Recipe File: Fish Cutlets

Fish cutlets are a very popular snack in most Goan Homes and there's as many variations to the recipes as there are Families in Goa. This is our version of Mackerel Cutlets that I learnt from my mom and modified to suit my family's taste. They're milder, gently spiced and perfect for kids.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

MACKEREL FISH CUTLETS

Ingredients: 

4 large mackerels, cleaned , gutted and washed

1 tbsp vinegar

1 large tbsp Goan Green Masala

1 tspn turmeric poweder

salt to taste

Water

2 large onions, chopped fine

1 large tbsp Goan Green Masala

3 slices stale bread

1/4 cup milk

handful bunch coriander, chopped fine

Salt to taste

Semolina to coat

1 egg, beaten

Oil for frying

Method:

Put Mackerels in a bowl and apply the next four ingredients. Let marinate for a 30 mins. transfer to a pot and add a little water. Cook till done and dry.

Once cooled, carefully remove and flake the flesh of the fish and discard the bones.

In a large pan, add a bit of oil and fry the finely chopped onions till transparent. Season with salt and add the Green Masala. Fry till brown and cooked. Keep aside.

Next take the slices of bread in bowl and add the milk to them. Let them soak through.

In a large Bowl, Add the flaked fish flesh, the fried and cooled onion mixture, the bread slices after squeezing out the excess milk and the finely chopped coriander. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly and mush with hands till it all comes together smoothly.

Beat an egg in a small bowl and divide the fish mixture into small balls.Dip the balls into the beaten egg and coat in the semolina. Using a palette or a knife shaped the balls into nice round flat cutlets. Make sure they are well coated in the semolina.

Repeat this process till all the fish mixture is over and you have a plate of cutlets ready to fry.

Shallow fry in hot oil till golden and serve with mayo to dip. Enjoy with your favourite cold beverage!

Recipe File: Kheema Biryani with Bonus Pakistani style Biryani Masala recipe!

The other day I pulled out packet of Frozen Minced meat aka Kheema to defrost it with the intention to make Meatball Curry and a quick Veggie Pulao for Lunch. But while I was chopping the onions for the same, I suddenly had the notion to make a Biryani...with the Kheema! I've never made anything like this before but I must say I was very pleased with my fickle mindedness this time! ha

Sharing my recipe for this tasty and spicy Kheema Biryani.

The Layers!

SPICY KHEEMA BIRYANI

Ingredients:

For Kheema

500 gms Minced Meat ( I used Beef, you can use Mutton if you prefer)

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli powder 

2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1 heaped tbsp Biryani Masala*

Juice of 1 Lime

Salt to taste

Oil

1 tbsp Pure Ghee

2 large onions,chopped

2 large Tomatoes,chopped

2 Bay leaves

4 Black Cardamom

6 cloves

1 Cinnamon Stick 

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli powder 

2 tbsp Biryani Masala* ( you can use a ready masala from brands like Everest or use my special blend! Recipe at the bottom)

2 tsp Yoghurt

For Rice

800 gms uncooked Basmati Rice, washed and drained

8 cloves

2 Cinnamon Sticks 

1 Star Anise
Salt

1 tsp Pure Ghee

For Topping

2 Large onions, Sliced

Handful Raisins, washed and dried

Handful Almonds, chopped roughly

Oil

Assembly

Orange and yellow food coloring (or a few strands of Saffron diluted in a little milk)

Pure Ghee

Handful of Coriander and Mint leaves, chopped fine

Method:
Put the minced meat in a large bowl and adf the next 6 ingredients. Mix thoroughly and keep aside to marinate for 20-30 mins.

In the meantime, wash rice and drain. Prep vegetables and keep aside.

Next, fill a large pot with sufficient water and bring to a boil. Add the whole spices, salt and the rice to the boiling water. Give it one stir and add the ghee. Stir again. Boil till rice is almost cooked but not quite done. Drain water and let rice cool.

Now to cook the Kheema, heat oil in another pot and add the ghee. Add the whole spices and stir till fragrant. Add in the chopped onions and cook till transparent and put in the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt at this point and cook till veggies soften. Add in the powdered spices including Turmeric, chilli and Biryani Masala and cook it well till the oil separates. Put in the Kheema now and stir well. Add a little water and let it cook well till Kheema is almost dry and fully coated with spice mix. Spoon in the yoghurt and stir through. Cook for a few more minutes and keep aside.

For the topping, heat oil in a frying pan and add sliced onions.Fry onions till very golden brown and add then add in the washed raisins and chopped nuts. Fry til nuts and raisins are well toasted and the onions have turned a deep caramel brown. Keep aside.

Now for the assembly! Grease a large pot well with some pure ghee. Gently spread out a layer of the rice at the bottom. Drizzle with the food colour/ saffron and about a generous tsp of pure ghee. Top with an even layer of the cooked Kheema. Next repeat again with Rice just like the first layer. Keep layering with the top layer being Rice. I did two layers of meat and three of rice. 

On the topmost layer after drizzling with colour/ saffron milk and ghee , spread out the Topping mixture neatly over it. Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and mint.

Shut the pot with a close fitted lid and put over the stove to gently heat/ cook through. Your biryani is ready to serve.Enjoy!

And here's a recipe of Karachi Biryani Masala that you can use.

*KARACHI BIRYANI MASALA

Grind to a fine powder:
2 big sticks cinnamon
2 tbspn whole cummin
5 pcs star anise
15 pcs green cadamom
1 tbspn peppercorns
1/2 cloves
5 bay leaves
1/2 Nutmeg
1/2 Mace

Once ground to a fine powder add to this mix:

1 tspn turmeric powder
1 tbspn red chilli powder
4 tbspn coriander powder
15 pcs  whole cloves
15 peppercorns
10 pcs whole Green Cardamom
15 pcs dried Indian plums ( dry fruits sellers)
1 tspn salt

Mix everything thoroughly and store in an airtight container. Use as needed!

Recipe File: Beef Empanadas

Empanadas, are a Mexican snack. They're little turnovers or hand pies.

 They’re very versatile and be fried or baked. The best part is you can be as creative as you want with Empanada fillings.There are no specifics and in fact I would say Empanadas are the perfect way to use leftovers. Make the dough and use anything you have on hand to fill and fry! 

For Hope's Mexican Fiesta, I made the Empanadas with a beef filling. I also modified rather added Goan touched to it to suit my guests taste buds. You can substitute it with Chicken or mutton mince. One can even add some chopped boiled eggs to it. Here is our version of these tasty morsels.

FRIED BEEF EMPANADAS

Ingredients

Dough:
350 gms all purpose flour
1 tsp powdered sugar
100 gms  butter, chilled and cubed
100 gms margarine (I used Nutralite), chilled and cubed
120 mls (about 1/2 cup)ice cold water

Seive the flour and sugar into a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening cubes t
to the flour mix. Using a pastry cutter or a fork quickly cut the fat in the flour till it looks like coarse meal or fat breadcrumbs. There should be tiny peices of the fat throughout  the flour.
Add the ice cold water in tiny increments stirring it into the flour mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Once the dough comes together in large lumps,stop
Flour a cool kitchen surface and transfer dough onto it.The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Divide dough into two. Wrap tightly with cling film and keep in the fridge till filling is ready and cool.

Filling:
500 gms ground Beef/ chicken/mutton mince
1 heaped tbsp Goan Green Masala* 
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 large onions, chopped fine
1 large tomato, chopped
3 tbsp tomato puree
5-6 large cloves of garlic peeled and chopped 
1 heaped tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
salt
Oil
water

Put the ground meat into a large bowl. Add the Green Masala,vinegar and salt to taste. Let it sit for a bit.
Heat oil in a large pan. Add chopped onions and fry till pale. Throw in the chopped tomato and season with salt. Fry till both are soft and cooked through. Add the chopped garlic and fry till fragrant. Add the ground beef at this point and fry off. Once the meat has browned and released water add the tomato puree, spices, herbs and sugar. Season with salt.Add a couple of tablespoons of water. Stir well and cook till meat is cooked through and the mixture is dry. Cool completely.

Assembly:
Take out one ball of the dough and on a floured surface roll out the dough thinly. Use a round cutter or a large glass overturned to cut out round shapes.Spoon a bit of the filling in and wet the edge of the dough circle.
Press together to join. You can fold the edges or press a fork along the edge to seal and make it pretty. Repeat this process till all dough or filling is over. You can refrigerate the uncooked empanadas for up to 3 hours.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry the empanadas until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Serve and Enjoy!

Recipe File: Goan Patoleos - a Bite of Harmony!

In the tiny state of Goa, the Indian Independence Day coincides with two local celebrations: the Feast of Our Lady Of Assumption and Naag Panchami which usually occurs around these dates.

The feast of Assumption which marks the death and "assumption" of Mary, mother of Jesus, into Heaven is celebrated by the large population of  Latin Catholics in the state while the majority Hindu community will revere the naag or snake/serpent because they hold great significance to Hindu belief and mythology.

 Both the communities will mark these festivities by the making of a unique sweet called the Patoleo( also referred to as Patolyo/ Patoyo/Patoeio)!

Such religious and communal syncretism is evident in a lot of ways in Goa when sections of the local Hindu population coverted to Catholicism under four hundred years of Portuguese Rule.

Today Patolyos will be exchanged between Goan homes all over, from Hindu homes and Catholic ones. A poignant sign of the communal harmony that prevails between the peace loving populace of my beloved state and a hopeful celebration of the Independence Day.

This year Faith, my older one assisted me to make our Patolyos along with my dad. As always making something with family makes it that much fun and special.

And now I'm sharing it with you!

The coconut and jaggery filling has variations from region to region and house to house. Some use cane sugar jaggery which is lighter and sweeter, others add boiled chana dal ( split grams). Ours is a simpler version with the rich dark coconut jaggery.

GOAN PATOLEOS

Ingredients:

For the dough
3 cups parboiled Goan Rice
Salt

For the filling
2 medium coconuts
2 large pyramids of Goan coconut Jaggery
2 tspns cardamom powder

35-40 Turmeric Leaves
Water as required

Method:
Wash the rice and soak it in sufficient water overnight ( atleast a minimum of 4-5 hours)

Drain Rice and grind to a thick, almost dough like paste in your blender using minimum water and salt to your taste. I had to put it in 2 batches and used about a 1/2 cup of water each time. You can adjust as it suits you but be cautious as you don't want a runny paste.

Now cover this and set aside in a cool place.

It's time to make the filling. Prep the coconuts and grate finely. Use a large thick bottomed pot or pan to grate your coconut jaggery into it. Add the grated coconut to the pan along with the ground cardamom and a 1/4 cup of water.

Put the pan over a medium flame and cook through till the water evaporates and you have a rich molasses like sticky and dry filling. Keep aside to cool completely.

While filling cools, prep your turmeric leaves.  Or have a lovely assistant do it! Here's Faith trimming the leaves to size. Then after I washed them, she carefully wiped them dry on a clean kitchen cloth.

Next, set up your assembly line! It's time for the fun part!

Also keep a bowl of clean water handy.Place a scoop of the rice dough on the centre of your prepped leaf. 

Now dip your clean fingers in the bowl of water and gently pat away at dough till it neatly covers the leaf in a mostly even manner. Keep the edges free and keep replacing the water it as it gets murky!

.

Now neatly spoon the filling down the centre in a straight line. Then fold in half gently and press down lightly at the edges so that its seals.

Continue repeating the above process till your batter or filling or leaves get over!

Start up your steamer and gently place the patoleo in a single layer without too much overlapping. Cover firmly and let steam for about 20 mins. You'll know they're done when the leaves will change colour to a dull green and your whole house will start smelling of the familiar wonderful patoleo aroma!

Take out carefully, peel open and enjoy these delicious steaming bites of nostalgia!

Bon Festa!Happy Naag Panchami!