Aflatoon – Mouthwatering Mumbai Memories

MOUTHWATERING MUMBAI MEMORIES

I wrote this post about AFLATOON around 14 years ago, in the year 2003, after one of my food-walks in Mumbai.

This piece is included in my book of foodie adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL.

I loved to eat Aflatoon, especially in winter...

AFLATOON

Mouthwatering Mumbai Memories

by

VIKRAM KARVE

Aflatoon is the Persian name of Plato (the Greek philosopher). 

Aflatoon also refers to a person who talks about improbable ideas. 

Aflatoon is also the name of a sweet – a delicious dessert – a pudding – made in India. 

Aflatoon is a rare baked delight. 

Now that is what this blog post is all about.

First – I will tell you about Aflatoon.

Then – I will give you my improvised “try it at your own risk” recipe for Aflatoon – a rich fortified nourishing sweet – ideal for the winter season.

AFLATOON

 

Cooking is more a qualitative art – rather than a quantitative science.

The other day, a friend of ours dropped home a packet of scrumptious Dharwadi Pedhas.

My dear wife does not believe in the dictum: “There is no greater love than the love of eating”

So she promptly put them in the fridge and forgot about it.

Now what greater inanity can be there than consigning fresh soft flavorsome mellifluous Pedhas to harden up in some remote cold corner of the fridge?

So when I first discovered the packet of cold hard Pedhas lying hidden deep inside my fridge during one of my surreptitious midnight raids, when my better half was fast asleep, I was first miffed, then improvising, decided to soften them up in my microwave oven.

 

I put a piece of warm softened-up Pedha in my mouth – Lo and Behold! – The Dharwadi Pedha had metamorphosed into a Lal Peda.

Yes, it tasted like genuine Banarasi Lal Peda with its unique wholesome “crispy roasted milky taste”. Now that’s serendipity. I’ve searched for Lal Peda all over but nothing could match the authentic Lal Peda I used to enjoy near Sankat Mochan in Varanasi.

 

I love sweets – especially Indian Sweets – Pedhas, Barfis, Rosogulla, Gulab Jamun, Kala Jamun, Cham Cham, Sandesh, Jilebi, Imrati, Son Papdi, Mysore Pak, Petha, Mahim Halwa, Malpua, Karanji, Anarse, Chirote, Lavang Lata, Ladoos – you name it, I love it – and one of favorites is a superb wholesome treat called “Aflatoon”.

Now the only place I have had Aflatoon is on Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai, atSuleman Mithaiwala near Minara Masjid, and I think also at Zam Zam – a little distance down the road.

Aflatoon not only satisfies your sweet-tooth – it provides rich nourishment and is blissfully satiating too.

 

I am in Pune now.

Like my search for Lal Peda – my search for Aflatoon also remained elusive – so I decided to improvise and hope for the best.

Now remember – My Dear Reader – I am no great cook – nor am I a high-falutin connoisseur – nor a culinary expert. 

I am just a simple down-to-earth trencherman, an avid foodie – so – I asked around, searched around, explored, extrapolated, reverse-engineered – and – here is what I improvised – a purely ingenious adventurous concocted experimental recipe.

IMPROVISED RECIPE FOR AFLATOON

(Try it at your own risk !!!)

 

First, with a fork, I thoroughly beat 3 Eggs till fluffy, added one cup (vati or katori) ofsugar (add more if you like it sweeter) and then vigorously whisked away till all the sugar dissolved and the mixture was nice and fluffy.

 

I had already switched on my oven – yes – Aflatoon is a baked delight – one of the rare Indian sweets which are baked in an oven.

 

I rubbed pure ghee on the palms of my hands and kneaded half a kilo of fresh Khoya [khava, mawa made from buffalo milk] till it was slippery smooth.

Then I blended in and coalesced the Khoya into the feathery egg-sugar emulsion and whipped strongly with my hands till my wrists pained, and my biceps and triceps strained, and the khoya had fully dissolved and merged into the mélange and the fusion was complete, the rich blend velvety smooth.

 

Now in a plate, I mixed together one cup of rawa, half cup of maida, and a pinch of baking powder, and gently folded this mixture, spoon by spoon, into the egg-sugar-khoya amalgamation and robustly swirled and pasted the batter with my hands, till my hands got tired again and my muscles ached.

Here, there is no exact proportion of how much rawa-maida mixture is to be added to the batter; my hands tell me when to stop – later I can always add a bit as and when required to get the right baking consistency.

 

Now the interesting part – I lovingly blended in three katories or vaties [yes, three full cups – one cup per egg] of pure ghee and churned with my hands for a long time till the ghee fully dissolved into the delectable mixture, indiscernible.

Now here is the difference in sequence of ingredients – while baking a cake you start of with creaming the butter, then blend in the sugar, then eggs, then maida – for Aflatoon you start off with beating the eggs, then the sugar, the khoya, the rawa-maida flour, and last comes the pure ghee (clarified butter).

 

Hey – remember to lick your fingers from time to time and taste the delightful mélange at each stage and plus-minus the proportions accordingly.

Also – your fingers will tell you when the consistency is perfect.

That is why I never use mixers, blenders, juicers, measuring cups and all those hi-fi gadgets when preparing dough and batter for baked delights, or cooking dishes – I always rely on my own tongue to tell me the precise taste, use my hands to cream, blend, the concoction to the right consistency, improvise the ingredients and proportions accordingly – if you want to cook creatively, there is nothing to beat your own sensory perception, isn’t it?

And yes, don’t forget to use your nose too – food must be fragrant, appetizingly aromatic, besides looking deliciously mouthwatering and tempting to feel and touch!

 

Now I mixed in the spices – powdered jaiphal, dalchini, elaichi, lavang  - and, while gently stirring with my hand, slowly poured in yummy thick creamy buffalo milk, about half a cup, till the consistency of the smooth paste becomes soft and silky, and ready for baking.

Remember to always have the rawa-maida flour ready in stand-by mode to even up the batter, if required.

Then I mix in some dry fruit – kismis, manuka, crushed pasted khajur, squeezing my fingers.

Oh, just a minute, I thoroughly mix in a few drops of vanilla essence to make even the slightest trace of the smell of eggs go away.

Finally I embellish with crushed dry fruit like badam, pista, kaju etc.

 

I now pour in the rich creamy dough into pure-ghee greased baking trays and bake it in my conventional pre-heated oven at medium heat till the characteristic mouthwatering aroma wafts through the kitchen and the Aflatoons looked appetizingly brown.

With all the khoya, creamy milk and rich ingredients it sometimes takes almost an hour or so to be done. 

Time doesn’t matter, when cooking, as in eating, I like to be unhurried – the slower the cooking the tastier the food. I always like to keep the heat moderate and my senses, especially olfactory, alert.

 

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. 

I was dying to sample the result of my culinary experiment, so I didn’t even wait till it cooled – Oh yes, it tasted wholesome, sumptuous, appetizing, good.

Just imagine – if you fortify milk-cake with eggs – enrich it – spice it up – and roast it well – that’s the nearest I can describe how Aflatoon tastes.

I wonder if aflatoon can be made by roasting it on a tawa instead of baking it!

 

I relished my homemade “aflatoon” – but then nothing can beat the original aflatoon for which I’ll have to head to Mumbai.

Till then – I’ll keep savoring these – I’m sure with all the pure ghee imbibed in them these aflatoons will last for days – provided I keep them hidden away from craving children and other insatiable trenchermen like me!

 

Dear Reader – and fellow Foodie – why don’t you too improvise, be creative, experiment, use your own ingredients and proportions, conjure up your very own aflatoon, savor it, try it out on your family and friends, and tell us all about it.

And if you happen to live in Mumbai – why take all this trouble?

Just walk down to Zam Zam or Suleman Mithaiwala – and go ahead and relish the original Aflatoon.  

Happy Eating !!!

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. This is an improvised recipe – so try it at your own risk.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

     

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

 

This article written by me Vikram Karve 14 years ago in early 2003. The article is included in my book APPETITE FOR A STROLL (2008) and was posted online by me a number of times in my blogs at urls:

http://creative.sulekha.com/aflatoon_303216_blog

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/08/aflatoon.html

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/07/eating-out-in-mumbai-proof-of-pudding.html

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/03/aflatoon-rare-baked-delight.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/01/aflatoon-mouthwatering-mumbai-memories.html

Dabba Gosht : Mutton Delicacy

One of the quintessential Mumbai Food Delicacies that I miss in Pune is DABBA GOSHT

Yesterday, I did have Dabba Gosht at probably the only Pune restaurant that serves this dish and I was most disappointed. 

So – I have decided to cook and eat DABBA GOSHT in my mind’s eye – in my imagination. 

Let me dig deep into my Foodie Writing Archives – and pull out for this Dabba Gosht recipe I had posted on my blogs long back, more than 12 years ago.

This recipe for Dabba Gosht also features in my Foodie Book APPETITE FOR A STROLL

DABBA GOSHT – “MELT IN THE MOUTH” BAKED MUTTON CURRY

Recipe for the Inimitable Baked Mutton Curry Delicacy

By 

VIKRAM KARVE 

From my Foodie Archives: One of my favourite dishes... 

I love Dabba Gosht.

If you have tasted Dabba Gosht – you will know that it is unmatched, unparalleled, unique, inimitable – the ultimate amongst mutton dishes in Indian Cuisine.

It’s a rare, exquisite, delicious, succulent, melt-in-the-mouth boneless mutton delicacy dish – and only very few select eateries feature it on their menu.

My Dear Reader – Fellow Foodie – let me tell you how I make it – and you will know how it tastes.

MY RECIPE FOR “DABBA GOSHT”

STEP 1 : Cook the Mutton

 

I take some good quality fresh boneless mutton, say half a kilo – cut into small pieces – wash it clean – rub it thoroughly with “ginger - garlic - green chilli - green papaya paste” – and keep aside to marinate for a while.

I believe that: “cooking is a qualitative art – not a quantitative science”

So – I will leave the choice of exact proportions to you as per your experience and taste – I like to use a wee bit of green papaya paste as tenderizer for meat – but if you do not want to use raw papaya – and if your meat is very tender – then it just does not matter.

 

In a pan – with a tight fitting lid – I take two cups of water

To the water – I add whole spices (cloves, cardamom – both badi and choti elaichi, cinnamon, peppercorns, jeera, tejpatta) and salt to taste.

Then I add the marinated boneless mutton pieces – fit the lid tightly – put on a slow fire – till the mutton is cooked.

Please note – I have not added any oil so far  – I have added only water, then the spices and then the marinated mutton).

 

I love to sample and taste from time to time and assure myself everything is fine – tasting always helps me “plus-minus” the ingredients as required. 

If required – you can add some water – if you notice the mutton sticking to the pan.

 

Once the mutton is nicely cooked and succulent – I separate the cooked boneless mutton pieces and keep them aside. 

I do not throw away the spicy mutton stock – but – I strain the stock to remove any solid spice pieces.

We will be use the stock to prepare the cashew-nut gravy. 

STEP 2 : Make the Gravy

 

Now – I prepare a dahi-based thick kaju gravy – starting off with a generous amount of pure ghee to nicely sauté the spices, herbs, masalas, liquidized onions, tomato-puree.

Then – I add the spicy mutton stock – and  I prepare the rich cashew-nut gravy letting my imagination run riot – whisked curds, whipped cream, roasted onion paste, rich cashew-nut paste (fortified with almond-dry fruit pastes), grated cheese, even grated boiled eggs.

Sometimes – if I do not have all the ingredients to make the gravy thick enough – I may boil very small pieces of macaroni or spaghetti in the spicy mutton stock to smoothen and thicken the gravy.

 

I always keep tasting the gravy – so you must do too – do not forget to taste the gravy.

The gravy should be so luxuriant – and so lip-smacking yummy – that you should want to chew your fingers.

Once the gravy is ready – I stir in the fragrant spiced cooked boneless mutton pieces – and – I thicken the gravy to baking consistency. 

Once the Mutton Gravy is ready we will take it off the fire and complete the final step in the preparation of Dabba Gosht. 

STEP 3 : Bake the Dish

 

I thoroughly beat Four Eggs

Then – I delicately blend in half of the the beaten egg mixture into the boneless mutton gravy – till the beaten fluffy eggs and gravy have merged well into a smooth mélange. 

Now – I grease a baking tin with a liberal quantity of pure ghee

Then – I pour the mélange into the greased baking tin. 

Then – I pour a generous dollop of ghee on top of the yummy thick ready to bake mixture .

Now – I put the baking tin in the pre-heated oven – and bake the dish on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes till almost done.

When the dish is almost done – I open the oven – pull out the dish – and – on top of the baked mélange – I pour the remaining whisked egg mixture – and – I add a dollop of pure ghee 

Then – I put the dish back into the oven – close the oven – and – I complete the baking process till the dish is glazed and crusty. 

When ready – I garnish with fresh green coriander, thin ginger slices and juicy red tomato slices 

The Dabba Gosht is ready to be devoured. 

HOW TO EAT DABBA GOSHT

Dabba Gosht tastes superb with freshly baked pav or soft rotis served hot.

 

Dear Reader – you must have your own culinary discovery – but let me tell you that I find Dabba Gosht a superb eating experience – generous boneless mutton pieces, soft, juicy, succulent, releasing scrumptious flavor as they melt in my mouth and the yummy, delectable luxuriously thick white gravy made rich, wholesome and nutritious by the sumptuous combination of ingredients like cashew (kaju) paste, fresh cream and eggs.

It is a rare and magnificent eating experience – which makes my mouth water even as I write this.

Dabba Gosht is a supreme feast fit for the kings...!

Next time you eat out – scan the menu for Dabba Gosht. 

It is a Mumbai speciality and you will surely find it at a few select places in Mumbai like Noorani, Delhi Darbar, George (Fort) et al. 

My personal favourite in the Dabba Gosht at Noorani near Haji Ali on Tardeo Road.

I have once savored an excellent Dabba Gosht at Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar near Metro where I think they don’t bake it – but they “dum” cook it – leaving the gravy a bit less thick – so you can enjoy it with roti – yes - the Dabba Gosht tasted delicious with Khameeri Roti.

I have also chanced upon a decent Dabba Gosht at Sadanand Restaurant in Pune – located opposite Balewadi – at the junction of Baner Road and Katraj Bypass – and I found the Dabba Gosht quite good.

 

Wherever you are – search for Dabba Gosht – or cook the exquisite dish yourself. 

It is best to bake Dabba Gosht as I have explained in the recipe – but if you prefer – you may dum cook it. 

Remember to enrich the dish – play around with the ingredients – improvising, experimenting, improving the recipe – and then relish it to your heart’s content.

And – don’t forget to tell us all about your Dabba Gosht cooking and eating experience ... ! 

FOOD “GYAN”

WHY THIS DISH IS CALLED DABBA GOSHT

Dear Fellow Foodie – have you wondered why this dish is called DABBA GOSHT...? 

Dabba means ‘TIN’ 

Gosht means ‘MEAT’

So – does this imply that Dabba Gosht is “mutton cooked in a tin” ...? 

Yes – we baked the dish in a baking tin – isn’t it...?

Wait a minute. 

There is another explanation too. 

Dabba – pronounced differently – also means ‘PRESS’.   

I have heard a theory – maybe apocryphal – that the dish is called Dabba Gosht because the boneless meat pieces are pressed against a special stone – to enable the marinade and masalas to permeate thoroughly – and make the boneless mutton pieces truly delicious, succulent and melt-in-the-mouth.

Well – whatever the version of the origins of its name – the fact is that Dabba Gosht is mouthwateringly lip-smackingly delicious. 

Do try out the recipe – and tell us how you liked it. 

And – if you find Dabba Gosht on the menu of any restaurant – do try it out – and let us know how you liked it.

Happy Cooking – and – Happy Eating.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. This recipe is based on my improvisation. You are requested to do due diligence and use ingredients/cooking method as per your discretion/style.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

I wrote this recipe long back around 12 years ago, and it features in my foodie book APPETITE FOR A STROLL,  and I have also posted the recipe online in his foodie blogs at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/01/baked-mutton-curry-dabba-gosht.html  and   http://creative.sulekha.com/dabba-gosht-exquisite-mutton-delicacy_400861_blog