Shrimps are one of my favorite kind of seafood and I would always try shrimps with new kind of gravies or new styles of marinade and fry them or grill them in different ways. Mr. Parveez always preferred eating an actual fish to eating shrimps. He finds Shrimps to be a little tasteless. So, when I started making Shrimp curries, he was still not a big fan. He would eat, but you know not really enjoy it as much as how I would like him to.
We watch a lot of travel shows and during one such show, the host happened to be travelling around restaurants in Kerala and one such restaurant was cooking Malabar shrimp curry. Now before anything let me tell you this. We were watching this program around an hour or so before dinner time. While the chef in the restaurant was showing how he prepares his special Shrimp curry, we were glued to the TV and wished we could see it live in person and have a bite of that scrumptious looking curry. Anyways, just as I mentioned that it was around an hour or so before dinner. Looking at that curry, I was determined that I have to try making it. Funny enough I remembered that my freezer has a pack of frozen shrimps. I always believe in miracles and this might have been one such lucky day. I got down to making it that very moment. The curry came out amazingly delicious and a family favorite too. Now the chef had only given in a rough idea on how to make the curry and few things that I have added to my curry recipe was not a part of the show that we watched. So, you might not find this different from an authentic Malabar Shrimp Curry, but you will definitely get the hint of Malabar flavors and savor each bite.
I deveined the shrimps but left the tail on. I feel it makes the shrimps look prettier in a curry, but you can always take the tail off if you prefer. After washing and pat drying, I marinated the shrimps in Ginger garlic paste, Red chili powder, Fennel seed powder, Tandoori powder, salt and lemon juice for 15-30 minutes. I also added a bunch of curry leaves. Further added some Rice flour, All purpose flour and corn starch powder and deep fried the shrimps. Frying makes the shrimps crunchy and the texture with the curry sauce is very flavorful.
To make the curry, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds along with dry round red chilies. Once they splutter, add curry leaves and further add chopped onions. Add ginger garlic paste followed by black pepper powder, Turmeric powder, Red chili powder, coriander powder, fennel seed powder, salt and cumin powder. Add the Dry red chili paste, tomato puree and green chilies along with fried shrimps and dry fenugreek leaves.
This shrimp curry is pretty easy and would make a special place in your menu. Its goes along great with garlic naan or plain naan and also Kerala Parantha.
Goat Kheema is a popular dish in Muslim families, often served for breakfast. When talking of Kheema, did you know that Kheema is not only made differently in India from Pakistan or Bangladesh but its made differently in different regions of India.
The north part of India makes Kheema with Cauliflower and serve it with Naan, East side makes theirs with Potato and serves them with Parantha, Delhi loves making it plain and also serves it with Tandoori Roti, West loves it Peas, Mumbai has it completely distinct and serves it with paav and down south they add methi [fenugreek leaves] and dill leaves to Kheema and serve it with Kerala Parantha. All the varieties are different and awesomely delicious and its hard to pick one over another.
The word ‘Kheema’ is inspired from the Persian language, in which minced meat is referred as, “Kiyma”. Kheema was a popular breakfast staple in the Mughal cuisine and the history says that it was introduced in the Indian cuisine by Mughal Emperor Akbar, who was so fond of new recipes and would love the merge of Persian and Indian recipes. It was an age when the royal families took their culinary affairs almost as seriously as their administration.
Being from the Rajasthan, I have always loved the Kheema curry in Mumbai and Delhi. Nahari and Kheema in Delhi used to be my favorite breakfast. My mom always made Goat Kheema with peas, and it used be one of the dishes that she would always make for picnics or day trips and the best part was that we enjoyed and relished them with Bread as well. My Mother in law also adds Lima Beans to Kheema and I loved that addition to kheema.
Then one day on my visit to our local Indian store I found fresh Green chana. They looked so fresh and I bought them thinking I would like to make something out of it. I asked Mr. Parveez and he then asked me to try adding them to Kheema and I did and the result was fabulous. I like making my Kheema with Boneless meat, but you can always get the minced meat from a meat store. Similarly, if you can’t find Fresh Hare Chane, you can always use frozen ones. Kheema curry in any which way, made with this recipe will always come out delicious.
The recipe is great and you can serve it with Naan, Parantha and even buns.
My love for Mughlai dishes is hard to go unnoticed. The kebabs are not just delicious but also easier to make. The marination are pretty easy and usually its only leaving marination for a longer time that infuses the flavor in your meat or chicken and gives out fabulous taste.
I am not too sure about the origin of these dishes but I believe looking at the ingredients, it look that influence is more from the middle east. A lot of Afghani Kebabs do have a similar taste. The great thing about middle eastern kebabs are that they are an excellent option even if you are dieting. You get great great tasting food without compromising on flavors.
Murgh Paras kebab and Murgh laal tikka are both wonderful for small parties, I mean an evening tea/coffee party or a small get together or even those friends who announce their arrival 2 hours before and prefer being treated with something special. For all those occasions that come without notice or giving you time to decide, this is a go to dish.
Peshawar is an ancient city in Pakistan. Over the centuries, Peshawar was ruled by Mughals and then by British giving it the unique historical traditions and culture.
Peshawar is an old walled city and has rich culinary tradition. It has a famous place called “Namak Mandi” which has nothing to do with selling salt but serves variety of delectable foods. Known for using minimum spices and sometimes just salt, Namak Mandi dishes are char grilled or made in Kadhai. Not just that, the dishes are also popular for retaining the original flavors of the main ingredient. So, the first rule to make any Peshawari dish is to make sure that the main ingredient does not lose its taste and the spices added only work towards enhancing its flavor.
All along Peshawari kebabs are lip smacking delicious, easy to make and for some reason remind you of those awesome street foods in metro cities of India.
I love serving dry kebabs as side dishes with our dinner and its hard to not experiment and not come up with new recipes. After all, I am mother to boys who have energy that drives me crazy and the fact that they love looking forward to new dishes on the table and not forgetting, the born carnivores, and with genes of Mughals. All these traits makes it mandatory for a mom to come up with new recipes of non vegetarian food.
Spices mixed up differently with chicken/ meat gives out super fab and completely distinct flavor. This recipe is quick, flavorful and is sure to impress those with a great taste buds.
We were in South Carolina. One of my favorite places for a vacation. Gorgeous beaches, lovely weather and awesome drives. Our vacation to South Carolina has mostly been a summer visit and since we love driving down to South Carolina, our stay is usually 8-10 days.
South Carolina being a beach front, it is rich in seafood and we love it, but staying somewhere for 10 days and not getting your meat/chicken is difficult. So, believe it or not I freeze my chicken and meat and then take them in an ice box with frozen ice bags, that ensures the chicken stays frozen till we complete our 12 hour journey.
I tried this recipe as a fluke and the result was extra ordinarily amazing. This tangdi kebab can be made with boneless chicken as well.
