Mutton Dhansak with Prawn Kababs & Kachumbar (Salad)

How can a food blog run by one & half Parsees not have the quintessential bawa staple on it?. Enter...The all-famous Dhansak. Apart from being a Sunday staple in almost all Parsi households, it is also eagerly lapped up by non-parsi friends. Dhansak comprises of thick spicy dal to be eaten with brown rice & accompaniments like prawn kababs & kachumber (salad). The making of it can be a laborious process, but like Donna Hay who makes fast and fresh food, we will let you in on our own quick dhansak recipe -- so snap it up & enjoy the compliments that will most certainly come your way. The vegetarians can leave out the mutton & prawns & substitute it with veg cutlets...although any bawa worth his lagaan-nu-custard will tell you that is sheer sacrilege. 

Ingredients & Method:

Brown Rice:-

Easiest & quickest way to brown rice is to caramalise sugar with little oil in a small pan & add it to rice in which water has been added as per servings, add salt & cook in pressure cooker---rice is ready in a jiffy. It’s not necessary to use basmati rice--any regular rice will taste good. Decorate rice with little browned onions on top

Dal:-

Soak 3 types of dal in a pan for 1/2 hour--Toovar dal, mung dal & masoor dal. Wash & add enough water - it should soak dals completely, add 1/2 tsp haldi & salt & cook in pressure cooker till done. In another pan take 1/2 kg mutton (along with bones) wash, clean, then marinate in ginger garlic paste, salt, & chilli garlic paste for 1/2 hour. Add water & cook it in same pressure cooker as dal so both are ready at the same time. Now take one big onion and slice it fine .Fry it till brown, add 5 cloves of garlic, one tsp jeera (cumin) -when the garlic is browned, add 2 finely cut tomatoes, few sprigs of curry patta , mint, & coriander finely cut. Add 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp sambhar (pickle powder), 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp dhania-jeera powder & 1/2 tsp anise seed powder & saute till tomatoes are cooked & resemble a gravy like consistency. Add cooked dals & mutton and simmer till thick-ish. This dal is to be poured over brown rice & relished.

Prawns kabab:-

Take 1/4 kg prawns, clean, deveined and add 1/2 tsp haldi, 1 tsp chilli powder,1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp lime, salt, sprigs of coriander and mint leaves, 3 green chillies finely cut,  1 small onion finely cut & whip in food processor for a second. Take out the paste & taste for seasoning---then make small balls, roll in semolina or bread crumbs ,then in egg & fry them - gobble up when hot with a dash of lime or along with dhansak

Kachumbar:- Cut onions, tomatoes, green chillies, coriander & mix. Squeeze a bit of lime on it & have it with your dhansak. 

Mommy’ Tip: Choice of poison with your Sunday dhansak is usually a keg full of chilled beer. But you can break open a bottle of fine Merlot as well.