Jasha Maroo: Bhutanese Minced Chicken

I am hooked to Bhutanese food these days. I make a bowl of Ema Datshi or Kewa Datshi, every second day and I have been rummaging through recipes of Bhutanese delicacies. Fortunately, I have friends who are from Bhutan and those who have connections with the beautiful mountain kingdom. And they are always ready to help.

Now I have restrictions on the kind of meat I can cook at home. I stay with my parents still, and I only find it fair to respect their rules and reservations. I have been craving to cook all that pork-y deliciousness and savour it all, especially a dish called Phaksha Paa - succulent pieces of pork cooked with fiery red chilies, mostly with radish and bok choy. Cured dried pork is also added to the dish to give it
a unique flavour. And I read about a version of the dish which adds to it  hentoe, buckwheat dumplings, quite like momo, and usually with a filling made of wilted greens or cheese like datshi. Slurp!

But I have to do with for a chicken dish. And I found just the one that would make me happy. The thing about Bhutanese cuisine is... it is high on heat. And I love heat. Jasha Maroo is nothing but  minced chicken (diced actually) cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, tomato and loads of green and/or red chilies. You must be wondering what's special about it since the ingredients seem just like what we use in our cooking. Now I believe how and when you use an ingredient is critical to how the dish will taste. I think that works here. And yes the fact that you use only fresh ingredients and absolutely no spices gives this dish a refreshing flavour. By far it's the simplest recipe I have made. I think. And it's on my favourites list.

One of m Bhutanese friends, T, shared the basic outline for the recipe and then I checked a few recipe books and websites. And made my version. Give it a try. Traditionally it is had with Bhutanese Red rice, which has that nutty texture and the closest I could get to it was good old brown rice.

Ingredients
Boneless chicken (diced into 1 inch cubes) - 500 g
Chopped onions - 1 large
Finely chopped garlic - 2 tbsp
Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Chopped tomatoes - 2 small
Chopped green chilies - 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
Chicken stock - 1 cup

Method 
Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add the chicken and fry for about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Now add the chopped garlic, grated ginger, tomatoes and chilies. Season well.

Cook until chicken is tender and the liquids have reduced, tough a little liquid should be left.

Remove from heat and serve with red/brown rice. You may add some some chopped cilantro on top, but I prefer the dish without it.

So Turn Up The Heat

Hara Gosht: No onion, garlic or ginger

Mum and Dad are away for the weekend. So my brother and I have this part of the house to ourselves. A potentially dangerous situation, I respect my parents' risk-taking potential.They don't take such a risk often, only sometimes. And those rare occasions mostly make theme regret. But that's another story. This time around, it's been 36 hours since they left and yet everything is just fine I mean nothing's broken, the kitchen looks clean, reasonably clean, no ones had to try to breakdown doors or no passerby has stopped in their tracks bewildered by anguished shrieks coming through the second floor window. We've been good children. We haven't quarreled, he hasn't hung by my hair nor have I sat on him threatening to throttle him under my weight. No name calling eitheis. This is when Mum smiles a proud smile. To top it all I made this delectable mutton dish last evening on my brother's request and he complimented me on it. Unbelievable...true but. However I was so happy with the outcome of last evening's kitchen feat, I could wait to share it with you guys.

The dish is alled Hara Gosht. Yes because it is green in colour. It has no onions, garlic or ginger. A few spices. Loads of green. And some khoya to give it a beautiful creaminess. I loved it. And I am sure so would you. In fact, if you haven;t planned your Sunday dinner yet may be you should try this tonight.

Ingredients

Mutton: 750 g
Mustard oil
Asafoetida (Hing): 2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp (heaped)
Fennel seeds (coarsely ground) - 11/2 tbsp
Vinegar: 2 tbsp
Minced raw papaya: 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves : 250 g
Mint leaves: 100 g
Green chilies: 5-6 (or according to taste)
Khoya (grated): 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the meat with minced papaya and vinegar for two hours.

In a mixer, make a paste (with little or no water) of the coriander and mint leaves and green chilies.

Heat oil in a pan and once it begins to smoke, reduce heat and a few seconds later add the fennel seeds and the asafoetida.

Once fragrant, toss in the meat, turn up heat and fry the meat until it turns brown. Also add the coriander powder at this stage.

Add the coriander-mint-chili paste and keep frying on high heat. Add salt too. Scrape out any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Finally add 200 ml hot water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it cook covered until meat softens. You can also pressure cook the meat for about 25 minutes and then simmer till they are tender.

Finally add khoya, mix well and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or so.

Ema Datshi and a Royal connection

The other day I was chatting with a friend from College. Her name is Sharmishtha. We have spent some good time in college, we talked a lot about random stuff in the common room for hours together. She had beautiful long hair and large eyes. She danced well too. I really enjoyed her company. Sharmishtha got married when we were in the first year of college,  I was invited. It was a beautiful wedding. She was the first among my friends to get married and boy were we excited. Post college, I left for England and she got along with her life, had a baby, moved cities. We lost touch until we connected on Facebook again and even then we hardly had a conversation until the other day.

She had posted a picture of her rustling up something that looked delish in her kitchen in a cute apron and I left a comment. So we got talking. It was a Bhutanese dish she has learnt from her cousin through marriage.The dish was called Ema Datschi, the national dish of Bhutan. More about the dish soon, but before that a very interesting story. Now I vaguely remembered her mentioning, back in college, a connection with the Bhutanese Royal family, and so she told me the story again and with her permission I am sharing it with you.

The story goes back almost four decades. S's father-in-law, a Bengali, worked as a surgeon in the Royal Army of Bhutan. One day he met a Bhutanese girl and they fell in love with each other. Now this girl was none other than the then King's brother's niece through marriage. The royal connection forbade the girl to marry a common man. She could only marry in nobility or to a minister of the state. But love defies every obstacle. The two lovers eloped and left the country. The woman, S's mother-in-law, let behind her family, her friends and her country for her love, and in the next 33 years she never returned or got in touch with her family. Until they we reunited through a businessman, a few years ago. "Now we are a big, happy Indo-Bhutanese family," beams Sharmishtha. Her little daughter Srishti, is nothing less than a princess herself.

S's parents-in-law with their granddaughter Srishti

Long ago, S's Mom-in-law extreme right

S with little S in the national garb of Bhutan on their recent trip to the mountain kingdom

Yes so that is the story. Seems like a film script no?

Now abbout Ema Datshi. Like I said it is without a doubt the national dish of Bhutan. The dish is nothing but a stew in which the two main ingredients are chilies and cheese. Ema means chili, and Datshi is Bhutanese cheese. Sometimes, Yak's cheese is used in the dish instead. Traditionally, the dish is prepared by sauteing some garlic, onions and chilies in butter.And finally adding in the cheese and the dish is best savoured with Bhutan's famed red rice. But over time, the dish has been modified and in newer versions they add potatoes, beans, mushrooms and other greens too. I couldn't recall at first  but later I remembered tasting the dish at Calcutta's Blue Poppy restaurant. A friend who is a vegetarian had ordered for it and I had had a spoonful between mouthfuls of Pork Kothe. I remember liking it too, but somehow it had slipped my mind.



Now I have friends who complain that I hardly post vegetarian dishes, so I thought I would share this beautiful dish. In my version I have added potatoes and beans. I do not have Datshi or Yak's cheese, so I have used feta mainly, having added a little ricotta. It has done wonders trust me. Though it is traditionally had with rice, I love it with toasted bread. A good breakfast option too me thinks.



Ingredients

Finely chopped garlic - 2 tbsp
Finely chopped onions - 2 large
Finely chopped tomatoes - 2 (seeded)
Boiled potatoes cut in roundels - 4 medium
French beans (blanched) - 100 g
Salt to taste
Green chilies slit - 15-20
Feta cheese - 1/2 cup
Ricotta cheese - 1 tbsp (optional)
Milk - 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp



Method

Heat butter in a pan and add the garlic. Once it begins to catch colour add the onions and chilies. Fry for a few minutes until onions are translucent.

Now add the beans, season and stir fry for another few minutes and add tomatoes.

When the tomatoes begin to release juices, turned the heat up and give the veggies and good toss. Finally add the boiled potatoes and toss again.

Now add milk and simmer for  couple of minutes. Stir in the cheese and let melt. Mix carefully without upsetting the potatoes. Adjust seasoning and remover from heat. Serve piping hot.

Almond Blackberry Laddu

 I have brought back a truckload of dry fruits from Kashmir. We were driving back to Srinagar from Pahalgam and we crossed this area where the high way was flanked my saffron fields and there were lines of shops selling saffron and dry fruits, each one vying for attention, claiming their stuff if the best. Our driver said he one of the shopkeepers was a friend and that he had good stuff to sell. We decided to take a look, though we knew how it all worked, the friendship between the driver and the shopkeeper. We had walked in to check out the kesar, we walked out with a few too may kinds of dry fruits and of course the kesar.

The shop-owner a young Kashmiri Guy was a shrewd businessman. He speaks at least five sentences in every Indian language...well almost. Has a witty retort for anything you might say. Flirts when and where necessary. He will engage you will interesting tales, and has deep insights on a mother's lover and human transgressions.He refers to Go Air as "apna airlines" and can get you up to 5 kgs of extra luggage allowance free should you buy his stuff and add to your luggage. And check out this conversation between  him and my friend Chetna.
Kesar guy: Yeh sabse badiya kesar diya aap ko. Humne ye kesar kinko khilaya hai pata hai? (This kesar I gave you is superlative. Have you any idea who all have had it?)
Chetna: Batayiye (Tell me)
KG: Atal Bihar Vajpayee ji lete hain. Aur Sonia Gandhi ji ka bhi favourite hai. (Atal Bihari Vajpayi has it and it is Sonia Gandhi's favourite)
Chetna: Aap mile ho unse? (Have you met them?)
KG: Courier karke bhejte hain. (No sent it by courier)
Chetna: Arre to apne aaj Narendra Modi ji ko bhi bheja hoga...unka oath ceremony hai after all. (Oh so you must have couriered some to Narendra Modi today, it is his oath-taking ceremony today)
KG: Aaj aapko diya na (Why today I served you)

He taught us the how to gauge the quality of kesar, he demonstrated and we followed suit.So you need to take one strand of kesar ad mull it it between your buck teeth and lower front teeth, if it tastes bitter the kesar is of great quality, the rich orange-ish yellow colour that stains your lips ad teeth only add to the proof. A gram would cost Rs 200 and not a penny less. To us the fragrance of his kesar was bewitching, our Kashmiri friend, no not the driver, also vouched for the quality of the kesar so I went ahead and bought it, 5 g of Kashmiri Kesar.

But all the while my eyes were trained on the dates, apricot, dried figs and pine nuts, the fragrance of cinnamon and cardamom was driving me crazy. I told myself...control...not yet. Once we were done with the fragrance the owner order his staff to give us all a taste of his dry fruits. He said they were the best we would get. All of us vociferously protested, said we won't be needing any and we were too full to taste even. He insisted, said it'll break his heart. 2 hours later we came out with kilos of dry fruits from his shop. Huh.

My aunt and my cousins went back this morning. My mum has accompanied them back to Chandannagar and will return only later in the evening. Dad's at work and my brother is wherever it is he haunts, The house is awfully quite. The neighbours have their television turned on at an preposterous volume and I can hear Usha Uthup sing Daaaarrrrrling....I believe they are watching the grand celebrations unfold at the Eden Gardens to commemorate KKR's IPL victory...phew. Buddy, my 2-year-old golden retriever, has been sleeping all day today...he has had a very busy weekend! I am home alone, well sort of.

I usually do not get bored when I am alone, I always find ways to entertain myself. Today I read a few pages of Albert Camus, took out a few and added a few more sentences to my latest literary masterpiece, watched three episodes of Drop Dead Gorgeous, applied some tomato pulp to my abnormally tanned face (Mountains are worse than seashores when it comes to tanning, at least as far as I am concerned), shopped for some crockery online and finally headed for the kitchen and whipped up some Almond Blackberry Laddus. Check out the recipe

Ingredients

Ground Almond (not powdered completely, a little coarse) - 225 g
Blackberries - 1/2 cup
Nutmeg powder - a pinch (optional)
Desi ghee - 2 tbsp
Sweetened condensed milk - 3tbsp
Sugar - 4 tbsp

Method

In a bowl mix sugar, ground almond and keep.

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and add a pinch of nutmeg powder. Once done add the almond and sugar mix. Cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until sugar almost dissolves and the mixture is fragrant.

Turn of heat and add the condensed milk and blackberries, and mix well.

Form laddoos, pop a few into your mouth while you'e at it and enjoy!

Mutton Rogan Josh

Yes I am still in that mode - I have been browsing through the photographs we clicked in Kashmir all through the day, and reliving every memory time and again. My cousin who accompanied my brother and me on the trip, has extended her holiday and stayed over this weekend which means that the only conversation that took place in my house pertained to our holiday in Kashmir - the oh-so-tiresome trek to Vaishno Devi (it was a surreal experience I tell you), the never ending drive to Srinagar from Katra, the brilliant Chhole and Paneer paratha we devoured in this small sweatmeat shop in Kud, mountain-biking in Gulmarg, being stranded for hours in a small roadside shack in Sonmarg after roads had shutdown after a showdown between the army and local police and the unforgettable Rogan Josh in Pahalgam.

Kungdoor, above Gulmarg. We took the Gondola

With views like that who minds being stranded (in Sonmarg)

Yes I had written all about the Rogan Josh in my last post but seriously, I just can't get over it. My aunt and her younger daughter, (the elder one is the cousin who came with us on the trip) have come down too and this weekend has been an extension of the great times we had up north really. So, my folks, my aunt and her younger daughter (who is quite irked by the fact that she couldn't come on the trip while her elder sister could) after two days of having their minds numbed by our reminiscences , have had enough and they threw a challenge at me. I was to treat them with Rogan Josh for Sunday dinner. And I took it up of course. My cousin helped me in the kitchen which meant my mum was terrified all the while. We are a bit crazy when we're together.

Now if I had to make a Rogan Josh I wanted to recreate the version we had in Pahalgam. Back their I had pestered the young lad who had made it an entire evening for the recipe. At first he was surprisingly willing and then he simply played hard. He probably couldn't handle all the praise. After hours of coaxing and cajoling all I could get out of him was the ingredient list and I am sure he left out a few.

Now years ago, a decade to be precise, I was still in school, I had attended a cookery class, my only one till date. Originally my mother was supposed to attend it and then something came up and I volunteered to do it in her place. The class was conducted by one Mrs Alim and on the days menu there was Chicken Biryani, Baked Bekti, Tandoori Chicken and Mutton Rogan Josh.Oh how I was elbowed and  pushed around as the 20 odd people attending the class jostled for front row space around the island on which Mrs Alim was performing her culinary recital. And how later when Mrs Alim was dishing out tasting portions for us students, innumerable tiffin boxes made their way over my shoulder and head. I was too embarrassed to hand out my tiffin box, though I was carrying it too, and only got to taste a spoonful of Biryani and a flake of baked fish.I got my cheeks pulled too, 16-year-olds weren't common occurrences at cookery classes back then I guess. We were given photocopies of handwritten recipes of the four dishes, to take home and as far as I remember I had tried the Rogan Josh once at home soon after I had attended the class and then I had forgotten all about it. The Rogan Josh was quite a hit though but it was a simplified version. However I thought it would be a good frame work to with today. So, this morning I ferreted out that crumbled piece of paper from among my mothers huge collection of recipe cut outs and photocopies, she keeps them all and got to work. I took the basic frame work from Mrs Alim's recipe and added to several other ingredients. I had no measurement guidelines so had to depend on my senses alone. Traditionally Rogan Josh is cooked without onion or garlic. However, considering the fact that I was working with Mrs Alim's recipe, I used onions anyway. I am soon going to make the version without onion or garlic! Moreover, traditionally the red colour in the dish comes from Ratan Jot. I lost my packet somewhere during the travels and I have been forced to use Kashmiri Red Chili Powder.

At the end of today's experiment though I can say  I was very proud of myself...no really. My brother had no clue what I was trying to accomplish, he took a spoonful of the soupy deliciousness that was the gravy and said this is just like what we had in Pahalgam and I did a jig like no other jig. In fact, what I love best about the Rogan Josh is how rich it looks yet how light it is on the palate. This isn't authentic to the tee but as close as it can get.

By the way today I had run out of sont (ginger powder) so I used fresh ginger paste today. Ideally I would use sont in the recipe.

Ingredient 
Mutton - 2 kg
Curd - 100 g
Minced Papaya - 3 tbsp
Finely chopped onions - 1 cup packed
Garlic paste - 3/4 tsp
Ginger paste*- 2 tbsp
Chopped Tomatoes - 3 (medium)
Fresh finely chopped coriander leaves - 1 cup (loosely packed)

Whole spices 
Bay leaves - 4-5
Cardamom - 8
Black Cardamom - 2-3
Cloves - 8
Cinnamon stick - 2-3 inch
Peppercorns - 12-15

Spices
Asafoetida - 2 tsp
Kashmiri Red Chili powder - 21/2 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 11/2 tbsp
Dry roasted fennel powder - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Medium
Mustard oil - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 -3 tbsp
Warm Water

Method 

Marinate the mutton with curd and minced raw papaya for 30-45 minutes.

Heat mustard oil and ghee in a pan. Add the whole spices and once the begin flutter add the asafoetida.

Once the spices exude their aroma add the onions and fry until the onions soften and begin to catch colour. Add the garlic and fry some more.

Now add the mutton and fry on high heat for a few minutes. One by one add the Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, fennel powder and ginger paste. Add salt and fry the meat on medium-high heat for another 8-10 minutes stirring all the while.

Add warm water, enough to completely cover the meat, the dish will be soupy, and bring to a boil. Once it has been boiling for a few minutes add the chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves, reduce to heat to minimum, cover and cook until meat softens. Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

(Alternatively, if you have time in hand, cook the meat for 20-25 minutes turn off heat and let the meat rest for 4-5 hours. Then put it back on heat again and cook for another 15 minutes or so to get melt in the mouth meat steeped in flavours - a trick I learnt from a friend and fellow blogger.)

* You can replace the ginger paste with 1 1/4 tbsp of sont or ginger powder.

Note: Ideally the mutton used in Rogan Josh is Revaji, ie is with thin, delicate layers of fat between the meat.