Showing posts with label
south african indian food
Mutton curry like Amma’s Durban Chicken Curry was characterized by its red colour and fiery taste. As kids we grew accustomed to the pungent taste by eating a little gravy mixed with potato,rice and small pieces of meat. Like most prime meats, Mutton Curry was reserved for Sunday lunch! If we were expecting visitors on that day Amma would bring out her best amber serving dish and no mutton curry was complete without a topping of fresh coriander from the garden. Amma’s mutton curry often contained a combination of potatoes and peas, guthera beans or broad beans. On occasion she added dumplings or made mutton and cabbage curry.
The Sweet Taste of Carrots are the Perfect Accompaniment to Curry
Amma loved her carrot salad with extra green chilies and no Sunday lunch was complete without carrot salad. Though carrots were often the predominant ingredient in this medley of vegetables - carrots were often complimented by other ingredients-depending on what was in the fridge. These often included a combination and /or of grated carrots, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, onions and chillies topped with a salt and vinegar dressing or lemon juice.
Raita is a mild condiment made with curds (yogurt, sour milk) and vegetables like cucumber and or spring onion, mint and coriander-lightly spiced with cumin seeds or jeera powder and chillies. The first time Amma made Raita was after visiting her niece in Durban-who often made Raita with sour milk, chopped mint and red chill-calling it 'Sour Milk Salad'. Raita is the perfect accompaniment to rice dishes such as Biryani or Pilaf but also compliments very hot curry dishes too.
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| ©l www.foodlikeammausedtomakeit.blogspot.com |
Amma’s Fried Brinjal recipe was much like her batter for frying fish. It contained flour and spices. The Brinjal (Aubergines) were sliced into thin discs then coated in batter before being deep fried. Amma mostly made Fried Brinjal as a topping for her Veg Pizza.
How To Make Fried Brinjal
This recipe serves 2 using 1 aubergine. To make a larger quantity increase the ingredients proportionately.
Ingredients
How To Make Aubergine Bows
How To Make Fried Brinjal
This recipe serves 2 using 1 aubergine. To make a larger quantity increase the ingredients proportionately.
Ingredients
- (1 cup cake flour + ½ teaspoon baking powder ) or 1 cup self raising flour
- ½ cup pea flour (gram flour)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- Salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ tablespoon chilli powder (use desired limit)
- Oil for frying
- 2 large Brinjal (sliced thin)
Method
1. Sift the dry ingredients- this will help prevent the batter from having any lumps.
2. Add the beat egg to the milk.Combine then add to the dry ingredients.
2. Add the beat egg to the milk.Combine then add to the dry ingredients.
2. Stir to form a thick paste like consistency.
3. Slice Brinjal into thin discs. Pat dry with so that the batter sticks to the brinjal.
6. Immerse a few Brinjal slices into the batter then fry on medium heat until the batter browns slightly.
7. Drain off excess oil. Serve warm.
Healthy Alternative to Fried Brinjal
Delicious as they are I prefer ‘fried brinjal without flour and the excess oil. To make a healthier alternative to fried brinjal simply omit the flour and excess oil for frying. Instead place the Brinjal in a bowl then add spices and a teaspoon or two of oil (preferably olive oil). Pre-heat the oven. Place Brinjal slices on parchment/oven paper then bake for 30 minutes on 180 degrees.
If you have a fan function in your oven this works best. Cooking times may vary depending on oven types. It is best to keep a close eye on the brinjals so that they don’t burn. Turning the Brinjal helps cook them evenly.
Alternatively you could also toast them on a heated pan instead of using the oven. This works best when the Brinjal is sliced thin.
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| © 2011 l www.foodlikeammausedtomakeit.blogspot.com |
How to Serve Fried Brinjal?
Amma used fried Brinjal a topping on Veg Pizza, it can also be served in a salad.
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| © 2011 l www.foodlikeammausedtomakeit.blogspot.com |
To make Aubergine Salad you will need:
- A bunch of your favorite salad greens
- Fried Brinjal
- Diced cucumber
For the dressing:
- ½ red chilli chopped fine
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- ½ honey
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vinegar.
1. Place the salad greens in a bowl. Top with fried Brinjal slices.
2. Combine the honey, mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar. Mix until a uniform liquid is formed. Drizzle over the salad.
How To Make Aubergine Bows
To make Bows as I have for this salad - simply twist the aubergine slices to form bows
Theres nothing quite like the smell of Mutton Soup, especially on cold days or when you're feeling under the weather. Amma made soup fairly often. Special ingredients for this dish included ‘soup bones’- these were pieces of bone with a few ounces of meat still left on them.Old habbits die hard - I still 'collect' my soup bones. Everytime I buy a leg of lamb I ask the butcher to debone it and to cut the bones into smaller pieces, I store these in the freezer until I have enough for a pot of soup!
There were essentially four varieties of Potato Curry cooked by Amma, the normal Potato Curry cooked with onion and curry powder, there was then a varient of this dish with peas added to it -called Peas and Potato or Potato and Peas Curry, or Yellow Potato Curry cooked with turmeric powder and green chilli instead of curry powder. Lastly there was White Potato Curry. This special dish came about as a means to give life to left- over mashed potatoes.
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| White Potato Curry l © 2011 l www.foodlikeammausedtomakeit.blogspot.com |
Tomato Chutney is delicious whether served on its own or as Egg Chutney. This basic sauce like tomato curry often served as the base of Amma's fiery Durban Curries. Chutney is also best served with phutu or porridge and can also serve as a condiment for chilli bites or grilled meats.
Brinjal curry is very special to me, not only was it the first curry I ever cooked, but it is also my favorite vegetable curry second only to Green Beans. I especially loved Amma's Brinjal Curry, her special recipe which contained boiled eggs. I image this recipe came about in response to my father’s constant complaining having to eat vegetable curries. Amma’s Brinjal curry recipe was very simple. It just contained brinjal, onion, chilli powder, salt and water. It must be the love she made it with that made it taste so good.
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| Brinjal Curry © 2011 l www.foodlikeammausedtomakeit.blogspot.com |
Three o' clock was time tea!If you are a South African of Indentured Indian descent then you will have had this form of 'high tea' at some point or the other. Though plainly buttered bread and black tea may sound like something out of prison menu it is surprisingly quite tasty.
