VINDALOO, BALLICHAO, JHINGA MASALA, KONKANI FISH CURRY, KHARI BISCUIT, AND SALI MARGI; THINK OF IRANI CAFÉS IN THE FORT

Sunday lunch should be fun and filling. I work on Sunday, so that's quite out of the question. My Sundays are on Wednesday. Which was yesterday, but I did not have any of the lovely food described below.
Years ago I often did stuff like this.
I'm older and lazier now.


[Note: the snarky Parsee grandma I mentioned elsewhere on this blogsite will know where and when these recipes are from. So will the bookseller.]



VINDALOO

Ingredients:
Two pounds pork, large cubes.
One onion, chopped.
Quarter cup of cilantro.

Marinade:
Quarter cup vinegar, tablespoon sugar, tablespoon ground pepper, plus one or two green cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaves, green chilies.

Masala:
Tablespoon chili paste.
Tablespoon ground coriander.
One teaspoon cinnamon powder.
Half teaspoon ground cumin.
Ginger and garlic.
Quarter cup vinegar.
Quarter cup strong tamarind water.

Mix the ingredients of masala smooth in a blender. Marinate meat for several hours in marinade.
Brown onions, add the masala, cook till the oil separates. Add meat and marinade, heat to boil, add two or three cups of water, turn flame low. Simmer for a few hours. Add the cilantro, remove from heat.

Serve with plain white rice.
And sourdough bread.


SHRIMP BALLICHAO

Ingredients:
Two pounds shrimp, shelled and veined.
One cup minced onion.
Half cup chopped tomato.

Masala:
Three tablespoons chili paste.
One tablespoon golden sugar.
One teaspoon garam masala.
Half a teaspoon ground black pepper.
Quarter teaspoon each ground cumin, turmeric, salt, cayenne.
Half a cup of vinegar, half a cup of tamarind water.

Put everything except shrimp, onion, and tomato in a blender. Fry the prawns a scant two minutes, remove and drain. Brown onions, add spices, then add the tomatoes. Cook till blended well and thick. Add the prawns and fry till done.

Sourdough bread.


JHINGA MASALA

Ingredients:
Two pounds large fresh prawns.
Half cup oil, half cup finely chopped onions.

Masala:
Three tablespoons chili paste.
Half tablespoon turmeric.
Half teaspoon each: paprika, cinnamon powder.
Quarter teaspoon clove powder.
Plenty chopped ginger, a little garlic.
Four tablespoons vinegar.
Four tablespoons tamarind water.

Put spices, vinegar, and tamarind water in the blender, add water if necessary.
Fry onions golden, add the masala, cook till the oil separates.
Add prawns, cook till done.

Plain white rice and sourdough bread.


KONKANI FISH CURRY 

Ingredients:
Two pounds firm fish, big chunks.
Half cup each: Oil, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes.
One and a half cup coconut milk (more or less one can).
Half dozen green peppers, slit and seeded.

Masala:
Three tablespoons chilipaste.
One tablespoon ground coriander.
One teaspoon each: ground cumin, turmeric, sweet chili powder.
Minced ginger, minced garlic.
Half cup of tamarind water.

Put the chili paste, spices, ginger, garlic, and tamarind water in the blender.
Brown the onions. Add tomatoes and masala, fry fiercely for two minutes. Add half the coconut milk and cook till oil separates. Put in the fish, green chilies, and some water. Cook for five minutes. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.

Rice. Bread.


KHARI BISCUIT

Ingredients:
One cup rice flour.
One cup unbleached flour.
One cup atta flour.
Half cup ghee.
Teaspoon salt.

[Oh heck, simply use frozen puff pastry, that's what everyone does.]

Mix the flours with cold water, ghee, salt, and spices (cayenne, ground cumin). Chill for an hour. Then roll out and cut rectangles. Fold over four times. Chill again. Either fry, or bake at four hundred Fahrenheit ten-fifteen minutes, then 325 to 350 for about twenty minutes till gold and crisp.

Brushing the top with butter is optional, but if you sprinkled cumin seeds on the dough, it is essential.

Have these with masala chai.


SALI MARGI

Ingredients:
One chicken, cut into eight pieces.
Two onions, finely sliced.
Two large potatoes, peeled, shredded.

Masala:
Mashed garlic and ginger, one tablespoon each.
One tablespoon ground coriander seed.
One teaspoon ground cumin seed.
One teaspoon cayenne.
One teaspoon salt.
One piece of cinnamon.
Pinch sugar.

Rub the chicken with the garlic and ginger plus the ground coriander, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Cover and put it in the refrigerator for several hours.

In a pan fry the onion golden. Add the chicken pieces and cinnamon, and brown all over. Add a splash of water, add the pinch of sugar, cover and keep on low heat for an hour. Put the chicken pieces and gravy on a large serving platter.

Fry the potatoes and strew over and alongside as a garnish.



AFTERWORD

I have never been to Bombay. But years ago I delightedly discovered food columnist Busybee, who wrote for several newspapers. His essays were little gems filled with happy gustational tidbits. Which nicely augmented my reading about Indian food, and experimentation over the hot stove. Among the things he mentioned where Irani Cafés, usually corner locations, with rickety chairs, and ceiling fans, marble topped tables, and very strong chai. As well as toasty melted butter buns, and an idiosyncratic food selection. Places where you could spend long hours with a refreshment, writing the next great American novel. Kind of like Italian coffeeshops in North Beach before all the uniquely artistic spiritual people descended.

Parsees, like the snarky grandma and Busybee, tend to be ecclectic eaters. Sadly there is no Parsee restaurant in the Bay Area, and those places which claim to offer such fare are usually run by unscrupulous salesmen types. Mediocre dal-gosht is NOT dhansak.

Busybee liked to drink rum and gin. Snarky Grandma sometimes has a bit of Scotch. I myself am fond of Scotch, but have not touched any since the beginning of this year, because it combines badly with medication; on the other hand, like Busybee I still smoke. But a pipe, not chain ciggies.

And I too like a nice greasy biriani.




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