A true taste of Asia Tommy's Eid recipes

Gosht Tamatar
Ingredients:
500gms mutton
500 gms tomatoes, chopped
2-3 onions, finely chopped
A small piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves
8-10 red chilies
1tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. pepper corns
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method:
1. Mix together ginger, red chilies, garlic, cumin seeds, pepper corns in a mixer and blend to a fine powder.
2. Clean the mutton pieces well and marinate in the above ground powder for 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the onions until brown.
4. Then add chopped tomatoes, salt, marinated mutton and stir well.
5. Also add little water and cook until the pieces are tender.
6. Remove from heat and serve with plain rice or any pulao.

Masala Gosht
Chili Fry
Ingredients
1 lb. meat, cubed
6 red chilies
2 tsp turmeric
1tsp cumin
6 cloves garlic salt to taste
1tsp ground pepper
1 inch piece ginger
4 cloves
2 inch piece cinnamon seeds from 3 black cardamoms
½ tsp instant tamarind (tamcon)
Method
1. Grind together all the ingredients (except meat).
2. Add a little water to make a paste.
3. Mix masala with meat and marinate for two hours.
4. Fry the meat in a little oil over a low heat for about 20 minutes.
5. Add 1 cup of water and simmer until meat is tender.
Murgh Hariyali Fry
Ingredients
1 ½ Ibs of chicken, cut into small pieces
½ bunch of coriander leaves
¼ bunch of mint leaves
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 large onion, sliced finely
For paste (blend it using very little water):
1 whole garlic clove, medium size
1" piece ginger
3-4 green chilies
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
1-2 cardamom pods
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp oil or ghee for frying
Method
Rub the salt, turmeric, chili and cumin on the chicken pieces and keep covered for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil for frying and add the onions.
When the onions are well browned, add the chicken pieces and fry by alternating between high and medium heat till the chicken is well done.
Add the ground paste and fry till all the water evaporates and the mixture is dark green.
Add the lemon juice and heat for 2-3 minutes.
Adjust the salt, if needed.
Remove from the heat and drain the extra oil.
Serve hot with rice and dal.
You can also add some garam masala just before adding the lemon juice, to vary the taste.

Badami Murgh
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into small pieces
1 cup yogurt
6 onions, chopped
1 inch ginger
10 cloves of garlic
6 cloves
2 inch cinnamon
10 almonds
4 cardamoms
10 cashew nuts
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup oil
1 tsp. turmeric powder
Cilantro for garnishing
Salt and chili powder to taste
Method
Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cashews and almonds.
Heat oil in a big vessel, add the chopped onions and fry until they turn golden.
Then add the ground masala and fry very well.
While frying this paste, add 3-4 tbsp. of water-You will notice that oil floats on top.
Now add yogurt and the chicken.
Season it well with salt, turmeric, and chili powder. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add coconut milk, cook till done Garnish with coriander leaves Serve with Naan or Parathas.

Paneer Rasala
Ingredients
500 GMS Paneer
100 GMS Cashewnuts
50 GMS Khoya
50 GMS Tomatoes
25 GMS Coriander Seeds
10 GMS Ginger and Garlic Paste
1 tsp. Coriander leaves
2-3 Whole Red chillis
1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
1 ¼ tsp. Salt
100 GMS Oil
Method
1. Cut paneer into cubes and fry till light brown.
2. Make a paste of the cashewnuts, roasted coriander seeds and red chillis and grind coarsely.
3. Heat oil in a pan and saute coriander seeds, red chillis and cumin seeds, then add the ginger and garlic paste and fry till light brown.
4. And the blended paste to this and cook for five minutes.
5. Add salt and khoya. Make a smooth gravy. Add the paneer and rest of masala.
6. Garnish with tomatoes and chopped coriander leaves Serve hot with paratha, naan or puri.

Patha Macchi
Ingredients:
500g fish pieces
4 small bunches of mint leaves
1 lemon
¼ cup grated coconut
3 small bunches of cilantro
5 green chilies
1 banana leaf
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Clean and wash the fish pieces in salt water and apply salt and lemon juice to the pieces.
2. Mix mint leaves, cilantro, salt, grated coconut, green chilies, lemon juice and make a paste in a blender. Apply this paste to all the pieces.
3. Cut the banana leaf into small portions. Keep each in one portion of leaf, close the leaf, tie with a thread and make as a packet.
4. Repeat the procedure for all pieces and steam cook in a vessels for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the banana leaves, and serve hot.

Fofos Goa
Ingredients
1 lb. any flesh fish
3 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 level tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground pepper juice of
1 lime
2 tsp fish stock
1 egg, beaten well breadcrumbs
oil for frying
Method
1. Clean and boil the fish in lightly salted water.
2. Remove bones (if any) and mash together with the potatoes, chilli powder, turmeric and pepper.
3. Add enough lime juice and stock to moisten.
4. Add salt if required.
5. Form into oval rolls, dip in the egg then coat with breadcrumbs.
6 Deep fry until golden.

Barwa Baigan
Ingredients
8-10 small rounded firm brinjals (Eggplant)
3 medium onions, chopped and roasted
3 tbsp. roasted groundnuts powdered coarsely
3 tbsp. grated fresh coconut, roasted
1 tsp cloves, roasted
2 tsp red chilli powder, roasted
2 tsp dhania-jeera (coriander-cumin seed mixture), roasted and powdered
1 small bunch coriander leaves, chopped and roasted salt to taste
2-3 tbsp. oil
½ tsp each mustard and cumin seeds
½ cup curds (plain unflavored yoghurt)
Method
1. Wash and the clean brinjals.
2. Make 2 slits to form a cross.
3. Rub them with some curd and salt and set aside.
4. Mix all the roasted masala in the blender with some curd to make a smooth filling.
5 Stuff some of this mixture into each slit of the brinjals.
6. Heat oil in a heavy or non-stick pan, add the mustard, cumin seeds wait to splutter, slide in the brinjals slowly.
7. Any mixture, which is remaining, can be now added to cover the vegetable.
8. Add some water.
9. Simmer till the vegetable is tender and done.

Tips

Looking good on Eid Day

So you've got your outfit ready, and bought the perfect accessories and make-up. Everything's ready, and the big day is drawing near. The question is, how do you start going about getting ready to look like a million dollars? Read on for a few handy hints.

Face first: Three words: Cleanse, Tone, and Moisturise. Steam-clean your face, use a good face wash, choose an alcohol-free toner, and don't spare the moisturisers. If you can, get a facial. Nothing pampers your skin better.

Nailing it: If you haven't done the wise thing and got yourself a manicure and a pedicure, then make sure you've trimmed those nails and scrubbed them clean before you dress them up. Even the best nail polish looks dowdy on ill-kept nails.

For those lovely locks: Never brush wet hair, or yank at the snarls. When styling it, set your blow dryer to low, and quit before you reach that bone-dry stage.
Skin, hair, and nails. We've covered the big ones. The devil lies in the detail, so make sure you don't overlook the little things, like:
Get plenty of sleep the night before. You don't want dark circles on your big day.

If you're not going getting new shoes this Eid, make sure that the ones you wear have no scuff marks or loose heels.

Keep a pack of wet-wipes, or rice paper in your bag, to combat the shiny nose moments.

Now you're all set for the big event. Go and knock them dead! Eid Mubarak.

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Hanging Out

Casually Hanging out…

Being the day before Eid, there really aren't many places to hang out in solitude. The whole city is bustling with people running around, finishing their last minute shopping or errands. However, hanging out near shopping malls and surfing through the products is not a bad idea, considering all the millions of people you could meet. Shopping at these large shopping malls seem to be becoming more and more of a social gathering.

Once Eid passes, Dhaka takes a new look altogether. The crowd dies out and the roads and streets really take a desolate look. It's almost customary for friends and families to meet up on Eid day. Visiting different public places like pool-parlours or fast food joints can be enjoyable when in a group. Pool-parlours can now be found in almost all neighbourhoods. On top of it, the simplest way to spend time would definitely be just walking down the streets on Eid-day with friends, family or loved ones. A different method of hanging out in the city, but make use of the lack of people in the city. Going for drives or rickshaw rides in the city can also be a great way to spend some time; normally, the city is crammed with traffic jams and this would be a nice break from all that. However, make sure that you are careful when on the roads because most of the drivers are on holiday and inexperienced drivers drive the cars on the streets during this holiday period.

So have fun and really make use of the scarce population in Dhaka for the upcoming days…

By Mishel Ali Khan