Maus

Maus (Mutton Curry)



The best accompaniment for pua is maus (mutton curry). Preparing both these dishes brought back memories of so many holi celebrations. Holi was never complete without the standard fare of Pua, Maus or Kathal/Jackfruit Curry (for vegetarians) & Dahi Vada.






Ingredients:

• Mustard oil :3-4 tbsp

• Jeera : 1 tsp

• Whole Garam Masala :3 bay leaves, 4 green cardamon, 2 black cardamom, 2" piece cinnamon, 10-12 black peppercorns, 5 cloves, 4-5 dried red chillies

• Onions :6 medium sized cut into thin slices
  

• Garlic Paste :2 tsp

• Ginger Paste :1tsp

• Turmeric powder :1tsp

• Coriander powder :2tsp

• Red Chili powder :2tsp

• Tomato :1 big sized
  

• Mutton :1/2 kg

• Water for gravy : 500 ml

• Salt to taste

Method:

Heat mustard oil in a kadhai. Add jeera & let it splutter. Immediately add the whole garam masala & let it crackle. Now add the sliced onions. Let the onions turn to golden brown colour on low-med heat. Add the garlic & ginger pastes. Stir. Make a paste of the turmeric, coriander & red chilli powders with 2 tbsp water & add to the kadhai. Also add the sliced tomatoes at this stage. Mix well.

When the masala is half done add the mutton pieces. Increase the heat and fry the mutton pieces for 2-3 mins, stirring continuously. Lower the heat. Cover and cook. Keep stirring in between so that the masala doesn't stick to the bottom of the kadhai. Add 1-2 tbsp of water if the masala appears to stick to the kadhai. Add salt at this stage.

When the oil separates from the masala cook uncovered for 10 mins. Now add the hot water and bring to a boil. When the gravy reaches the consistency you want turn off the heat. Remove to a serving dish.

Serve this mutton curry with the pua.

Chiraiyak Maus

Chiraiyak Maus: ( Squails with skin cooked in thick brown gravy)

“Chirai” aren’t the part of poultry birds like chicken, goose or duck but could be kept in the category of wild birds those are obtained by hunting and hence they are also known as Game Birds. Usually in India, the poultry or game bird preparations are made after fabricating the bird in Indian style which is removing the upper skin and then cooking it up in the gravy, but in Mithilanchal people prefer enjoying the meat with its skin only as it makes the meat to retain its own juice. Now here is the similarity in the fabrication style of bird with English dressing (Continental Preparation), as they also coincide on the same notion. In English dressing, poultry or birds are roasted for a short time on a high flame in order to burn their extra feathers, procedure is known as “SINGING” and the same method is followed in Mithila too. Here I’ve mentioned the preparation style of Chirai and the same could be followed up with other game birds too.

Ingredients:

Squail: 01 nos
Onion: 500gms
Ginger : 30gms
Garlic 30gms
Turmuric: 15gms
Red chilly Pd: 10gms
Coriander Pd: 30gms
Cumin pd: 30gms
Mustard oil: 60ml
Whole hot spices: large & small cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bay leaves.
Heeng ( optional) : 4-5 gms
Chopped coriander leaves : for garnish

Preparation:

• Wash and clean the bird and singe it over high heat.
• Make a paste of 100 gms of onion with ginger / garlic and slice rest of the onion.
• Cut the bird into Indian curry cut and marinate with salt, turmeric and little of mustard oil.

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a thick bottom pan and add the tempering of whole hot spices, when start crackling add onion slice. Sauté and sweat with a pinch of salt. Add ginger/garlic & onion paste .
• Fry till light brown in colour.
• Add powdered masalas and cook for 8-10 minutes, till the raw flavour goes off. Add marinated meat and fry it along with the masala mixture. Add water just sufficient to cover up the meat.
• Let it simmer for 10 minutes till the flesh is tender. Top it with a spoon of Ghee and serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Variation:

• After singing cut the bird into little large pieces. Marinate it with salt, pepper, ginger paste , roasted gram flour, hung curd, heeng and turmeric. Roast it in Chulha (earthen oven) or sigri till the marinade is cooked well. Make a good quality brown gravy with rest of the ingredients, rest the roasted pieces in the gravy now.
• The dish will have a very smoky taste.

One can try out the same procedure with other game birds too like Titar, Bater, Ban Murgi etc.

Kankorak Chokha

• Kankorak Chokha:A Mashed preparation of Crab (Kankor) after roasting the crab.
  Ingredients:
  
  Crab( medium size): 8 pcs
  Green chillies: 2-3 in nos
  Mustard oil : 10-15 ml
  Onion: 20gms
  Salt: as per taste
  Lemon juice: few drops.
  
  Preparation:
  
  Wash and fabricate the crab, chop onions and slit green chillies fine.
  
  Cooking:
  
  • Roast crabs in Chulha(earthern oven) or Sigri till outer surface is burnt black. Detach the shell from the flesh
  • Mash the body part, add green chillies, salt, onion lemon juice etc. and mix them well.
  • Serve it as side dish with Rice or Makai ke Roti.
  
  Note: one can also use this mixture as a filling for Patties or savoury Tarts.
  
  

Maara Sairso ke Jhor

Maara Sairso ke Jhor:(A gravy preparation of Maara fish with mustard seed)

Maara is a small sweet water fish having a size of 4-5 cms. They belong to the same family of Pomfret, having no scales on their body and a very shiny silver skin. They are so easy to cook that no deep frying is required while preparing it.

Ingredients:

Maara Fish: 300gms
Mustard seed: 50gms
Mustard oil: 50ml
Turmeric: 5gms
Salt: as per taste
Onion: 35gms
Garlic:10gms
Tomato: 50gms


Preparation:

• Wash and marinate the fish in salt and turmeric.
  
• make a paste of onion, garlic and chop tomatoes and keep it ready.
  

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a kadai, add a tempering of mustard seed, add onion,garlic paste and stir fry.
• Add mustard seed paste and cook it over a moderate heat. Add tomatoes once masalas are cooked.
• Finally add marinated fish and mix it well with other ingredients. Add water and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
• Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.
  

Innovation: Latpat Maara (small Maara fish cooked in dry mustard gravy)

Ingredients:
Maara fish: 400gms
Mustard paste: 100gms
Green chilly paste: 25gms
Salt: As required
Turmuric: 5gms
Onion Paste: 30gms
Mustard oil: 100ml


Preparation:

• Wash and marinate the fish in salt, turmeric and onion paste, make a paste of green chilly and mustard.

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a frying pan add marinated Maara fish, toss and stir fry for 5-7 minutes.
• Add the mixture of mustard and Green chilly paste and cook it well with fish for 8-10 minutes.
• Take out of flame, sprinkle raw mustard oil.
• Serve hot garnished with whole slit green chilies

Dokak Jhor

Dokak Jhor: (Oysters stew cooked with Onion and brown gravy)

Doka or Oysters are bivalve mussels. They belong to the same family of snails. Their body is made out of two kind of flesh soft and tough. The earlier one is the part of their body that always rests inside the shell while the later one is the front part which is outside the shell. Both the parts can be segregated and brought in different use, like the soft flesh can just be fried with onion and taken up as a good starter or accompaniment with cocktails.

One can also make very good broth or stew with Doka (the variation recipe I’ve advised below this authentic recipes that one can try out) In mithilanchal people consume Doka during rainy season as during that time they are found in abundance in paddy fields making them the best food for farmers.

Ingredients:
Oysters: 400gms
Onion: 150gms
Garlic: 20gms
Ginger: 20gms
Mustard oil: 75 ml
Coriander Pd: 25gms
Cumin Pd: 25gms
Red Chilly Pd: 15gms
Salt: A/R
Whole hot spices: Cardamom large & small, Cinamon, Bayleaf, clove
Chopped Tomato: 75gms Optional.

Preparation:

• Detach oysters from the shell, make a paste of Ginger, Garlic and slice onion
• Parboil the oysters and take it aside.

Cooking:

• Deep fry Parboiled oysters with a pinch of salt and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom pan , add the tempering of Whole hot spices, when they start crackle, put Onion ginger, garlic and fry till golden brown in colour with a pinch of salt..
• Add powdered masalas now and fry till the raw flavor goes off, then add tomatoes cook it for a minute or two
• Add the fried oysters now and mix it well with the masala paste. Finally add water and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Serve hot finally garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Variation: Fresh Doka Stew

Oysters: 250gms
Onion: 50gms
Garlic: 20gms
Ginger: 20gms
Turmuric: 4-5gms
Salt: as required
Rice: 30 gms
Brandy(optional): 60ml
Coriander Leaf for garnish
Refined Oil: 20ml

Preparation:

• Detach oysters and parboil and chop it . Finally chop onion, garlic & ginger. Soak rice for 30 minutes

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a pan, put a tempering of Whole hot spices,
  
• Add onion, garlic,ginger chops. Sauté and sweat with a pinch of salt and turmeric,
  
• When translucent in colour add boiled chopped oysters and fry it over a moderate heat, add brandy and reduce.
  
• Add soaked rice and mix it well. Finally add water and simmer till the rice is cooked.

Serve piping hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Maachh

Maachh: (Round fish, fried and cooked in Mustard gravy)



Ingredients:

Round Fish (Rohu/ Katla) 8 pcs. (on and across the bone)
Mustard seed 50 gms
Mustard oil 200 ml
Onion 200 gms
Garlic 50 gms
Tomato 75 gms
Fresh Coriander Leaves
Salt As required
Red chilly Pd 10 gms
Turmuric 5-7 gms
Lemon Juice Optional


Preparation:

Wash Fish and marinate it with salt, turmeric 50 gms of onion paste and lemon juice
Chop tomatoes, mince garlic, slice onion and make a smooth paste of mustard



Cooking:

Heat oil in a pan(Kadai), deep fry marinated fish and take it aside.Heat oil again and add the tempering of mustard followed by garlic paste and onion slice. Fry till light brown in color.Add mustard paste and fry till 7-10 minutes over moderate heat, later add tomatoes, stir fry for two more minutes. Add water as much as you require for the gravy.Let the gravy come to a boiling stage and finally put fried fish pcs, reduce the flame and allow it to simmer for 10-12 minutes
Eventually take it out and serve hot, garnished chopped coriander leaves


Variation: The excellent variation of Maach could be obtainedby adding 75 gms of additional mustard paste deriving a thick pouring gravy, topped with 20 ml of raw mustard oil.