Kohlapuri thali - song of spices and flavour

Maharashtra is not only for sugarcane, vada pav but amazing food which can not only lend a great contrast to the plate but to your taste buds as well. Two of such dishes that I have always admired are the tambda rassa ( red hot curry) and pandhra rassa ( white mellow curry). Ideally they are made of stock and don't have any chicken/mutton pieces. I tried a variant where they contain some meat pieces as well. So let's start cooking!!

Tambda Rassa: Super spicy curry with a lot of red chillies but is so yummy to eat. It takes a bit of preparation and some patience so let's start.

Ingredients: Mutton ( curry cut) - 500 gms; Dry coconut ( grated and roasted) - 1/2 cup; Onions ( thinly sliced and fried) - 3 medium; Ginger-garlic-coriander paste - 6 tbsp; Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp; Kohlapuri masala - 3 tbsp ( it's a bit elaborate and took me some time so suggest you buy it from the market); Turmeric powder - 1 tsp; Onions ( finely chopped) - 2 medium; Oil - 5tbsp; Water - 800 ml; Salt to taste

Steps:

i. Make a fine paste of the grated and roasted coconut and the friend onions. Use a bit of water if required.

ii. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the finely chopped onions into it.

iii. Saute for 2 minutes.

iv. Now add the ginger garlic coriander paste and saute well until the raw smell of the paste is gone.

v. Once done add turmeric powder and red chilli powder ( ensure that you don't burn the chilli or mix them with a bit of water and then add to the pressure cooker).

vi. Mix well and then add the kohlapuri masala.

vii. Once the whole mixture has been sauteed for 2 minutes add the mutton pieces.

viii. Mix the pieces well and add some salt to the mixture.

ix. Pour water into the cooker and some more salt if required.

x. Pressure cook for 6 whistles and let the cooker depressurize naturally. The pieces should be tender and coming off the bone.

Serve hot with some steamed rice or bhakri and enjoy!!! I did with some thick chapatis but nevertheless the flavour was out of the world.

Pandhra Rassa: Just like yin and yang tambda rassa and pandhra rassa lie at opposite ends of the taste spectrum. While tambda rassa is red hot in colour as well as taste, pandhra rassa is very mellow in flavour and white in colour. It gets most of the flavour from the generous use of coconut. Extremely flavourful and gives an amazing company to the spicy tambda rassa.

Ingredients: Chicken ( curry cut) - 500 gms; Onion ( finely chopped) - 1 medium; Dry coconut ( grated) - 1/4 cup; Fresh coconut ( skin removed and grated) - 1/4 cup; Coconut milk - 250 ml; Poppy seeds - 1/2 tbsp; Almonds - 10; Khade masale (dry roasted): Cloves - 3; Caraway seeds - 1/2 tsp; cinnamon - 1/2 inch; Ginger - 1/2 inch; Garlic - 5 cloves; Green chilli - 5 medium; Dry red chillies ( broken) - 4 ; Ghee - 3tbsp+ 1/2 tbsp for tadka; Water - 250 ml; Yoghurt - 2 tbsp; Salt to taste

Steps:

i. Soak poppy seeds and almonds for at least 1 hour. Post that make a paste of grated dry coconut, grated fresh coconut, almonds and poppy seeds. Use some water, if required.

ii. Make a fine paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies.

iii. Heat ghee in a deep bottom pan.

iv. Once hot add the dry roasted spices and saute well.

v. Now add the finely chopped onions and saute well until they are translucent. Add some salt to hasten the process.

vi. Now add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and saute well until the raw smell goes well.

vii. Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Let the chicken seer well for 3-4 minutes. Keep the flame on medium otherwise chicken might become very dry from inside.

viii. Now add water and some salt if required and cover the pan.

ix. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

x. Now add the paste made in step i and mix well.

xi. Now add the coconut milk and yoghurt and mix well.

xii. Let the curry come to a boil. Chicken pieces should be juicy and well-cooked.

xiii. For tadka heat remaining 1/2 tbsp of ghee in tadka pan and add the broken dry red chillies into it.

xiv. Pour the tadka over the curry and mix.

Serve hot and enjoy!!!