Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

We've managed to both forget our fifth anniversary last Friday. I don't know if it's due to my working like mad before having to catch a delayed flight back from Shanghai late in the evening while Vijay was too comfortable with me leaving him a free man for almost two weeks. The nearly forsaken milestone was only remembered when Vijay examined the leather strap of his watch, then sparking up a recap of our various gifts to each other past birthdays, Christmases and yes, the day we got together. Putting aside our ailing memories - mine is not a surprise, Vijay forgot the exact date and had to check his diaries - we seized the day and celebrated with an all-American dinner, ending up with the love of my life asking if I could make him bacon topped cheesy fries and Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing next.

While the watch I gave to Vijay pretty much bound his wrist every single day since Christmas two years ago till its leather strap had started to require some attention, my Nigella Lawson cookbook from him with much love (and much more expectation, I reckoned) was largely neglected for the pass 6 months, like my other cookbooks. Like most friends I know, I draw inspiration on what to cook mostly from current events, my monthly chocolate withdrawal symptoms, who's coming to dinner, eating out, the weather or satisfying the cravings of others. Rarely I would be flipping through a cookbook going "... and what shall I make today?" More often it was "I have to make this now!" and the action following would be to score my favorite blogs, Google, dig up something from my mess of bookmarked recipes, call my mother, call Vijay's mother or Facebook/Twitter/SOS my chef-at-home friends.


This Spanish chicken caught my interest as I was watching Nigella's Kitchen show one night and thought it was high time I do my Christmas present justice and do yet another roast chicken. Who complains about roast chicken? Especially one that really just involves throwing everything into the tray, no marinate, no cutting of various vegetables and no washing of a sink full of dishes.

Sometimes even the most adventurous and willing cook need a break and would want to put lunch together by spending less than half an hour in the kitchen. This is where Nigella comes through for me, starting from this cake and this ridiculously good pasta, way back from her Nigella Bites show I religiously followed while under house arrest from a broken leg more than a year ago. I think I made that pasta while hopping on one leg with my crutches, it was that simple. (Apologies for those iPhone photos though, I didn't really have the intention to start a food blog then!)

So hurrah for meals one could put together with one eye closed and taste superb to boot. Spicy chorizo sausages, citrusy zest of an orange and a bit of slightly bitter oregano (better dried than fresh, in this case), crammed together with effortless baby potatoes and some chopped onions, really, that is all. Leave the kitchen as the oven blazes (unless you happen to be in South Australia right now) and go drive your other half nuts with reminders of how he forgot your anniversary. An hour later, retrieve the golden orange sauced tray, grab a fork and dig in with him, because life is short and shouldn't be dwelled upon things which couldn't be helped.

Have you cooked from a book recently? My latest shipment had just arrived. Hopefully I'll be able to make at least one thing from each of my growing collection, once I get them off the living room floor, that is.
Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes
Recipe from Nigella Lawson's Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes from her book Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home.
Serves 6.
Note: I added salt and used a little more oil than the recipe called for. I would add the zest of another orange the next time, finding the citrus flavor of just one orange slightly lost in all that chorizo. Refrain from using the juice as you want your chicken to roast, not braise. Recipes as simple as this will depend much on the quality of your ingredients so get the best quality of chorizo you can from your trusted butcher. Depending on the efficiency of your oven, the chicken may be done in less than an hour, since they're cut pieces - I'd check at the 45 or 50 minute point.
Halal options: I have been told by a trusted sources (one halal food dealer and the guys from Las Vacas) that it's possible to get halal chorizo from the cold cut section/deli of Cold Storage at Bangsar Shopping Center specifically. Failing that you can use any beef sausages and add some smoked paprika when seasoning the chicken.
- 3 tablespoons regular olive oil
- 12 chicken thighs (bone in, with skin)
- 750 grams chorizo sausages, whole if baby ones, or cut into 4-cm chunks if regular-sized
- 1 kilogram baby potatoes, half the larger ones
- 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- grated zest of one orange
- salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7 and place 2 wire racks on the upper and lower thirds. Put the oil in the bottom of 2 shallow roasting tins (I used jelly roll baking trays), about 1 1/2 tablespoons in each. Rub the skin of the chicken in the oil, season with salt accordingly, then turn them skin-side up, 6 pieces in each tin. Divide the chorizo sausages and the new potatoes between the 2 tins.
Sprinkle the onion and the oregano over, then grate the orange zest over the arranged contents of the 2 tins. Cook for 30 minutes, then swap the top tray with the bottom tray in the oven and baste the contents with the orange-colored juices. Continue cooking for about 30 minutes or till chicken is done.
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Blackberry, Raspberry and Blueberry Ice Cream

While the rest of the northern hemisphere is currently going through a beautiful hot summer, in Singapore I'm starting to see heaps of cherries and other warm weather berries piling up makeshift counters at the supermarkets. These in-season imports are now fresh, juicy and plump, some of them even going on discounts at selected outlets. Before leaving for my business trip, I managed to lug home punnets of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, plus a few kilos of red cherries. Adding to that, my favorite lychees from China are also at their height, so baskets of these without fail went into my groceries as long as I could handle the weight.

I was in one of those get-it-while-the-going's-good shopping mode, not really knowing what to do with almost half a fridge full of summer berries and stone fruits. After going through the cherries and lychees I was on the verge of coming down with a sore throat, so I studied the punnets of berries briefly, popped my ice cream maker bowl into the freezer and began to imagine having scoops of frozen berry smoothness slide down my protesting thorax.
Who needs an excuse for ice cream, really?

This batch of ice cream brought me several revelations though. Firstly, I now know when exactly a nappe consistency would be achieved. As I sweated myself in my 38 degrees kitchen while my air-conditioning servicing guy did his magic with our ailing units, I remembered a recent pastry class I attended in Hong Kong where the chef told us to look out for that moment when the bubbles start to disappear from the custard. The second - I'm giving up on my KitchenAid ice cream attachment, after giving it another chance to redeem itself from its previous disappointment. It's pretty much useless in my kitchen unless I act on the third matter-of-fact confirmed by my jolly A/C man - yes, people do install air-conditioning in theirs. But, alas, it's not possible for us. Not in our rental HDB with a single compressor restriction, unless we'd be willing to replace all the other three units. That pretty much sealed my final ice cream making fate - I'd always end up with photos of melting ice cream for you.

This was by far the best ice cream I've made, texture wise, scooping out easily straight out of the freezer. Even Vijay - an absolutely non-berry kind of guy, who'd only eat this as long as it had no sign of berry pulp (hence my strained puree) - concurred between spoonfuls of the purplish pink delight. Hopefully there'll still be some left when I get home this weekend. Two weeks of room service Häagen-Dazs and Mövenpick here in Shanghai made me miss my scoops of homemade ice cream more than ever.
Now, onto more serious business, since I'm now in the market for a proper ice cream machine, do let me know if you have recommendations for models available in Singapore and experiences with it in our year long wrath-of-God weather.
Blackberry, Raspberry and Blueberry Ice Cream
Adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop.
Yields about 1 quart.
Note: Depending on the tartness and ratio of your mixed berries (blueberries are really sweet, blackberries the most sour), adjust the sugar accordingly but I wouldn't reduce more than half a cup. You may also experiment with less egg yolks, regular milk and whipping cream if a healthier version rocks your boat and you still want ice cream instead of sorbet.
- 1 1/2 cups/375 milliliters whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups/300 grams granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups/375 milliliters heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 cups/500 milliliters pureed mixture of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries (about 5–6 ounce punnets)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
In a saucepan, combine the milk and sugar. Heat the mixture gently over medium low heat to the point of just below boiling. Meanwhile, measure out the heavy cream into a large bowl and set a fine mesh strainer over it. Remove warm milk from heat.
In another medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and vanilla. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the mixture back into the saucepan. Over medium low heat, continue stirring the custard constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan. The custard is done when it reaches nappe consistency, coating the back of the spoon. Immediately pour through the strainer over the heavy cream. Stir until combined.
Add in the mixed berry puree and the lemon juice. Stir until completely cooled over an ice bath. Cover and thoroughly chill in the refrigerator - for at least 6 hours, preferably over night. Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions or use the instructions here to churn without a machine. Freeze completely before serving.
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Saturday, July 16, 2011
Hakka Tofu Sung (Salted Fish Tofu with Minced Meat, 客家豆腐鬆)

We don't get friends from Malaysia willing to come all the way to the suburbs to see us very often, especially since we don't live in some place hip and happening like, oh you know, Orchard Road or the likes of it. So when the wonderful Joanne and her daughter Adrienne were in town and wanted to meet, a dinner party was quickly arranged over Twitter. As Vijay and I sat down to plan the menu, we decided to each make a dish to knock the socks off our guests. His mother's famous chicken kicap would not disappoint. I, on the other hand, had spent days twiddling my thumbs over my choice of arsenal. With another mate Joey to come with tomato bruchettas, chicken tacos and a bread butter pudding, it would only make sense for us to keep everything else light but in no way lacking.

In the end I decided to risk it and make something new - a traditional dish from my childhood, loved by my late father and something that would impress Joanne's Hakka half. A recipe I'd have to call my mother for due to my memory the size of a split pea. Luckily I did. Had I winged it without prior consultation with Mum, who practically trumped late Dad with her Hakka cooking, I would've left out the fish paste and ended up with a stir fried tofu which would not be quite so... loose. "Ahhhh...." I see some of you going. Yes, that's the meaning of sung (鬆) in Cantonese. Soft bean curd is to be tossed with minced pork and fish paste, perked up with some aromatics and spiked with salted fish, producing a light, fluffy yet equally flavorful alternative to the much loved minced meat sauce.

Mum used to pound her own fish paste from deboned Spanish mackerel (in Cantonese ma yau yue, 馬鮫魚) or wolf herring fish (in Cantonese sai tou yue, 西刀鱼). Wolf herring is superior of the two. It produces a bouncier fish paste, favored by the best Chinese fish ball noodle stalls in Malaysia and Singapore but it also comes with a truckload more bones than the mackerel. Late Dad used to drive Mum nuts by requesting tofu sung and her kick ass yong tau foo every now and then, sourcing the freshest wolf herring he could find from his favorite monger. When she eventually started to wave her meat cleaver at him, tired of pin boning huge fillets of sai tou yue week after week, he would slyly come back with slices of ma yau instead.


Since we were pressed for time for the dinner, I bought ready made fish paste from my local wet market actually meant for stuffing yong tau foo, a move I'd never make again. This was a workable short cut but really not the best idea for this dish. The paste was slightly wet due to the addition of corn starch to allow it to adhere better as a stuffing and proceeded to release a lot of liquid in the cooking process. I had to drain the moisture away a couple of times to avoid braising the ingredients instead of adequately frying them into golden brown deliciousness. If you're not up for mincing your own fish paste then try to source for a less adulterated version at your market, possibly harder to come by but really worth the exploration.

I was however, quite elated to find a jar of mui heong (梅香) salted fish from my neighborhood market's dry grocer. Mui heong salted fish - the best quality there is, prepared from the Spanish mackerel (notice the trend here?), is kept moist using oil brine instead of coming in dry and tough pieces laden with salt. Expect to pay much more for these fresh, fragrant and less pungent slices of preserve. The good stuff would be coming from the east coast fishing states of Peninsula Malaysia. I managed to find these bottled ones, which I've not seen before while I was staying in Malaysia, and was quite chuffed to get a compliment from the grocer uncle for my good (and ultimately expensive but really, not snobbish) taste.

Not all non-halal Chinese dishes could be easily converted to something that our Muslim Joey could eat but this was one of them. If using chicken like I did, go for the more flavorful and better textured thigh meat, skin on. Add some chicken fat to the mince. Chicken fat can be requested free from your poultry seller, containing the trimmed off fat layers and bits of excess skin. When adjusting your seasoning, add the salt and soy sauce with caution, according to the potency of your salted fish. Don't be alarmed though, if this comes out a little over the top than your everyday stir fry as this mince, like most, is meant to be great with bowls of rice, porridge or noodles.


So a feast we had, completing the menu with ginger scallion noodles. While Vijay's soy sauce chicken was wiped out and got Joanne asking for the recipe, we got to live on the taco chicken and this mince leftover the following week - one of the many joys of cooking up a storm for friends. This tasted even better as it aged, like most stews and salted fish dishes tend to. Our no-cooking-weekday dinners were made blissful and Vijay even ate the last bits of this straight from the pot on a Friday - the fact that he's vegetarian on this day completely slipped my mind - remember the split pea? I wasn't kidding, and yes, this has happened more than once.

Relatively simple to make (I say relatively because mincing meat on your own with a cleaver boots the recipe out from the 'easy' category instantly), tofu sung provides that warm, fuzzy, home cooked comfort food effect. Something I can't order from a restaurant, something I'll have to call my mother to thank her for. This will quickly become one of our minced meat staple, a Hakka creation I'm grateful to have revisited from my kitchen and can hopefully convince you to do the same from yours.
Hakka Tofu Sung (Salted Fish Tofu with Meat, 客家豆腐鬆)
Serves 8 to 10.
Prep time 20 minutes, cook time approximately 25 minutes.
Note: This halal version of the dish was specially made for our friend Muslim friend, Joey. Traditionally it's made with minced pork belly or pork shoulder. As the dish is really only flavored with the salted fish, garlic and scallions, avoid substituting with red meat as those would require additional seasonings or herbs.
- 1 kilogram boneless chicken thighs
- 1 kilogram mackerel fish paste
- 50 grams chicken fat
- 5 pieces medium (semi-soft) tofu
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2-3 stalks scallions, finely sliced
- 30 grams mackerel/mui heong salted fish, deboned and finely minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels. Cut the chicken pieces and chicken fat into cubes. With a cleaver over a heavy chopping board, mince the chicken and fat pieces. You can do this with a food processor but the texture will not be the same as hand mincing. Season the mince with some sesame oil and pepper, set aside. With a fork, break the tofu into smaller pieces, drain any excess liquid and set aside.
Heat up the oil in a large wok or heavy bottomed saucepan. Add in the garlic and minced chicken. Toss well and cook till chicken is half done, about 6-8 minutes. Add in the fish paste and quickly break it up into small pieces with the spatula. Mix well with the minced chicken and cook till fish and meat are almost done and mixture is dry, about 6-8 minutes. Add in the salted fish and broken tofu. At this point, add some oil if the mixture is too dry. Toss frequently and cook till the tofu has released all its moisture and begin to stick to the wok, about 6 minutes. Add in the scallion, leaving some for garnish. Check the seasoning; add salt and soy sauce accordingly.
Dish out into a serving bowl, garnish with some scallions and serve with rice, noodles or porridge. Mince keeps well covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Continue reading Hakka Tofu Sung (Salted Fish Tofu with Minced Meat, 客家豆腐鬆)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Double Chocolate Cupcakes and Swiss Meringue Buttercream

A couple of weeks ago I went on about making these cupcakes as one half of an order for a friend. The other half of it was to be chocolate and originally I wanted to make these again - my in-laws were in town and I thought a tried-and-tested recipe would avoid any unforeseen coronary inducing surprises. But then it occurred to me that she had eaten those root beer ones on several occasions and I've long wanted to experiment with turning this cake into 30-ish little dark chocolate cuppies. So I decided to suck it up and deal with some chopped chocolate and brewed coffee instead of just some cocoa and root beer.

After all, this is the famous Gourmet magazine featured cake with more than a thousand reviews on Epicurious and the cake a good friend started baking to sell after it sent her to chocolate cake heaven on her birthday last year. It didn't disappoint in smaller incarnations. Grab a plate and sit one on it. Sit yourself down and peel off the liner. For the next few minutes lose yourself savoring mouthfuls of moist, tender and immensely dark chocolate crumbs. Then try to convince yourself not to reach out for another one; as cupcakes, unlike a big layer cake, doesn't require further knife actions to get yourself another serving.


Had my client agreed to paying the price for fancier things, I would've hollowed out the centers and injected some raspberry filling into them, just as their layered cake version was adapted by Deb. I highly recommend these as filled cupcakes, along with some berry flavored Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) to play the glorified icing role. SMBC you say? Yes, apparently it's doing so well it has earned an acronym in the baking world. I tweaked yet another SMBC recipe for the frosting over my batch of last-minute-before-leaving-for-yet-another-business-trip Magnolia vanilla cupcakes. By now you'd expect that packing a suitcase to leave for Shanghai the next day wouldn't stop me from making more cupcakes and whipping up some purplish frosting. Not since I've only had a quarter of a cupcake the last time.

Doubling this recipe, I cut the sugar and used even less butter. The resulting buttercream was much lighter on the buttery taste and the reduced sugar was balanced out by the sweetness of the blueberry puree. I can't wait now to make chocolate and citrus SMBCs for future projects. If you haven't ever tried SMBC though, there's a chance that you may not like it, especially if you're used to heavier sugary buttercreams or cooked flour frostings. Light, silky and almost marshmallowy in texture, it pipes well and remains very stable at room temperature, even in the hot and humid conditions of my equator kitchen. It's quite forgiving and could be revived just when you think you might have screwed it up. It chills, freezes and defrosts well, serving as a good base for flavoring to match most cakes.

As I'm writing this from my hotel room far from home; missing my oven, stove and a cupcake (or two), I urge you to try this much buzzed about chocolate cake and the equally revered Swiss meringue buttercream if you haven't already because really, I wouldn't spend an entire post to repeat a recipe and talk about frosting if it won't be worth your while now would I?
Double Chocolate Cupcakes
Cake recipe from Deb's Smitten Kitchen, previously here as a layered cake.
Yields about 33 cupcakes.
- 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
- 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 300°F, if using convection oven, set the temperature at 250°F. Prepare two standard muffin tins with cupcake liners. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer).
Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them up almost to the brim as this cake doesn't rise much. Bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes - you can check at the 25 minute mark just to be sure. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack before icing.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Adjusted from Annie's Eats's recipe through Emma Gardner's Poires Au Chocolat, previously used here to frost a layered cake.
- 340 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 large egg whites
- 220 grams granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup blueberry puree
- pinch of salt
Combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk frequently, keeping it over the heat, until the mixture reaches about 160°F/70°C and the sugar has dissolved (rub some between your fingers - if it feels grainy, it hasn't dissolved). In making all my Swiss meringue buttercream past and present, I've never used a thermometer (I’m lazy) so if you don't have one, no worries – just dip in and feel for a fairly hot and smooth mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a whisk attached and beat on medium-high for 8 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed and the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Turn down the speed to medium and start adding small chunks of butter, checking that it has incorporated before adding more. Keep beating until it comes together, this will take about 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and blueberry puree, beat until just combined.
Do ahead: Cupcakes can be made up to 3 days before, store covered at room temperature. Swiss meringue buttercream can be made ahead and refrigerated till needed. Bring to room temperature and whip to a smooth consistency before frosting. The buttercream requires no refrigeration for up to 5 days. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and in the freezer for at least 3 months.
Continue reading Double Chocolate Cupcakes and Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Monday, July 04, 2011
Mutton Peratal (Dry Mutton Curry)
This is a joint post as we both have stories to tell you about this special dish by Vijay's mother, Mageswary. If you're familiar with Southern Indian cooking, chances are you would've already made this before. If not, it's high time to venture into the cuisine of Tamil Nadu and give this a go. We promise you'll not stop at just once.

Vijay’s to market, to market…
Father’s day this year was a little extra special for Dad. After 15 years he finally made a proper trip down to the little red dot that has been my home for the past seven years. Mum came along of course although for her it was more recent, having spent almost a month during January last year. Unlike the previous time, I had initially intended for her to be free of all cooking simply so that she could just relax for the four days they’d be here. Dad on the other hand wanted her to cook my favorites and it took quite a bit of persistence on my part to insist adamantly,
“No need la, you guys are only here for four days, let her relax…”
At first…
After a Saturday and Sunday of Singapore’s take on hawker food (its Dad, he loves hawker food when he eats out), I started to lose my resolve to his relentless,
“Why not let mum cook your favorites tomorrow or maybe mutton?”

One of the agenda that I had predetermined for their trip was a round at Tekka Market in Little India. Honestly, it was only because I wanted Mum to be able to show Dad the Indian veggies that was difficult to get back in Kuala Lumpur or simply not imported in, as well as cart some back. Mum was already impressed the first time she went there last year. By now I had already given in to having Mum cook the following day, so I insisted on it being simple and not take her time too much. We had agreed on a particular chicken dish that I truly liked.


To market, to market…
…and off we went to Tekka Monday morning. It’s impressive when you see experienced people marveled. Mum certainly was when she scoured the produce last year and Dad was too during this excursion. The market's produce exuded freshness, variety, and choices; not to mention things were cheap. Looking at both of them excitedly pick, adore and contemplate how best to cook the items got me weakened and I finally caved in to my inner desire to have mutton done her style. In a slightly defeated demeanor I asked how difficult it would be to whip some mutton into her Diwali peratal frenzy.
Dad was much pleased; you see he absolutely loves mutton. Boy was he impressed at the level of freshness and how it was stored throughout the day. Back in Kuala Lumpur, he does most of the marketing and he compared how meat is simply left to hang out in the open, hot and humid with no refrigeration whatsoever. She got the butcher to cut up a nice chunk of boneless meat and had him throw in some marrow as well. Mum sought out a few more ingredients to go into the pot for the next day. When I got back for lunch from work on Tuesday, the house smelled of wonderful aromatic spices and meat. Before long I was ravishing her mutton peratal, complete with the bone marrow that I love so much.

Pick Yin’s murungai-kaai discovery…
It is only on rare occasions our fridge would be stuffed to its brim with home cooked goodness for leftovers. Normally this happens when we either conjured up a feast for visiting friends or have been called on by our parents. While the descent of my mother (Mum) months ago during the Lunar New Year left us half a salted chicken and prawns that rocked so much they almost burst out of their shells, Vijay's folks recent foray southwards to our nest here in Singapore meant there would be a couple of hours set aside to produce our all time favorites. Isn't it only natural for mothers to leave their far flung brood with food as a token of their affection?


Not very well versed with the various terms of Tamil curries, when Vijay called me at work to announce that his mother (Mom) had gone to Tekka Market, got us some top notch mutton and was wondering how I'd like them done, I confused him with mutton varuval. "You know, the one she cooks every Diwali?" Later I was informed that it was really mutton peratal I wanted. Varuval is more of a dry fry with spices and no signs of any gravy. Mom is famous for her mutton peratal. On Diwali day, if her home was open to guests, they would come for her mutton. Some close friends would invite themselves into her kitchen without much shyness to fill their plates straight from her kenduri sized pot as they couldn't wait for the serving bowls to be refilled. Others would bring along their Tupperware for take away back to their loved ones who couldn't make it to the big feast.

I never ate much mutton till I had Mom's peratal. In general, when eating out I'd avoid mutton, as most places can't get it right, or worse still, would give me meat that smelled. Most people are adverse to mutton for this reason. They can all come to Mom's house anytime. Her peratal converted a few friends and my Mum, all of who had previously sworn never to get anywhere near the meat of a grown goat. They would clean their plates spotless, wiping off the last bits of spicy gravy with some biryani rice or dosai, then sheepishly, go for seconds. While I wax lyrical on this amazing dish, I've never once made it myself for Vijay. Every Diwali since we're together, I'd help Mom make it, taking pleasure in stirring the humongous pot of goat pieces and simmering spices. Aside from those festive moments, he got his mutton peratal from Mom. Favorites from mothers are best left not to be compared with, in my opinion.

Mom's original recipe didn't include the drumstick pods (murungai-kaai in Tamil, kacang kelor/kelo/kalor in Malay), an extremely nutritious fruit I only learned about after Mom's initial visit to Tekka last year. It's more commonly found at Indian markets, along with other vegetables used mostly in Indian cooking, some imported directly from India. Mom had also previously cooked us the leafy part of the drumstick plant, murungai-keerai, which required some serious leaf picking hours in front of the tele. If you're experimenting with this for the first time, be warned that although they do look a little like very long ladies fingers, the stringy exterior cover of the pods are to be discarded while eating. Only the soft meat of the fruit is to be consumed. The murungai-kaai made its way into her mutton peratal when she first cooked for us in our HDB shoebox kitchen. Ever since then, it's now a permanent fixture in her signature goat curry.
People say food is about bringing back memories. It may sound very clichéd but it’s true. This curry would never fail to transport me back to Mom’s loving kitchen, her gallon sized pots, Dad’s endless chatter as he drove her up the wall and the imminent fiesta which would ensue.
Mutton Peratal (Dry Mutton Curry)
Recipe from Vijay's Mum, Mageswary
Serves 8 to 10
Note: For best results, get your butcher to chop the mutton fillet into bite size pieces, cutting along the grain, to avoid any chewy disasters. If you're up for it, get friendly with your butcher and you might end up with some marrow cuts to be added into your curry. The extra gelatin will thicken the gravy with much more body; add flavor and the marrow fans in your family can hold a marrow sucking/digging party. The amount of chilies in this recipe whips up a pretty mean curry; adjust accordingly for a milder version. Normally leftovers can keep up to a week in the fridge but with the addition of the drumsticks, the storage life of this curry would be reduced to no more than 3 days.
- 1 1/2 kilograms mutton fillet pieces
- 9 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 inches ginger, peeled and chopped roughly
- 2 sticks lemongrass, chopped
- 3 inches fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped roughly
- 150 grams dried chilies, seeds removed and soaked in warm water till soft
- 50 grams candlenuts, ground finely
- 30 grams fresh cashews, ground finely
- 30 grams fresh almonds, ground finely
- 5 large red onions, sliced thinly
- 2 sprigs curry leaves, leaves picked and soaked in water to clean
- 3 sprigs coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 cinnamon quills
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 3 star anises
- 6 cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 300 milliliters fresh plain yogurt
- 4 tomatoes, chopped
- 3 large potatoes, cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large carrots, cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 3 stalks drumsticks, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 5-6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1-2 cups warm water
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
Wash the mutton pieces and drain well. With a food processor or mortar and pestle, blend together ginger, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric and dried chilies into a thick chili paste.
Heat up oil in a large heavy pot or wok. Add in cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, star anises and cloves. Over medium high heat, toss till fragrant, then add in the curry leaves. Add in onion and fry till lightly brown and aromatic. Add in the mutton. Increase heat to high and toss to cook continuously, about 10 minutes or till meat is slightly browned. Reduce heat to medium; then add in chili paste, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Cook till reduced and chili paste has released its oil, about 15 minutes. Stir well in between, scrapping off the bottom of the pot/wok.
Add in the candlenuts and mix well. Pour over warm water just enough to cover the mutton. Cover and braise over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove cover. Check that the meat has tenderized slightly but not completely done. Add in cashews and almonds, mixing well to coat the meat. Increase heat to high; then add in potatoes, drumsticks and carrots. Toss for a few minutes till vegetables have slightly softened, then add in yogurt and tomatoes. Stir well and continue cooking till all the vegetables are done, mutton is tender and gravy thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Check seasoning and add in the chopped coriander, leaving some for garnishing. Dish out into a large serving bowl, top with more fresh coriander. Serve warm with biryani rice, dosai or flat breads.
Continue reading Mutton Peratal (Dry Mutton Curry)
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