On to something "traditional." Let's explore what's on the menu for dinner tonight:
In the Hyderabadi culture, we usually have 2 distinct dishes with our rice: "khatta saalan" (a sour curry) and "mittha saalan" (a sweet curry). Today I'm making one of each:
Khattey Alu (Sour Potato and Lamb Curry)
*drumroll*
Mitthey Squash (Sweet Squash Curry)
The drum-roll is because the squash is a newly added variant of the 'mittha saalan' that is not common among us Hyderabadis. My hopes are that it will soon become incorporated into the Hyderabadi diet.
Anywho, below you can find a list of the ingredients and step-by-step directions for each dish along with my oh-so-amazing culinary photography (I hope) ;-)! Enjoy!
The essentials for any Indian dish are:
1. Onion (red or white, we usually use red)
2. Meat (depending on dietary preferences/restrictions, this may be substituted with vegetarian or vegan options)
3. Main spices: ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, and red chilli/cayenne pepper
4. Cilantro and green chillies
In the Hyderabadi culture, we usually have 2 distinct dishes with our rice: "khatta saalan" (a sour curry) and "mittha saalan" (a sweet curry). Today I'm making one of each:
Khattey Alu (Sour Potato and Lamb Curry)
*drumroll*
Mitthey Squash (Sweet Squash Curry)
The drum-roll is because the squash is a newly added variant of the 'mittha saalan' that is not common among us Hyderabadis. My hopes are that it will soon become incorporated into the Hyderabadi diet.
Anywho, below you can find a list of the ingredients and step-by-step directions for each dish along with my oh-so-amazing culinary photography (I hope) ;-)! Enjoy!
The essentials for any Indian dish are:
1. Onion (red or white, we usually use red)
2. Meat (depending on dietary preferences/restrictions, this may be substituted with vegetarian or vegan options)
3. Main spices: ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, and red chilli/cayenne pepper
4. Cilantro and green chillies
Sweet Squash Curry
5-6 medium sized squash
1/2 red onion
1 tbs oil
1 tbs mustard seeds (rye)
1 tbs cumin seeds (zeera)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp of turmeric (haldi)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (laal mirchi)
2 tsp salt
A handful of cilantro
2 green chilies
1. Wash, peel, wash, and then cut the squash lengthwise into 4 long pieces. Then, cut into small to medium sized cubes.
2. Fry the onion on medium heat until transparent then add the mustard and cumin seeds and fry for another 30 seconds. Next, add the ginger garlic paste and fry for about a minute. Add the squash along with the rest of the spices and mix well until all spices are uniformly covering the squash. Add a little bit of water, cover, and let it cook for about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on how soft you would like the squash to be). Give it a stir now and then to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Once it is tender, reduce the heat to low and add the cilantro and green chilies. Let steam for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the stove and you are done!
Sour Potato and Lamb Curry:
4 large potatoes
1 large red onion
8 medium sized pieces of lamb with bone (excess fat removed)
1 small tomato
2 tbs oil
1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp of turmeric (haldi)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper (laal mirchi)
2 1/2 tsp. salt
5-6 tbs of lemon juice
3 cups of water
A handful of cilantro
2 green chilies
1. This is the basis of most of the Hyderabadi curries. In a large pot add the oil, onion, washed lamb pieces, and all of the spices. Mix well and cook on high heat for 2-5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for another 30-45 minutes or until the lamb is tender and thoroughly cooked.
This is a shortcut version, if I had the time I would make sure the onion is well cooked before adding anything and I would add each spice as a separate step. Due to lack of time, I usually add everything at once. Don't worry, it still turns out delicious!
This is a shortcut version, if I had the time I would make sure the onion is well cooked before adding anything and I would add each spice as a separate step. Due to lack of time, I usually add everything at once. Don't worry, it still turns out delicious!
While the lamb is cooking, wash, peel, and wash the potatoes. Cut them lengthwise into two halves and cut each half into 3-4 medium to large pieces. Then add the potatoes and a little bit of water (just enough to cook the potato). Mix and let cook for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring every couple of minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
3. Once the potatoes are tender, cut a small tomato into about 8-9 slices. Add the tomato slices and mix well. Let the tomatoes cook for 5-10 minutes or until they are soft. Make sure you add the tomatoes after the potato. I learned it the hard way but if you do the opposite, your potatoes will be hard rather than tender.
4. Once the tomatoes are soft enough and well-incorporated into the mix, add the lemon juice (I usually use the ReaLemon brand). You can also add tamarind paste which is the more Hyderabadi-appropriate choice but I chose not to add it this time because currently we only have the concentrated tamarind paste that is pitch black in color so the color of the dish changes drastically when I add it.
Anyways, after adding the lemon juice, add about 3 cups of water and let it boil on high heat for about 5-10 minutes or until the pungent smell of citrus is gone. Once the smell is mellowed down, reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and green chillies, and let it steam for about 1 minute. Done!
Anyways, after adding the lemon juice, add about 3 cups of water and let it boil on high heat for about 5-10 minutes or until the pungent smell of citrus is gone. Once the smell is mellowed down, reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and green chillies, and let it steam for about 1 minute. Done!
*Tip from my mother-in-law: Keep a plastic bag handy (preferably the ones you used to put your veggies in at the grocery store) so that all of your waste can be collected in one place. It's good for the environment and very convenient for you!
Finished products:
Left: Sweet Squash Curry/ Squash Mittha Saalan
Right: Sour Potato and Lamb Curry/ Khattey Aalu
Hope you enjoyed the post and let me know how the dishes turn out if you decide to make them!!