DHUSKA / DHOOSKA / DUSHKA

Dhuska is a popular snack from Bihar and Jharkhand regions of India. During festive days it is prepared for breakfast. Rice and chana dal are soaked and ground into a thick batter to which green peas, finely chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, turmeric powder and salt are added. Little portion of the batter is dropped into the hot oil and deep fried. Traditionally these are fried in

BHOPALI MUTTON KORMA / BHOPALI GOSHT KORMA / MADHYA PRADESH CUISINE

Madhya Pradesh Cuisine is well known for its rich and aromatic food specially the non vegetarian dishes. Today I have prepared the Bhopali style mutton korma which is very flavourful and a perfect dish for your party.  Madhya Pradesh cuisine also has many more exotic dishes that I would like to try out sometime soon.
This month our group, Shhhhh Cooking Secretly is exploring the Madhya

Crispy Garlic Breadcrumb Chicken – No Fry, Not Dry, Must Try

Trying to convert a fried recipe into a baked one is usually a disappointing exercise in futility, but this crispy garlic breadcrumb chicken turned out to be a very enjoyable exception. 

While not exactly the same as a pan-fried, breaded cutlet, if you want to eat tender, flavorful chicken with lots of crispy, crunchy bits, then this significantly less-messy method is for you.

One of the keys to this technique is to use panko breadcrumbs, which are much larger, and more jagged than regular, fine breadcrumbs. If you can’t find them, you can easily make you own. Just pulse chunks of stale white bread in a food processor until coarsely ground, and then spread out on a baking sheet, and place in a 275 F. oven until they are dried and crispy.

Above and beyond being easier, this method also allows us to introduce some additional flavor, and moisture, thanks to the “glue” we use to attach the crumbs. I went very simple with my formula, but as I mention in the video, you can add all sorts of herbs and spices to yours. Either way, the next time you want crispy, breaded chicken with less mess, and more flavor, I really do hope you give this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8-10 ounces each)

salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil for searing

1/4 cup chicken broth for the pan

For the garlic breadcrumbs:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

3 finely crushed or minced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For the “glue:”

1 tablespoon mayo

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

For the optional pan sauce:

1/3 cup chicken broth

juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

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Pig in a Pumpkin – Trick and Treat

Okay, so we’re not using a whole pig, but we are using a whole pumpkin, which not only produced some very succulent, flavorful pork, but also made for an absolutely stunning presentation. This looked so good, that many people might think it was faked, which really is the ultimate compliment.

While this would work in any pumpkin, try to find ones sold as “sugar,” or “pie” pumpkins,” since they have a thicker, sweeter flesh, compared to the ornamental ones sold for jack-o'-lantering. I believe the variety I used was called “cannonball,” but simply look for round, heavy-feeling varieties about the size of a volleyball, displayed in the produce department, and not outside, or in front of the store.

As I said in the video, you can season this anyway you want, but regardless of what exactly goes in your gourd, make sure you roast it until the meat is tender. How long will depend on the size of course, so be sure to test the meat as it cooks. The only thing I’d do differently next time, would be to pour in a little more cider after a few hours in the oven, since a lot of it evaporated as it roasted, and I wanted more “sauce” when I was done.

After you remove the meat for service, ladle out all the braising liquid, and let it sit for a few minutes, so you can skim off most of the fat. Thanks to the little bit of flour on the pork, it should have a nice thickness, but you can always adjust that with some more roux. Or, simply make a sauce separately, and then just spike it with your drippings.

Also, if you wanted to add another step, you could use a blender to make a smoother sauce, but I’ll leave that up to you. Either way, if you’re looking for a fun, and very seasonably appropriate way to cook some pork shoulder, I couldn’t think of a better, or more beautiful way, which is why I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one Pig in a Pumpkin:

1 volleyball-sized cooking pumpkin

3 1/2 to 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder

1 rounded tablespoon kosher salt (the pumpkin will absorb some of this)

2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds

1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary

1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots

- garlic and sage would have also been great here

2 tablespoons flour to coat pork

1 tablespoon olive oil for browning meat

at least 2 cups hard cider, or more if you can fit it in before or during cooking

- I roasted mine at 350 F. for about 4 hours

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RADISH PARATHAS / MOOLI KE PARATHE

Mooli ka paratha is one of the most popular dish of the Punjabi cuisine. Specially in winter when we have fresh radishes with tender leaves we use the leaves as well in the stuffing. The parathas can be relished with curd and pickle.
Making the radish parathas is a bit tricky as the grated radish leaves a lot of water. What you have to do is grate the radish, sprinkle little salt and set

Sweet Potato Soufflés – Even Easier Than Easy

Soufflés have always had the reputation for being a difficult, and temperamental thing to make, which I’ve never really understood. As long as you can manage to whip some egg whites, and fold them into your batter without knocking all the air out, there’s really not much that can go wrong. 

And that’s with the traditional method, which requires making a saucy base first. These soufflés are even easier than that, since mashed sweet potato is the base. I like to microwave my sweet potatoes, mostly because it’s faster, but you can certainly roast them in a 375 F. oven instead. Just prick them as shown, and bake for as long as it takes to get them very soft. I’d love to give you a time, but that depends on the size.

I kept these very plain, so as not to distract you, but you can add all sorts of things. Cheese, bacon, and herbs, just to name a few. And that’s for savory applications, since these will also shine as a dessert. Just add some maple syrup or brown sugar to the mashed potatoes, to taste, along with appropriate spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, and you'll be in for quite the seasonal treat. But, no matter how you flavor these, or which course you serve them, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 to 6 Sweet Potato Soufflés:

2 teaspoon room temp butter to grease ramekins (mine were 5 oz. size)

4 large room temperature eggs, separated

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

pinch of cayenne

1/4 cup milk                                                 

crispy fried sage leaves to garnish, optional

TARYALA VAANGANA / SPICY FRIED BRINJALS SINDHI STYLE

This is the Sindhi style fried brinjals. We usually serve them with dal chawal and fote bhugi khichnee as an accompaniment. Select the medium sized brinjals. Adjust the spices as per your liking.

Ingredients:
Brijals .... 6 or as needed
Oil ........ for frying
Salt .... as needed
Red chilli powder .. 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder ....... 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder .. 1/4 tsp
Amchoor powder .... 1/4 tsp