Mission Fundoo : Accepted

Fundoo

Origin: an uber cool word coined in the heart of a foodie under the influence of a raspberry night.

Meaning: throw down a party that I’ll rave about, till infinity.

Example: The whiskey was great, the lights look amazing and this party was Fundoo.

Do you accept?This crazy cook-job started as an open challenge during a gentleman’s evening and what started off as a joke took on a whole new meaning. Stakes were upped and roofs were blown, a simple conversation transmigrated into an early Saturday morning rise for me and from then on it was all a blur. A mad dash with my very energetic and well connected neighbor got us some good produce at very competitive prices. 

Age is by no means a factor to determining a man's stamina and potential and this man personifies this. A charming personality, who gives without reserve, creates a carefree zone for you to vent and let loose, in other words the mood was set for a crazy cookathon. 

Now if your old school and you shrug at the sight of a grown man and his mid aged assistant cramped up and cooking all day in an attempt to achieve the impossible. 

This is not for you.

We were off to a pretentious start as we decided to crush our challenger. The menu was achievable in my mind because it was simple, crisp and to the point. The point being we weren’t mucking around we meant business. 

It ranged from Asian to Indian with three hearty meaty starters ; a crunchy fiery native koliwada backed up by a Rasta Murg Pakoda and the piece de resistance, Surmai Reachado, a goan delicacy done with a little flare but with the same kick of the vinegar ground goan Masala. 

The vegetarians although outnumbered by the carnivores received a comprehensive crunchy fare in the form of wonton gratis and Asian spiced spring rolls. This was accompanied by some Subz galauwti kebabs comprising of a trio of vegetables ground and kneaded to a smooth stiff mix with a huge helping of desi ghee and some roasted Indian spices to be then shaped and fried off in a little more of that delectable ghee. 

That should have been more than enough to dampen the spirit of our challenger but we decided to go the extra mile and topped off the appetizers with shots or Murg Dhaniya shorba a warm comforting solace to our then high and lost spirits.

As the night proceeded compliments filled the room about how amazing the food had been but as me and my partner basked in the result of our toil we realized this was bigger.This was bigger than what we had imagined, look what we had accomplished with just a few hours of work, wed knocked down walls and got families together. We created an atmosphere where we didn’t have to shy away from out neighbors when we saw them across the road or when they reached out to pick up their newspaper. We gave them a tradition, we gave them common ground, we found community. It was here all along waiting for us to drop in and go crazy.

All the cuts and brusises, seemed insignificant as we rolled out the big guns. For the main course I decided to go all the way and layer in some good old fashioned Subz Khazane ki Biryani and Murg Zartar something which wa a staple in the place I worked before. 

The gamble paid off  as the veggies lapped up the biryani and the stack of empty dirt dishes piled up in the sink. Along the way to topping off an amazing evening with some meetha paan I encountered something miraculous my salvation in a bottle. Pristine and smooth, fine as a post prandial night cap , she needed nothing just a listener and she would sing you the most beautiful song you had ever heard with your name in it. She came from South Africa , her name was Amarula

 

Subz Khazane ki Biryani

Ingredients

Desi ghee- 6 tbspns

Cinnanom- 1 number

Cardamom- 5 gmsCloves- 5 gmsBayleaf – 1 numberPeppercorn – 3 numbersBasmati rice- 5 cupsWater- 12 cupsCarrots- 150 gmsBeans- 100 gmsCauliflower - 250 gmsRed chilli paste- 50 gmsChopped garlic- 30 gmsGinger garlic paste- 30 gmsChopped fresh chilies- 20 gmsGaram Masala- 20 gmsJeera powder- 20 gmsHaldi- 10 gmsDhania powder- 20 gms 

Procedure:

Start off with the ghee and add garlic sauté ginger garlic paste, chilies and red chilli paste and bhunao, add in powdered masalas and finish with vegetables cut into 1 inch batons. 

Do it with a little flair you could vegetables in losanges. Cook through and finish with some coriander.

Start with ghee in a heavy bottom vessel and add in whole garam Masala sauté rice and add a little more than double the quantity of water in this case 12 cups.

Layer the vegetables with the rice, sprinkle in some lime juice and ghee between layer along with some pudina.Serve steaming hot.