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IT'S DIFFERENT Kheema-stuffed cauliflower

This week we will try out an unusual, but delicious, combination — dal, mutton and cauliflower. Cauliflower takes on a unique flavour and look when stuffed with kheema in a recipe passed on from an old-timer of Hyderabad. The thick dalcha goes well with the kheema-stuffed cauliflower and a hot plate of Basmati rice.

Dalcha

Serve 6

Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Mutton - half kg
Urud dal - 250 gm
Ginger/ garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 6, slit
Thick curd - 1 cup
Garam masala - half tbsp
Cumin seeds powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds power - 1 tbsp
Nutmeg - (jaadika) - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - half tsp for dal and half tsp for mutton
Chilly powder - half tsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Oil - 1tsp
Onions - 4, sliced fine
Tomatoes - 2 big, cut fine
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Lemon - juice of one
Hot water - 3 cups

For garam masala:

Black cardamom pods - 15 peeled,
pods to be discarded
Cinnamon stick - 2 big pieces
Black pepper - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Cloves - 10
Nutmeg - half

Roast without oil all the ingredients together and grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Method

Mix in curd, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, nutmeg and turmeric. Add mutton pieces to this mixture. Set aside for one hour.

Pressure cook dal with turmeric and oil.

In a deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee and fry onion and green chillies till they turn soft. Add mutton and cook till the water evaporates. Then fry till golden. Add hot water and cook till mutton is ready.

In a separate vessel heat remaining ghee and fry tomatoes till they turn soft. Add dal, mutton and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves. The dalcha should be thick. Serve with plain basmati rice and kheema-stuffed cauliflower.

Kheema stuffed cauliflower

Serve 6

Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Mutton kheema - 250 gm
Cauliflower - 1 medium sized
Coconut - quarter scrapped
Poppy seeds (cassa cassa) - half tbsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Onions - 2 big, ground
Green chillies - 4, ground
Ginger/garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts - about 6
Chilli powder - half tsp.
Garam masala - 1 tsp.
Curd - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 big, cut fine
Hot water - half cup

Method

In a frying pan, heat half-tbsp ghee and fry coconut and poppy seeds till they turn golden. Grind these ingredients with onions, chillies, ginger/garlic and cashew nuts into a paste. Fry the ground paste with remaining ghee, sprinkle some milk and fry the paste until it turns golden. Keep half of the paste to fry with tomatoes. Add kheema and fry till it is dry and crumbly. Add chilli powder, salt, garam masala, and hot water. Cook till kheema is ready; very little sauce should be left.

Wash cauliflower and cut stalks very close to the flowerets. Stuff the kheema mixture carefully between the flowerets.

In a big frying pan, heat the remaining ghee and fry tomatoes and remaining paste until it gets a sauce-like consistency. Place cauliflower in pan, smear sauce on cauliflower and pour curd around it. Cover the pan and cook on low fire till cauliflower is ready. Pour sauce on cauliflower and serve hot with Basmati rice and dalcha.

KETHARI SRIVANJIAM

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