Everyday exotica

The nine recipes listed here have been reprinted from Dr Katy Dalal’s Delicious Encounters — Innovative Recipes, Parsi, Indian, Western printed in 2000. The author suggested these dishes when Parsiana specified that our readers may be interested in trying out something new this Navroz. Currently she is involved with the launch of her third cookery book: A Tribute to Indian Cuisine: Pulaos and Biryanis, slated for release on March 16, 2002.

DRUMS OF HEAVEN

Preparation time: 10 mins

Marinate overnight

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves: 7

Chicken wings (24 — large)

Mustard powder (1 tbsp)

Soya bean sauce (4 tbsp)

Brown sugar (2 tbsp)

Honey (½ cup)

Ginger-garlic paste (1 tbsp)

Sesame seeds (½ cup)

Poppy seeds (½ cup)

Black pepper (1 tsp — freshly ground)

Oil

Cut the wing tip and reserve only the largest wing portion. Wash and with the help of a knife turn the meat from the bottom of the wing upwards so as to resemble a drumstick.

Put ginger-garlic paste, pepper, salt to taste, soya bean sauce, brown sugar, mustard powder and honey in a bowl. Mix well and toss the wings into the mixture and marinate overnight.

Splash a little oil on the drumsticks. Mix the poppy and sesame seeds together. Coat the drumsticks in the mixture, set them out in a baking pan and cook at 350°F for half an hour or till soft. Taste for salt. Serve with drinks.

If you don’t have an oven cook over a stove.

YOGHURT SAUCE

Preparation time: 30 mins

No cooking

Serves: 12-15

Yoghurt (500 g — thick)

Sugar (½ cup)

Spring onions (3 — finely chopped)

Parsley (2 tbsp — finely chopped)

Mint (1 tbsp — finely chopped)

Green chilies (4 — seeded and finely chopped)

Gherkins (4 — finely chopped)

Olives [10 — sliced (optional)]

Salt

Whisk the sugar and yoghurt in a glass bowl. Add all the chopped herbs and mix well. Add a sprinkling of salt. Chill and serve.

APPLE AND YOGHURT SALAD

Preparation time: 10 mins

Serves: 6

Red apples (5 — cored, chopped and sprinkled with the juice of a sour lime)

Red or green cabbage (200 g)

Salted cashew nuts (100 g — chopped)

Walnuts (100 g — chopped)

Red raisins (200 g)

Salt

For the dressing

Yoghurt (300 g — thick and slightly sweet)

Spring onions (2 tbsp — minced)

Coriander (2 tbsp — minced)

Ginger (1 tsp — freshly grated)

Cumin powder (1 tsp — roasted)

Black pepper powder (½ tsp)

Salt

Place the apples, cabbage, cashew nuts, walnuts and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk the yoghurt, add all the dressing ingredients into it and mix well. Taste for salt. Pour the yoghurt mixture over the apples and chill before serving.

SANDWICH FILLERS —

SAVORY BUTTER FOR

SANDWICHES

(All the butter should be used within three days. Mix in a food processor and chill.)

BUTTER WITH CHICKEN

Salted butter (300 g)

Chicken (350 g — boiled, finely chopped)

Lime juice (2 tbsp)

Pepper (1 tbsp — coarsely ground)

Tabasco sauce (1 tbsp)

Parsley (1 tbsp — finely chopped)

HAM BUTTER

Salted butter (300 g)

Ham (350 g — finely chopped)

Pineapple (250 g — canned, finely chopped)

Paprika or mustard powder (1 pinch)

BROCCOLI WITH LEMON AND BUTTER BAKE

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 7 mins

Serves: 4-6

Broccoli florets (1 kg)

Eggs (2 — hard boiled)

Fresh breadcrumbs (1 cup)

Rashers back bacon (2-4 — optional)

Sour limes (2 — juice)

Butter

Pepper powder

Salt

Prepare the florets by cutting off the coarse lower stalks. Boil in salted water till stalks are tender.

Fry the bacon and crumble when crisp. Set aside. Boil the eggs, grate and mix into the bacon.

Place the broccoli in a baking dish. Heat two tablespoons butter and the lime juice and pour over the broccoli.

Place two tablespoons butter and breadcrumbs in a frying pan and stir until golden brown.

Cover the broccoli with the bacon and egg crumble and cover with the buttered breadcrumbs. Place for seven minutes in a hot oven just before serving.

GRILLED LIVER WITH ORANGE SLICES

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves: 8-10

Goat’s liver (2)

Soya bean sauce (1 tbsp)

Tomato sauce (2 tbsp)

Black pepper powder (½ tsp)

Ginger-garlic paste (1 tsp)

Oil

Oranges (2-3)

Salt to taste

Remove the skin from the liver and cut into 1½” strips. Wash and salt. Mix in the ginger-garlic paste and set aside.

Take a skillet or frying pan, place half a cup of oil in it and heat. Drop in the liver strips and turn the pan from side to side. Add the black pepper, soya bean sauce and tomato sauce and cook the liver over a low flame in its own juice. Add a little water only if necessary.

Serve with plenty of finger chips and green lettuce leaves surrounded by skinned orange slices.

SWEET, SOUR AND HOT PORK

Preparation time: 40 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves: 8-10

Good English pork (1½ kg)

Ginger-garlic paste (2 tbsp)

Salt

Grind together in sugarcane vinegar

Kashmiri chilies (15)

Fresh turmeric (tiny piece)

Black pepper corns (6)

Cloves (¼ tsp)

Black mustard seeds (1 tsp)

Cinnamon (1 tsp)

Garlic (1 pod)

Cumin seeds (1 tbsp)

Sugarcane vinegar (2 cups)

Jaggery (75 g)

Wash the pork and remove the rind. Leave the fat on the flesh. Cut into one-inch bits. Wash, salt and marinate in the ginger-garlic paste for two hours.

Grind the masala in sugarcane vinegar. When soft to the touch, smear all over the pork pieces.

Place with two-three cups water and the jaggery in a pressure cooker and cook till soft in its own fat.

Serve with fried potatoes, diced capsicum, baby tomatoes and gotli bread.

CAULIFLOWER-NO-PULAO

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves 4-6

Basmati rice (300 g)

White cauliflower (300 g)

French beans (50 g — julienned)

Carrots (50 g — julienned)

Broccoli (50 g — sliced)

Ginger and garlic (25 g each — chopped)

Green chilies (3 — finely chopped)

Spring onion (1 bunch — julienned)

Soya bean sauce (2 tbsp)

Aji-no-moto (1 tbsp)

Black pepper powder (½ tbsp)

Salt

Ghee

Cut the cauliflower into florets and parboil them in salted water. Drain. In a wok fry the florets in two tablespoons ghee and set aside. Fry the other vegetables separately, too. Add salt sparingly.

Boil the rice in plenty of water and drain in a colander when done. Spread out on a thali so that the grains separate. Heat two tablespoons of ghee in the wok and put in the chopped spring onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies, fry for two minutes and then add the rice. Sprinkle aji-no-moto, soya bean sauce and the pepper powder. Toss in the fried vegetables and stir well. Serve at once.

BEETROOT PICKLE

Cooking time: 45 mins

Serves 10-12

Beetroots (1½ kgs — small)

Sugar (750 g)

Water (1 liter)

Sugarcane vinegar (2 tea cups)

Cornflour (125 g)

Salt (1 dtsp)

Cinnamon, clove, black pepper powder (1 tsp)

Wash the beetroots and cook in a pressure cooker for half an hour till soft. Skin and slice them.

Place the sugar, vinegar and water in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium flame. When the sugar has melted after 10 minutes, mix the cornflour in one cup water and add it to the boiling sugar mixture and stir nonstop till you get a smooth sauce. Add the beetroot slices, sprinkle salt and spice powder and cook in the boiling syrup for five to seven minutes. Cool, bottle and chill.

Dr Katy P. Dalal, a PhD in archeology from Poona University, is now pursuing catering as a full-time profession. The popular gourmet is also the author of Jamva Chaloji — Parsi Delicacies for all occasions and Delicious Encounters — Innovative Recipes, Parsi, Indian, Western.