We
have had murgh kali mirch in myriad avatar and quite relish the
kali mirch ka keema and have long wondered why regular mutton
curry has not been enriched with the Queen of Spices? Well the long
wait is over and a generous hostess has shared with us her recipe of kajal
qorma that creates magic with its marriage with black peppercorns.
It is one of the rare dark-hued, almost black, delicacies bold enough
to make a confident debut on Indian dastarkhwan. A philistine
friend asked us, "Why not call it Habshi meat?" He
was enamoured by the Habshi halwa he had once tasted in
Hyderabad and couldn’t think beyond that. We had a tough time
convincing him that kajal or surmai were far more poetic
prefixes for this really exciting recipe! We would have been quite
content naming it gosht kali mirch but grateful acknowledgment
of the generosity of the lady who gifted the recipe constrains us not
to tamper with the original tag.
Method:
Clean, trim, wash and pat dry the meat. Heat oil/ghee in a
thick-bottomed pan and when it reaches smoking point reduce the flame
to medium and put in the bay leaf and whole spices, except pipali.
When they change colour, add the meat and raise the flame to high to
seal in the juices. Reduce to medium, and add the onions. Continue
stir-frying till the meat is well browned and the onions are a rich
dark brown. Sprinkle a little water, if required, to avoid burning the
onions. Add the ginger-garlic paste and pipali. Stir–fry for
half a minute and add the coarsely ground pepper and cumin powder,
along with the salt. Stir well and add 1-1/2 cup of hot water. Bring
to boil and reduce to a medium flame, cook till done to taste and the
gravy thickens. Check seasoning and enjoy with phulka or
steamed rice. Who says black can’t be seductively beautiful and
delicious?
We
have had murgh kali mirch in myriad avatar and quite relish the
kali mirch ka keema and have long wondered why regular mutton
curry has not been enriched with the Queen of Spices? Well the long
wait is over and a generous hostess has shared with us her recipe of kajal
qorma that creates magic with its marriage with black peppercorns.
It is one of the rare dark-hued, almost black, delicacies bold enough
to make a confident debut on Indian dastarkhwan. A philistine
friend asked us, "Why not call it Habshi meat?" He
was enamoured by the Habshi halwa he had once tasted in
Hyderabad and couldn’t think beyond that. We had a tough time
convincing him that kajal or surmai were far more poetic
prefixes for this really exciting recipe! We would have been quite
content naming it gosht kali mirch but grateful acknowledgment
of the generosity of the lady who gifted the recipe constrains us not
to tamper with the original tag.
Method:
Clean, trim, wash and pat dry the meat. Heat oil/ghee in a
thick-bottomed pan and when it reaches smoking point reduce the flame
to medium and put in the bay leaf and whole spices, except pipali.
When they change colour, add the meat and raise the flame to high to
seal in the juices. Reduce to medium, and add the onions. Continue
stir-frying till the meat is well browned and the onions are a rich
dark brown. Sprinkle a little water, if required, to avoid burning the
onions. Add the ginger-garlic paste and pipali. Stir–fry for
half a minute and add the coarsely ground pepper and cumin powder,
along with the salt. Stir well and add 1-1/2 cup of hot water. Bring
to boil and reduce to a medium flame, cook till done to taste and the
gravy thickens. Check seasoning and enjoy with phulka or
steamed rice. Who says black can’t be seductively beautiful and
delicious?