Scurrying for some curry

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It’s very tough to compare the food of North and South India; but the good news is that they are all delicious across the board. Particularly inspiring are some fiery curries.

While very different ingredients are used to get the heat going in these regions — dry masalas and spices in the North vis-a-vis fresh produce in the South — they are all extremely popular. This week, we look at Laal Maas from Rajasthan and Pandhi Curry from Coorg.

Pandhi Curry
While pandhi curry is a traditional pork curry of Coorg or the Kodava region, you can substitute with mutton or chicken. The curry is different because a traditional black vinegar unique to the region called kachampully provides a district tangy taste. kachampully lasts years in the fridge. You can use a dash of balsamic vinegar if you don’t have kacham-pully.

Ingredients
½ kg pork or mutton cubed
½ tsp Kachampuli or balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder.
2 onions, sliced
1 tsp ginger, grated
3 cloves of garlic, grated
6 green chillies
1 small bunch of coriander leaves
For the pandhi curry masala
Dry roast and grind the following:
1 tsp jeera
¼ tsp fenugreek
2 tbsp black pepper

Method
Grind together the onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and coriander and keep aside.
In the meat, add the onion, green chilli paste and the ground masala and let it marinate for an hour along with the turmeric salt and chilli powder.
Cook meat in a pressure cooker adding water if needed till tender. Uncover, add the kachampully and cook uncovered for a couple of minutes.
Serve hot with coriander leaves.

Laal Maas
Like most things in Rajasthan, its food traditionally has to be showy and rich. The palace cooks would go to great lengths to ensure that the food looked good enough else it would be sent back without being tasted.
So while cooking laal maas (literally red meat), Rajasthani cooks ensure that it looks fiery hot, though the actual heat of the dish is much lesser than expected.

Ingredients
1 kg lamb, cubed
1 cup oil
6 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
50 gm cup coriander powder
3 onions, sliced
1 cup yogurt, whisked
Salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp, coriander leaves, chopped

Method
Mix all ingredients except oil, garlic paste, water and coriander leaves with the meat and marinate for one hour. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the marinated lamb and cook over a slow fire for 45 minutes or till the meat is tender. Add garlic paste and cook till the oil separates.
Add water and bring to a boil. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve hot with tandoori rotis or rice.
Ideal with appams, bread or Goan paos.