DAY 114 - JUNGLEE MUTTON

So in this world of ours  where most things are artificial and have an expiry date..
How do we know who is really real, in this chemically enhanced journey through life.
Or is it like food, the one that is au Naturale does not have too long a shelf life.
So we are then made to believe, that all that is real will not last.
How can we distinguish between the "real " and to put it in the words of Javed Jaffrey ,the "Na-real"..
How would I know..????
I think we just have to go through life, take everyone at face value and continue walking.

And try and live as close to our own truth as possible.
Or rather as close to the secrets we keep.
I know that judgement has to be kept for the last day, like the Bible says..
See I'm Catholic that way..HA HA HA
And frankly , who am I  to judge anyone , anyway ???

But the thing is if I were to meet you in a crowd and smiled at you and you smiled back at me, who is to predict the shelf life of this moment???
Is it fate..??
Or it the actions that you and me take..???

We were born wild..
And then humanity took over, or the lack of it...

But I have realised that you can't tame a heart..
You may adhere to how you have to behave in society..
But have you ever thought of what you would actually do if there was no society to answer to ..

I realise that I love people,but I'm not a crowd pleaser..
I don't have to be nice to someone I may not like..
And so more often than not..
I will just stay away...
There are very few that I may open my heart to...
And I  also know, than when you break your heart, only love can heal it ..

Sometimes in life, I do put on my mask on,and add my artificial sweetener and walk around...
But that does not really last too long..
It's actually just lasts for the duration of a song ..

And so today I just wanna tell you that all that is wild...
May not be as dangerous , as we have been convinced to think ..
It's more a pureness that we are not used to....
And that's why we do not know how to deal with it ..

Have you ever looked into the eyes of a wild animal ..????

The closest I ever came to ,was in Zimbabwe 12 years ago ..
And I was frightened by the sheer physicality of that beautiful lion ..
All it did ,was look at me ..
And me at him..
And those eyes were the most truthful I have ever seen ..
They were raw..
I never understood what they said ..
And in that rawness
There was a connect ..
No I did not want to meet him with no steel gauze to separate us ..
But he looked at peace in his dense forest and at me on the other side..

And so today I want to share with you a recipe that is very basic..
No frills..
No fancies..
What you have ,is what you cook with.

http://youtu.be/Zpe7mDNK9Z8

And while I cooked this...
I wondered ..
What is it about us humans that need a veil..
That need a safety net..
So you can see the other person , but can't really walk to their side..

In my next life ..
I'm going to just be a lioness..
I'm going to hunt when I'm hungry ..
Go to the watering hole when I'm thirsty
Love when I can meet my lion without all these borders and demarcation lines..
And just live ..
Wild and free..

We have a lot to learn in life .

Firstly I have seen that in someways we can be like animals
We all play around with our  prey ,before we destroy their souls..
Sometimes just for fun .and sometimes because we are stronger than them ..
Or then just damaged souls,ourselves.

I'm thinking that we were all born with a purpose in life ..
And no it was not to save the world or another person..
It's just to be the best person we could be .,
And if we were all going to just try and do that ..
This world that we live in , would be a better place ..
Be kind to one another..
That's the least we can start by doing ..
And so as I today make you "Junglee mutton"" ..
I just want to say ..
Keep things simple .
Keep relationships free ,from frills and fancies...
Be real ...
That's all we need to be ..
And like the animals in the wild, don't hunt if you are not hungry..
Don't pretend to love , if love is not what you seek ...


So as I sit here in my corner of the world...
I just want to say , you may be a vegetarian or a non-Vegetarian reading my blog..
And so if I can spill my self here ..
Just write back a line ..
If I touched a string in your heart in some tiny way ..

As for this recipe..
It's yummy..
And I'm not going to be bashful about it ..

Food is like love ..
Half cooked is really s big waste of time of ingredients and emotions ..
If you are going to cook .
Then do it well and with complete indulgence ..
With lotsa love from "Maria's Kitchen "

DAY 98 - CRY ME A RIVER...MUTTON..

And yesterday I gave away my piano .
No I do not know how to play a musical instrument.
But I could play devils march by heart.
And I was pretty good at it
Then happy birthday and do re mi ..

As a kid I could not really afford a piano or the piano lessons.
So I sang, I still do..
I love music and thankfully the sound of my own voice when no one is
listening to me .
I sang alto because it was easier.
And I deflected I to soprano whenever I liked a particular song .
But all the years of screaming like a hooligan has taken it's toll on my voice ,and my debut album ha ha ha
And so today I sing only to my kids and to myself.
Zeke normally tells me to keep quite but Zene and me do duets ..

And so in 2002 after searching for a piano for about a year.
A friend I know was moving house , and she did not have space and so was selling her piano.
I jumped at it.
I thought I would learn to play.
But I never found the time to.
I was busy travelling the world with music and Cricket.
But I looked after my piano.
It was always cleaned and tuned, and I would tinker with it when I wanted to ..
There is nothing like the sound of a piano in a home ..

I bought it because I felt that if not me my kids would get a chance to play on a real true blue old piece of art.
Well it's been 3 years since I have been trying to get Zeke interested.

Zeke who thinks he knows it all..boys..

Zene giving it a shot..

And Zene is just about starting.

I have been going through a let go or give away stage in life..
So I am  letting  go of people (with great difficulty ) that do not want to stay
And I'm giving away stuff that someone can make better use of.







But today when I saw my piano being carried away by 6 men .

I just broke down ,there was a sharp pain deep in my heart.
With it went a little bit of hope that I maybe would find time to learn a musical instrument.
Hope is a very beautiful thing ..
It keeps you alive..
But hoping for something to happen without working at it
Is futile ..

I have always wanted a piano right from the time I was tiny and singing at a talent contest
I still remember my first song
'But you love me daddy'
I also remember my grandma teaching me this song and me not reaching in time because she got the timing mixed up (I'm like her .. Oh my god )
So me in my pretty dress and stockings and shoes, did not get a chance to sing ..

I have always been healthily jealous of people who can play a musical instrument.
I think they are truly blessed.
I don't have it ( like I'm bad with languages)
I don't  have the patience..
Maybe Zeke is like me.
He actually wants to learn the drums ..
Yup he does..
But I cannot handle drums at the moment
Maybe I will let him when I'm old and deaf ..
Anyway the point of my rant is that I let go of my piano , that I loved and have always wanted...

And so today I decided to make Mutton do pyaaza ..
Which as the name suggests is double the amount of onions to the mutton ..
Basically I want to cry and I can use the onions as my excuse..
I believe that crying is good for health it cleanses your soul ..
So I googled and found a whole lot of recipes..
And some in Arabic..
Which was most informative , since I do not understand it at all ha ha ha

Well this is a combination of a recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor and Aditya bal and some other recipes..

INGREDIENTS

MUTTON-800 gm
Onion- 750 gm
Tomatoes- 4
Dry red chili - 6
Green chili - 4
Pepper corns- 6
Cardamom - 4
Fennel seeds - 3 tsp
Fenugreek seeds or methi seeds -1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 piece about 2 inches
Black cardomom -2
Pomegranate seeds- 4tbsp
Yoghurt -1/2 kg 
 Coriander seeds -2 tablespoons
Cumin seed-1 tablespoon
Lemon juice     -2 tablespoons
Ginger- chopped 2 inch piece
Fresh mint leaves - 1 handful
Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder     1 tbsp
Fresh coriander leaves,chopped  2 tablespoons
Ghee/clarified butter- 6 tbsp

Method

With a hand pestle grind together the , red chillies, 2 green chillies, the pepper corn,cardamom, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, pomegranate seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds..with a tablespoon of ghee.
Add the juice of 1 lime to it.
Then in a pressure cooker add 4 tbsp of ghee/clarified butter.
Add about 1/4 the onions and two green chillies..
Cook it till the onion gets translucent, add the spice mix and cook for 5 minutes more..
Take it off the fire and drain the onion spice mix, leave it to cool and then grind it in mixer

Put the pressure cooker back on the fire with the used ghee and add two more tbsp of ghee.
Put all the onions into it and let it sweat, on a medium flame.
Add the ginger paste and cook the entire mix for at least 15 minutes.
Add the cinnamon, the black cardamom , garam masala,turmeric powder ..
Give it a good stir..
Add the mutton pieces and let it all cook on a high flame for 10 minutes..
Please take extra care to not burn it.
Then put the flame down on medium and let it cook for another 25 minutes..
My grandma used to say that if you want tasty food , it need to be bagaar'd..or bhuno 'd..
So that's what I did..
Then add the mint.
I put in half a kg of yogurt , shut the pressure cooker and let it whistle twice.
I then brought down the flame and let it cook for 15 minutes.
Put it off and left it to cool.

Serve with mint and freshly cut onions with lime squeezed on it ..


And so today I'm letting it all out..
Half way mark to the year 2013..
And I'm cleaning and de-cluttering mind, body, heart , soul and home..

And so as I look at my ready mutton do pyaaza..

I'm thinking of my piano that is now sitting in my church ..
Where it will be played every Sunday , by someone who really knows how to make beautiful music.
So many kids will have a first hand experience of a true blue old fashioned piano...
I'm happy..
It will do what it was made to do ..
Play music ..
In my home it was a beautiful piano that was never really played..

And so even though I have still not gotten over the fact that I freely gave away something that I have always loved and wanted..
I think now it will be much happier ..

According to me a musical instrument not played is furniture
And a heart that cannot love with abandon is just a muscle ..

Music and love are both entwined..
Like the earth and the rain..
The sky and the deep blue sea..
The poet and her muse..
A paratha and ghee..
A muscle and a dumbell..
Yoga and health..
A run and endorphins..
Etc..
Well that's my opinion completely and nobody has to agree with me ..

Cry me a river- Mutton..

So as I bite into my "Cry me a River-Mutton "..
That I used as my excuse to cry with abandon..
I'm thinking its all good  ..
It's funny how an onion that makes your eyes water while you are slicing it , completely turns sweet once you cook it ..

I guess that means all of us humans also become better people after we pass through trying times..
More compassionate, more loving, more understanding...more in tune with true feelings deep inside us and other people....

Well the sweetness of the onion and the spice of the chillies along with this tender mutton has sufficed me  at the moment to pacify my heart break ..

The rest I will sort out with some music  and time ..
With lotsa love and a looooong sigh only from "Maria's Kitchen "

DAY 85 - LOVE POTION NO.9 ....

They say that a person who is in love, lives on love and fresh air ...
Now is that so ...
I think to a person in love , the morning is just the most beautiful time to wake up to, because it could mean, you wake up to a face you love or then will run as fast as possible to see that one who puts that unstoppable smile on your face ...
And to sleep is just a waste time..

Well in my opinion ..
Which is not open to any kind of discussion, because this is my space ha ha ha (I love it)
I think when you are in love , you kind of LOVE everything about your day and your night...

As for me , I just find that my day has longer hours because they pour into the night and I think sleep is a waste of time...
I find everything beautiful..
Even the rust on my grills..
I find the clouds sending me messages..
I find meanings in various songs that I listen to, that I have heard before, and also find beautiful songs that I have never heard before...
What is most beautiful about love is that though you look at the world through rose coloured glasses..

After some time, you do take it off..
And look at the person in the reality of the day ..
And thats the only way you can separate the chaff from the grain...
Its difficult to do this in candle lite at night , because that is kind of magical and mystical...
So in the reality of the day, when you look at yourself. your eyes will tell you the truth..
If this is really love or just a beautiful tale you have concocted in your head ...
Is there someone really feeling all you do ..
Or you are imagining it all , because you have a beautiful imagination...

Ha ha ha ...
Well you will know your own truth ...

I just know that its wonderful being in love ..
And whats even more beautiful, is finding that same love in the eyes of the one you are looking into...
That feeling is simply irreplaceable... ...

And so today I'm making something that I love making..
Its easy and trouble...like me...
Its pure comfort,, indulgent yet very simple food..
That you can make and sit by a window, or then by a babbling brook or then at your dinning table. with the one you love ...

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Kg Lamb, boneless, cut into medium pieces 
1/2 Kg lamb on the bone, cut into medium pieces
400gm - onions diced
200gm - tomatoes, skin removed by blanching
200gm - Carrots cleaned and diced
200gm - Peas
300gm - Potatoes
500 ml - fresh or tetra pack coconut milk 
1Tablespoon - Garam masala
A small handful of garlic - peeled and smashed or diced
30 gm - ginger, skin removed and finely sliced
4 - medium spiced green chillies 
6 pieces - Cardamon
2 medium sticks - Cinnamon
4 - Cloves
2 - Bay leaves
1 1/2 Tsp - Cinnamon powder
Salt to taste

METHOD

Heat 4 table spoons of vegetable oil in a cooker..
Add the cardamon, cinnamon , bay leaves, cloves and give it a nice stir..
Then add the chili, and the onions..
Cook then till they turn slightly pink ..
Add the garlic and the ginger...
When the aroma of the garlic is released..
Add the mutton and add the garam masala and cook this till the meat turns nice and brown...
add the tomatoes...
Add salt , a tiny pinch 
Lower the flame and cook the meat for about 30-40 minutes till the mutton is about 3/4 done..

Then add the vegetables the carrots, peas and potatoes and 2 cups warm water ..
Shut the pressure cooker and after the first whistle, lower the flame and let two more whistles go by..
Open the cooker when it is cooled...
I normally do not have the patience to wait, so I dunk it under cold water and open the lid..
Then put it back on a medium flame..
Adjust the salt..
Add the coconut milk and bring it to a boil..
Add the cinnamon powder ...

It is now ready to devour...

This is actually a very simple dish ..
But requires a whole lot of prep and effort and patience ...
You must not try and hurry this because you will spoil this lovely aromatic stew..
Do not over do the flavouring ..
Whats lovely about this , is that you can taste each vegetable and the meat like it is , without too much of a masala flavour and just a hint of it...

This is best served with some "Brun pav" or then some "Naan" ..
And if you want it to look like a very up- market gourmet meal , then plate it in beautiful white crockery and serve with some " French bread " and balance some fresh juliennes of carrot on it , with a sprig of curly leafed parsley....ha ha 
Its really that simple ...

So you see , making this stew is exactly like being in love..
If you really want to keep that beautiful feeling .....
You will have to give this love of yours a lot ..
Time, understanding, kindness, acceptance, trust, forgiveness well the list is endless...and supposed to be unconditional ...
I'm not saying this is a piece of cake..
It all depends on how much you value this..

And if you cannot ..
Then I suggest you just stick to making this stew its easier...
And will have no bitter after taste..even if it goes wrong ...

And to the rest who want to have their stew and eat it too...

Well go for it with abandon..
That's the only way you should ever cook and love..
Without holding back..

Don't let your head mess with your heart ....
If you know you have found the one ...

So here's presenting, ''LOVE POTION NO.9""...
Flavoursome, hot , aromatic, filled with comfort and an immense amount of love...
In every bite..

You will over indulge , let me warn you ...
So its an ideal meal for a lovely after noon ..
Where you plan to do nothing , but hang with the "one"(and I dont mean Keanu Reeves ha ha ha ), under a tree , listen to some music and read or whisper sweet nothings...cuddle...kiss....whatever...
Well do what ever you want actually..
I'm not the authority on love YOU KNOW... 

'LOVE POTION NO.9"

But like putting ideas in your head...ha ha ha 

Served steaming hot, from the fire into your plate ,with an unstoppable smile only from ''Maria's Kitchen"....
I promise you this..
It will be well worth it...
The stew and all....

DAY 83 - THE CALL OF THE WILD

And so today on the eve of the release of "Ek Tha Tiger" I am going to share with you a trip ,we all took together a few years ago to Ramgarh..

I have muffins baked for the kids and I'm really excited to go watch Kabir's labour of love...

"Ek tha Tiger" muffins..

Well in a way it is Mini's too , because I know how much of sweat and blood goes into making a film...And I know its going to be worth all the time and effort ..
And I wish them all the success and happiness...

And now , ready to tell you about a holiday we took with Mini's side of the family,with the score of "Ek tha Tiger" playing in the back ground...
Now "Ramgarh" is  a name, that I had only heard in Sholay ...
And for most of my life, what it looked like in the film was what it was for me ..

So when Mini invited us all over to "SOULITUDE IN THE HIMALAYAS"in Ramgarh,  to bring in the New Year...

We were all really excited
Now the task of co-ordinating dates and holidays of all the kids , the work schedule of Arshad , Kabir, Mini and Sandhya and Amit,  was quite a task, but when there is a will there is a way...
And so, we all had our queries about the place that we addressed to Manish, Mini's elder brother and proud owner of both these fantastic properties...

Walking in Solitude...

I remember the chaos in the middle ,as we were leaving for the airport..
Getting all the woollies packed, getting the kids ready, amidst calling Amito , to be on time, and then I forgot Zene's pram, and also which terminal we were to go too...
So we were late ,did not have Zene's pram and were at the wrong terminal...
Wow what a start...

But all this chaos we forgot once we touched "Soulitude in the Himalayas"...

Well we  finally reached Delhi and like really good girls ..
We went shopping en route to Mini's home...
We then changed and refreshed all the kids, got them pottied , powdered , woolened up and ready to get on the night train...

Some where in the mountain...

But we all had to go to Kareem's..
So we put Arshad into a monkey cap...
Thank God for the cold...
And slipped into one of the busiest streets in Delhi,Jama Masjid...
Where we ordered barra kebab's , sheermal and a whole lot of other stuff...
And when the barra kebabs , came , all of us including the kids , pounced on them and for the first time after many hours there was silence ...
Since every one's mouth was full...
And then we heard little Vivian say, " can I have some more"
Well we ate in a frenzy ...
Like you see a shark feeding frenzy...
And in no time, the plates were swiped clean and there were extremely satisfied faces all around...
Arshad meanwhile was recognized and took photos with the entire staff...
Now was time to catch the night train to "Ramgarh"...


Well happy and full, we passed out in our berths ...
When we woke up in the morning ...
We were greeted by the fresh fragrance of green and nippy fantastic weather.....
And two and a half hours later ..we reached "Soulitude in the Himalayas "...

But as the barra kebabs have not yet been erased from the memory of my taste buds...
...
I'm going to give you a dish today made with Lamb Rib's ...

No they are nothing like the barra kebabs...
That was sacred and I just cannot make that, as reverence to its royalty and also because I do not have the recipe.... ha ha ha 

But these rib's are really good so here goes...

INGREDIENTS

Lamb Ribs - 2 kg

A handful of garlic with the cover

Onion - 1 , cut in four pieces

Tomato -1 cut in half

Carrot - 1 cut in half

Bay leaf - 2

Thyme - 3 sprigs

Parsley stalks- about 5

Salt and pepper to taste...

In a large thick bottomed pot, add all the above ingredients....

Add enough water to cover all the ingredients..and bring to boil, then let it simmer on the gas for about an hour...

Please spoon off all the scum that rises to the surface...

After about an hour and a little more , turn off the gas, and transfer the ribs to another plate for storage...

You can then sieve the liquid and use it as stock ...

You cam keep these ribs in the fridge over night ...

ROASTING....

Garlic- a handful

Olives- black and green a handful

Kashmiri chili's - 8 de-seeded 

Olive oil

Rock salt

Pre heat the oven to 175 degrees..

In a roasting tin , arrange the lamb ribs...

Scatter the olives and the garlic and the roughly chopped Kashmiri chillies , seeds removed ...

Throw some rock salt over the lamb and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil...

Roast it in the oven for an hour...

The call of the wild lamb ribs...

So while the chops are in the oven let me tell you about "Soulitude in the Himalayas" where we spent a good many days in bliss..


Manish , was just awesome...

"Manish the awesome"

He looked after us like you would family...
He took us on long treks into mountains..
And we came back to hot delectable food from the "Soulitude in the Himalayas" kitchen...
And we ate like we had never seen food...
It was so yummy , with vegetables and produced grown on his "River-side property" ...
We also met a "Mountain Baba" , who told us how a tiger once slept in his cave on a cold winter night ...

Tiger- baba...

Manish took us on long walks , down paths filled with green ..
Took us into the market, and fed us goodies ..
we went on drives , had barbeque's...

The best "maggie" dhaba ever....

And I will never forget a break-fast we had one morning ..
It was so nice and yummy and we devoured it with a nip in the air..
And we must have had break-fast for at least an hour and a half...
Chatting, smearing our warm toast with Amul butter and jam made in the mountains...
While all our collective kids ran around...

At the end of it ..
I remember we girls just lay down right there in the grass and basked in the warm sun with our full tummies..
As Ratna, Manish's uber talented wife, kept our kids busy, with artistic activities...
She is the most soft spoken person I have met in my life..
And she has done the interiors of "Soulitude in the Himalayas " so aesthetically, nothing is over bearing . or shouts "look at me" and yet you cannot stop gaping ,at the beautiful comfortable aura this place has , filled with pretty corners and interesting nooks...
Well Ratna,  is just awesome with interiors and has a very keen eye for all things fine and beautiful...
And Manish and Ratna's daughter Anahat , is just the sweetest girl and an awesome baker....

There are some times in life that you never forget...
This was one of them...
Simple , filled with great company. fantastic food , from a kitchen that was over-flowing with warmth just like the owners of Soulitude...
And paths that talk to your soul...

 Manish also took us to his place ,on the banks of a lovely water body...

Pristine and inviting..
Think if we were not freezing as it was December, we would all have jumped into its inviting coolness...

I have not yet been able to go back...
But really want to...
Now more than ever...
Because it was peaceful , quaint and nestled in the arms of the beautiful Himalayan mountain ranges...

Secluded and filled with wonderment...
With stories of a tiger that lurks in the night ...


And the nights were black and silent ..
With the stars calling out to you ...
I have never seen a sky so filled with stars like I saw in Ramgarh...
The most mesmerizing sight ...

And then to sit shrouded under the  blanket of an inviting sparkling sky ...
And indulge in some sparkling wine...
can it really get better...
You definitely work up an enormous appetite..

So now, I'm sitting on my terrace , with the Lamb ribs I have made , sizzling out of the oven..
I have just broken some feta and thrown it over the ribs..
And bits of it has started melting ...
Its just the kind of food you want to dig into on a night filled with stars, ...
So with some home- made bread straight out of the oven and this lamb whose aroma transports me to the mountains ...

I dig in...
Hmmmm...
It is succulent meat that just falls off the bone..
And has such a basic rustic , flavour to it ...
With each bite...
You can feel the lamb melt inside your mouth and  I can feel myself walking up into a mountain ...
And the sweet fragrance of the pine in the air ...


So here's presenting..."The call of the wild" ...
Lamb ribs cooked to perfection..
With a memory of one of the nicest holidays , spent in a place that should frankly be kept a secret forever, with friends

that I would travel anywhere with...
Earthy "Call of the Wild- Lamb Ribs" sizzling hot , rustic and simply succulent only from 'Maria's Kitchen"....
 

DAY 4: TAGINE MUTTON AND CHOCO MUFFINS

Today is a great food day, actually the reason I'm making what I'm making today is because my friend Sambo who has been my fashion stylist since MTV told me she is coming for lunch and she loves red meat , so i have taken my tagine out and am making some Moroccan style meat , and am also making brownies because my mad friend sandy has moved into her newly done up beautiful apartment and has called us friends for "chai" that i don't drink ha ha ha....
U know, I am in love with my tagine that looks so beautiful ,its glossy black and looks like like an elegant woman in a satin gown ... and i love all my baking stuff that i have collected over the years every time i travelled with Arshad.
I don't know if its a good or bad thing , but I'm very happy eating my own cooking and sometimes kiss my own shoulder as a sign of appreciation and well done to me...
Am i nuts , yeeessss, why else would i be cooking 1 dish a day when i have no help and the kids home on holidays...
I also have the crew of "People" magazine coming into my kitchen ,i think they want to check whether i am really cooking ha ha ha so will be busy looking like a glam doll while i effortlessly cook and have fun in my kitchen.