Phish-Phash

The British ruled India for two centuries, how much India gained from them and how much they took away from us is topic of debate. But, among the things it has given us one of the most beautiful thing is Anglo-Indian cuisine. It is the cuisine that developed during the British rule in India, as the British wives interacted with their Indian cooks. It has had its share of Portuguese influence too. One of the lesser known but really tasty and healthy Anglo-Indian dish is Phish-Phash. It is a combination of chicken and rice infused with exotic spices. You can also cook the same dish with mutton.

Ingredients:
1. Any fragrant rice (1 cup)
2. Chicken (500 grams, cut into small or medium pieces)
3. Onions (One medium size, cut in to cubes and another one sliced)
4. Ginger and Garlic paste (1 tea spoon each)
5. Green chilies ( Make paste of 3 chilies and slit 3 chilies into halves. You can adjust the number of chilies as per your preference)
6. Cashew nuts (10)
7. Raisins (7-8)
8. Salt  to taste
9. Milk (1/2 cup)
10. Cinnamon (1 stick)
11. Cardamom (3-4)
12. Cloves (3-4)
13. Black pepper (2-3)
14. Red lentils or Masoor dal (1 table spoon)
15. Butter (2 table spoons)
16. Oil (1 teaspoon)
17. Bay Leaf (1)

You can cook this either in pressure cooker or in a heavy bottom pan. I have used pressure cooker here for quicker results. If you don’t have pressure cooker, you can cook in low flame with lid on for 20 minutes.

Method:
1. In a heated pressure cooker pan, add 1 tbsp butter and let it melt
3. Add all the whole spices; let the butter absorb the aroma of the spices
4. Add the chicken; flip them over a few times so that the chicken pieces are covered by butter on all sides.
5. Add ginger, garlic and green chili paste
7.Add the lentils and rice. Give it a good mix. Don’t worry about the chicken pieces getting broken. It’s exactly what you want.
6. Add the cubed onions and slit green chilies
8. Add salt as per your taste
9. Add the milk and the rest of the butter and give it a gentle mix
10. Add water; make sure everything is covered in water and nothing is left out
11. Cook it 3 whistles and your Phish-Phash is ready. (You may need to cook for 4-5 whistles in case you are using mutton)
12. Take a hot pan add the oil and fry the sliced onions till they become slightly brown. Use the fried onions for garnishing.

Enjoy.

Mo

Palak Dal (Spinach Lentil soup)

Palak dal is a tasty and nutritious lentil preparation. I have used five different types of lentil, but you can use 1-2 types of lentil as per your choice. You can easily make this  dish with a few drops of oil.

Ingredients:

1. Spinach (coarsely chopped)
2. Lentils (soak the lentils for one hour before cooking)
   a. Split Red Lentil/ Masoor Dal
   b. Yellow Moong Dal
   c. Split Bengal gram/ Chana Dal
   d. Split Red gram/ Tuvar Dal/ Arhar Dal
   e. Matar Dal/Split green pea
3. Onion (1 medium size sliced)
4. Garlic (3 clove)
5. Ginger julienne
6. Green chilies (2 sliced)
7. Dry red chili (1)
8. Dry spices
   a. Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
   b. Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
   c. Turmeric powder-1 tsp
9. Cumin seeds (1/2 tsp)
10. Salt to taste
11. Oil (1/2 tsp)
12. Tomato (1 medium size  cut in to cubes)

Method:

1. Boil the soaked lentils till they become soft; if you are using pressure cooker, cook it till 5 whistle. Add a pinch of salt to the water at time of boiling the lentils.
2. In a heated pan add oil. When the oil heats up, add the dry red chili, garlic and cumin seeds.
3. Add the sliced onion and sprinkle a bit of salt. Fry it for 1 minute.
4. Add the cubed tomatoes, mix it well and fry it for 1 minute. If the masala becomes too dry, add a cup of water.
5. Add all the dry spices. You may add a bit of salt if needed. Add half a cup of water.
6. Add the  chopped spinach and give it a good mix.
7. Add the  boiled lentils and green chilies. Mix everything well.
8. Add water as per the thickness you prefer.
9. Put the lid on and cook it for 3-4 minutes.

This is my kind of Palak dal. You can enjoy it with rice or roti; you can even have it as a soup. If you want you can add Ghee (clarified butter) or butter for a richer taste; I did not add any though. To make it spicier, you can add a teaspoon of  paprika.

Enjoy.

Mo

 

 

Dalia pulao (Broken wheat pulao)

Are you looking for a healthy dish with full of nutrition, perfect for breakfast or brunch, good to eat and easy to cook? Your wait is over. Let’s cook Dalia Pulao.

Ingredients:
1. Dalia (1 cup)
2. Ghee or clarified butter (2tsp)
3. Cinnamon stick (1-2)
4. Cardamom (2-3)
5. Clove (2-3)
6. Salt to taste
7. Green peas (2tbsp)
8. Raisins & Cashew nuts (As per your preference)
9. Green chill (2)
10. Olive oil (1/2 tsp)
11. Bay leaf (1)
12. Water (2 cup)

Method:
In a pressure cooker, heat up the oil. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and the dalia. Fry the mixture for a minute or two in low flame. Add salt, green peas, chilies, raisins, cashew nuts. Mix everything properly and add the ghee. To this, add 2 cups of water (For 1 cup of dalia, you need to add 2 cups of water). Close the lid and let it cook for two whistles. Your Dalia pulao is ready.

I have used only green peas; you can use any vegetables; small pieces of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower etc. You can make Dalia pulao once in a while for breakfast and mix and match your vegetables.

Enjoy.

Mo