5 Grandmothers’ Recipes That DSSC Loves

Bursting at the seams, our stomachs can barely digest the ‘just one more’ ladleful that grammy lays in our plates, but we can’t get enough of that love! With memes dedicated to them, the Nanis and the Dadis are famous for showering their affection in the form of food. The DSSC team members had a week of Grandma’s Recipes, where each of us brought a plat du jour – our favourite out of all our grandma’s dishes to be relished by all, and we couldn’t call it a wrap without sharing the love!

Here are our favourite recipes, tweaked, perfected and loved over the years!

Kashmiri Badam Mutton Kofta Curry

With dishes like Wazwan, Rogan Josh, Naat Yakkhn (Yogurt Lamb) and Lotus Stems, Kashmiri cuisine has a special place in our hearts. Kashmiris seem to have cracked the code of cooking rich dishes which don’t leave you feeling stuffed. Mr. Tech-Meister added another gem to this list, by introducing us to Kashmiri Badam Mutton Kofta Curry, the melt in mouth meat balls spiked with the delectable almond flavour.

Show your allegiance to the ever-famous Kashmri Kofte by gathering:

• Lamb: 750 g (finely minced)
• Ginger: 1.5” piece (grated)
• Green chilies: 3 fresh (chopped)
• Onions: 200 g (chopped)
• Tomatoes: 100g (chopped)
• Coriander: 200 g (finely ground)
• Red chilli powder: 3 teaspoon
• Salt: 2 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
• Almonds: 120 g (crushed)
• Cardamom: 10 g (crushed)
• Cloves: 10 g (crushed)
• Mustard oil

METHOD:

1. Set 100 ml of mustard oil to warm up in a pan. Do not overheat or bring to vapour.
2. Mix the minced meat, almonds, cardamom and cloves in bowl to form a consistent paste. Form a cavity in the middle of bowl within the paste.
3. Pour the warm mustard oil into the cavity and mix with the paste until consistent. If the oil is too hot, it will cook the meat upon contact. Let this mix rest for 10 mins, do not cover the bowl.
4. Use the mix to shape the kofte into a cylindrical form that is no longer than 3” long and 0.5” wide each.
5. Heat 200 ml of mustard oil in the pan and sauté the onions & green chillies till the onions are brown on the edges. Lower the heat to simmer.
6. Add the coriander, red chilli powder and salt to taste (if unsure use 3 teaspoon). Turn this mix in the pan until the red chilli powder is golden brown.
7. Place the formed kofte into the simmering mix and let them brown from one side.
8. Once all pieces are single-side-browned, add the ginger, 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and let it boil for 15 minutes.
9. Lift the cover and let excess water evaporate.
10. Finally add turmeric and tomatoes. Turn till tomatoes have released their juices.

You’re now ready to receive compliments for your own Kashmiri Badam Mutton Kofta Curry!

Fish Fry

Treating us to some coastal delights was Mr. Brew, who’s ace at replicating his grandma’s famous Fish Fry. Savour this delicacy as a meal or a snack, but be prepared to keep reaching for these bites until you feel guilty-we had to coax him to do a repeat the same week!

Cook this Bengali bonne bouche using:

• Fish (boneless): 600 g
• Onions: 3 medium-sized (chopped)
• Bread crumbs: 300 g (powdered)
• Garlic: 8 cloves (chopped)
• Green chillies: 6 (chopped)
• Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
• Salt: 1 1/2 teaspoon
• Cooking oil: 300 ml
• Cornflour: 2 tablespoon
• Black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon
• Eggs: 3

METHOD:

1. Cut the fish into 10-12 pieces.
2. Make a paste of the onions, garlic and green chillies.
3. Add the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt to this mixture. Marinate the fish fillets in this paste and let it sit overnight.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cornflour and black pepper.
5. Take the marinated fish fillets and cover each in a layer of bread crumbs.
6. Keep the fish fillets in the freezer for about an hour, so that they’re well-bound with the bread crumbs and don’t fall out when frying.
7. Take the fillets out and soak them in the eggs mixture made previously.
8. Heat the cooking oil in a pan for about 3 minutes, and then start frying the fillets in it.

Best served immediately after cooking and accompanied by mustard sauce!

Seyal Bread

Ms. Peachy Life remembers the Seyal Bread rather fondly. Her gramps would whip up her favourite snack in no time as she would come back home from school, exhausted and famished. Till date, a serving of this Sindhi bread along with a large glass of cold coffee is all you need to win  her over!

Bake this baby with:

• Bread loaf: 1
• Tomatoes: 2 (chopped)
• Asafoetida: A pinch
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
• Onion: 1 medium-sized (chopped)
• Green chillies: 2 (chopped)
• Turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander powder: 2 teaspoon
• Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste
• Fresh coriander leaves: 2 tablespoon
• Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Trim or retain the corners of bread slices as per choice & cut them into medium sized pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add onion, cumin seeds, asafoetida and mustard seeds. Sauté these until the onions turn translucent.
3. Add tomatoes to the pan and stir. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, green chillies and turmeric powder and mix well. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add 1 cup of water and salt to taste. Let the water come to a boil.
5. When the water starts boiling, add the bread pieces and mix well.
6. Once all the water has been absorbed, sprinkle the coriander leaves and mix lightly.
7. Add lemon juice and mix & serve hot.

Ta-da! You just moved one step closer to baking your own bread.

Kathal Biryani

The days when Ms. Moonwalking Marketeer  is especially proud of  her part Awadhi heritage is when Granny makes the her oh-so-yummy Kathal Biryani. While Calcutta & Hyderabadi biryanis may have you hooked till now, we promise that this vegetarian biryani will become your favourite underdog!

Rustle up this royal dish by taking:

• Green jackfruit: 250 gm (cut into bite size)
• Curd: 1 cup
• Ginger-Garlic paste: 2 tablespoon
• Cloves: 4
• Cardamom (Green): 4
• Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
• Bay leaf: 1
• Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder: 1 ½ tablespoon
• Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
• Saffron: A pinch (soaked in water)
• Red chili powder: 1 tablespoon
• Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
• Chopped coriander leaves: 1 tablespoon
• Onion: 1 large (roughly chopped)
• Tomato: 1 medium (chopped)
• Red onion: 1 medium size (cut into slices)
• Ghee: 4 tablespoon
• Vegetable oil: 4-5 tablespoon
• Cashew nuts: 8-10
• Raisins: 8-10-
• Almonds: 8-10
• White basmati rice: 1 ½ cups (soaked in water for 1 hr)
• Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Cook the rice till just tender.
2. Fry off the jackfruit in some oil.
3. In a bowl, put the jackfruit, yogurt, cumin powder, bay leaf, garam masala powder, 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves and garlic-ginger paste in it. Mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. In a pan, heat 3 tbsp of oil. Add cumin seeds, 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves and cinnamon stick. When they crackle, add coarsely chopped onion and salt. Fry on medium heat until onions turn translucent.
5. Add the tomato and fry for another 2-3 min on medium heat.
6. Add the jackfruit, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and mix well. Fry them for 4-5 min on medium high heat and stir occasionally. Add 1 cup of water and cook till jackfruit pieces get cooked and become tender.
7. Heat some ghee in another pan. Add cashews, dry grapes & almonds and fry them for 1 min on medium heat. Now add red onion slices and sauté them till they turn to golden brown.
8. In a heavy bottomed pot, spread a layer of nuts and onion mixture (1/3 of the mixture prepared in the previous step) followed by a layer of cooked rice (1/3 of total rice). Sprinkle saffron water. After that, spread 1/3 of jackfruit mixture. And repeat!
9. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 25-30 min or until steam starts coming out of the lid.

Tastes best when enjoyed with a your fave peeps and a bowl of raita.

Rice Kheer

Room for dessert? Always! Remember being so full with grandma’s cooking, yet acting greedy for dessert and helping ourselves to just that little extra than needed…wait, nope, we just described this afternoon. Guess some things don’t change! Just like Ms. Bacon’s weakness, her grandmother’s Chawal Ki Kheer (rice pudding).

Whip up this delight by getting together:

• Milk: 1 litre
• Rice: 100 g
• Sugar: to taste
• Cardamoms (green): 6 (crushed)
• Saffron: A few strands
• Almonds: 50 g (peeled)

METHOD:

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan and boil the milk. Let it simmer till it is reduced to 1/3rd of its original quantity (about 300 ml).
2. Add rice and let the mixture simmer. Keep stirring occasionally.
3. When the rice & milk reach a thick consistency, add the sugar, saffron and cardamoms.
4. Let it cool and once it comes down to room temperature, refrigerate the kheer.
5. Garnish with almond slivers just before serving.

There you go! Our grandmothers’ love, which you can take forward-is there any better way to give back to the community? We volunteer to be the official tasters of your versions of these dishes!

Featured Image Courtesy: pinterest.com