ANGLO-INDIAN SAFFRON YELLOW COCONUT RICE, MINCE BALL CURRY (BAD WORD CURRY) AND DEVIL CHUTNEY (HELL'S FLAME CHUTNEY)

ANGLO-INDIAN SAFFRON YELLOW COCONUT RICE, MINCE BALL CURRY (BAD WORD CURRY) AND DEVIL CHUTNEY (HELL'S FLAME CHUTNEY) 

Anglo-Indian Lunches on Saturdays and Sundays are always special. Saturday lunch is invariably our Anglo-Indian favourite combination of Mince Ball Curry, Coconut Rice and Devil Chutney. In my mind’s eye I can still taste the Mince ball curry and Coconut Rice that my mum prepared when we were children in KGF. My mum had a procedure for everything. The onions had to be thinly sliced and the green chillies and coriander leaves chopped finely. Even the tomatoes for the curry were scalded first and the skin removed, then chopped into bits and strained through a sieve, so that only the pulp was used and the seeds and skin thrown away! Our Ayah would grind all the curry stuff (masalas) on the grinding stone that was required for the curry every day, as in those days everything was prepared fresh and from scratch. The readymade curry powders were avoided as much as possible.

The mince for the Mince Ball Curry, had to be just right. So the meat (either beef or mutton) was brought home fresh from the Butcher Shop, cut into pieces, washed and then minced at home using our own meat-mincing machine, which was fixed to the kitchen table. (This was a compulsory kitchen appendage in all Anglo-Indian Homes in the olden days together with the coconut scraper that was fixed on the opposite side of the kitchen work table).  The freshly ground meat was then mixed with the required ingredients, formed into even sized balls, and slowly dropped into the boiling curry and left to simmer in a rich coriander and  coconut gravy till the curry reached the right consistency. This Ball Curry was / is also known as ‘BAD WORD CURRY’.  The word ‘Ball’ was considered a slang or bad word in the olden days and the elders wouldn’t utter a slang word for fear of committing a sin. Hence the name ‘Bad Word curry’

The Saffron yellow Coconut Rice was always prepared with freshly squeezed coconut milk and butter. Sometimes, two fresh coconuts would be broken and then scraped or grated. The scraped/grated coconut had to be soaked in hot water and the thick milk extracted. For every cup of rice double the quantity of coconut milk was the right proportion; a little more would make the rice ‘pish pash’ or over cooked, and a little less would mean that the rice wouldn’t be cooked well. Sovery accurate measurements were required. The raw rice and coconut milk would then be simmered with ghee or butter, saffron or turmeric and a few whole spices of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves till the rice was cooked perfectly. This coconut rice formed the fragrant yet light base of our Saturday Special Anglo-Indian meal.

The Yellow Coconut Rice and Mince Ball Curry was always accompanied with a typical Anglo-Indian Sauce or Relish known as Devil Chutney.  Devil Chutney is a fiery red chutney or sauce. Its bright red colour often misleads people to think that is a very pungent and spicy dish. It is actually a sweet and sour sauce, and only slightly pungent. The vinegar and sugar used in its preparation react with the onion and red chilli to produce the bright red colour. Devil Chutney is also known as “Hell fire or Hell’s flame chutney or Fiery Mother-in-law’s Tongue Chutney” due to its vivid colour.

I would now like to share my mum’s recipes for these three special dishes. They are very easy to prepare. I have adapted her recipe to suit present day available ingredients and masala powders. The recipes are from my book ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE – A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST.

SAFFRON YELLOW COCONUT RICE   

Serves 6   Preparation Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 pack of coconut milk diluted with water to get 4 cups of milk or 1 fresh coconut grated and milk extracted to get 4 cups of diluted milk

2 cups of Raw Rice or Basmati Rice

½  teaspoon turmeric powder or a few strands of saffron

Salt to taste

4 tablespoons butter or ghee

3 cloves, 3 cardamoms, 3 small sticks of cinnamon

Heat ghee in a large vessel or Rice cooker and fry the spices for a few minutes. Add the washed rice, salt, turmeric and 4 cups of coconut milk and cook till the rice is done.

Coconut Rice is best served with Ball Curry or Chicken curry and Devil Chutney.

ANGLO-INDIAN MINCE BALL CURRY (BAD WORD CURRY)

(Mince Koftas in a coconut based gravy)

Serves 6    Preparation time 45 minutes

Ingredients for the Curry

3 large onions chopped

1 sprig curry leaves

3 teaspoons chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

3 teaspoons ginger garlic paste

3 big tomatoes pureed or chopped finely

½ cup ground coconut paste

1 teaspoon spice powder or garam masala

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon coriander leaves chopped finely for garnishing

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

 

Ingredients for the Mince Balls (Koftas)

½ kg minced meat beef or mutton (fine mince)

½ teaspoon spice powder or garam masala powder

3 green chilies chopped

A small bunch of coriander leaves chopped finely

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Heat oil in a large pan and fry the onions till golden brown.

Add the ginger garlic paste and the curry leaves and fry for some time.

Now add the chili powder, coriander powder, spice powder or garam masala powder, turmeric powder and coconut, and fry for a few minutes till the oil separates from the mixture.

Now add the tomato puree and salt and simmer for some time. Add sufficient water and bring to boil.

Meanwhile mix the spice powder, salt, chopped green chilies, turmeric powder and coriander leaves with the mince and form into small balls.

When the curry is boiling slowly, drop in the mince balls carefully one by one.

Simmer on slow heat for 20 minutes till the balls are cooked and the gravy is not too thick.

Serve hot with Coconut Rice and Devil Chutney.

DEVIL CHUTNEY (HELL’S FLAME CHUTNEY)

Ingredients

2 medium size onions chopped roughly

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 tablespoon raisins (optional)

2 teaspoons sugar

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons vinegar

Grind all the above ingredients together till smooth. If chutney is too thick, add a little more vinegar.

Serve with Coconut Rice.