DADDY'S CUISINE

Kombdi Rassa is a Maharashtrian dish cooked in a rustic way along with few rustic masalas in it.  Kombdi is Chicken and Rassa is thin gravy in Marathi.  Cook and enjoy this dist at home.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Chicken with bones – 1 kg – cleaned and chopped in 1 X 1 inch pieces.
• Dry whole masalas : Jeera (Cummin) seeds – 1 tbs; Black Pepper – 1 tsp; Bay leaves – 2 small size; Dry Red Chillies – 6  medium sized; Corriander seeds – 1 tbs; Cinnamon Stick – 2 inch; Mace leave – One; Clove (Lawang) – 4 pieces; Green Cardamon – 2 pieces; Black Cardamon – One piece; White Seasame (Til) seeds – 1 tbs.
• Dried Coconut (Khopra) – Grated finely – 4 tbs.
• Ginger – finely chopped – 1 tbs.
• Garlic – finely chopped – 1 tbs.
• Fresh Coriander leaves – finely chopped – One small cup.
• Kokum (Garcinia Indica) – 6 Pieces soaked in luke warm water.
• Onion – 2 large – finely chopped.
• Green Chillies – 2 pieces – finely chopped.
• Cooking Oil – 3 tbs.
• Tumeric powder – Half tsp.
• Salt to taste.

Method:

• Take a deep Pan or Kadai and add 2 tbs of cooking oil.  Heat it up.
• Add all the dry whole masalas into the hot oil and fry them for about two minutes.
• After two minutes add dried grated coconut to the masalas and fry it for two to three minutes on high heat.
• Remove this fried masalas from the Kadai and place it on a plate.  Donot remove the oil – leave it in Kadai.
• If required, add little cooking oil to the Kadai and heat it up.  Add ginger, garlic, green chillies in the same oil and cook it for about two to three minutes on high heat.
• Add chopped onion to the Kadai and fry it along with ginger/garlic/green chilli until the onions turn light brown.
• Turn off the heat and remove this fried onion mixture on a plate.
• Use a mixer grinder and add the fried onion mixture, fried dry whole masalas, chopped fresh coriander, and Kokum (Garcinia Indica) which is soaked in luke warm water.
• Grind this mixtures into a fine paste by adding required quantity of water.
• Take the same Kadai and add remaining cooking oil.  Heat it up.
• Once the oil is heated up add the above grinded mixture into the hot oil.
• Stir it well and keep frying for about three minutes on high heat.
• Add tumeric powder, salt to taste, and red chilli powder (Only if you need this dish to be very hot and spicy).  If not, then don’t add red chilli powder.
• Stir it well.
• Add chicken into the Kadai along with fried masala.
• Keep stirring the chicken on high heat for four to five minutes.
• Add water (as per required consistency of gravy – rassa required) to the Kadai and mix it well with the chicken on high heat.  
• Once you see the water boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cover the Kadai with a lid.
• Allow it to cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is completly cooked.
• Turn off the heat and let the lid be on the Kadai for another ten minutes.
• Remove the Kombdi Rassa in a serving bowl and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.
• Kombdi Rassa goes well with Bhakri (Jowar or Rice) – that’s how it’s eaten in rural Maharashtra, India.  Serve hot along with some fresh lime and sliced onion.
• Happy Eating.

Chicken Pasta in white sauce turned out to be very delicious.  I tried cooking this dish for the first time by watching it on a food channel, with some of my own twist and addtions.  Ingredients are healthy and fresh which made this dish very tasty.

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Pasta – Half kg.
• Onion – One large size – sliced into long thin shape.
• Garlic – grated – 2 tbs.
• Tomato – One Large size – finely grated.
• Red Bell Pepper – One medium sized – sliced into thin long pieces.
• Green Bell Pepper – One medium sized – sliced into thin long pieces.
• Yellow Bell Pepper – One medium sized – sliced into think long pieces.
• Cheddar Cheese – grated – 3 tbs.
• Mozzarella Cheese – grated – 4 tbs.
• Fresh Cream – 2 tbs.
• Milk – 250 ml.
• Salt to taste.
• Dried Oregano – 2 tbs.
• Red Chilli powder – Half tsp.
• Coriander powder – Half tsp.
• Pepper powder – 2 tbs.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 4tbs.
• Boneless Chicken – cut into 1 inch cubes – Half kg.
• Butter – 1 tbs.
• Fresh Thyme leaves – 1 tbs.

Method:

• Take a large size deep pan.  Add one liter of water, pinch of salt and 1 tsp of olive oil to it.  Heat it up.  
• Once the water is heated, add pasta to it and keep stirring.
• Allow the pasta to cook well.  Keep checking every now and then.  
• Once the pasta is completely cooked, remove the water from pasta.
• Keep cooked pasta aside (drain out all excess water).
• Take another large size deep frying pan.  Add 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil and heat it up.
• Add butter and allow it to melt.
• Add chicken pieces and stir continuously on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add salt to taste and 1 tbs of pepper powder.
• Keep stirring the chicken on high heat until it is cooked completely.
• Remove this cooked chicken in another bowl and keep it aside.
• Add remaining extra virgin olive oil in the same deep frying pan and heat it up.
• Add finely grated tomato and fry it for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add grated or finely chopped garlic and stir well for another 2 to 3 minutes on high heat.
• Add sliced onion and stir well.  Cook until onions are translucent.
• Add Thyme leaves and stir for 2 minutes.
• Add sliced Red, Yellow and Green Bell pepper.  Mix them well. Cook them on high heat.
• Add salt to taste, red chilli powder, coriander powder and remaining black pepper powder. Stir well and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on high heat.
• Add cooked chicken into the pan and mix them well.  Stir well on high heat for another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add Oregano and mix them well.
• Slowly add milk on low heat and continuously stir well.  Then increase the heat and cook it for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese to the pan.  Mix them well.  Cook it for 2 to 4 minutes.
• Add boiled pasta to the pan and mix them well.  Cook it for another 2 to 4 minutes.
• Add fresh cream and stir it well.  Cook it for 2 minutes.
• Turn off the heat.
• Donot cover the pan with lid.  Allow all the steam to go out.
• Serve Chicken Pasta in a serving plate and garnish it with fresh basil leave. Chicken Pasta is ready to eat.
• Happy Eating.

Nagpur Saoji Mutton is a speciality of Nagpur city of Maharashtra State in India. This dish has lots of dried whole masalas, later grinded to paste, making it spicy. The gravy base is roasted and grinded peanut paste.  The masalas and peanut base gravy make this dish very delicious.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Mutton (Lamb) – 1 kg – cut into 1 inch size cubes.
• Onion – Three medium sized – cut into thin slices.
• Cooking Oil – 4 to 5 tbs.
• Dried Spices : Pepper Corn – 1 tbs.  Dal Chinni (Cinnamon Stick) – 2 inch. Cloves – 1 tsp. Red Chilli – 6 to 8 pieces.  Green cardamom – 4 pieces. Black cardamom – 1 piece. Cummin seeds – 1 tbs. Mustard seeds – 1 tbs. Soaf (Fennil) seeds – 1 tbs. Coriander seeds – 2 tbs.  Mace leave – 1 piece.  Star Anise – 2 pieces. Dagad(Stone) petals – 1 inch. Tej patta (Bay leaves) – 2 pieces.
• Dried Coconut – cut into fine pieces – 4 tbs.
• Ginger and Garlic paste – 2 tbs.
• Peanut – 100 gms – dry roasted.
• Tumeric powder – 1 tsp.
• Lime Juice – 4 tbs.

Method:

• Take a deep fry pan or Kadai.  Add cooking oil and heat it up.
• After the oil is heated up, add sliced onion in two or three batches and fry them until golden brown.  Remove the fried onions and allow them to cool.  
• In the same heated oil, add all the dried spices mentioned above and fry them for a minute or so.  Don’t allow it to burn.  Remove the fried dry spices and keep it aside to cool down.
• Take another pan and heat it up.  Add Peanuts to it and dry roast the peanuts.  Remove it from the pan and allow it to cool down.
• In the same dry heated pan, add dried coconut and roast them. Remove it from the pan and allow it to cool down.
• Grind the fried onions, fried dry spices and roasted peanuts together by adding little water so that this turns into a paste after grinding.
• Grind the roasted coconut seperately by adding little water and turn it into a paste.
• Take the same deep fry pan or Kadai and add little bit of cooking oil to it.  Heat it up.
• Add Mutton (lamb) pieces to the heated oil and fry the mutton for 10 to 15 minutes on high heat by continuously stirring it.
• Add ginger and garlic paste as well as tumeric powder to it.  Stir well continuously.
• Add fried onion/dry spices/peanut paste to the mutton.  Continuously stir the mixture and allow the masalas and mutton to cook together for another 10 minutes.
• Add coconut paste and mix well.  Keep stirring the mixture and cook it for another 5 minutes.
• Add three to four cups of water (depending on required thickness of gravy) and mix them well.  Close the lid of the Kadai and allow the mutton to cook on medium heat until mutton is cooked to perfection (become soft and tender).
• Add lime juice and cook it for another 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and keep the lid closed for another 15 minutes.
• Nagpur Saoji Mutton is ready.
• Serve Nagpur Saoji Mutton hot along with Roti/Bhakri or Rice.
• Happy Eating.

Bihari Bhunal Gosht cooked is my version.  Added few extra whole masalas and beaten yoghurt to add into it a sour element and also to give thick gravy texture.  It was delicious.  Please try this cooking this version of Bihari Bhunal Gosht.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Fresh Mutton – 1 kg – cleaned and washed.
• Jeera – 2 tsp.
• Jaiphal (Nutmeg) – 1/4th tsp.
• Tej patta (Bay leaves) – 2.
• Star annise – 2.
• Green Elaichi – 4.
• Lawang – 6.
• Kaali Miri – 1 tsp.
• Dagad Phool – 2 petals.
• Whole Dry Red Chilli – 4.
• Javatri (mace) – 2 petals.
• Dal Chini – 2 inch stick.
• Onion – 4 medium size – sliced.
• Fresh Tumeric pods – 1 inch long.
• Ginger – 1 inch long.
• Lassun – 10 pods.
• Red Chilli powder – 1 tbs.
• Ghee – 2 tbs.
• Salt to taste.
• Oil – to fry and cook.
• Coriender leaves – 4 tbs.
• Yoghurt – 250 gms – whisked (beaten) in paste.

Method:

• Take a deep frying pan or kadai and add sufficient cooking oil to fry onions.  Heat up the oil.
• Add sliced onions and fry it until golden brown.  Remove the fried onions and keep it aside.  
• Grate the Nutmeg (Jaiphal) about half of it into fine powder.  Add this powder to fried onions, mix it well and keep it aside.
• Keep the oil to cook mutton.
• Take a flat pan. Heat up the pan,
• Add Kaali miri, Lawang, Jeera, Dal chini, Star Annise, Dagad phool, Green Elaichi, Javatri and dry roast it for few minutes.  Remove it.  Take a stone mortar and pestle and add these roasted masalas into it.  Crush them until it is a powder.  Keep it aside.
• In the same stone mortar and pestle, add ginger, garlic, fresh tumeric pod, little water if required, crush them into a fine paste.  Keep it aside.
• Use the same deep frying pan / kadai in which onions were fried.  Heat up the oil.
• Add jeera to the hot oil and allow it to crackle.
• Add all the mutton and start roasting it on high flame until it turn brown or cooked properly (3/4th cooked).
• Add ginger/garlic/tumeric paste to the mutton and stir it.  Continue cooked and stiring for another 5 minutes.
• Add Kaali miri, Lawang, Jeera, Dal chini, Star Annise, Dagad phool, Green Elaichi, Javatri crushed powder to the mutton.  Stir it well and continue cooking.  Add very little water if required to deglaze the pan and to avoid the masalas from burning.
• Add red chilli powder and salt to taste.  Stir it well and continue cooking for another 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add Tej patta, whole dry red chilli, fried onions (mixed with Nutmeg powder) to the mutton.  Keep stiring and continue cooking for another 5  minutes.
• Add Ghee to the mutton and continue stiring.  
• At this stage the mutton should be almost full cooked.
• Add beaten yoghurt slowly to the mutton and keep stiring continuously while adding yoghurt.
• Close the lid.  Reduce the flame to low-medium.
• Allow it to cook on low-medium heat for another 10 to 12 minutes.  Ensure the masalas and mutton donot burn or stick to the kadai bottom.  If so open the lid and stir once and again close the lid.
• Turn off the flame. Add 3/4th of the chopped fresh coriander and mix it well.
• Serve Bihari Bhunal Gosht hot in a serving bowl and garnish it with fresh chopped coriander leaves.  
• Bihari Bhunal Gosht can be eaten with Roti, Chappati, Naan or Jeera fried rice.
• Happy Eating.