Sunday Thai Lunch

Recipes to follow soon!

Gur Gajar athanu / Hot and Sweet Carrot Pickle

Ingredients

4 kg carrots; cut into baton style sticks
6 tablespn salt
1 cup split/hulled mustard seeds
1/2 cup coarsely ground coriander
1/2 cup coarsely ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 sticks cinnamon
4 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
8 black peppercorns
2 cups oil
1 cup ground red chillies
2 teaspns turmeric powder
4 cups grated gur / jaggery

Method

1. Mix the salt and carrots well, spread the carrots on a large tablecloth and dry in the sun
2. Place the whole spices; mustard seeds, coriander, fenugreek, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pods and peppercorns in large container.
3. Heat the oil in another pan, and add to the whole spices.
4. Add chillies and turmeric to the masala, mix
5. Add the gur / jaggery and mix.
6. When cool add the dried carrots mix and place in sterile bottles.
7. This pickle is ready to eat immediately, but improves with age.

Menu for my Birthday Lunch

The whole family is getting together for my birthday on Sunday.

My sister Pari suggested that the theme for my Bday be Thai, as Ben, my nephew (age 19) has just come back from Thailand, she also thought it would be a good idea to ask him to contribute to the menu. So here it is:

Starters

Rick Stein’s Thai fish cakes – cooked by saju

Chicken satay to be cooked by Ben. (Recipe to follow)

Main Course

Thai Green Chick Curry to be cooked by Pari, recipe to follow.
Prawns Pad Thai, I will be using the basic recipe from Chez Pim
Egg fried rice

Dessert

Kulfi by Shaheen

Birthday Cake by Muni

Kobi jo Shaak / Spicy Cabbage

The earthy flavour and the wonderful rustic aroma of mustard seeds popped in hot oil is unforgettable, quite unlike mustard powder or paste taste. Here is a typical Gujarati recipe for cabbage, great with chapatis or puris

.

1 cabbage; finely shredded
3 large tomatoes; blanced, peeled and liquidised
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 inch ginger - grated
2 chillis - minced
1 table spn vegetable oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn tumeric
2 teaspoons coriander/cumin mix
salt to taste


Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, as soon as they start to splutter, add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and the minced chillis, stir and fry for a few minutes.
2. Add the cumin, coriander and tumeric, fry for a few minutes.
3. Add the shredded cabbage, stir well, so that it is coated with the mixture.
4. Add salt and cook for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked.

Muthiya /Coconutty Lamb and Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

Today Chachi made Muthiya for Khane. Muthiya is quite labour intensive and I was not able to get the step by step photos, but I watched closely.

Muthiya are named after the dumplings which are made in the muthi of the hand or fist shaped, the dough is placed in the palm of the hand, you then close the hand gently to make a sausage like shape. This dish is a typical Khoja / Ismaili dish, it is like a stew with lamb, vegetables and dumplings in a coconut sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmmm………. Delish. Chachis Muthiya are the best.

Ingredients

Stew

2 lb lamb, cleaned and cut in small chunks
3 tspn minced cloves garlic
3 tspn grated ginger
3 tspn minced green chillies
juice of 1 lemon
2 large onion; finely chopped
1 bunch or 2 cups fenugreek; chopped fine
2 cups finely chopped spinach
1 400g can plum tomatoes; liquidised
2 400g cans coconut
2-3 medium size aubergines; cubes
1 cup guvar beans; topped and tailed
2 cups peas; fresh or frozen
1 cup chana dal; soaked overnight and boiled
1 cup black eye beans; soaked overnight and boiled
1 400g kidney beans
1 400g chickpeas
10 baby new potatoes; scrubbed
2 limes
salt to taste
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 stick cinnamon
2-3 pods cardamom
2-3 cloves
6 peppercorns
2 tspn coriander and cumin powder
½ tspn tumeric powder
½ tspn garam masala

Dumplings

2 cups millet flour
coriander leaves
fenugreek leaves
2 tspn minced garlic
2 tspn grated ginger
2 green chillies
salt to taste

Method

1. Marinate the meat overnight with lemon juice, garlic, ginger and green chillies.
2. Boil the lamb in 2 cups of salted water, keep aside
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the cinnamon, cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom and peppercorn. Let them pop and add the onions, fry until brown.
4. Add the fenugreek and spinach leaves, fry for a few minutes, until the volume of leaves is reduced.
5. Add tomatoes, mix and fry for about 5-8 minutes, add the coriander, cumin and tumeric powders, mix and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the aubergines, peas and guvar beans. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add the coconut liquid and lime juice mix and add the potatoes, all the beans and meat. cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile make the muthiya / dumplings. Mix all the ingredients with a little water or meat stock until you get a fairly firm dough. Shape the muthiya by placing a walnut size piece of dough in your palm, make a fist gently. Place the muthiya on a tray until all made.
9. Gently place the muthiya in the boiling stew. Cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.
10. Sprinkle the garam masala and serve in deep bowls.