Xacuti

Xacuti

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

I wanted to Xacuti for a long time. Somehow it was not happening for many reasons. Whenever I said I am making it, I was discouraged by saying you can only make non vegetarian Xacuti. I cook non vegetarian food but don't eat and since it is just my husband and I that I will be cooking for, it becomes difficult to cook non veg and veg the same day. I was searching for some other recipes with X when I happened to chance upon some vegetarian version of it. 

Actually I had got one very nice recipe using drumsticks called Xengo Temperado, from one of my old cook books but unfortunately I did not have drumsticks so I had to make Xacuti. 

I have used the masala that my neighbour had told me about many years back. There are many ingredients and many steps involved in making Xacuti but it is worth the effort. 

Though the spelling is Xacuti it is pronounced as Shaguti or Shagoti. Because I was given the Masala recipe for 1 kilo of chicken I am giving you the same. But I only made the with about 250 gms of vegetable reserving the masala to be used on another day.

Ingredients: 

1 kg vegetables, I used mix of medium size potatoes, small onions and small brinjals. Peel and make two pieces of the potatoes. Peel and keep onions whole. Remove the stalk and cut the brinjals into two pieces vertically. Keep potatoes and brinjals in water till needed.

For the Masala: 

1 cup grated/scrapped coconut

1 big onion peeled and sliced thin

10 to 12 Dried Kashmiri chillies*

1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds

2 tblsp dhane/coriander seeds

1 tblsp khuskhus/poppy seeds

6 to 8 kali miri/black pepper corns

2" piece of dalchini/cinamon

6 lavang/cloves

1 badiyan/star anise

2 tsp badishep/ Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder

* I have used red chilli powder made of kashmiri chillies as I did not have whole kashmiri chillies.

other ingredients: 

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

2 cups thin coconut milk

1 big onion sliced thin

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

3 to 4 pieces of kokum

4 tblsp oil

salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste

1 tblsp coconut oil (optional)

Method: 

First make the masala. To make if first heat a iron or any thick kadhai/pan and and on medium heat roast the scrapped coconut till golden brown. Remove and keep aside. 

Now add 1 tblsp oil and fry the dry kashmiri chillies for a few seconds or till they are coated with oil. Drain and remove and keep aside.

Now in the same kadhai/pan roast  cumin seeds, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, black pepper corns, cinamon, cloves, star anise,

fennel seeds for a few minutes on low heat. Do not let the spices burn. They should be just fragrant and crisp. Cool
When the spices  cold grind it to a smooth paste along with coconut, Kashmiri chillies  and turmeric powder. Use a little water. The paste has to be smooth. 
Now in a pan heat oil and add kokum and saute for a few seconds and add sliced onions and saute till onions are translucent. 
Add ginger garlic pastes and saute further for a few minutes or till the raw smell goes. 
Add the vegetables and give it a good stir so that all the vegetables will be coated with oil. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes stirring  once. 
Add the masala and mix well. Add the thin coconut milk and let it come to a simmer and lower the heat and let cook till the vegetables are cooked. The thin coconut milk will have reduced to almost nothing. Now add the thick coconut milk, salt and lemon juice. 



Switch off heat and pour the coconut oil, if using.   









Serve hot with rice 











or chapati/roti. 

This is my 7th regional recipe and it comes from Goa. 

Logo by Preeti.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

This again is recipe I had seen years ago, in one of those Women's Home (UK),  Good Housekeeping (USA) magazines kept in our club house for the ladies to read. We kids would pour over the pictures and drool without knowing anything about its content. We were least interested in reading recipes or even finding out what they were. Cakes, desserts and such were oohed and aahed about. Non Vegetarian was accepted but personally I never ate. Years went by and I read a recipe for Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie. Looked interesting and easy. So tried my hand and everyone loved it. Over the years I made changes to the filling, tried various combinations. Most were successful. Some just ok. None was too bad or not edible. The topping was always mashed potatoes. Sometimes plain other times with herbs or cheese or even chillies and garlic.
So this here is my version of Shepherd's Pie. Original recipe is from the book Great Vegetarian Dishes by Kurma Dasa. Kurma Dasa belongs to the ISKCON family and does not use onion or garlic. My apologies to him, I have used garlic in my filling and the mashed potatoes too.

Ingredients:


1 cup cooked chickpeas/chole*
1/4 cup mini soya chunks*
1/4 cup grated carrot ( I used this only for the colour)
1/4 cup small pieces of paneer
2 cubes cheese, grated
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
Juice of 1 lime
salt to taste.

*Soak chole in plenty of water for 6 to 8 hours and then pressure cook with salt in it till cooked but firm.
*Soak mini soya chunks in buttermilk for an hour and then pressure cook till two whistles, after the pressure drops drain and soak in  water and let sit for 10 minutes, drain and squeeze out the water.





Mix everything together. 

Put it in a greased baking dish/tray.

For the topping:

3 big potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed when hot
2 tblsp butter (amul or similar)
1 tblsp chopped herbs of your choice or just crushed black pepper 
1 tsp garlic paste or crushed garlic
1 tblsp cream
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste
Mash the potatoes when they are hot. add cream and the butter and beat well. Slowly add milk and beat to mix and become fluffy. Add salt, garlic and pepper and mix well. Spread evenly over the filling. 




Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes or till the top is crisp and golden brown in colour. 

Remove and cool slightly. 

                                                           

                                                                                                             

 Serve Hot or Warm. You can serve some whipped sour cream with this. I did not have it so I skipped it.

This is my 4th recipe in baked category.

Logo By Preeti

BM # 32 hosted by Srivalli of  http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.in/