Pritha’s 4-Chili Mutton Curry (Fear Factor – I dare you!)

Pritha’s 4-Chili Mutton Curry (Fear Factor - I dare you!)

Disclaimer: Try this at your own risk!

Bhut Jolakia, better known as Ghost Chili, originated in North-east India. Wiki mentions that Bhut Jolakia / Ghost chili is 900.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. It was awarded the title as the world’s hottest chili in 2007. It retained the title until December 2010.

I love spicy food and that’s why when fellow foodie (Pritha Sen) posted the recipe on a food forum, at Facebook, I desperately wanted to recreate it in my kitchen. Unfortunately, I could not for many months because Bhut Jolakia / Ghost chilies aren't available this side of the country. I finally requested my buddy to make arrangements to get me a bagful of these spicy babies and he very kindly obliged. In all honesty, I know, not many will be recreating this recipe because of the spice quotient but I had to post this at my blog because I've always wanted to use Bhut Jolakia / Ghost Chilies. Finally, I did!

Pritha had named this dish, 'Four-Chili Mutton Curry. I decided to add, ‘Fear Factor – I dare you!’ *evil me* I would have also added the words, 'do not try this at home', but if not at home, where else will you give this a shot? :P If you want to opt for ‘spicy’, then ‘this’ is the real deal! I truly feel saying this is very necessary and hence I repeat the disclaimer, ‘try this dish at your own risk!’ I say this because one end of me was on fire when I ate this curry, while the other end of me, the next morning, had me singing, ‘ice-ice baby’ at the top of my lungs. Then again, what’s life without a few risks, right? ;-)

My bagful of spicy babies (Dry Bhut Jolakia / Ghost Chilies)

Ingredients:

750 grams mutton
2 tablespoons mustard oil, for marinating
10 tablespoons onion paste
3 teaspoons red Kashmiri chili powder
7 teaspoons tamarind paste
Salt to taste
1 star anise
8 tablespoons mustard oil
4 green chilies, keep whole
3 eggs, hard boil, shell and cut each in half



Ingredients – Grind to a smooth-thick paste:

7 whole dry red Kashmiri chilies
7 green chilies
2 dry Bhut Jolakia / Ghost chilies (awarded the title - world’s hottest chili from 2007-2010)
24 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
6 green cardamoms
6 cloves
2 medium-sized bay leaves
1½ inch piece cinnamon
3 inch piece ginger
25 cloves garlic
16 curry leaves



Method:

1. Marinate the meat with the ground paste and 2 tablespoons mustard oil. Keep aside for an hour or two.
   
   
   
2. Heat 8 tablespoons mustard oil and fry the onion paste till light golden.
   
   
   
3. Add the marinated meat and fry on medium heat, stirring intermittently, till the mutton is nicely browned and the ground paste is nicely fried. 
4. Add the Kashmiri chili powder and star anise. Sauté till well blended with the mutton.
   
   
   
5. Add tamarind paste and give it a stir. 
6. Transfer the mutton to a pressure cooker and add 1 liter water, enough for thin gravy. 
7. Pressure cook for two whistles. After two whistles, reduce the flame to lowest setting and cook for 7 minutes and turn off the heat. 
8. Once the pressure in the cooker subsides, transfer the mutton into a vessel. 
9. Add green chilies, boiled eggs and serve with soft steamed rice or soft pau or crusty brun bread.
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. IMPORTANT WARNING: When you handle Bhut Jolakia / Ghost chilies do NOT handle them with the naked hand. Please don a pair of gloves to handle them. Also, marinate the mutton with a spoon or wear gloves when you marinate. If you fail to take adequate precautions you are sure to undergo a very intense burning sensation that may last a minimum of two days. 
2. Not many can tolerate so much spiciness / heat; I would therefore advise readers to halve each ingredient and, first, make only half a portion to check whether you are able to tolerate the maddening spiciness. I say this because I would hate to see your ingredients go waste. 
3. If the ground paste and the mutton stick to the vessel during the frying process, use a wooden spoon and keep scraping the bits from the bottom. Those scrapped bits lend a lot of flavor to the dish. 
4. Please know that the words, ‘I dare you’ are written IN JEST! You do not have to make this as spicy as mentioned in the recipe. If you omit the Bhut Jolakia / Ghost chilies it will reduce the spice quotient to a very large extent. You can also go a step further and reduce other variety of chilies, listed in the recipe, to suit your taste buds. Then again, if you're as nutty as I am, use the Bhut Jolakia / Ghost chilies. Uffff! That’s a very evil suggestion. :D 
5. Feel free to adjust the tamarind paste to balance the spicy flavor. 
6. I used mustard oil but you prefer to use regular cooking oil, please do so. 
7. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   
   

Crème Fraîche

Crème Fraîche

Crème Fraîche, is an expensive product when found in stores in India, that is, if you are lucky enough to find it. I don’t see the need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a product that is so easy to make. Here’s the simplest way to make perfect Crème Fraîche in your own kitchen. Yes, once again, a basic recipe from Kenzy's Kitchen Korner to make life easier for you in the kitchen. Go for it!

Ingredients:

300 mils whipping cream

3 tablespoon fresh thick yogurt or buttermilk

Method:

1. Stir the whipping cream to smoothen it a wee bit and heat it for a couple of minutes till lukewarm (about 40 deg C). Do not overheat it.
2. Take it off the hob and transfer the cream into a glass bowl.
3. Add in the yogurt (or buttermilk). Give it a good stir.
   
   
   
   
4. Cover it loosely with a cling film and allow it to rest for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature (approx 70-75 degrees F / 21-24 degrees C). 
5. Give the whipping cream a very light stir after 24 hours to check the consistency.
   
   
   
6. Uncover it and run a spoon or a whisk through it. It will have thickened considerably.
   
   
   
7. When you lift Crème Fraîche on a spoon it will fall off the spoon in blobs and that will indicate that it's ready to be refrigerated. Refrigerate!
   
    

Chef Notes: 

1. Whipping cream is cream that has 35-40% butterfat content.
2. The taste of Crème Fraîche is tangy. If you want it tangier, leave it covered for a few more hours and then refrigerate.
3. The process of making Crème Fraîche will depend on the climate of the place you live in. The process usually takes 24 to 30 hours in summer but takes longer in the colder months. In winter you may have to keep the cream covered for 72 hours for it to reach the correct consistency. 
4. Give the whipping cream a very light stir every 24 hours to check the consistency. Once it reaches the correct consistency cover with cling film and store in the fridge.
5. Crème Fraîche keeps in the fridge for 7-9 days.
6. Please do not use stale, sour yogurt or buttermilk to make Crème Fraîche.
7. When you refrigerate the Crème Fraîche, the flavor will get tangier.
8. The taste of the Crème Fraîche is tangier than that of sour cream.
9. You can use it as a spread between crepes or spoon a dollop of it over an apple pie. You can thicken sauces by adding it at the end once the sauce is ready. You can also have it on plain toast, with or without jam. It also goes beautifully on crackers with smoked salmon or roast chicken.
10. To make Crème Fraîche Frosting, place the mixing bowl and the whip in the freezer section of your refrigerator for 20-25 minutes. Remove the bowl and the beater from the freezer and beat the Crème Fraîche. You may add a few drops of vanilla essence and sugar to taste (approx 1 tablespoon) and beat till it forms stiff peaks. You can use this for desserts instead of whipped cream.
11. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
    
    

Frico di Formaggio con Patate e Cipolla - Cheesy Frico with Potato and Onion

Frico di Formaggio con Patate e Cipolla - Cheesy Frico with Potato and Onion

Anyone who knows me really well knows of my love for cheese. Be it Cheddar (any kind), Gouda, Camembert, Blue Cheese or, my all time favorite, Brie, I love them all. Yes, I could go on with more names but, by now, I know you get my drift ;) If it’s a cheese I’ve never tried before, I’ll readily try it and more often than not, fall in love with it. The two varieties of cheese I used for this dish were new to me. I tried bits of both cheese at the gourmet shop, and of course, I was hooked! I liked them so much I requested the girl at the cheese counter for a wee bit more to nibble on. She was very confident of a sale hence sweetly obliged. She packed my order of cheese, while I nibbled away. (Gluttonous ol’ me! :D )

This dish is typical of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the north-eastern region of Italy. It’s simple, very rustic and as the Italian say, ‘mangià e murì’, which translates literally as, ‘to eat and die’. Truly, a dish to die for! I served this for brunch but you may serve it as a side with a main meal. The cheese used for this dish is Montasio or ‘Grand Padano’, also known as the ‘king of cheese’. Sometimes a combination of Montasio and Grand Padano is also used. A combination of both, Montasio and Grand Padano, is what I used. The final result that got served is truly not something I cannot describe in words. You have to make this to experience it for yourself. Sigh!!!

Ingredients:

1 onion, sliced

½ cup scallions, sliced

¼ kilo potatoes (approx: 2 large ones)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

175 grams Montasio cheese

175 grams Grand Padano cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes until cooked.
2. Peel and mash them. Keep aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add onions and scallions.
   
   
   
4. Fry till they are translucent and the edges are just about to turn light brown.
   
   
   
   
5.  Add the mashed potatoes, Montasio and Grand Padano.
   
   
   
   
6. Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper.
7. Cook the mixture on high flame, stirring often, till the cheese melts and is thoroughly incorporated into the potatoes.
   
   
   
   
8. Check seasoning and add salt as needed.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, flatten the potato-onion-cheese mixture like a flat semi-thick pancake and allow it to crust up to a golden brown from the bottom. Do not stir or touch it when the ‘crusting’ is in process.
   
   
   
   
10. When the bottom part of the Frico is nicely crusted and evenly golden brown, remove the pan from the flame, and gently slide the Frico into the plate. 
11. If there is excess oil in the non-stick pan, dab it with a kitchen towel. Invert the non-stick pan over the Frico on the plate and gently invert the Frico back into the pan. On low heat allow the Frico to crust up on the other side.
    
    
    
    
12. When the other side crusts up, slide the Frico on a plate. Dab the excess oil from the cheese with a paper towel.
13. Slice into wedges, as you would for a pizza.
    
    
14. Serve immediate with fried eggs and sausages. And for crazy cheese lovers like me, with more cheese. There can never be enough cheese. ;-)
    
    

Chef Notes: 

1. The basic recipe for authentic Frico uses Montasio and Grand Padano but if these variety of cheese are not available, please don’t let that stop you from trying this awesome recipe. Feel free to substitute it with other varieties of semi-hard cheese (stringy variety). The Italians would probably slaughter me for advising this but cooking is all about making adjustments and using tweaks that work, so go right ahead and tweak if you’re confident it will work.
2. Feel free to give the plate method a miss if you are confident you can flip the Frico to crust up the other side without breaking it. The plate method is just to ensure that you don’t break the Frico while turning it as it is quite dense because of the potatoes and cheese.
3. To give the Frico a twist, chop cold cuts of your choice into tiny pieces, crisp them up and add them to the potato mixture. Alternately, you may use sautéed shrimps or tiny pieces of roast chicken. Feel free to go with whatever floats your boat to bring you and your loved ones to the shores of gastronomic pleasure. :-)
4. Please serve the Frico as soon as it's ready. It tends to get rubbery when it goes cold.
5. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.