Story behind Junglee Maas: Back in the day, the Maharajas (kings) loved to go hunting in the wild. Other than being a royal sport and hobby, hunting provided them with practical experience for war. Included in their hunting convoy were their khansamas- the top royal chefs, who tagged along with them, carrying minimal food ingredients and water. After setting up basecamp, and a good night's rest, the kings would head out on their hunting expedition early next morning, while the chefs stayed back, getting the kitchen ready, wondering what surprise game meat would be presented to them in the evening that they'd have to transform into a delicious preparation fit for the kings. The catch of the day could be anything from blackbuck to chinkara, wild cat, etc. The kings liked their meat to retain the gamey taste. They didn't appreciate it if the meat was doused in a ton of spices. Well, with access to limited ingredients, the khansamas couldn't really do much anyways in terms of spice. Come evening, the tired and famished kings returned to basecamp. The hunted animals were taken away to the kitchen area, where the chefs and their helpers cleaned up everything, rubbed the meat with salt, and then slow cooked it in ghee until the meat turned nice and tender. The dish was finished off with crushed dry red chillies, some more ghee, and salt to taste. This method of cooking retained the gamey taste of meat, that the kings ate with great relish. And thats how junglee maas came about.
Over time there have been alterations made to the original simple 4 ingredient recipe. In addition to ghee, red chillies, and salt, you can add cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, garlic, etc. Some recipes suggest using mustard oil, rather than ghee. Any kind of meat can be used- the more exotic, the better.
Here's my version of junglee maas. I use more spices to camouflage the gamey taste of mutton. Hey, what can I say- maybe I am not as junglee as I thought I was! ;)
Yield: enough for 3 adults
Pre-cooking time: 30-45 minutes
Cooking time: 1-1.5 hours
Ingredients:
Mutton- 1 small tray
Onion, sliced- 1 medium
Bay leaves- 3-4
Red chili powder- 2-4 tbs
*Adjust quantity according to your desired level of heat
Coriander powder- 2-4 tbs
Cinnamon powder- 1/2 tsp
Green Cardamom- 3-4 pods
Cumin- 2 tsp
Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Lemon juice- 1-2 tbs
Oil such as mustard or olive- 1/2-1 tbs for marinating
Cooking oil or ghee- 3-4 tbs
Water- 4-5 tbs and then some for cooking
Salt to taste
Method:
Marination:
Marinate the meat with red chili powder, mustard or olive oil, garlic paste, green cardamom, and lemon juice. Mix it all well, show it some love, cover it, and let it be for 30-45 minutes.
While marination is happening, in a bowl, make a little paste of red chili, and coriander powder with water. Add a pinch of cinnamon to this paste.
Cooking:
1. In a thick bottomed pot or pan of your choice, pour in some cooking oil or ghee or a combination of both. Get the heat going, temper some cumin seeds, and bay leaves. Add thinly sliced onion and fry until brown.
2. Add marinated mutton. Allow one side to brown a bit for 5-7 minutes, flip it around, and brown it again for another 5-7 minutes.
3. Pour in the red chili coriander and cinnamon paste, and give it all a stir.
4. Now add some more water, enough to cook the meat in. Add salt to taste.
5. Bring it to boil, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, checking intermittently to make sure there's enough liquid to allow the meat to cook.
6. At the end of 1 hour, check to make sure it's all cooked nice and tender and tastes good enough for your palate. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rotis, paranthas, naan, or rice.
I served this yummy mutton curry with a side of junglee saag- simple swiss chard stir fry with salt and pepper.
Btw, Sep 28th is Ranbir Kapoor's birthday, and I wrote about his favorite foods on Quora. He loves junglee maas!! Do give it a read: Ranbir Kapoor the Foodie
Interesting:
Over time there have been alterations made to the original simple 4 ingredient recipe. In addition to ghee, red chillies, and salt, you can add cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, garlic, etc. Some recipes suggest using mustard oil, rather than ghee. Any kind of meat can be used- the more exotic, the better.
Here's my version of junglee maas. I use more spices to camouflage the gamey taste of mutton. Hey, what can I say- maybe I am not as junglee as I thought I was! ;)
Yield: enough for 3 adults
Pre-cooking time: 30-45 minutes
Cooking time: 1-1.5 hours
Ingredients:
Mutton- 1 small tray
Onion, sliced- 1 medium
Bay leaves- 3-4
Red chili powder- 2-4 tbs
*Adjust quantity according to your desired level of heat
Coriander powder- 2-4 tbs
Cinnamon powder- 1/2 tsp
Green Cardamom- 3-4 pods
Cumin- 2 tsp
Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Lemon juice- 1-2 tbs
Oil such as mustard or olive- 1/2-1 tbs for marinating
Cooking oil or ghee- 3-4 tbs
Water- 4-5 tbs and then some for cooking
Salt to taste
Method:
Marination:
Marinate the meat with red chili powder, mustard or olive oil, garlic paste, green cardamom, and lemon juice. Mix it all well, show it some love, cover it, and let it be for 30-45 minutes.
While marination is happening, in a bowl, make a little paste of red chili, and coriander powder with water. Add a pinch of cinnamon to this paste.
Cooking:
1. In a thick bottomed pot or pan of your choice, pour in some cooking oil or ghee or a combination of both. Get the heat going, temper some cumin seeds, and bay leaves. Add thinly sliced onion and fry until brown.
2. Add marinated mutton. Allow one side to brown a bit for 5-7 minutes, flip it around, and brown it again for another 5-7 minutes.
3. Pour in the red chili coriander and cinnamon paste, and give it all a stir.
5. Bring it to boil, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, checking intermittently to make sure there's enough liquid to allow the meat to cook.
6. At the end of 1 hour, check to make sure it's all cooked nice and tender and tastes good enough for your palate. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rotis, paranthas, naan, or rice.
I served this yummy mutton curry with a side of junglee saag- simple swiss chard stir fry with salt and pepper.
Btw, Sep 28th is Ranbir Kapoor's birthday, and I wrote about his favorite foods on Quora. He loves junglee maas!! Do give it a read: Ranbir Kapoor the Foodie
Interesting:
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