#ExperienceTaj - Golden Dragon

Disclaimer - This is not a review of Golden Dragon. When you visit a 110-year-old hotel's 40-year-old restaurant. it's not just food that you eat; there are stories, memories and anecdotes that create an experience worth remembering.

Last week I was invited for lunch at Golden Dragon, The Taj Mahal Palace's Chinese restaurant. The idea was to introduce food bloggers/writers to restaurant's dining experience with a menu including signature dishes and regular favourites. A small group of three food writers; Romi Purkayastha of Follow The Eaten Path, Roxanne Bamboat of The Tiny Taster and me joined by Nikhila Palat - Taj Mahal Palace's Public Relation Manager and Parveen Chander - the Deputy General Manager at The Taj Mahal Palace, was hosted at this 40-year-old restaurant. 

Opened in 1973, Golden Dragon was the first restaurant to bring authentic Chinese cuisine to Mumbai. At the time when Chinese food meant Indo-Chinese or Kolkata-Chinese for us, Golden Dragon introduced Mumbaikars to Szechuan and Cantonese cuisines. A fleet of five chefs was flown in from China to get the right cooking techniques and authentic flavours. They carried their own pots and ladles and no one except those five chefs was allowed to touch them, until an Indian chef convinced them that he was worthy of cooking their food.

With stories like these, our meal started with a cup of traditional Chinese tea which was served from a pot with an unusually long spout. This peculiar pot was used to serve tea in the times of war. It allowed the server to pour tea from a distance stopping him from overhearing the private (read top-secret) conversation. Tea was followed by a dimsum platter which had a mix of signature as well as new dishes. I loved the Flaky radish dimsum - grated radish wrapped in a flaky, deep fried shell, which has been on the menu since the time Golden Dragon opened. The other favourite was the crunchy Lotus root and celery dimsum. These were lapped up with sweet chilli sauce, the best I've had in Mumbai so far. Golden Dragon has one of the best dimsum selection in the city and has a special dimsum lunch menu on Sundays. 

Restaurant Review - Brunch 'n' Munch, Malad West

It was Sunday morning and I woke up craving a big breakfast, preferably English breakfast. Sadly, there aren't many places serving a good English breakfast in Goregaon and Malad and going to Indigo Deli burns a big hole in the pocket, especially during month end.

While I was thinking of options I remembered Chef Joel D'souza tweeting about a place in Orlem, Malad which serves English breakfast. Orlem has some very shiny gems hidden in its by-lanes and the three month old restaurant/cafe Brunch 'n' Munch is definitely one of them. Located in the same lane as Uncle's Kitchen, this restaurant is sandwiched between a tattoo parlour and a salon, all three owned by the same guy J'son D'Souza.

Restaurant Review - Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra

Two days before Masala Library threw its doors open to the public I visited the fine dining restaurant for lunch. Zorawar Kalra, son of Jiggs Kalra accompanied me and guided me through the tasting menu crafted by the young Chefs Himanshu Saini and Saurabh Udinia.

Masala Library is the new addition to the ever growing list of fine dining options at Bandra Kurla Complex. The brightly lit interiors, beige chairs and stone textured walls might not leave you awestruck but one look at the menu and you know that the restaurant means business when it comes to food. The restaurant focuses completely on Indian regional cuisine enhancing it using modern techniques.

As we sat down to begin our meal our server brought a bottle of hand sanitizer. I realized that the staff takes after their boss when Zorawar produced a small sanitizer bottle which he carries around in his pocket. The meal began with amuse bouche, bite sized display of molecular gastronomy. We were first served Yoghurt spheres & papdi chaat where the yogurt was converted into a soft ball, topped with chutney, sev and micro greens and accompanied with a flat papdi or cracker. The yogurt ball burst in our mouths releasing yogurt and green chutney; a complete scientific take on the street food keeping all the flavours intact. Next arrived Sevpuri on the go made with wild rice puffs served on a miniature cycle rickshaw handmade by craftsmen in Delhi.

It’s not just the menu at Masala Library which takes inspiration from scientific cooking, there bar menu includes molecular mixology based cocktails too. I tried the Star anise martini - gin based cocktail topped with star anise foam. Surprisingly despite its strong flavour star anise didn’t overpower the drink and only gave a subtle hint of its existence. I was surprised when our server appeared with a tray carrying cups, a tea-pot, powdered milk and tea leaves because I was clearly not expecting tea in the middle of our meal. The tea was actually mushroom soup or Wild mushroom chai (Rs 325), the tea leaves were dehydrated mushrooms, milk powder was deconstructed truffle oil and the liquid was mushroom consommé. When mixed with the consommé the truffle oil got back to its original form creating a layer of oil over the clear soup making it a perfect comfort food.

The chefs here have played a lot with flavours here to create a dish which truly gives you the essence of that particular cuisine. I loved their version of curd rice; Curry leaf and pepper prawns, thayir sadam, banana crisp (Rs 375) which was served as a salad topped with peppered prawns. It came in a handmade shell placed on a log of a real tree. Environmentalists need not worry because I was told that it’s a recycled piece. The curd rice topped with roasted lentils and curry leaves cut through the spiciness of prawns. The dish was served with a side of banana chips. From the North region we tried the Gilawat kebab, tawa tikka, varqi paratha (Rs 525) made by the cook from the famous Tunday Kebabi in Lucknow. The kebabs were flavourful with a perfect melt in mouth texture and were topped with very tender mutton boti and bite sized parathas. My next indulgence was a meet lover’s delight, Tandoori champ (Rs 595) - a perfectly braised lamb chop with maple and kokum glaze. The meat came off the bone beautifully, had a crispy layer and was flavoured with the sweetness of maple and sourness of kokum. The surprise element in it was the sweet mango pickle which is a regular in any North Indian household. The second drink Curry leaf martini was an interesting take on vodka based martini flavoured with burnt curry leaves.

The main course had the authentic dishes of different regions presented in the most beautiful way. We were served Meen moilee (Rs 610)– a Kerela style fish curry made with river sole, Prawn balchao kulcha (Rs 375) – North Indian bread stuffed with Goan style prawn preparation, Dal makhani (Rs 395), Anar and mint raita garnished with rose spheres (Rs 210), Bhindi Jaipuri (Rs 410) – crispy fried okra on a base of choorma with papad ki sabzi. This last dish was a lovely mix of three Rajasthani dishes making it a blend of various flavours; the sweetness of choorma, crunchiness of okra and sourness of the curry in papad ki subzi. All of this was served with a bread basket which had traditional breads like the Lucknowi sheermal (Rs 125), Persian taftan Rs 125) and Kashmiri bakarkhani (Rs 125). I was dying to eat sheermal since ages but sadly no place makes this bread in Mumbai. Now, I know of a place which does.

I got the taste of molecular gastronomy once again with desserts. The Chocolate (Rs 1000) – brownies with chocolate mousse added a little drama to the meal where the Chef converted mousse into an instant ice-cream by pouring liquid nitrogen over it. The ice-cream was then shattered into smaller pieces and served with hot chocolate. The good old Gajar halwa (Rs 375) was a three way carrot with an addition of gajar halwa flavoured ice-cream and carrot foam. But it wasn’t the scientific cooking that impressed me in the dessert section. I was blown over by the Indian version of cheesecake, the Ghewar cheesecake (Rs 375). The absolutely sinful dessert had a base of ghewar – a Rajasthani sweet, topped with a layer of cheesecake, garnished with flaky rabdi and pistachios and almond chikki and finally thick rabdi poured over it. The combination of various flavours and textures makes it one of the most innovative desserts in the city.

Apart from the varied menu they also serve Pan flavoured candy floss, Nasik orange sorbet with kafir lime frozen air, Frozen mishit doi popsicles as palate cleansers. The Chefs at Masala Library have played with every sense to give an experience which pleases your eyes, nose and most importantly the taste buds. Masala Library takes Indian cuisine to a different level and from what we’ve seen; their aim to be in the Michelin Guide doesn’t look far.

Must try: Curry leaf and pepper prawns, thayir sadam, banana crisp, Tandoori champ, Ghewar cheesecake

Meal for two: Rs 2500+taxes (without alcohol)


Address:
Ground Floor, First International Finance Centre,
Bandra Kurla Complex, Opposite Sofitel Hotel
Phone: 022 6642 4142

Facebook: Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra
Twitter: @MasalaLibrary

Restaurant Review - EAT.Deli.Cafe, Bandra (W)

Bandra’s latest deli/cafe opens quietly in the midst of bustling Pali Naka. We walked in for dinner and comes out impressed with cosy interiors and big portions.

Small pots of plants placed vertically on the wall, a French style door with chalkboard; the entrance of EAT – Deli.Cafe makes you wish that it was in a quaint corner of Bandra instead of the busy Pali Market. The flight of stairs leading to the basement seating has been used intelligently to create the seating space. 

The menu though not extensive, offers enough variety right from all day breakfasts, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, mains etc. We started with a Grilled chicken, hazelnut and herb toasted veggies in balsamic yogurt dressing salad (Rs 390). Full of flavours the salad had poached pears to add a little sweetness, yogurt to cut through the sourness of balsamic and hazelnut to add a lovely crunchiness. This with the fresh bread and mustard based spread gave a good start to our meal. We would’ve loved a glass of red wine to go with it but the restaurant isn't serving alcohol as yet. 

The beverage section has a very cool option where you can turn any of the dessert into a

cake shake. We tried the Hazelnut ganache shake (Rs 270) – thick and chocolaty, a definite hit among the kids. The big juicy BBQ chicken burger (Rs 420) that we ordered next can easily be added to the list of must try burgers. The juicy chicken pieces slathered in barbeque sauce, slapped between whole wheat burger breads are served with chunky potato wedges and some salad on the side. You can top your burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, ham, sausage, blue cheese, sour cream or goat cheese by adding Rs 90 to the price of the burger. Being the carnivores that we are we topped ours with bacon.

Our pick from the mains was Penne with tossed baby potato, roast garlic, almond, green beans and pesto cream (Rs 370). The al Dante pasta came tossed in a very mild pesto sauce. The highlight of the dish was the crispy baby potatoes with roasted garlic. With our tummies already touching the ground we ordered one last indulgence, the dessert. The Three layer chocolate cake (Rs 240) was sinful with layers of dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate mousse on a thin slice of cake making it very heavy.

Soon after our dinner we were making plans to come back for breakfast. With Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon (Rs 370) and Blue velvet cheesecake (Rs 240) on the menu our expectations are high.

Must try: Grilled chicken, hazelnut and herb toasted veggies in balsamic yogurt dressing salad, BBQ chicken burger

Meal for two: Rs 1690 (inclusive of taxes)

Address:
Shop No. 13, Dheeraj Arcade,
Pali Naka,
Bandra (W), Mumbai
Phone: 022 2640 0090

Facebook: EAT - Deli.Cafe
Twitter: @eatdelicafe

All you need is loaf!

Coming from A small city in North India, the only kinds of bread you are exposed to is the normal sandwich loaf or a pre made pizza base; both completely unhealthy. In the city I come from you still don't get brown bread easily. There's not much bread culture there anyway unlike Bombay where you get brun pao, fugias, focacia and what not. Around 15 years ago when my maternal uncle showed me a picture of a French baguette (he had just returned from a trip to France) I was amazed to find out that such varieties existed. I had a similar feeling when I visited The Baker's Dozen earlier this year.

The Baker's Dozen, a bakery owned by Sneh Jain and his wife Aditi Handa, specializes in Artisan breads; breads that are made without any preservative and are hand crafted. The breads that I saw at The Baker's Dozen were completely new to me, maybe except a few like focacia. The best part about these breads were that most of them were made of whole wheat flour thus making them even healthier. This and a bag full of breads at the end of my visit was enough to have me jumping with joy.

Till now I have tasted six of their breads and each has a different taste or as they put it, a character of its own. Pain au levain (Rs 120) or French sourdough has a crusty top and is soft on the inside and comes with filling like walnut+raisin, apricots+cherries and cranberries+blueberries. The bread is ideal to make tartines but I prefer it eating plain with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar drizzled over it.

Pain au cereal (Rs 100) which is quite similar to Pain au levain in look and texture is packed with flaxseeds and sesame and is a little bitter. I had taken this bread to office and everyone happily gobbled it down with spicy haleem. The focacia (Rs 60) is very different from what I've eaten at other places. It's a little dry and I was told that they do not use olive oil to make it. However, the Mediterranean bread is full of olives and is complete on its own.

One bread that you must not ignore is Brioche (Rs 100). This French bread is high on eggs and butter which results into an extremely soft crumb. Since I got a loaf version of this bread I cut it into slices and tried toasting it only to realize that the bread was too sensitive for that. A light toast with butter would be a good way to eat it. I had it with Strawberry butter given to me by Shivani (that deserves a separate blogpost altogether).

Next bread that I tried is Puccia (Rs 30 for two), Italian wheat flour dinner rolls packed with olives. These soft and fluffy breads were eaten with a carrot dip. I made this carrot+yoghurt+olive oil+garlic dip recently and became an instant fan.

After operating from their bakery in Wadala for initial few months, The Baker's Dozen recently opened their first outlet in Prabhadevi. On World Bakers' Day they launched a new Jewish Sabbath bread called Challah (Rs 120). The bread has a long History and religious significance to it. You can read more about it here. Challah has a lovely golden crust and is made with generous amount of eggs. I ate it with garlic n herbed butter, akuri and bruschetta topping and it was perfect with everything.

I'll give a big thumbs up to Sneh and Aditi for introducing us to such great breads. While I write this post I already plan my next order from The Baker's Dozen and pray that they have an outlet in every suburb. More breads for everyone.

Address:
9, Jayant Apartment, Appasaheb Marathe Marg,
Opposite Mercedes Benz showroom,
Prabhadevi, Mumbai
Phone:
022 6743 1313

Twitter: @FreshAtTBD
Facebook: The Baker's Dozen

A bumpy ride on The Moving Cart, Marine Drive

As soon as we grab our seats our restaurant starts to move with a roar of the engine. Yes, we are inside Mumbai's first moving restaurant in a double-decker bus. The bus takes a u turn from Nariman Point and our glass of Pink panther cocktail clutches to the anti skid mats on the tables. We sip on the pink coloured sprite and enjoy the attention of the gawking passersby on Marine Drive.

The Moving Cart has two sections, the lower deck with air conditioner and the open air upper deck with live music. After being given a show of the tacky blue and red LEDs in the lower deck we move to the upper one for some fresh air. We hear a faint voice singing a Kishore Kumar number on our way up and secretly wish that this is not the live music we were promised. Alas! it is. A bored looking guy sits in a corner reluctantly holding a guitar.

Starters from our pre-decided order start coming in; 3 sorry looking chicken pieces on toothpick, some frail attempt to fish fingers from the Continental menu, chicken kebabs and ajwain flavoured fish fry from the Indian menu. Till now the Indian menu looks like the saving grace. after a second round of starters we move on to soups. Two bowls appear in front of us with very unappetizing liquid; a minestrone residue and a Thai curry gone wrong. After choking on a spoonful we decide to let it pass and move on to the next course.

By now we've had only two courses of our promised 10 course meal and the bus has already reached its extreme end which is Wilson College and will drive back towards Marine Plaza from here. We realize that the 10 course might mean 10 dishes.

A waiter walks in carrying pre-packed plastic plates which supposedly is our main course. As

the live singer murders Md. Rafi's khoya khoya chand in the background, a last nail is hammered on our appetite's coffin. The veg plate consists of Dal makhani, a Paneer sabzi, rubbery Chicken curry, rice, chapati, salad and Gulabjamun which gets lost in an identity crisis of being a sweet or savory by the end of the meal. The spinach stuffed grilled chicken in the Continental plate looks like the only edible item and we try to satiate our hunger with it while throwing sad glances at people eating at Crystal. The rest of the dishes in the Continental plate are unmentionable and we would like to erase every memory of ever eating them. 

As we duck to avoid branches brushing against our faces we reach where we started from. With tacky decor, horrid food which surprisingly come from Marine Plaza and steep pricing, The Moving Cart is a very bumpy ride. This Chennai based restaurant on wheels has to really gear up if it wants to park itself in a Mumbaikar's heart and mind.

Price: Rs 1200 per person for vegetarian meal, Rs 1400 per person for non-vegetarian meal

Address:
The Moving Cart starts from Marine Plaza on Marine Lines and take a one hand a half hour tour to Wilson College and back.

Reservations can be made through their website http://www.themovingcart.com

Restaurant Review - The Pier, Colaba

The new restaurant in the sea-facing Colaba restaurant is best enjoyed if you go with nothing but food in mind.

There was a time when eating out was all about food and not decor or ambiance, when going to a Food Inn or a Cafe Royal was saved for once a month family outing. But times have changed now and we want an extra touch to our meal be it the decor, the music or the location of the restaurant. Stepping inside The Pier, the perfectly located sea facing restaurant in Colaba, I felt that something was amiss. The 3000 sq. ft. area looks impersonal with no art to fill in the empty walls and no divisions to create some private spaces. However, a brass diving helmet kept at the entrance and blue leather seating give a hint of the marine theme. Given that the decor is still being done, I'd save my verdict on that for later.

A well stocked bar stretched along the left wall of the restaurant is a point of interest and so is the bar menu; with a 12 year old whisky available for just Rs 225 I or rather the husband can’t find a reason why it shouldn't be. A not so crowded Friday night had me thinking that word about the food here; which is delicious, needs to be spread. The limited menu serves dishes with a touch of European and Asian flavours and offers enough variety including beef, pork, seafood and enough to keep the vegetarians interested too. 

Giving the soups a miss we (husband and me) jumped straight to the appetizers and ordered

their highly recommended Beef tartare with slow poached egg yolk (Rs 450). We finished the very last morsel of this very tender tartare made with local buffalo meat, topped with poached yolk and served with red wine mousse, the runny yolk didn't add much to the taste though. The Beer battered fried calamari (Rs 450) had a juicy squid inside the crispy batter but the lacked any hint of beer. Highly recommend the crunchy snack especially when you have Black Dog (Rs 225) for company. The vegetarians can try the Edamame beans and gruyere cheese stuffed ravioli (Rs 375) which comes coated in a creamy tarragon sauce and a side of seared spinach. However, not being a fan of the edamame beans I would give it a miss the next time I am there.

If you are not one of those who would go to a bar and order their regular I'd suggest you try The pier Flip (Rs 350). The mocktail has dark rum as its base with Triple Sec, cream, sugar syrup and egg yolk; the not so sweet drink with a thick creamy texture certainly calls for a second round. 

The mains have a good mix of pastas,

risottos, red snapper, pork belly and beef burger. The Potato gnocchi in citrus herb butter (Rs 500) served with shaved parmesan is a must try, even if your roving eyes keep going back to the non-vegetarian section. The small portion of steeply priced Braised pork belly with apple cinnamon jus (Rs 2000) might give you a minor setback especially if you don’t enjoy digging in the fat, like me. However, the perfectly cooked pork, loaded with fat made the husband almost tumble out of the restaurant, sleepily. The dish comes with pancetta green pea risotto and braised brussel sprouts. This I washed down with the Pier beauty (Rs 275), a pretty pink drink with strawberry liquor, fresh strawberry and sparkling wine. 

I generally don’t prefer alcohol with the dessert but the in-house cream (Rs 300) and coffee liquors (Rs 280) were reasons enough to call for a shot of each. With our heads buzzing with the shots we lapped up the Vanilla panacotta (Rs 325) custard and cream served with chilled berries soup and a wafery thin layer of caramel.

With great food and hospitable staff, I feel that there’s a lot going in The Pier’s favour if only they work a bit more on one of the most important elements; ambiance.







Must try: Beef tartare, The Pier flip
Meal for two: Rs 3500 + taxes (without alcohol)

Address:
The Pier,
41/42, Dr. Minoo Desai Marg, 
Colaba, Mumbai
Phone:
022 6606 0037, 022 6606 0036

Facebook: The Pier Restaurant
Twitter: @thepiermumbai

Wine, Wazwan and conversations at Taj Lands End + Mutton Roganjosh Recipe

Wazwan is one of the most famous and still untouched cuisines of India. Very few restaurants foray into this rich food culture and those who do, do not go beyond Roganjosh or Kashmiri Pulao. Well, there's a lot more to this cuisine which is influenced by Kashmiri Pandits, Muslims from Samarkand and surprisingly Buddhist Monks who migrated to Kashmir from Laddakh. My interest in Wazwan was generated when I read Salman Rushdie's Shalimar The Clown several years ago and that's what took me to Kong Poush, a now shuttered Kashmiri restaurant in Oshiwara which was my real introduction to Wazwan. Given the extreme unavailability of Wazwan food in Mumbai it was tough to say no when an invitation to taste the Kashmiri food came my way. 

Masala Bay at Taj Lands End in Bandra is celebrating the elaborate cuisine till the 31st of March and has flown down Chef Sewa Singh from Vivanta by Taj in Srinagar to prepare the delicacies. Apart from the bloggers and the people from media the Executive Chef of Taj Lands End, Chef Anirudha Roy also joined us for dinner. It was an extremely fruitful evening with good food, good wine and conversations about the history of Wazwan, the food culture in Kashmir and books. The normally media shy Chef spoke to us at length on various topics. 

As far as the food is concerned I am in love with the subtle flavours used in Wazwan dishes. The spices never overpower the principal ingredient. Wazwan, which is mainly a celebratory cuisine comprises of 36 dishes. Well actually the original cuisine had 105 dishes but most of them are lost in history. The menu at Masala Bay has included at-least 15 dishes out of the 36. They also serve a Peach mocktail garnished with kesar which gels well with the food. 

Although soup or shorba - very mildly spiced lamb broth, is not really a part of Wazwan it has been included in the menu and was a pretty good start to the meal.

The Kashmiri sheek kebabs were succulent, moist and full of spices unlike the dry sheek available at Mumbai's most famous joints. Try them with the Apricot chutney served on the side.

Nadir or lotus stem is probably the most important part of Kashmiri cuisine and after eating the Nadir kebabs you won't be wondering why. The soft and crunchy kebabs are made with a mix of lotus stem and dryfruits.

While the vegetarian options are limited the Paneer ki tikki is something that'll keep you happy. Made with fresh cottage cheese, anardana and dryfruits the tikki is a fabulous blend of sweet and spicy flavours.

The main course has dishes like Rista which is served at the beginning of the meal. Rista is made with pounded meatballs (there's a long process to prepare this meat where it is pounded till the red meat turns white and then it's made into balls) cooked in a Kashmiri gravy made with moval extract, asofoetida, fennel and other spices. Gushtaba which is served at the end of the meal is the same meatballs cooked in a tangy yogurt gravy. We were blown over by both the dishes. The Mutton roganjosh was cooked with no onion or garlic in just ginger, asofoetida and fennel gravy and had meat falling off the bone. This with Kashmiri zafarani naan was a combination made in heaven, and with the food coming straight from the heaven on Earth I wouldn't question that.

The rich Rajma made with small kidney beans and the Morel pulao was again something that had subtle flavours. Chef Anirudha told us that the technique to make the morel pulao is again very long and complimented which is one reason we don't see it on a restaurant's menu.

Another special addition to our meal was the small grained Kashmiri rice which the Chef had brought from the land itself. Now here's an interesting fact that rice is actually the staple diet of a Kashmiri. A lot of their agriculture is based on rice. Bread on the other hand is mostly eaten for breakfast with Nun chai or salted tea. Rice or baatha is so important that during a Kashmiri wedding there's a special function which involves cleaning of rice for the wedding. Only the closest female members of the family are invited to clean the rice. You can read more about it here. We were served this rice with Tilapia, Kashmiri fish cooked in red chilli gravy, another pair made in heaven.

The dessert wasn't the usual Phirni, surprisingly, but was Suji ka halwa instead. The mildly sweetened semolina halwa had bigger grains instead of the regular small and fine ones.

The meal ended with a flavourful Kahwa, a Kashmiri tea which doesn't have any tea and is made of cinnamon, cardamom, clove and fennel. 

It's a pity that we are not aware of a cuisine which is so vast and is a culture in itself. I wouldn't be exaggerating if i say that Wazwan is not just food, it's a way of life.

The Wazwan Food Festival is on till the 30th of March.

Chef Sewa Singh

Post our meal we met the man behind all the goodness that we had just devoured, Chef Sewa Singh. The Chef might be a bit camera and people shy but he is the master of the art of cooking. Very graciously he shared his recipe of Mutton Roganjosh with me and here it is for you all to try.

Ingredients:

Lamb cubes (with bone)                1 kg

Desi ghee                                           110 gms

Turmeric powder                             10 gms

Kashmiri chilli powder                   25 gms

Dried Kashmiri chillies                  30 gms

Lamb stock                                       1 ltr

Dry ginger powder                           50 gms

Fennel powder                                 25 gms

Green cardamom                            5 nos.

Cinnamon stick                               4-5 nos.

Dry mint powder                             10 gms

Lamb fat                                            30 gms

Salt to taste

Method:

·         Blanch the lamb and wash to clean off all impurities.

·         Boil the whole chillies until soft, wash and make a fine paste with water.

·         Take ghee and lamb fat in a vessel, add cardamom and cinnamon, allow it to crackle.

·         Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, and red chilli paste and lamb stock.

·         Now add lamb, and cook until tender.

·         Remove lamb, strain the gravy and cook further till desired consistency.

·         Check for seasoning, finish with ginger powder, fennel powder and mint powder & serve hot.