Aattu Ratham Poriyal (Mutton Blood Fry)

Ok, this goes out for all the hardcore non-vegetarians only. Pretty sure most of the readers might squirm at the name of it that could very well go into the list of Andrew Zimmermans Bizarre Foods. Dish is a specialty mostly on the rural front but damn it tastes good if its cooked well. 

 

Ingredients

Aattu Ratham (mutton blood) 250 grams

Onions 5 nos (chopped)

Tomato 2 nos (chopped)

Garlic 2 cloves (chopped)

Green Chilly 6 nos (chopped)

Ginger Paste 1 tsp

Garlic Paste 1.5 tsp

Chilli Powder 1 tsp

Pepper Powder 1.5 tsp

Coriander Powder 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala 1 tsp

Bay leaf 1 piece

Cloves 4-5 nos

Star Anise 1 nos

Water 1 cup

Curry leaves handful

Coriander 1/2 cup chopped

Oil 2-3 tbsp

Salt for taste

Preparing the Ratham (Blood)

When you buy its usually coagulated and resembles like a large sized marble cake. Its VERY IMPORTANT to clean it thoroughly. First, place the blood in boiling water with a tsp of turmeric for about 5-8 minutes, drain the water away. Again place the blood in boiling water for about 15 mins with turmeric, turn off and drain the water. You will find the texture is similar to that of boiled liver pieces. Now cut into slices and check for hair, remove and then chop them into small cubes.

Making the Poriyal

Heat oil in a pan, add garam masala followed by bay leaf, cloves, star anise and curry leaves. Temper them then add chopped onions, as it turns translucent add tomatoes, green chillies and garlic. Cook for about a minute then add the blood pieces; now add ginger garlic paste and other powders in the ingredients list followed by coriander leaves. Pour water, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes under medium flame. Remove cover add more oil and keep mixing well so that it doesnt get burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan.  It tastes well as a dry dish not like a mutton sukka but like a mutton fry.  Check the consistency it would taste similar to that of  liver fry. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with Idly, Dosa or as side for rice, sambar and any other curry. This dish has to be spicy else the taste is lost.

Mutton Blood Fry

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Mutton Kebab

Ingredients

Mutton Mince 250 grms

Onions 2 nos

Green Chillies 3 nos

Ginger 3-4 cloves

Ginger 1 piece (about an inch)

Coriander 1 cup

Pudhina 1 cup

Egg 1 no

Garam Masala 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder 1.5 - 2 tsp ( warning 2 tsp is super hot)

Gram flour 2-3 tbsp

Bread crumbs 2-4 (as required)

Oil for pan frying

Salt

Preparation

Blend onions, green chillies , ginger, garlic, coriander, pudhina together. Now add the meat mince blend, add egg and blend further. Now transfer this onto a clean bowl, add garam masla, red chilli powder and mix well. Add gram flour and 2 tbsp of bread crumbs, mix well so that it removes any excess liquid.. Add more bread crumbs if required.Mixture will start to stick on  your hands, now just ball it up and place the bowl in the refrigerator for atleast an hour so that all the ingredient flavors are infused and the mixture is set.

Cooking the Kebabs

Remove from fridge and oil your hands, now make pattiesin any shape and place them on a hot pan preferrably cast iron. Pour oil around and cover them so that it steams  and cooks faster make sure you don't burn one side, after about 1-2 mins remove the cover and flip the kebabs and cook for another minute or two. Don't cover once you flip the kebabs this is done to retain the crispiness. Add oil if you want it to be even more crispier. Serve it with mint youghurt dip or mayo-bbq sauce and red chilli powder dip.

Another way to cook is, heat water in a deep dish and when it starts to boil, make balls of the refrigerated mixture. Once cooked they will rise up. Now place them on the pan and press down with a skillet and fry like above. One advantage here is that you could remove the patties when they just turn golden. Check the three patties on top in the picture.You can tell a marked difference in taste between the kebabs cooked in the two methods, the one that was directly fried is spicier whereas the ones put in boiling water and fried are milder. However both taste pretty damn good.

Mutton Kebabs

Biryani - Plain/Chicken/Mutton/Prawn/Vegetables

Biryani is considered  a very complicated dish, however it actually is one of the simplest dishes to make according to me. Mom dishes out lip smacking biryanis, there are a number of ways to make biryani and this is one version of it that i make too.


Ingredients

Onion 2 medium sliced
Tomatoes 2 nos diced
Garlic Paste 1 tsp
Ginger Paste 1tsp
Green Chillies 3 nos
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp (depending on hotness level)
Coriander Powder 1/4 tsp ( can be avoided too)
Pudhina (mint)  chopped 1/4 cup

Oil 1/4 cup
Curd 2 tsp
Lemon 1/2
Raw Rice 1.5 cups (basmati preferred)

Water 3 cups
(Rice to water ration for raw rice 1:2 for basmati 1:1.5)
Star anise 1 nos
Cinnamon stick 1 nos
Dried Bayleaf 1/2 piece
Cloves 2-3 nos
Salt to taste

Making the Biryani
Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for atleast  20 mins. Ideally soak the rice first and start your prep.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add star anise, cinnamon, bayleaf, cloves and fry till the start release their fragrance, add the garam masal and saute. Now add whole green chillies, choped mint and fry till chillies change color, now add the sliced onions and cook until translucent. Add ginger and garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes away. Now add the tomatoes and cook further for 3-4 mins till the tomato starts to mush a bit. Now add the chilli powder and coriander powder, and mix well.  When the oil starts to separate add curd and mix well and cook for about a minute. Now, add rice after draining it thorougly, mix well and cook for atleast 1-2 mins then add  3 cups of water,  add salt. Mix well and put the lid on, when the steam starts to come out as a proper stream put the pressure weight on. Wait for 2 whistles, now turn the heat off, let the steam out, open carefully and mix well. Put the lid back on with the weight, now place the cooker over the stove with a tawa or griddle, this is done so that the rice doesn't get burnt and stuck to the bottom of the cooker. As they say in tamil, Adi pudikama irukka . Let it sit for 10-15 mins, check again now the rices will be separate and not stuck together. Squeeze half lemon juice and mix well, let it cool a bit for the tastes to blend.  Serve with soft boiled gooey egg and raitha.

For Chicken or Mutton Biryani
Marinate Chicken/Biryani with  chillipowder, Garam masala, curd, salt, 1/2 tsp of ginger and garlic paste. Let it rest for 30 mins, in the above preparation add the marinated mutton/chicken befored adidng the curd. Fry well till the oil starts to separate.

For Prawn Biryani:
Add the prawns before adding the curd

Vegetable Biryani

Add vegetables after adding the tomatoes.

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Spicy Mutton Gravy

I love mutton more than chicken, purely because in my opinion Mutton can infuse a definitive flavor and soak up the marinade so well. On a rainy cold day, something spice always lifts your spirits, this sure did for me and hence the blog post immediately after having it

Ingredients for Marinade

Mutton 250 grams

Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp

Garlic Paste 1 tsp

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder 11/2 tsp

Curry chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp

Curd 1/2 cup
Rock salt

Ingredients for Gravy Paste

Onions 2 nos

Tomatoes 2 nos

Green Chillies 6-7 nos
Coriander 1 small cup
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp

Oil 1/2 tbsp

Ingredients

Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp

Garlic Paste 1 tsp

Curd 1/2 cup

Water  1 cup

Oil 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Stick 1 small piece
Bayleaf 1 small leaf
Cloves 2-3
Star Anise 1
Saunf 1/2 tsp
Jeera 1/2 tsp
Coriander for garnish

Salt to taste

Making the Marinade

Mix all the ingredients and massage it well over the mutton and place it in the fridge for  minimum of 30 mins.

Making  the Gravy Paste
Heat oil in a deep pan add garam masala followed by diced onions, chillies, chopped coriander and diced tomatoes and cook them for 2-3 mins or until they are just cooked. Turn the heat off, transfer them to mixer and grind them to a smooth paste.  Ensure that you let the mixture cook before you grind them.

In the same pan, heat oil add saunf, jeera, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick and bayleaf and fry till their aromas are released. Add ginger and garlic paste, saute for few mins and then add the marinating mutton. Fry until the pieces start to brown a bit, now add the gravy paste and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover and simmer down for 5-10 mins. By this time, oil would have separated, now add half cup of well beaten curd into it and mix well. Check the texture of the mutton and also taste for salt. Now cover and cook further for another 10-15 min. Turn the heat off and garnish with chopped coriander, serve it hot with rice, chappathi, idly, dosa.

Mutton Gravy

I also broke two eggs at the end just before turning the heat off, and letting it cook in the heat. Don't stir after dropping the eggs.

Mutton Burger Grilled/Steamed

Ingredients
Mutton steak 200 gms
Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp
Garlic Paste 1/2 tsp
Curd 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice 1/2 tsp
Egg 1 nos
Breadcrumbs 1 tbsp
Onions  1 no chopped
Rock Salt  for taste

Preparation
Ensure that the mutton slab is devoid of any fat tissues, remove them. Score the mutton with a sharp knife and rub rock salt thoroughly. Mix chilli, coriander powder, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, curd and lemon juice and massage it onto the mutton piece. Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Cut the mutton into pieces and place it in a food processor along with onion and grind them.
Into this add egg and mix well, then add breadcrumbs. Make patties out of it and place it in the freezer.

Grilled Patty
Remove the patties from the freezer after an hour or two, heat a griddle and place the patty on it and cook by turning it over every one minute.

Steamed Patty
In a steamer, steam the frozen patty for about 15-20 min till its cooked thoroughly.

Ingredients for Burger
Burger Buns 2 nos (4 slices of bread)
Sliced Onion rings 7-8 nos
Tomato Slices 4 nos

Tomato ketchup 1 tsp
Mayonnaise 2 tsp
English Mustard 1 tsp
Cheese Slices 2 nos


Preparing the Burger
Toast the burger buns or the bread,  spread mayonnaise on the crown of the bun (bread slice), add tomato ketchup and mustard on top of the mayonaisse. Place two tomato slices on top of the sauces. Now place the grilled patty on the other half of the bun/or the other slice of bread, place a slice of cheese  and microwave for 10 secs. Add onion rings on top of it, one could also place the onion rings over the griddle on which the patty was cooked to soften it. Now place the crown on top of the base and serve it with some fries. Prepare the other burger with steamed patty and enjoy.

Pan Fried Mutton Steak

I have always wanted to try cooking a mutton steak on a pan, and the experiment did end in a juicy medallion of mutton.

Ingredients
Mutton steak 200 gms
Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp
Garlic Paste 1/2 tsp
Curd 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice 1/2 tsp
Garlic Cloves 2 Chopped finely
Olive oil 1 tsp
Rock Salt  for taste

Preparing the Steak
Ensure that the mutton slab is devoid of any fat tissues, remove them. Score the mutton with a sharp knife and rub rock salt throtoughly. Mix chilli, coriander powder, garam masla, ginger-garlic paste, curd and lemon juice and massage it onto the mutton piece.  Let it sit in the refrigerator for a good 30 minutes atleast.
In a thick bottomed pan heat the oil and spread it well, add the finely chopped garlic saute to infuse the garlic flavor, then add the  mutton steak. Keep turning it every minute to avoid burning the meat. I prefer the meat to be medium done, so check by poking the meat so that its giving in just a bit. Take the steak off the pan and rest it, so that the juices are all soaked in.
Deglaze the pan with water  add a bit of flour and make a sauce out of it. Cook further to reduce the sauce and add it on top of the steak.
Serve it with boiled vegetables