Flavours of the World Cup (P.2)
We are bringing you five recipes from five of the subcontinental participants, where cricket and food are almost held on the same pedestal
This week we bring you the second edition of "Flavours of the World Cup". In this issue, we are solely focusing on the sub-continental participants of the cricket World Cup. With the World Cup heating up, we thought it'd be nice to bring a bit of a fire to your kitchen and what's better than to bring some subcontinental heat?
We are bringing you five recipes from five of the subcontinental participants, where cricket and food are almost held on the same pedestal. We bring you "Kabuli Pulao" from Afghanistan, "Ilish Polao" from Bangladesh, "Palak Paneer" from India, "Chapli Kebab" from Pakistan, and "Kolamba's Polos" from Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan - Kabuli Polao
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Afghanistan is home to some great dishes. The ample mountain ranges produce some really good quality red meat. Lamb being an Afghan special, we decided to pick Kabuli Polao as the Afghan representation.
Ingredients:
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs black cardamom
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 Tbs clove
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1.5 lb lamb
350 grams carrots
250 grams of raisins
1/4 C sesame oil
2 sliced onions
4 chopped garlic cloves
Salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 cups rice
How to cook:
Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pressure cooker, add the chopped onions and sauté until they become translucent. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. Add the mutton meat and sauté on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Season with salt, cumin, and pepper. Add water, then close the pressure cooker and cook until the meat is tender (around 20-25 minutes depending on your pressure cooker).
In a separate pot, boil water with two heaped tsp of salt. Cook the soaked basmati rice in this water for about 6-7 minutes until it is 90% cooked. Add a few drops of lemon juice to maintain the white colour of the rice. Drain the rice and set it aside. In a small pan, sauté the shredded carrot for 5 minutes on medium heat. Do the same with the soaked raisins, then set them aside.
In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of sugar. Cook until the sugar caramelises and turns a brown colour. Turn off the heat, add 4 tbsp of water and set this caramel syrup aside. For the pulao masala, grind the black cardamom seeds, green cardamom, and cloves using a mortar and pestle. Add the roasted cumin powder and mix well. Layer half of the rice in a deep pot, and add the cooked meat and the remaining gravy (if the gravy is too liquid, reduce it by heating).
Add the remaining rice, followed by the caramelised sugar syrup, the pulao masala, sautéed carrots, raisins, and finally, 2 tbsp of butter. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes (this process is also known as 'dum'). After 20 minutes, stir everything well so the rice is fully incorporated and gains a brownish colour. Cover the pot again, and your Kabuli Pulao is ready to serve hot!
Bangladesh - Ilish Polao
Bangladesh is known for its fish recipes. It felt like a crime not letting "Ilish Polao" represent Bangladesh in this list. Here's the recipe
Ingredients:
5 pcs Hilsa fish
1 tsp each Ginger-garlic paste
1/3 cup Chopped onion
8-10 pcs Green chillies
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 cup Sour yoghurt
3 pcs Cinnamon
2 pcs Cardamom
1 pc Bay leaf
Salt (To taste)
1 tsp or to taste Sugar
1/2 cup Vegetable/Soybean oil
1 tbsp Ghee
Crispy fried onion
How to cook:
Wash and drain the hilsha pieces properly. Use a tissue paper to soak excess water.Now heat the oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and sliced green chillies. Fry for some time till it gets crispy. Then add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, beaten sour yoghurt, salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes till oil release. Then add fish and cook with the lid.
After 2 minutes carefully flip the fish over and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add some water and some fried onion. Cook fish for another 5 minutes. Then carefully take the fish out of the pan and let the spices remain. Keep the fish aside.
Add cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf, stir for a while and add pre-washed & drained rice. Keep stirring and fry in medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add 6 cups of water. Add salt and sugar. Cook on medium heat with the lid. When water is dried add and hide fish pieces into the rice. Spread 1 tbsp ghee and sprinkle some crispy fried onions on the top.
Now cover it with the lid and keep it for 5 minutes on a very low flame. After 5 minutes turn the flame off and leave it for another 5 minutes covered. Take the fish pieces out of the rice carefully and lift the rice up & down. Serve hilsa pilao rice warm with salad.
India - Palak Paneer
We all know India is a food-rich country. Different states have their specialities and ways of cooking. So, we've picked a dish that always goes under the radar yet can be eaten at any time of the day (well at least I can). A dish that's served my friends and me on my cold winter nights was a very easy pick for this list. Here is the recipe for palak paneer.
Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
2 cups fresh spinach
1 medium tomato
1-inch knob of ginger peeled and cut into pieces
5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 green chilli 1 large onion, medium diced
½ cup water
1 tsp garam masala
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup paneer cheese, cut into cubes ( to preference)
½ tbsp fenugreek leaves, crushed
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
How to cook:
Bring salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Blanch the spinach leaves for 2 minutes, until the leaves are bright green. Remove immediately and dunk in cold water; drain well.
Combine with tomato, ginger, whole cloves of garlic, and chilli in a food processor. Purée until a fine, wet paste forms. Melt ghee in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic, and sauté until beginning to brown, and then add the onions.
Season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent. Add the spinach mixture and water to the pan. Stir to combine, and season to taste. Lower stovetop to medium heat and cover, stirring occasionally, for about 6-8 minutes, or until thickened to preference. If it becomes too thick, adjust with more water.
When you've achieved the desired consistency, add garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, and coriander, and stir to combine. Season to taste. Lower the heat and add heavy cream and paneer. Simmer for a few minutes, until the paneer is warmed through. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice, and fenugreek leaves, and stir to combine. Season with salt if desired. Serve hot with basmati rice or naan bread.
Pakistan - Chapli Kebab
If there is one item of food that sets Pakistan apart from the rest of the subcontinent is the Chapli Kebab. Mixed with a blend of spices, ground beef is flattened into patties and shallow-fried until the exterior is charred and flavourful. Served in a bun with pickled red onions or with a side of pita bread. Here's the recipe
Ingredients:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound ground beef
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
¼ cup finely chopped mint
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tomatoes, sliced into rounds
¼ cup vegetable oil for frying (more if needed)
How to Cook:
Coat a small skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the beaten egg in the hot skillet until scrambled and set, 3 to 5 minutes.
Combine scrambled egg, beef, onion, chopped tomato, cilantro, mint, ginger-garlic paste, coriander seeds, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl; mix by hand until well combined. Shape mixture into patties. Press a tomato slice into the centre of each patty.
Heat oil in a deep skillet to 190* C. Cook patties in hot oil in batches until charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
Sri-Lanka - Kolamba's polos
Jackfruit burgers seem to be the "talk of the town" in Dhaka. There is a lot of noise regarding the fruit and its usage on socials, yet I get this eerie feeling that a lot of people don't know how versatile the fruit is. Kolamba's polos is a prime example of it. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1, finely chopped onion
2 cloves, finely chopped garlic
1, finely chopped green chilli
1 tsp mild curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp mild chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 stick cinnamon
1 medium, chopped tomato
6-8 curry leaves
screw-pine leaves, (optional)
500g green jackfruit
240ml coconut milk
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp sugar
3⁄4 tbsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp ready-made crispy fried onions
How to cook:
Heat the rapeseed oil over medium heat and fry the mustard and fenugreek seeds for 1 minute until popping. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, curry powder, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, cinnamon, tomato, curry leaves and pandan leaf, if using. Stir continuously for 3-5 minutes or until the tomato starts to break down.
Tip in the jackfruit, coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, salt and 120ml of water. Bring to a boil, put on a lid and gently simmer for 1 hour or until the jackfruit is very soft. Top the curry with the crispy onions and serve with rice
