MUMMA'S KADDO BAIGAN GOSHT(BOTTLE GOURD &AUBERGINES)

Mumma usually made Bhunna salan with some daal,rice and chapati of course. Bhunna salan means curry with no gravy, this kind of curries are eaten with chapatis rather than with rice. Since my Baba was a mixture of Kashmir and Lahore cultures this curry comes from his side of the family meaning that this dish is more influenced by the Punjab side of Pakistan.

A lot of people have this misconception that curries are all the same and are from India only, which is totally wrong curries are made all over the world carrying influences of climate, geographical locations and traditions. Curries show there influences by the way they are cooked , the spices used and the even the vegetables used. The climate Also plays a very important role in suggesting which dish to have in what season, depending on seasonal vegetation available in particular areas. Like for example carrots are more easily available in the winters in markets around Pakistan and India so a lot of people would want to make the most of the season and make gajar halwa. Like wise this curry Mumma usually made during the season these two vegetables were available easily. Its simple to make and i love to have it with lots of yogurt just simply feels like heaven to me. We usually had had khatti daal which enhances the taste of this curry its so strange to have said that because this really means bringing two dishes of two different back grounds together khatti daal is sour daal made in Hyderabad India. For me this particular dish holds a lot of memories hope its does create more memories for you and your generations to come...:)

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1/4 kg Meat cut in cubes with or without bone your choice.
• 2 Tbsp Any vegetable oil.
• 1/4 cup water.
• 1tsp Salt (you can have a little bit more to suit your taste).
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder (again if you like more add more).
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric.
• 1 Medium sized kaddo(loki or bottle gourd) cut in small cubes.
• 1 Big aubergine (baigan) cut same way as kaddu size of the cubes should be similar.
• 1 tsp Ginger and garlic paste.
• 150g -200g Chopped tomatoes.
• 1-2 fresh green chillies.
• Few coriander leaves for garnish.

METHOD:-

1. Wash the meat throughly.
2. Prepare your vegetables by cutting them small cubes.
3. While cutting Aubergines have a bowl or water with a teaspoon of salt in it and add you aubergines to it so they don't go brown.
4. Now in a pan add oil and ginger garlic paste stir fry for just about 1/2 a min.
5. Add all ingredients except the tomatoes.
6. Add water and mix well now cover and cook on low heat for an hour or until you see the vegetables have left their water and its bubbling.
7. Check if the meat is well cooked or tender to touch but not breaking.
8. Then increase the heat evaporate the water and add tomatoes don't add tomatoes to the curry until you are sure the meat is tender otherwise the meat will be chewy rather than melting in the mouth.
9. Add no more water to it let it cook in the tomato's water and keep stirring till you see it caramelizing and sticking to the pan add a little water spoon by spoon to save it from burning once you have attained the red color of the curry.
10. Add green chillies and mix once.
11. Place it in a bowl and garnish with few coriander leaves.

The best thing about this curry is that you can cut and freeze your vegetables before hand just add to the meat when you're making this dish it simplifies the whole process rather doing it at the same time or on the same day. if you like it fresh then that's a different thing but if you like being lazy then its always better to buy you vegetables fresh, clean clean cut and freeze this helps save you time when making curries. as this one is really simple but other curries are sometimes not so simple with having to grind and roast the spices. I hope you enjoy and like this recipe as much as I do in remembering Mumma.