Ethnic Delights: Deliciously Awadhi

Dora Kabab
Ingredients
900 gm minced lamb
150 gm lamb kidney fat
¼ cup onion
 ¼ cup ginger
8 green chillies
1/3 cup coriander leaves
2/3 cup cashew nuts
2 eggs
3 tbsp groundnut oil
½ tsp white pepper powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp garam masala
Twine of thread
Butter for basting
Method
Mince the fat and set aside. Wash, dry and chop the onions, ginger and coriander leaves. Deseed and finely chop the green chillies and keep aside. Crush the cashew nuts separately using a mortar and pestle and set aside. Whisk eggs in a bowl and keep aside.
Add the above ingredients, except butter to the lamb mince in a large bowl and mix well. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Divide into 12 equal portions and make them into balls.
Pre heat the oven to 325ºF.
Use a moist hand to flatten the balls by pressing each one along the length of the skewers, roll twine (thread) on the kabab to hold them in place.
Roast the kebabs in a moderately pre-heated oven for about 8-10 minutes. Remove the skewers and leave them aside to let the excess moisture drip off for about 2 minutes.
Baste with butter and pop it in the oven again for 2 minutes.
Remove the kebabs from the oven and serve hot with coriander chutney.
Peshawari Murgh Kabab
Ingredients

• 12 pcs boneless chicken legs
• 6 ¾ tsp ginger paste
• 6 ¾ tsp garlic paste
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp kachari powder
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp groundnut oil
• 2/3 cup gram flour
• 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup coriander, finely chopped

Method
Clean the chicken by removing the skin. Debone and cut each leg into two.
Mix ginger paste, garlic paste, lemon juice, chilli, garam masala and kachari powder with the seasoning and marinate the chicken pieces with this mixture. Keep aside for an hour.
Heat butter and oil in a wok. Add gram flour and sauté over medium heat until golden brown. Remove 4 tsp and keep aside separately.
Add in the chopped ginger, coriander and the marinated chicken and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.
Skewer six pieces of chicken together. Leave a gap of 2 inches and then skewer the next lot.
Roast the chicken moderately in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.
Serve hot with tamarind chutney.

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Mirchi Baigan Ka Salan
Ingredients
For the curry:

• 6 baby eggplants
• 3-4 tbsp oil
• 10-12 mild green chillies, slit vertically
• ½ tsp mustard
•  ½ tsp nigella seeds / kalonji
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 7-9 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp tamarind, dissolved in ½ cup water
• 2 ½ cups water
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves, to garnish

For the masala paste:
1 medium, sliced onion
. ¼ cup desiccated, unsweetened coconut
. ¼ cup roasted peanuts
1 ½ tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2-3 garlic cloves
. ½ inch ginger
. ½ tsp red chilli powder
. ½ tsp turmeric powder
. ½ tsp garam masala powder
Method
For the masala paste, fry the onions in a pan until light brown. Add the desiccated coconut and fry until brown.
Add peanuts and sesame seeds to this mixture and roast for 1-2 mins.
Make a smooth paste of the above and add garlic, ginger, all the powders and a little water. Delicately slit the green chilies and eggplants vertically. Heat two tbsps oil in a pan and fry the chillies till light brown. Remove chillis, add two more tbsps of oil and fry eggplants till they are 80 per cent cooked. Remove and dry on a kitchen napkin. Add more oil to the same pan and fry the mustard seeds till they pop.
Add nigella seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves to the oil. Fry for a minute and add the ground masala paste.
Fry for 3-4 mins or till the oil separates from the paste.
Then add tamarind pulp and water. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. The gravy thickens as it cooks, so add water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Add in the fried green chillies and eggplants with salt and simmer for 7-9 minutes.
Garnish the mirchi ka salan with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with plain rice.

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Mahi Dum Qaliya
Ingredients

• 500 gm fish, cut into pieces
• Oil to deep-fry
• 2 tbsp oil, to sauté
• A few fenugreek seeds
• Coriander leaves, to garnish

For the curry paste:
1 small onion
3 medium tomatoes
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp thick sour curd (optional)
Salt to taste
For the marinade:
1 tsp white vinegar 
½ tsp garlic paste
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp gram flour
Salt to taste
Method
Marinate the fish with all the marinade ingredients, one after the other, and let it sit for half an hour to absorb the flavour. Turn the fish pieces over after a while to ensure that the marinade coats all sides.
Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry the fish in small batches until crisp.
Put all the ingredients for the curry paste in a food processor and make a fine paste.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add fenugreek seeds and sauté for 10-15 seconds.
Add the curry paste to the oil and fry till the oil is separated.
Gently add the fish pieces into the gravy, and add water to get the desired consistency of the gravy. Cook for 2 minutes on low heat.
Garnish the Dum Qaliya with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

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Shahad-E-Jaam
Ingredients
1 ½ cups khoya
¼ cup chenna
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp maida
Water, as needed
2 cups sugar
Ghee/oil to deep fry
¼ tsp green cardamom powder
For the stuffing:

• 1 gm grated pistachio
• 10 strings saffron
• 5 gm sugar
• 1 gm cardamom powder
• 1 tsp honey

Method
Grate the khoya and mash the chenna into the same bowl and set aside. Mix the two along with soda bicarbonate, maida, green cardamom powder and a little water to make a soft dough.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and shape them into round balls.
Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing together and stuff the balls with it.
On the side, prepare syrup by mixing sugar and two cups of water. Clear the syrup by removing the scum, if any.
Heat ghee/oil in a wok. Add the balls and deep-fry on low heat till golden in colour (if the temperature isn't low, the jamun will not cook on the inside).
Drain the balls and soak in the sugar syrup for at least 15-20 mins before serving them warm.

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Chenna Payesh
Ingredients
Few strands of saffron

• 1.5 L milk
• 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
• 5-6 almonds, blanched and chopped
• 7-8 pistachios, blanched and chopped
• ½ cup sugar

Method
Soak saffron in two tablespoons of warm milk and keep aside.
In another pan, boil half litre of milk, then add lemon juice and stir continuously till the milk curdles.
Strain the whey and tie up the chenna in a muslin cloth. Dip it in ice cold water till it cools completely, then squeeze till all the liquid drains away. Set aside.
Boil the remaining one litre milk and add a pinch of saffron to it. Put it on low heat and let it simmer till reduced to half the original quantity.
Add sugar and continue to simmer on low heat. Stir continuously to ensure that the sugar dissolves completely.
Mash chenna in a clean bowl. Add to the sweetened milk and simmer for two minutes.
Remove from heat and garnish with chopped almonds, pistachios and the soaked saffron.
Pop it in the fridge for a while and serve chilled. 
Photos by Shihab/ Khaleej Times

• Food and Dining