MUTTON WITH RAW PAPAYA & POTATO

Just back from Turkey, I  know how heavenly a lamb curry may taste which has been simmered for long in just few aromatic spices! Lamb Shorba and Mutton Kambing can be on my family menu list on a regular basis.... just need to hunt my fellow-bloggers' spaces! Towards home, we do cook a light mutton curry with raw papaya & potatoes. May I tell you, given the mutton variety in this island, I find it difficult to cook light textured, less spicy mutton curries. Because it is a very Bengali recipe and we enjoy it; it has to go to the blog! If you are from India or to be precise from Kolkata / Rajasthan / Bihar, you have grown up on a different breed of mutton which hardly has an equal.... soft, melt in the mouth pieces. Whenever I go ahead for a light meat curry as this MUTTON WITH RAW PAPAYA & POTATO or a mutton stew, I do use a pressure cooker at the last step! It gives a light soupy character to the curry I feel. If you do not have a Cristine, do the entire cooking from start in the cooker and in the last step close the lid and cook up to one whistle! I am really lucky to have a Cristine like help with us... whenever we have guests... she dedicates her entire being to work double.... her ma'am shouts at her often because the later is not so happy with her way of dusting and cleaning! Yet, she serves the best portions of food to my son and husband even in my absence, gets cigar packets for sir around 10:30 pm at the night time, does not refuse when ma'am forces her to eat "chanar payesh".... hihi! Why is she so nice to us?.... because she knows her sir gives ma'am tightly left and right if the later shouts on her.... she understands what sir says in Bengali... "meyeta sharadin kaaj korchey aar tumi chyachaccho"..... Cristine knows that ma'am cries after that "amar theke Cristiner proti tomar beshi doya"..... Cristine also observes that even after that ma'am goes out with her and shares food with her, gets a taxi on way back so that she does not have to carry a heavier stroller back home! Why I do this?.... I saw one old man supporting every other person as against our mother in public.... hihi.... You should not be like that old man or the senior of the two rebels at this home and be at the side of your girls by all means! Even if your woman is not like me cooking this yummy mutton curry MUTTON WITH RAW PAPAYA & POTATO for her notorious men, you should still be nice to them....!

We had some guests at our home yesterday, if your guests make you feel being very much appreciated you will never feel tired! In fact, I never get tired cooking.... why should I? I am passionate about it, I have a help like Cristine, I do not go out for work! I know I can earn from it.... if only the senior gave me a nod.... if only the government of this island was little less of strict! What if they come to know that I had picked up a "chapa phooler dal" from the roadside yesterday? Lets see if it survives. I am sad that I cannot grow veggies as a white, salt like fungus kills them.... so I am leaning more on flowering or non flowering "patabahar". So, whoever grows veggies and fruits or use their culinary skills to earn makes me happy.... money is honey.... it flies.... you need proper hands to catch it! The lazy lady giving big talks spends her time having iced milo too post her walks. You see, people here protect their fruits and veggies just the way our grandfather used to.... or farmers in India do! That makes me feel very much at home.... 

I only feel jealous of their slim and trim body.... after an entire day of chicken rice, seafood rice, saucy meat dishes, crispy fried fish.... they are as light weight as a bird's feather.... they know how to carry a dress of any length with grace.... imitating is not a wise habit.... specially when one have wrong intents inside! Your soul is reflected on what you do in public.... I am nearing half century.... I select people to be around strictly! Lets stop the regular "gyan mantra" here today.... we are looking forward to a nice meet this evening! Once I share this recipe of a less spicy mutton curry with raw papaya and potato MUTTON WITH RAW PAPAYA & POTATO, what will I do? Nothing! I have rice to few left over food everything.... I will not cook till Tuesday!

I am trying to update all the photos that I feel horrible from my earlier blogposts but within my limited ability! This may take a year or so! The men at this home are not interested in my blog! The senior still helps if I am in trouble like hitting a wrong button and is about to delete an entire post, Oh! God! This man all of a sudden asked me on how many posts do I have till now, that I can think about e-books! The laid back me as usual say ... "dur char to.... eshob parina ami"..... but I was happy that he enquired and proposed.... 'patha to khetei hobey shobai miley'.... By the way the pictures of my "dhokar dalna" post .... that is lentil cakes in gravy gets updated.... click the below heading / link for an yum vegetarian option! My friend Dr. Nishi Pulugurtha is travelling Scotland now attending a conference.... She is a vegetarian, by birth an Andhraite, rest every bit of her is Bengali, I am enjoying the very good photographer's shares... even her co-associates' traditional dresses along with her's.... I believe it is difficult for her to survive on pastries and sandwiches alone... if she ventures out for rice, dosa, idly when does she read her paper?

DHOKAR DALNA / GRAVIED LENTIL CAKE

Very recently I learnt that too big URLs are not good, there may be some like me who are not keen on an alternative.... so the best way is to select a name majority understands! Whats in a name!

INGREDIENTS :

Mutton or Lamb : 500gm medium cut [lamb will take less time to cook]
Raw Papaya : 1/2 of a small sized
Potato : 1 big sized
Onion : 1big [peeled, washed, sliced]
Ginger Paste : 11/2tbsp
Minced Garlic Paste : 11/2tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Black Pepper Powder : 1tsp
Green Chilli : 3-4 slitted
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Cinnamon Stick : 2-3 two inch length
Bay Leaf : 1
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp + 1/2tsp
Lemon Juice : 5-6tbsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 5tbsp

PROCEDURE :

Wash the meat pieces thoroughly under running water getting rid of any amount of skin and traces of hair.

Marinate the mutton pieces with salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice.

Refrigerate for 4-5 hours... we are using pressure cooker at the final stage!

Take out 1 hour before cooking.

Heat oil in a wok, temper with a bay leaf, green cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves. Add the minced garlic.

Fry until light brown and fragrant. Add the sliced onion now. 

Fry until golden brown and add the mutton pieces without the marinade. Fold in well and stir the entire thing at high heat for 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to minimum and cover cook for 15 minutes or so.

Open cover and add the ginger paste, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, salt and rest of the turmeric powder.

You can add the red chilli powder and black pepper powder at the time of marination too!

While its cover cooking at minimal heat, we will peel and cut the vegetables, wash them and rub some salt and turmeric. We cannot keep marinated potatoes for long, they turn black.

After another 10 minutes, open cover and add the raw papaya and potato pieces. Give a stir.

Let it cook for about 5 minutes, covered!

Now transfer the entire amount to a pressure cooker.

Add 1 coffee mug of water and the slitted green chillies, close the lid.

Cook at low heat unto 1 whistle. Switch off gas and wait to open normally.

We are done.

We enjoy it with steamed rice and ruti / chapati! Get some salad with it!