Culinary goodness from Salina Parvin

Ingredients 1 small mutton leg 2 chopped onions 3 tomatoes 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 capsicums 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 4-5 chopped green chillies 4 tbsp papaya paste 1 tsp all-spice powder 1 tbsp chilli powder 1 tbsp crushed black pepper Aluminium foil as required 4 tbsp oil Salt to taste Method Debone the mutton leg (or you can leave it bone in). Now beat with a steak hammer to flatten. Marinate well with 4 tablespoons of papaya paste. Keep it aside. In a bowl, mix together ginger and garlic paste, green chillies, all-spice powder, chilli powder, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well. Now marinate the mutton leg with the mixture. Wrap the leg in aluminium foil, sprinkle chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, and chopped capsicum on top. Lastly, bake in a preheated oven on 180° C for 30-35 minutes. Now remove from oven, dish it out and serve hot. Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Ingredients ½ kg beef fillet ¼ cup fried crushed onions 2 tbsp chopped onions 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 4 tbsp mustard oil ½ tsp turmeric powder 1 tbsp crushed red chilli powder 5 almonds 2 tsp desiccated coconut ½ tbsp sesame seeds ½ tsp garam masala powder 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tbsp yoghurt 2 tbsp papaya paste Salt to taste Oil for fry Charcoal for smoke Method In a spice mixture, add sesame seeds, almonds, fried onions and coconut; grind well and set aside. In a bowl, add beef fillet, yoghurt, salt, papaya paste, ginger-garlic paste, grounded mixture, coriander powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, and turmeric powder; mix well and marinate for 4-5 hours or overnight. Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and fry until golden brown. Now add marinated beef, mix well and cook on high flame for 5 minutes. Add water and mix, cover and cook on low flame for 1 hour or until meat is tender and oil floats over it. Place a foil paper in the middle with hot coal and butter and cover it for a while to get that smoked aroma. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve. Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Ingredients 1 kg beef boneless ½ cup yoghurt 1 tbsp ginger paste ½ tbsp garlic paste 1 tsp red chilli powder ½ tsp black pepper powder ½ tsp cumin powder ½ tsp coriander powder ½ tsp nutmeg and mace powder 1 tsp garam masala powder 1 cup chopped onions Whole garam masala, as needed ½ cup oil ½ tsp sugar Salt to taste Method Cut the meat into 1-inch sized cubes. Clean and pat dry with paper towel, keep aside. In a bowl, mix yoghurt, ginger, garlic, cumin, red chilli powder, coriander, nutmeg, mace, black pepper powder, garam masala, salt, and sugar. Coat masala paste with meat pieces well. Cover and marinate for 12 hours in refrigerator. Heat oil in a deep bottom pan. Fry chopped onions and whole garam masala until brown. Add marinated meat and cook on high heat for 10-12 minutes. Now add little water and cook on medium heat until soft and tender. Once cooked and gravy is thick, turn off the flame. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve with rice, naan or paratha. Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Ingredients 2 kg mutton (large pieces) 1 kg aromatic or basmati rice 1½ cup oil ½ kg potatoes, same size 2 cups chopped onion 4 tbsp ginger paste 2 tbsp garlic paste 1 tbsp cumin powder 2 tbsp coriander powder 1 tbsp chilli powder 1½ cup plain yoghurt 1 tsp nutmeg powder ½ mace powder 1 tbsp poppy seed powder ½ tsp cinnamon powder 1 tsp crushed cloves 1 tsp green cardamom powder 10-12 whole black pepper 10 aloo bokhara 10-12 almond ¼ cup raisins 3-4 tbsp kewra essence Salt as needed Ground turmeric, just a little to add colour 1 cup saffron infused milk ½ cup mawa Method Clean and rinse the mutton. Marinate with 1 tablespoon of salt for half an hour. Clean the mutton again and completely rinse out all the water. Set aside. Fry the onion until golden brown and crisp. Crush the onions lightly into smaller pieces and set aside. Sprinkle a bit of turmeric on the potatoes and fry them in the same 0il. Keep these aside. Now marinate the mutton with yoghurt, salt, fried onions, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, mace, poppy seeds, chilli powder, cardamom-cinnamon powder, clove, aloo bukhara, and kewra. Pour the marinated mutton into a large sauce pan. Set aside. In a separate pan, start boiling 6 cups of water with salt. Add rice into the water. As soon as the rice starts to get cooked, turn off the heat and let the water drain. Keep the rice water aside for later use. Add 1 cup of rice water and ½ cup of oil into the sauce pan containing the mutton. Cover the pan and let it rest for half an hour. Now layer the fried potatoes, aloo bokhara, almonds and raisins on top of mutton. Cover mutton with rice, and add the remaining rice water and oil. Sprinkle mawa and saffron milk. Make sure the water level just touches the top of the rice. Seal the cover shut by wrapping an aluminium foil all around. Make sure the cover is air tight and the vapour no vapour escapes. Alternatively, the cover can also be sealed using wet flour dough. Finally, turn on the stove and start cooking over medium heat. After 15 minutes, lower the heat and cook for about an hour. Keep low heat until both the rice and meat appear soft and cooked. Remove the cover once the very distinct biriyani aroma starts come out. Mix rice and mutton gently before serving. Serve with usual chutney or the traditional borhani. Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Ingredients 1½ cup Chinigura Rice 20 cashew nuts 10 almonds ¼ cup raisins ¼ cup pomegranate ½ cup apple and pineapple, chopped 200g paneer, into ½ inch cubes A few threads of saffron ½ cup onion, sliced 2 black cardamoms 2 green cardamoms 2 bay leaves 2 cloves 1-inch cinnamon ½ tsp dry ginger powder ½ tsp fennel seeds ¼ tsp cumin seeds 3 tbsp ghee Salt to taste Method Soak rice in water for half an hour. Let the water drain. Soak saffron in two teaspoons of milk. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the onions till golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper. Bring 4½ cups of water, black-green cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon, dry ginger powder, fennel seeds, and salt to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or till reduced to 3 cups of stock. Remove from heat and strain the stock. Discard the spices. Heat ghee in a deep pan, add cumin seeds and cardamoms. When the cumin seeds change colour, add soaked rice and the stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook till the rice is almost done. Gently stir in the paneer cubes, raisins, cashew nuts and almonds. Sprinkle soaked saffron milk and fried onion over the rice. Cook on ‘dum’ for another 8-10 minutes. Garnish with fried onions, pomegranate, apple and pineapple, Serve hot. Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Ingredients 2 cups cooked Chinigura Rice 3 tbsp plain flour 1 tbsp chopped green chillies ½ cup processed cheese, cut into cubes ¼ tsp black pepper powder Salt to taste Pinch of baking soda 1 egg Oil for deep fry Method Mash the cooked rice gently in a deep bowl. Add all the ingredients except cheese and mix well. Scoop some of the rice mixture using a measuring spoon. Place a cheese cube at the centre. Gather to form a ball, making sure that no part of the cheese is exposed. Shape each portion into a ball. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry a few balls at a time on a medium flame until they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides. Serve immediately with sauce. Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed