Earchi Achar / Meat Pickle

This is my favorite pickle. And the recipe is a family recipe passed from my mother to me. I love eating it with hot rice or paratha.  Always a saver when there is not nonveg at home.

 

Ingredients

Tender beef/mutton - 1 kg (cut in small pieces and washed)

Ginger – 1 tbsp. (cut lengthwise)

Garlic – 15  (cut lengthwise)

Mustard seed – 2tsp cup

Fenugreek seed – 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – 1tsp

Red chilli powder – ½ cup

Vinegar – approx 1 ½ cup

Salt as per taste

Curry leaves – about 20 leaves

Oil for frying -

Method

1.     Pressure Cook meat along with 2 tbsp of vinegar, 1tsp salt and ½ tsp turmeric powder for 1 whistle and 5 min.  remove the access water after it cools.

2.     Heat about 1 cup oil in and pan and fry the meat still it is crisp brown from outside. 
3.     Dry roast mustard seed and fenugreek seed.
4.     Coarsely grind the roasted mustard & fenugreek seed.
5.     Heat 2 tbsp. oil. To this add ginger & garlic and fry till is light brown. Add curry leaves and saute. 
6.     Remove the pan from the heat and add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt, ground mustard and fenugreek.  Mix well.
7.     Get the pan back to heat, add the fried meat pieces and mix well.
8.     Now add ½ to 1 cup of vinegar (according to the thickness of the gravy you want).
9.     Boil the mixture for 2 min.
10.    Remove from fire, cool and bottle it.

Eggy Muggy (Toddler Special)

I got this recipe from a colleague of mine when my little one was 15 months old and my elder son was 9 yrs.  There was no name for this recipe, so my sons christened it as Eggy Muggy. Both my kids like it even today when they 6 and 13 years old.   Whenever my elder son feels like eating something sweet they team up and make it together, so it’s that simple.

Ingredients

Egg - 1

Milk powder  - 4 tsp ( you can use children milk powder (lactogen) also)

Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp

Nutmeg power – 1 pinch ( optional while make for toddlers )

Or Vanilla essence – ½ tsp  ( don’t add it while make for  toddlers)

Method

1.     Beat milk powder and egg nicely till it becomes a thick paste and all the milk powder dissolves.

2.     Boil the milk with the sugar. 

3.     When the milk starts boiling, low the flame.

4.     Now start pouring the egg mixture slowing without steering ( spoon by spoon).

5.     If you adding nutmeg powder or vanillas essence, this is the time. 

6.     Let it cook for 2 mins (it takes a curdle form ).

7.     Stir it well and it is ready to eat. 

8.     It can be eaten warm or cold. 

Jaathikka Chammanthi / Nutmeg Fruit Chutney

Pleasantly aromatic, nutmeg is actually seed kernel of fruit-nutmeg.  We always use the nut and the mace of this fruit.  In my childhood my grandfather’s house had an old Jaathi (nutmeg tree) near the family well. I would tag along with him every morning  to collect the fallen nutmeg fruits. During these walks I have tasted the fruit but never liked it.  These are few of the summer vacation memories I have.

I never knew that we could make such taste chuttney out the nutmeg fruit. Thanks to my cousin's husband who mentioned it and i went hunting for the recipe.  So, this year’s visit to Kerala taught me this new recipe. It’s my Grandmothers special recipe. Thanks to her I have found one more traditional recipe.

So now try to find this fruit and make this chammanthi and ENJOY!

 Ingredients

Jaathikka fruit/Nutmeg fruit – 2

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Green chilli – 2 – 3 (according to your taste)

(Note : I prefer kandari chilli / birds eye chilli if it is readily available)

Shallots/ sambar onions – 5

Ginger – small piece

Garlic – 3 piece

Salt – according to your tast

Curry leave – 10 finely cut

  Method

1.     Break the Jaathikka into half and remove the red inner coat (mace) and the nut.

2.     Now roast the fruit directly on the gas flame/stove till the out layer burns and the inside cooks. ( authentically it done in a hearth/chulha)

3.     Peel of the burnt outer skin, clean  the remaining with a dry towel and cut it into small piece

4.     Grind all the ingredient except the curry leave into a smooth paste.

5.     Mix the finely cut curry leaves.

6.     It’s ready to serve.