce the flame.
• Cook on low flame till brown. Switch off the heat and allow the cooked onions to cool.
• By the time onions are cooking peel rest of the 1 kg. Onions and cut them to long thin slices.
• In a thick bottom wok take remaining 5 ml. of oil and heat on high flame. When the oil is hot, add the thinly slice onions and cook on low flame till transparent. Need not to brown them.

Sliced Onion cooking to trasparent state

• Remove the onions from the wok.
• By now the browned onion must have cooled. Make them to fine paste, adding as little water as possible.

  http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html)

• In the same wok (Or other as per your wish) take 5 ml. of ghee and heat on high flame.

Spices in hot Ghee

• When the ghee is smoking hot reduce the flame and add 
• cinnamon
•  cloves
•  pepper corn 
• Whole Red chili
• Bay leafs
• Cloves

 Let them split. (It will take a min. or two).

• Add the marinated pieces of mutton without the thick liquid. Keep the liquid aside for later addition.

Mutton pieces in hot ghee with spices

Left over liquid of Marinated Mutton

• Cook the mutton for 15 minutes with continuous stirring and turning upside down to make sure all pieces are evenly cooked in the oil. This will give the mutton a beautiful reddish brown color. Wonderful aroma of mutton and spices will start coming.
• Add the thinly sliced transparent onions to mutton and cook for another 10 minutes with continuous stirring.

Transparently cooked onions added to mutton

• Add onion paste and mix nicely and cook for another 5 min. this will make your onion mutton slightly brown and the color looks really wonderful.

Cooked onion paste added and mixed

• Add all the liquid left from the marination and bring the flame to high.
• Cook with continuous stirring till all the water evaporates.

Liquid of marination added and reduced

• Bring the heat to low and add:
• Salt (totaste)
• Chili powder (to taste)
• Remaining Dhaniya powder 
• Kashmiri mirch powder

Basically all remainder spices are added at this stage.

• Mix nicely and cook for another 2-3 min.

Ready for water to be added

• Add water as per your requirement and mix. Cover and cook for 15-20- minutes with stirring occasionally. Or you can transfer the mutton from the wok with all the spices mixture to a pressure cooker and add water, cover the cooker with its lid and bring the heat to high till pressure is formed in the cooker. Lower the flame and cook for 10 min (Two whistles from the cooker).

Mutton-Do-Pyaja

• Switch off the heat and allow pressure cooker to cool before removing the cooked mutton-do-pyaja from it.
• Pour the remaining ghee on the top of cooked Mutton-Do-Pyaja and mix.
• Serve piping hot delicious Mutton-Do-Pyaja with steamed rice/parantha/Chapatti.

Steamed rice with Mutton-Do-Pyaja 

Tips:

• The state of mutton when it just starts falling off the bone is best cooked mutton. Over or undercooked mutton would spoil the whole dish.
• Do not add too much water right in one stage as excess af water will have to be evaporated and this can cause overcooking of mutton, where as if more water is required then it can be added anytime of cooking.
• Onion paste masala and ginger-garlic paste can be made before hand and kept in fridge.
  

  http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html)

  http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/11/home-made-ginger-garlic-paste.html

• Non-stick/Anodized woks reduce the usage of oil thus I always use them if you are using any other wok then oil requirement may change.
• Always taste the chili powder before adding as the degree of hotness of different brands is different.
• You can garnish the cooked Mutton-Do-Pyaja with finely cut Coriander leafs.
• Curd/Papad/salad served along with steamed rice and Mutton-Do-Pyaja are best accompaniment.
• If you wish you can avoid adding ghee to cooked Mutton-Do-Pyaja but believe me it brings a certain different texture and flavor to the dish.
• The consistency of gravy can be changed as per requirement by adding required water.
• Whole spices should be cooked in ghee not oil to get best result.

Alternate Suggestions:

• If in hurry one hour marination will do.
• Mutton can be cooked along with sliced 1 kg onions. This reduces the cooking time and efforts.
• If you wish then the amount of onions can be reduced to 1.500 kg. (1 kg +500 gm).
• Red Kashmiri mirch powder adds lovely red color so if you do not have it then avoid. Only color will be different not the taste.

• If curd is not available then 8-10 small pieces of raw papaya can be added in marinade. Papaya pieces should be removed before cooking the mutton. Curd/papaya helps in cooking the mutton fast. If papaya pieces are not removed then mutton pieces will literally melt in gravy an unwelcome thing.

Multi Layered Bruschetta

Bruschetta

An amazing preparation with veg or non-veg topping on bread slices bruschetta is best for breakfast or snacks. My daughter in-law is an enthusiast cook and modifies each and every recipe according to our taste. This version of bruschetta is her creation. We love to have it in our weekend brunch menu. It is a variation keeping in mind our love for mushrooms.

Preparation Time: 20-30 min.

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 10-12 Bruschetta

Ingredients Required For Making Bruschetta:

• 400 gm. Fresh Mushrooms
• Sliced Bread (Multigrain/Whole Wheat)
• 4-5 Leaves of Basil
• 100 ml. Thick Coconut milk/100 gm. Coconut milk Powder
• Salt to taste
• 10-15 gm. Walnuts
• 1 capsicum (small)
• 1 Tomato
• Pizza spread
• Butter

Direction For Making Fresh Coconut Milk:

• Grate fresh coconut after removing the kernel from the shell.
• Grind the grated coconut to fine paste by adding 100 ml. water in little amounts.
• Sieve the thick liquid from the paste.
• To the remaining solid add 50 ml. of water and grind again. Sieve the paste. This will give thinner liquid.
• Mix the two milky liquid obtained. Fresh coconut milk is ready.
• If you are using coconut milk powder then add the coconut milk powder to 100 ml. of luke warm water and stir till it dissolves. Heat for 1 min. on low flame with continuous stirring to ensure it dissolves completely.

Direction For Making Bruschetta:

• Wash the mushrooms nicely.
• Drain all water and pat dry them with a cloth.

Cleaned Mushrooms

• Cut the mushrooms to small pieces.

Chopped Mushrooms

• Remove seeds from capsicum and tomatoes and cut then to fine pieces and keep aside in separate bowl.

Finely chopped Capsicum

• Cut the walnut kernels to small pieces (size of pieces may vary as per liking).
• Put the chopped mushrooms in a thick bottom wok and cook on low flame. Mushrooms will start losing water and shrinking. Keep cooking with regular stirring.

Mushrooms cooking in thick bottom wok on low flame

• Once the water reduces considerably the total amount of material in the wok will reduce to half.

Mushrooms ready for Coconut milk to be added

• Add
• Coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• Shredded Basil leaves
• Cook on low flame with regular stirring till all liquid dries off and a thick mass of mushrooms is left. 

Mushrooms cooking in Coconut milk along with herb 

Mushrooms ready for Bruschetta

• Remove the mushroom cooked in coconut milk.

Mushrooms Cooked in Coconut milk

• Butter one side of bread slice and toast it on a pan till light brown repeat same on the other side also.

Crisp toasted slices  and coated with Pizza spread

• Apply pizza spread on one side and keep the slice of bread on hot pan/tawa with the side having pizza spread facing down.
• Toast for just one minute on low flame. Remove from pan and spread a liberal coat of cooked mushrooms above the pizza spread on the toasted bread slice.

Slice Toasted on Both Side 

Toasted Slice With Pizza Spread

Mushroom spread over toasted slice with Pizza spread

• Sprinkle
• 5-10 pieces of capsicum
• 5-10 pieces of tomato

  

  Capsicun and Tomatoes sprinkled over Mushrooms

• Sprinkle pieces of walnuts.
• Enjoy Hot, crisp juicy Bruschetta with tea/coffee/milk/fruit juices

Bruschetta

Tips:

Do not use butter too much slices are supposed to become crisp not full with butter.

Make sure the side with pizza spread should be cooked with care on low flame otherwise they will get burnt and the taste will get spoiled. It has happened with me so be doubly sure that the heat is on low while toasting the slice.

Burnt and blackned slices along with correctly cooked slices

• Basil should be always shredded not chopped with knife.
• Mushroom should not become dry and retain the moisture.
• Multigrain bread is best as the nutritive value as well as the taste gets enhanced.
• Fresh herb give the best flavor.

Alternative Suggestions:

• Sautee one medium size finely cut 100 gm. onion in olive oil till they turn transparent. Add finely chopped 150 gm. tomatoes till they get cooked completely and the mixture become mushy. Add salt to taste. Cook till the liquid start drying and the mixture starts leaving the edge of pan. Add one teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (or to taste), 1 teaspoon soy sauce and one teaspoon ginger-garlic powder. Cook for just one minute. Cool the cooked mixture and make a fine paste.
• Walnuts can be replaced with Almonds or 1:1 ratio of walnuts and almonds.
• Red bell pepper/yellow bell pepper can be chopped and mixed with capsicum for toppings.
• Basil can be replaced with fresh parsley/celery for change of taste.
• Each slice can be cut to four pieces before making bruschetta. It makes very good appetizer.
• Walnuts can be roasted before adding to toppings.

Tawa Machi (Pan Fried Fish)

Tawa Machi (Pan fried fish)

Fish are very healthy as they are rich in omega-3 oil and vitamin A and vitamin D. They are extremely good for skin and hair. Adding fish in diet results in radiant skin and reduction of hair fall, strong and shiny hair. Pan fried fish / Fish wrapped in turmeric leaf or banana leaf and then steamed are healthiest form of fish to be eaten as the low temperature cooking ensures that none of the nutrients are destroyed. In coastal areas of India especially West Bengal  and Kerala where fish is the primary diet of people one will find ladies with black, lustrous, long shiny hair. I love fish in any and every form but Pan fried fish (Tawa Machi)is my all time favorite.

Preparation Time:  60 min.

Cooking Time: 20 min. for each piece if cooked separately. If larger pan is used then all pieces can be cooked in 20-30 min.

Servings : 4 large serves

Ingredients Required for Making Tawa Fish:

• 4, 1-1 1/2cm. thick slices of Greas Carp {Carp fish, (Labeo Rohita)} Rohu /(Lady fish) Surmai

• 50 gm. Ginger Paste

• 50 gm. Garlic Paste

• 1/2 Tea spoon Turmeric Powder

• 1 Tea spoon Red Chili Powder

• 1/2Tea spoon Garam masala

• 1Tea spoon Amchur (Dry raw mango powder)

• 1 Tea spoon Coriander seeds powder

• 1/2Tea spoon Salt

Fish and spices for marinade

• 2 Lemons

• 2 Tea spoon Mustard oil / Olive / Rice bran oil/Any cooking oil

Directions for Making Tawa Machi (Pan Fried Fish):

• Wash the fish pieces in flowing water gently.

Surmai fish washed in fresh water and pat dried

• Pat dry and rub one lemon juice on both sides of each piece and leave for 10 min.

Lemon juice applied on the washed fish and left for 10 min. before washing again

 

• Drain the liquid and wash nicely again.

• Drain all water and pat dry with a soft towel / cloth.

• Squeeze one lemon and apply the juice on both sides of fish pieces and leave for 20-30 minute to marinate in lemon juice.

Washed fish with Lemon juice

Washed fish being coated with Lemon juices

• To make marinade mix 

• Ginger paste,
•  Garlic paste,
•  Coriander powder,
•  Red chili powder,
•  Garam masala, 
• Turmeric powder,
• Amchur and
•  Salt.

Marinade for Fish

• Apply the marinade nicely on both sides of fish marinated in lemon juice.

• Cover and leave for 30 minutes for fish to marinate in spices mixture and the flavor of spices to seep in the fish.

Ready for marination for 30 minutes

• Heat a non- stick Tawa (Thick flat plate) / Pan and apply 1/4Tea spoon of oil on it.

1/2Tea spoon oil spread on the Non-stick pan

• Gently place the marinated fish in it and allow to cook on low flame for 10 min. The fish will change the color and the side touching the tawa will become light brown.

Marinated fish being cooked on Non-stick pan with 2 drops of oil

• The Juices will also start coming and in the process of cooking they will get absorbed in the fish.

• Gently flip the fish piece, sprinkle 2 drops of oil on it and cook the other side also on low flame for about 10 minutes.

• Both the sides should become light brown.

Cooking till it becomes golden brown from both sides. The color of the fish has chenged

• The fish will feel tender after getting cooked.

• Take out the Pan fried least oily fish on a plate and serve with a wedge of lemon and onion and tomato rings.

Tawa Machi

• Repeat the same with all fish pieces if you are cooking them separately in small pan or cook them together on a larger tawa/ pan.

Tips:

• This fish tastes best with mustard oil.

• Make sure the fish is washed till clear water comes out during first wash.

• Handle fish gently as fish is delicate item.

• Cook always on low flame so that the fish gets cooked right to the core and does not get burnt.

• Use a thin edged broad spatula for turning over the fish to ensure it does not break.

• Since fish has its own oil so just greasing the pan for the first time when the fish is placed is enough.

• Since fish is salty, so excess salt should be avoided.

• Do not overcook the fish as over cooking will make it hard and chewy.

Suggested Variations:

• Fish fillets can be taken for making pan fried fish
• 3-4 Tea spoons of  mustard sauce can de added to the marinade for tangy flavor.

• 2-3 Tea spoons of rice flour / corn flour / whole wheat flour can be added to the marinade. This will make sure that the fish does not break while flipping.

• Bread crumbs can be sprinkled on marinated fish to make it crispy.

• Finely cut fresh coriander leaves can be added to the marinade.