GMT: Chicken Biryani

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Growing up I was not fond of Biryani, chicken or vegetarian. I don’t know why but the only rice based dish I liked was rajma chawal. Nothing else. So I avoided biryani and the likes. Of course later things changed but my true love for biryani started on one of my trips to Goa. My brother was posted there. He still is. I know, its awesome! Everyone should have a family member in Goa. It should be the norm.

About 6 years back, my parents and I went to visit my brother and his wife and they kept talking about the Biryani from a place called Anantashram.

They make handi biryani and the biryani is served in the clay pot/ handi that they make it in. One bite and I was in love. I don’t remember how many times I ate the biryani on that trip but I had countless dreams of it when I was back, and every biryani I ate was compared to the biryani from Anantashram. Sadly, over the years their quality has gone down. On a recent trip I tried it and it was a let down. My brother and sister in law resonated my feelings, and had also told us beforehand that it might not be the same as the first time we had it.

Besides the biryani disappointment our Goa trip was a huge gastronomical success. As you can see in this post. We all came back with our clothes a little tighter. And I came back in search of a new Biryani as my yardstick.

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Garam Masala Tuesdays: Mutton Curry

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Mutton Curry | The Novice Housewife

My parents’ cook made this amazing lamb curry the other day. Like lip smacking good. Even my sister-in-law who is technically a vegetarian but being married to a strictly non-vegetarian family sometimes eats the occasional chicken, fish and meat, loved it.

The mutton was perfectly cooked, the flavors spot on. So I asked my cook to teach me how to make the dish. He said its Mutton Rogan Josh but when I saw him prepare and read about the dish online I realized his recipe wasn’t traditional of rogan josh. But it was great to taste, so I had to share the recipe with you all.

Mutton Curry | The Novice Housewife

Traditional Rogan Josh does not use onions or garlic, nor does it use tomatoes, although there are various versions online and various restaurants across India that serve mutton made with the above mentioned ingredients and serve it as Mutton Rogan Josh. But since I do not want to face the wrath of Kashmiri Pandits who made famous this dish in India, I will just name today’s recipe Mutton Curry. A very delicious mutton curry.

If you are fond of lamb/mutton based recipes, you should also check out my mom’s Mutton Patiala recipe. My mom made it for V when she had come to US to visit us, and to date he still talks about how good it was.

And since we are talking about lamb and mutton, I have always been confused about the difference between the two. But then some time with my good friend Google helped clear the confusion.

Lamb is a sheep that is slaughtered between the ages of 4 months to 12 months. The meat from an older sheep that is slaughtered is called mutton. It is more tough and intense in flavor and requires an acquired taste. Probably thats why it is not so popular in the States. And thats why I hardly cook it there, since its more difficult to find in grocery stores. But since I am in India these days, am able to share this recipe with you today. If you are a mutton fan, I recommend you try this recipe out.

Mutton Curry | The Novice Housewife

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Blueberry and Sour Cream Loaf

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Blueberry and Sour Cream Loaf | The Novice HousewifeAmidst packing at my parents’ place and cleaning the refrigerator- attempting to use left over sour cream and a batch of blueberries, and flipping through the recipes July’s Indian issue of Good Housekeeping, this moist and flavorful Blueberry and Sour Cream Loaf was made.

When I told a friend of mine that I was posting the recipe for this loaf on the blog today, the question arose what is the difference between a sweet loaf and a cake. While I answered the doubt to the best of my knowledge, I wondered what the web had to say about it and did a quick google search to find the exact difference.

The most obvious difference is the tin used to make the baked good in question. Loaf cakes are always baked in a loaf pan, whereas cakes in other square or round tins. And even though both cakes and loaf cakes share similar ingredients, the ratio of flour, fat, sugar and the mixing methods are different and make a difference in the final product.

Blueberry and Sour Cream Loaf | The Novice Housewife

While quick breads (like banana bread, scones and muffins) are made by combining the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in the other and then mixing the two till just combined with few lumps, cakes are made by creaming the butter and sugar together (or by folding whipped egg whites into flour, sugar, yolks mixture- the chiffon method), lending a finer crumb to cakes. Thus, cakes are generally lighter than loafs and other quick breads. Kind of like the difference between a muffin and a cupcake, a cupcake being a mini cake and a muffin being a type of quick bread.

The Kitchn explains the difference between a cupcake and a muffin fairly well, and best to my knowledge that would be the difference between a cake and a quick bread (or sweet loaf).

Also generally, comparing various recipes, loafs are always with some kind of fruit in them, whereas cakes can be with fruit or not. 

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