Amarula Phirni

Phirni is India's version of rice pudding. Made from ground rice and served in traditional earthen bowls called shikoras, it is a bowl of nostalgia for any Indian. I pondered hard on how to spin this lovely dessert without losing its integrity. And for that I turned to my favourite liqueur - Amarula.



Being in New Zealand, I couldn't really find traditional shikoras, but I thought these tart shells are the perfect vessels. It provides a nice crunchy texture and cuts the richness of the dessert. And I am a big fan of edible bowls.



Recipe:

1. Rinse 1/4 cup basmatic rice and drain. Grind the rice till the consistency resembles coarse semolina
2. In a saucepan, bring 1ltr of milk to boil
3. Once the milk boils, add ground rice and 1 cup of sugar and stir
4. Stir till the milk reduces to about 50% and turn off the heat
5. Once the mixture is cooled to room temperature, add a generous amount of Amarula and stir
6. Refrigerate for 2-3 hrs to let it set
7. Serve on store bought tart shells with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa  

Amarula can obviously substitued for any cream based liqueur you have, like Irish Cream or Sheridan.

You can also flavour the milk with cardamom. In case you cannot find tart shells I'd recommend serving these on Biscotti

Aamras Tarts

Look at these beauties! Just the sight of them make me smile. I think these pictures will brighten up anybody's gloomy day. And to think I clicked it during Mumbai's dull rains. I am extremely proud of my photography skills in this post. So proud that I've forgotten to talk about the actual recipe...oops!



So I had the last of the mangoes lying in my fridge. My father went on a mango hoarding spree once the monsoon set in. He actually bought 10kgs of mangoes! By the time I was down to my last on I couldn't stand to eat another bite. So I thought, how could I innovate with this poor fella. I didn't want to make the same old boring cheesecake. Then it struck me...why not aamras with a twist? I basically had ready made tart shells that I bought from a local farsan shop, so I whipped these up for a quick tea time treat

If you're not from India, aamras is basically mango pulp that's whipped to a silky, deliciously thick puree and sometimes sweetened with sugar. It is just divine!



Makes approx 10 tartlets
1 large mango
1tbsp honey (replacing sugar with honey to make this healthy!)
10 tart shells*

*You can buy these at any local bakery or the bakery section in the supermarket. I got mine from Trupti Farsan.



Cut the mango in half and scoop out all the pulp. Make sure you don't lose any of the oozing juices. In a blender, add the pulp and a spoon of honey. Blend for 30secs till the pulp is nice and creamy. Spoon it over tart shells or nacho chips or toasted bread or what have you. Sprinkle some chilli flakes (mango and chilli are like Adam and Eve) to give a nice kick (optional) and enjoy!

Pork Vindaloo Spare Ribs

Yes you heard that correctly. Your favourite goan dish also makes a pretty kickass spare ribs. Think of it like vindaloo on a stick. Shrey and I greedily chowed on these babies on a dull rainy day...and it's really really yum!

The authentic vindaloo is not fiery, its supposed to be spicy and tangy.I hope a bite of this will take you back to Goa or Christmas celebrations.



Serves 2

Approx. 6 pieces of pork ribs
For the vindaloo masala:
15 Kashmiri chillies
2 large onions
6 cloves of garlic
1" ginger
2 tsp jeera (cumin)
1 tsp haldi (tumeric) powder
1" bark of cinnamon
6-10 peppers
3-6 cloves
150ml vinegar



Goans use a tradional vinegar made of either coconut or toddy. If you can get your hands on some, use it instead of the regular  white vinegar. It will really elevate your dish.

In a mixer, grind the masala ingredients to form a paste. Rub this masala on the ribs and allow to marinate over night.



Cook the ribs in a pressure cooker for approx 30mins. The meat will be so tender that you can literally pull the bone out. Now you can serve the ribs as in, or brown it off in a pan with some oil.

Juicy Lucy Cutlet Pao

Move over vada pav. If you are non vegetarian, cutlet pav is way to go. If you ever walked the streets of Goa, cutlet pav was never far away. When it's too late for lunch and too early for dinner, cutlet pav is your best bet to satiate that hunger. Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside meat cutlets, slathered with spicy chutney on toasted pao...can it get any better?! I've humbly tried to endeavour.

I really wanted to add my own zing with this Goan staple. Ever heard of a juicy lucy? If you've never been to Dunkin Dounuts or Minneapolis (where it was 'invented'), it's a burger with cheese inside. As simple as that sounds, the suprising pop of melting cheese when you take a bite into the burger is just pure heaven.



So what happens when you mix a Goan street food with Minneapolis' contribution to the world? Look at the beauty below to find out.



Makes 4 servings

For the cutlet:
250gms minced beef (you can use chicken but I can't promise you the same result)
1tsp garlic paste
1tbsp vinegar or lime juice
1 egg
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper according to taste

8 slices of cheese*
Oil for frying

For the green chutney:
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/2 onion
1/2 tomato
1/2 inch ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 green chillis
Salt

4 Ladi pav buns + 4 slices of cheese

*Cheddar or mozzerella is the best cheese to use for this recipe. I had quite a bit of left over blue cheese which I've used instead. If you do end up using blue cheese ensure you use less than a teaspoon serving per patty. Blue cheese has a very strong flavour and it's not everyone's cup of tea. Plus your core won't be molten as evident in the pictures.



In a bowl, mix all the cutlet ingredients together with your hands. Ensure all ingredients are well incorporated. Roll this mixture into small balls and flatten with the palm of your hands to form cutlets. If the mixture is too wet and not holding its shape, add some more breadcrumbs. Ensure the size of these cutlets is just enough to fill your pav. Make 8 thin cutlets for 4 cutlet paos

Cut each slice of cheese into 4 equal slices and stack the pieces. Sandwich one stack of cheese between 2 cutlets. Press down on the edges to tightly seal the cheese within the cutlet. Cook the cutlets on a medium heat in a heavy bottomed skillet. Cook till cutlets are well browned on both sides (approx 5mins). It is common for the meat to puff up due to steam from the melting cheese. Incase you notice this, prick the top of each cutlet to allow steam to escape.

For the chutney:
In a blender, add all ingredients with 2-3 tbsp of water.Blend till a smooth puree. You can bottle excess chutney and refriderate for upto 10days or freeze for upto 1 month. You can use this chutney in any concieveable dish, right from sanwiches to dips to kebab mariandes to even curry.

To serve, toast ladi paos and slather with greenchutney. Add the cutlet and top with another slice of cheese. Top with a fried egg and some more green chutney.