Back when I used to visit my village as a little girl for dussehra celebrations, I remember all of the 8 families would come together to prepare and share a feast.
Every family member contributed and nothing was let go as waste.
It took me a long while to appreciate the no waste policy – blood, guts, brain, head, ears, tongue – all cooked in very specific ways to compliment the main ingredients texture and natural taste.
Cooking with a challenging ingredient for a tough crowd was what triggered this Sunday meal.
Ideally the dish would be cooked in an earthen pot over a wood stove, but I used a handy pressure cooker.
Here goes my interpretation of a spiced good head curry.
For a kilogram of meat:
- Add to the meat – 1 cup beaten yogurt, 1 cup deep fried onions (hand crushed), 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves, 2 tbsp ginger garlic and green chilli paste, 1 tbsp clarified butter/ghee, 5-6 slit green chillies, 2-3 bay leaves, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, few strands of saffron, 2-3 small cinnamon sticks, 8-10 cloves, 2 green cardamons, 2 black cardamoms.
- Mix well
- Marinate for at-least 30 minutes.
- Add marinated meat to a pressure cooker, along with – sliced tomatoes (1), salt as required, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 tbsp oil
- Mix well
- Allow to cook under pressure for about 4 whistles and turn off the heat
- Allow the pressure to subside completely
- Check to ensure that the meat is tender and well cooked
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice or roti
Note: I followed this recipe to make the most divine pillowy rotis to accompany this dish.
Also realised, the marinate I used for this recipe would be perfect for rice pilaf too.