Thali Menu #149 – Chettinad Thali
About Chettinad Cuisine
Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of a community called the Nattukotai Chettiars, or Nagarathars as they call themselves, from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India.
Chettinad cuisine is perhaps the most renowned fare in the Tamil Nadu repertoire. It uses a variety of spices and the dishes are made with fresh ground masalas. Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice-based accompaniments.
This weekend, relish the exotic flavours of authentic Chettinad cuisine.
Recipe of the week
Rogan Josh
Rogan Josh is a universally loved and recognised Indian dish. This iconic dish made of tender goat meat has a Persian origin. It is a signature dish of the Kashmiri cuisine and derives its name from the Persian words: Rogan, which means "oil" and Josh means "intense heat".
- 1 kg Goat or Lamb curry pieces
- 1/2 cup Mustard Oil
- 1 tbs Ghee
- 1/2 cup Yogurt
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 6-8 pieces Cloves
- 2 nos Bay leaves
- 2 tbs Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 tbs Fennel powder
- 1 tsp Dried ginger powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 4 nos Green cardamom
- 2 inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 nos Black cardamom
- 1 tbs Ghee
Wash the meat well, and keep it aside till extra water drains off.
Put the mustard oil in a big, deep pot and heat it on full flame till the oil reaches smoking point. Remove it from the flame for 2-3 minutes.
Mix the meat with yogurt, and put it in the pan on a full flame for frying.
Stir it time to time so that it does not stick to the pot, till the moisture from the yogurt evaporates.
- Now add asafoetida, salt, cumin, cloves and continue frying on low flame till it turns brown.
- Add Kashmiri red chilli powder and stir till deep red colour along with oil appears. Care should be taken so that the chilli powder does not burn. ( you can avoid this by adding little quantity of water from time to time as necessary.)
- Add two glasses of water and add bay leaves, fennel powder, dry ginger powder, cinnamon pieces, crushed black cardamom and stir it again so as to mix the ingredients properly.
- Cover it with a lid and allow it to cook till tender, on low flame.
Put garam masala, crushed green cardamom, and ghee and let it boil for two minutes.
- Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.