I saw this article on Apple News and thought it may be of interest to some of those here. Indian with no chilli or potatoes? Makes you think.

Since it opened in 2015, Nirmal’s has been trying to expand what Seattleites imagine when they think of “Indian food.” Every two months the Pioneer Square restaurant rotates its menu to highlight a different Indian state, and in that process owner Oliver Bangera winds up doing a fair amount of research into not just the composition of dishes, but the history behind them. For instance, the Kashmiri dish rogan josh has no onion or garlic because it was served to the king of Kashmir, who as a Kashmiri Brahman did not eat onion or garlic, Bangera says. So much of Indian cuisine contains lineages like that, stretching back through the country’s millennia-long history.

On Monday, March 18, Nirmal’s will make its first attempt at excavating some of that history with Pangat, a dinner that features dishes that would have been eaten 1,000 years ago, or at least the restaurant’s best attempt at replicating them.

To achieve this, Bangera worked with culinary historian Andrea Gutiérrez, a professor at the University of Austin, who spent hours translating recipes in Sanskrit and other old languages into recipes Nirmal’s team could use. Sometimes, Bangera says, this meant turning something that was more like a “description of a dish” into a recipe; it also meant converting whatever units of measurement the 11th-century chefs were using into the metric system.

Bangera tells Eater Seattle that he wasn’t sure if the dining public would share his interest in history, but the response was overwhelming — 100 tickets to Pangat sold out in a day, prompting Nirmal’s to release 20 more tickets, which also got snapped up. “I was floored,” the owner says.

Diners will be encountering an unfamiliar version of Indian food, one that predates contact with the Americas and therefore doesn’t have a lot of ingredients that are now central to the cuisine. “One thousand years ago we did not have chilies in India. And we didn’t have potatoes in India. We didn’t have tomatoes in India. No cauliflower, no cabbage, no carrots, no peas, no peanuts. No cashew nuts,” Bangera says. “None of those existed 1,000 years ago [in India]. Imagine Indian food without chiles!” Samosas, which today are often filled with vegetables like potatoes and peas, “were strictly a meat dish” in the 11th century, he says.

“There’s this illusion today that so much Indian food is vegetarian,” Gutiérrez tells Eater Seattle. In fact, a lot of the food at the time was marinated in yogurt and fried in ghee; because of this, Pangat will not be able to accomadate vegans. There will be a lot of vegetables used for this meal, however, like eggplant, pumpkin, unripe mango, and unripe jackfruit, all of which are native to India. Cumin, coriander, and long pepper — fruitier than its cousin black pepper — will provide spice.

Gutiérrez says that in India, it’s relatively common for high-end restaurants to do “popular renditions” of historical dishes. “But nobody who prepares that stuff is actually a historian,” she says. “They’re just kind of making it up as they go along.” It’s not possible to completely replicate the food that would have been eaten 1,000 years ago, especially on an entirely different continent where the vegetables will inevitably taste different, but Nirmal’s is making a good-faith effort, she says.

Bangera plans to continue putting on events that highlight historical dishes. He’d love to do a “palace dinner” based on what would have been eaten by Indian royalty, or a dinner focusing on what soldiers on military campaigns would have eaten, or what an Ayurvedic diet would have looked like in the 11th century. Nirmal’s will also reproduce this dinner when Gutiérrez’s book comes out in a couple of years.
“The goal is not to stop here but to keep exploring,” Bangera says.

By Harry Cheadle | March 5, 2024 3:43 pm

Seeing the renewed interest in the Chicken Bhuna thread (Let’s talk curry) I thought I would add a couple of recipes I have used at home. The first is adapted from a Times of India recipe. This is the sort of quick after work curry I would make for me and the wife having done most of the cooking a day or two before and then just reheating and adding the final touches before serving.

The second recipe is a bit more involved and comes from Swasthi’s recipes
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/
This has more depth of flavour and I would usually make this as part of a curry fest for friends and family.

Chicken Bhuna adapted from a recipe at Times of India

Ingredients
1 kilogram bone in skinless chicken pieces, excess fat removed. (I use thighs)
Fine sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vinegar (I use white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoon garlic paste
4 tablespoon ghee
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 large red onions finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, puréed 

1/2 tablespoon ground Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon amchoor (ground dried mango)
8 tablespoons thick natural yoghurt.
1/2 tablespoon garam masala 

A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoon fresh cream

Method
Prepare the marinade. Place chicken pieces into a bowl and add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, vinegar, 1/2 tbsp turmeric, half the ginger paste and half of the garlic paste. Coat the chicken and marinate for as long as possible in the fridge – at least an hour or preferably overnight.

Remove the chicken from the fridge one hour before starting to cook.



Put ghee in a pot over medium heat. When hot and shimmering add the cumin seeds and let them splutter for a few seconds. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté them for 5 minutes. Once the onions are translucent, add the remaining ginger and garlic pastes. Mix well and sauté for a few more minutes until the raw aroma is cooked out.



Add the puréed tomatoes to the pot, along with the remaining turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and amchoor. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste and stir, bring to a simmer then cover and allow it to cook for five minutes. Remove the lid, stir then allow it to simmer uncovered until the ghee separates.


Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt and stir for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time in the same way. Once all the yoghurt is mixed in continue to stir for another 3-4 minutes.



Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan and and mix to coat them well. Cook for 5 minutes over a high heat stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water as required to obtain the desired consistency, but consider that Bhuna chicken should invariably be served in a thick sauce.



Once the chicken is cooked stir in the garam masala and  garnish with chopped coriander leaves and swirls of fresh cream. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

Chicken Bhuna Masala from Swasthi's Recipes

Ingredients
1 kg chicken breast or boneless thighs, cubed
1 tablespoon ghee
2 dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
2 black cardamoms
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2 inch stick of cinnamon

Ground Spice Mix
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Kashmiri Red chilli powder
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fennel

Marinade
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Bhuna Masala
4 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 to 2 green chillies, slit
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 medium tomato deseeded and chopped or one small tin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
8 tablespoons greek yoghurt
1½ tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
Handful finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method
Mix together all the ground spices – red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, black pepper & fennel.
Place chicken in a lidded container. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt,  ½ tablespoon of ginger garlic paste and half of the mixed ground spices. Pour over the lemon juice, mix to combine then cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the fridge one hour before starting to cook.

Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium heat.
Add onions and green chillies. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes and then reduce heat to medium low until onions turn golden brown but not burnt.
Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell has gone.
Stir in the remaining half of the ground spices and continue to sauté until the smell of the raw spices has gone.

Stir in the tomatoes and salt. Cook until the mix reduces and the oil starts to form around the edge. Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt and stir and fry for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time in the same way. Stir and fry for another 3-4 minutes until the yoghurt cooks down and the masala starts to thicken.

As the masala cooks, in another pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee. Add the red chilies and let them fry for 30 to 40 seconds.

Add all the remaining whole spices – bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick, sauté until the cardamoms and cloves swell and the spices release their aroma.

Add the chicken and all the marinade ingredients and fry on a medium high heat for 2 to 3 mins and then reduce the heat for a further 3 minutes until the chicken has coloured. 

Add the chicken and 2 tablespoons of the chopped coriander leaves to the masala and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Cover and cook on a low heat, until the chicken is fully cooked through, add a splash of hot water if the masala starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, pouring it in at the side and not over the chicken.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle in the crushed kasuri methi and mix well, then garnish with the remaining chopped coriander leaves.

I am on a new mission to find the best Irani Berry Biryani. The dish appeared on the Rick Stein series when he visited the famous Parsi Britannia Restaurant in Bombay/Mumbai, it is where the recipe originated, but the proprietor would not share the recipe …it’s secret.

The first recipe I am going to try is the one from the Bawi bride website. She has a little discourse on the origins of the recipe and makes comments on the berries that should be used. The traditional recipe calls for zereshk berries which are quite sour and provide a different flavour from the recommended alternatives such as cranberries which add sweetness to the finished dish.
I will be making the curry for the biryani in a le Creuset cast iron casserole instead of the pressure cooker suggested in the recipe. I will also be finishing the constructed biryani in the oven and not on the stove top. I will let you know how I get on with this recipe but I will also be trying the Brittania Berry Biryani from the Dishoom Cookbook as well as the one from the Parsi: From Persia to Bombay, by Farokh Talati.

Irani Berry Pulao
https://bawibride.com/irani-berry-pulao/

Ingredients

For Kebabs
250 gram mutton mince
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
0.5 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
0.5 tsp garam masala powder
1 onion finely chopped
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
6 slices bread, small size
0.5 bunch of coriander
0.5 bunch of mint
Oil for deep frying

Pulao Gravy
1 large onion finely chopped
3 tomatoes, boiled and pureed
4 tbsp oil
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 tbsp Bombay Biryani Masala (Shaan)
1 tsp Parsi dhana-jeera powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
500 gram boneless mutton
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp green chilli and cumin paste
Salt to taste

For Pulao
100 gram fried onions
100 gram zereshk/barberry berries
500 gram basmati rice
0.5 tsp saffron
2 tsp warm milk
Method

For the Kebabs
Soak the bread slices in some water and then drain out the moisture.
Mix all the kebab ingredients together along with the bread slices and let the mixture marinate for an hour
Form small coin sized kebabs and deep fry until they are golden brown

For the Mutton Masala
Marinate the mutton in the ginger garlic and cumin-chilli-garlic paste along with some salt. Set aside for a few hours or preferably in the fridge overnight.
In a pressure cooker heat up the oil. Add in the onions and fry until they go soft. Now add in the cinnamon stick, cloves, salt and all the dry spices and mix well.
Once the aroma of the spices comes, add in the tomato puree as well as the mutton pieces. Mix everything well and just add a little bit of water to ensure the meat doesn't stick (about a cup).
Seal the cooker and cook for 3 whistles and about 20 minutes on slow. Wait for the pressure to release by itself.
If required, dry off any extra moisture from the mutton - you want to end up with a thick chunky gravy.

For the rice
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add in the rice and cook until it is 3/4 done. Strain out the water.
Dry roast the saffron in a separate small pan and add it to the warm milk - stir to get a fragrant light yellow colour. Add this to the rice and lightly toss.

Assembling the Pulao
In a vessel that is more wide than deep, add some oil at the bottom and some of the mutton gravy only.
Top this with rice, then adding mutton, kebabs, fried onions and the zereshk berries.
Repeat this to form at least two layers and top the last layer of rice with more berries as well as finely chopped coriander.
Seal the vessel with foil and then the lid and place the vessel on a hot tava. Allow the rice to cook for a further 15 - 20 mins on medium heat until it is completely done.

I’m not sure how venison is interchangeable with other meats when cooking in a curry. Whilst I have a little experience with venison joints I don’t recall ever using it in a curry. So having taken charge of a 60kg fallow buck I am looking for ways to run down the glut currently in my freezer.

The deer arrived with his skin on which, never having jointed such a beast before, took me by surprise.

After relieving the beast of his coat it took me another 4 hours to joint him which means I now have bags of diced and minced venison.

I am going to knock up a venison rara at the weekend using both diced and minced venison as a trial and see how the meat turns out in comparison to beef, mutton or goat. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

This is my take on a Lamb Bhuna inspired by an Anjum Anand recipe but adapted in line with other Bhuna recipes I have cooked over the years. I have cooked this using lamb, mutton and bone in goat; beef could be used but you would have to increase both the cooking time and the amount of stock or water.
If I have any available I will add coriander roots to the initial paste and I generally reduce the sauce so that it coats the meat quite thickly.

Lamb Bhuna by Tempest 63

Ingredients
2 large tomatoes, quartered
30g ginger, peeled, roughly chopped
8 large garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped
2-4 green chillies
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1kg diced boneless lamb shoulder
20 black peppercorns
2 Tej Patta (Indian bay leaves)
5 cloves
2” stick cinnamon
4 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
2 large onions, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
250 ml stock (lamb or beef)
Juice of half a lemon
1 cup coriander leaves


Method
Put tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies in a blender with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and process to a smooth paste.

In a non-stick pan heat half the oil over a high heat and brown the lamb, in batches, for 4-5 minutes, getting a good colour on all sides. 

Remove the lamb from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Heat the remaining oil over a medium heat add the whole spices and onions. Cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the onion is well browned. Return the lamb and any collected juices to the pan with the ground spices and stir until the spices lose their raw aroma, add the tomato/ginger/garlic/chilli paste, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer stirring regularly for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. 

Increase heat to high and stir fry until all the excess moisture has evaporated. This really intensifies the flavours.

Add the stock, bring to the boil and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 20-30 minutes, or until the lamb is tender. Uncover and raise the heat until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. Serve topped with the chopped coriander.