Punjabi Mutton Korma

I buy mutton or goat meat at my local halal butcher, a man with a sense of humor. I ask him if he has bheja or brains and he replies affirmatively by pointing to his head! That easygoing humor is one of the reasons I like to patronize his store. The other being the meat. It is always fresh and tender. Today's haul is made into an easy flavorful curry. 

Green chiles, ginger, garlic and cilantro are whizzed into a paste. Small goat chops saute in browned onions. A few spices add pizzazz. Cook low and slow or pressure-cooked, the curry has a simple aromatic profile. All it needs it some rice or roti.

PUNJABI MUTTON KORMA

Serves 4

DF, GF, EF

1 1/2 pounds small Goat Chops

3 Green Chiles

5 Garlic Cloves

1" Ginger finger

1/4 cup Cilantro leaves and stems

1 large Onion

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

1/2 teaspoon Amchoor or Dried Mango Powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Wash the meat and pat dry.

Blend chiles, garlic, ginger and cilantro into a smooth paste.

Chop onion fine.

Heat oil in a saucepan.

Add onion and saute till brown.

Pour the paste into the onions and saute for a few minutes.

Drop meat into the pan and fry for a minute. 

Scatter spices and salt over meat. 

Add 2 cups of water to the pan. 

Cover and cook till meat is soft and cooked. Do this stovetop for a long braise or quicker in a pressure cooker. I used the PC for lack of time.

Enjoy with hot cooked rice or rotis.

The jolly butcher has me drooling all over mutton again! This favorite meat pleases me in more than one way. 

 

Cinnamon Twists

Another out of town trip has my neighbor picking up my mail again. So once more I venture to make something she will munch on. Since I have been drooling over Swedish cardamon buns, I attempt to make these beauties. But...I am quite averse to cardamon in any form. Why not use cinnamon instead? I use a little in the dough and little more in the filling. These twists are light on sugar and spice and huge on buttery flavor. 

The dough is a mix of yeast proofed in warm milk, sugar, flour, a healthy pinch of cinnamon and pats of soft butter. More butter, brown sugar and cinnamon are slathered on to the dough. Cut into narrow strips, these strips should be adeptly twisted into a bun shape. Alas, I tried....with a little success. Look for online forums to learn the technique. But I can assure you, they taste delicious any which way! 

Why do I call them twists? Since the buns are tricky to form, the resulting mounds of dough look more like twists. Immensely pleasing to the eye. Very tasty as well!

CINNAMON TWISTS

Adapted from fixfeastflair.com

Makes 18-20

Dough

1 cup Milk

1 packet dry active Yeast 

1/3 cup light Brown Sugar

3 1/4 cups all purpose Flour

A pinch of Cinnamon Powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

4 tablespoons Butter, softened

Filling

4 tablespoons Butter, softened

1/4 cup light Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

Glaze

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup light Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Heat milk to 110F. 

Add 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and yeast to milk. Whisk, cover and leave aside for 10 minutes. Yeast should be bubbly.

Place flour, the rest of the brown sugar, cinnamon powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk well so brown sugar breaks apart. It has a tendency to clump so whisking it helps.

Use a dough hook. 

Start mixer on a slow speed and pour in the proofed yeast and milk. The dough should start coming together. 

Cut the butter into small cubes. Add a few cubes at a time into the dough till all the butter is used up. 

Increase the speed of the mixer and knead the dough for 5 minutes. This will result in a smooth dough.

Scrape it on to the counter. 

Form the dough into a round shape by pulling the edges of the dough and tucking the dough under. 

Mist the mixing bowl with an oil spray. 

Place the dough seam side down. Cover with a cloth and allow dough to proof in a warm place for 45 minutes.

In the mean time make the filling and glaze. 

Use a spatula to mix the sugar, butter and cinnamon powder well.

Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat till the sugar melts. 

Once the dough has risen, place it gently on a lightly floured counter. 

Roll the dough out to a 13" by 21" inch rectangle. It should be 13" vertically and 21" horizontally. 

Spread the filling all over the dough going all the way to the edges. 

Use a knife to make marks every 7", dividing the dough into 3 portions. Fold one portion into the center. Cover with the other portion. 

Turn the dough towards you. 

Gently roll out the dough till it has flattened slightly. You might feel an air bubble or two. That's ok. 

Use a ruler and pizza cutter  to make 2 centimeter wide strips. You should have 18-20 strips.

Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment.

Hold one strip and stretch it lightly. 

Wrap one end around your thumb, then wrap the rest around your thumb and two fingers. Twist the strip as you wrap. Once you reach the end, tuck that piece in and pull your thumb so that piece gets tucked into the top of the twist. The first few might look a little wonky but you will get the hang of it. 

Place the twist on the baking sheet. 

Repeat with the rest of the strips. Each baking sheet could have 8-9 twists. 

Cover sheets with teas towels and allow the twists to proof for 30 minutes. 

Heat your oven to 350F/180C. Let oven heat for 15 minutes before you place the twists in. Bake for 8 minutes. 

Raise temperature to 425F/210C.

Continue baking twists for 8 minutes. 

Remove twists from oven. 

Glaze them liberally with a brush. 

Pull them apart while they are warm! Enjoy each morsel!

They are just scrumptious!! Soft, pillowy twists with a hint of cinnamon, not overly sweet and so satisfying......

Asian Carrot and Noodle Soup

After reading a bunch of Asian recipes I feel like I need  to make something in that vein. Of course, the kicker is having those ingredients at hand. Sure enough, that swift backside boot has me improvising with the paltry contents of my fridge! 

I blend cilantro, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, soy sauce, fish sauce and some turmeric. Chicken stock comes to a vigorous boil. Shaved slices of carrot cook in the stock. The herb paste goes in along with cooked rice noodles and coconut milk. A squeeze of lime or lemon and you have a fragrant, brightly colored bowl of slurpy noodles, soft carrots and a resounding broth. It's a stone soup story!

ASIAN CARROT AND NOODLE SOUP

DF, GF, EF

Serves 4

1 cup Cilantro Leaves and Stems

3 Garlic cloves

1/2 inch knob of Ginger

3-4 Kaffir Lime Leaves

1 tablespoon Soy sauce

1 tablespoon Fish sauce

1 teaspoon Turmeric powder

3 cups Chicken Stock

1 large Carrot

2 cups cooked Rice Noodles

1/2 cup Coconut Milk

Lime or Lemon

Process or blend cilantro, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, soy and fish sauce and turmeric to a rough paste. Do not puree it completely.

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a broad saucepan.

Shave carrots with a peeler and add to bubbling stock. 

Scrape the herb paste into the stock. 

Drop cooked noodles into the soup. 

Pour coconut milk into soup.

Let soup simmer for 7-10 minutes to develop flavor.

Squeeze some lime or lemon over soup and slurp by the bowlful!

Who knew the meager contents of my fridge would result in such a richly flavored, appetite gratifying soup!