The roads were pretty empty and we breezed through the ghat-like roads, small dark green rocky hills adored both sides of the road. The morning air was very cool and refreshing. Unfortunately I had not taken my helmet and the air was lashing against my face making my eyes teary. I was trying hard to look ahead instead of the strong gusty wind because I didn't want to skip any part of the landscape. 15 minutes into the road we stopped at a roadside restaurant to have breakfast. I had medu vada-chutney which was very crisp and yummy. I always found eating by the highway restaurants or dhabas very intriguing. The panoramic view of the highway, the vehicles zooming past, old movie songs playing in the small TV at the restaurant, the clanging of the utensils as the servers placed the food before the guests - everything makes you feel like you are in a time warp where everything is moving at a fervent pace except you. I enjoy that "you" moment a lot.
We started off after having breakfast. The scenery started to change slowly, green hills gave way to big blue mountains faraway.
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| The route from Dhayari to Veer Dam |
We took a left from the main highway at one point to go towards the Veer dam. As we proceeded the landscape became dotted with farm lands and farmers working in the fields. We saw some small hut type houses which were probably some village. Soon we crossed the Nira river and from then on our left side the backwaters of Veer Dam started accompanying us. We could see the water through the thick foliage and the villages, but the distance from the road was much. As we drove further the condition of the road deteriorated and at one point of time there was no road but pebbles and dirt. Got to know that the government had tried to construct good roads here but due to the local political influence on the villagers dispute happened and they never let the government complete the roads. We even saw unfinished bridges and worn out “men at work” signs all along the road indicating the truth of the fact. As we moved on the distance between the road and the backwaters decreased and slowly we were riding very next to it. The water was very calm and peaceful. The aquamarine waters had dark and light alternate ribbons of color due to the difference in depths at places.
Marine trees were seen in the water. We saw many birds on way – some of them very very beautiful and not the ones which are usually seen in city. Veer dam is known for migratory birds visiting it during the winters. A large number of birds are seen in this region every year and many bird watchers are present to witness them.
Such a beautiful place and yet it seemed unexplored and virgin. Maybe that’s one reason why the water of the dam was so clean. A couple of cars stopped for a quick snap but no one stayed for long. We moved further on till the gates of the dam. Few Eucalyptus trees were there along the bank, the minty pine scent with a touch of honey lingered in the air. A couple of village women sat under them washing clothes. We parked the bike outside the gate and walked inside. The lake looked very serene and deep. Veer is one of the largest dams of Maharastra. The slope of the dam was rocky and had tiny violet blossoms all over. We did not walk ahead but spent some quite time by the entry and took snaps. The sun was getting hotter and we decided to backtrack.
There are a couple of hotels by the side of the Veer dam, one of them Sai International was operational. As we were very thirsty from all the driving in the sun we decided to unwind for some time at the hotel. The property is strategically located overlooking the backwaters. It has a nice lawn with wrought iron tables. It has both lodging and fooding. The bar area is separate. We sat at the family restaurant and ordered some mixed bhajiyas and vanilla milkshake. The restaurant was clean enough though we were the only two people there. The bar had more people. The milkshakes arrived first in tall glasses and was one of the best vanilla milkshake I have ever tasted – creamy , frothy and delicately sweetened not more or less. The bhajiyas also arrived and we were left speechless by the sheer mountain sized quantity of it. Somehow we managed to finish half plate.
Well fed and happy we left the hotel and began our journey back. We stopped for an occasional picture or two. The return ride was more pleasant as by that time the sky had become overcast which brought down the temperature a bit. Also the flowers looked brighter against the green backdrop in the shade. The Pune Satara highway has a very large tunnel. This was the first time I was crossing a tunnel on a bike. The air rush with all the light and shadow play on the walls made me feel like we were in some Harry Potter video game navigating a dungeon on a broomstick :D.
We were home by 2.30 PM. We were tired but happy. After a year almost we did a long ride.
During the ride we discussed a lot about the Maharashtrian cuisine and spicy Kolhapuri chicken was also discussed. The bold and super spicy dish from Kolhapur is well known for its heat content. If it's not spicy its not authentic Kolhapuri chicken. The next day being a Sunday was our usual day for Chicken. Since so much had been discussed about spicy chicken curry I decided to make something on similar lines. But didnt want it overpowered with spiciness, so it had to be something with the rich flavours of regional chicken but at the same time be low on the heat. I had heard one of my colleagues at office who is from Rajasthan, talk about a particular dish famous in Rajasthan - Laal Maas or Fiery Red Mutton curry. The colour itself is something to talk about - mutton pieces cooked in a rich deep red coloured spicy sauce. What Kolhapuri Chicken is to Maharashtra , Laal Maas is to Rajasthan. I didn't have mutton in the pantry so it had to be tweaked to accommodate chicken in the same recipe.
I looked up on the net and found many recipes of Laal Maas. Among them one of my favorite blogger Soma of eCurry's Rajasthani red chicken curry looked very delicious. She had a lot of garlic seasoning in her recipe but I tweaked the ingredient list according to my taste - I am not very fond of strong garlic smell in my Indian chicken curry. So I reduced the quantity of garlic and other masalas to keep the curry light on the stomach while keeping the color intact. I was a bit doubtful about the color that Soma had produced in her dish but finally I also managed the same hue. The recipe turned out soooo very good that I got compliment that it was tasting just like "Biyebarir Mangsho" or Mutton prepared during wedding dinners in Bengal.
Marination Time: 4 hours or overnight
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves:2
Cuisine: Rajasthani
Ingredients :
Marinade:
- Chicken - 500 gm
- Lemon Juice- 1/2 lemon
- Red Chilli Powder
- Yoghurt - 3 tbsp
- Salt
- Dried Red Chilli (Deseeded)- 10-12
- Ginger Root - 3 inch
- Garlic Clove - 4
- Onion - 1/2 of a medium onion
- Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Corriander Powder - 1/4 tsp
Curry:
- Potato - 1 big
- Onion - 1 1/2 (Sliced in thin half moons)
- Bay Leaves - 2
- Cloves - 4
- Cardamom - 3
- Cinnamon - 3 inch
- Tomato - 1 medium
- Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
- Garam Masala Powder - 3/4 tsp
- Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
- Refined Oil
- Salt as per taste
- Sugar as per taste
Method:
1. Clean the chicken and add all the ingredients mentioned under marinade, mix well. Let it sit overnight for better taste.
2. De-seed he Red chillies. Soak them in warm water for 10 minutes. Use good quality and more number of red chillies to get a better colour.
3. In a blender add the soaked red chillis and everything mentioned under paste and grind to a fine paste.
4. Dice the Potoes and fry them till brown edges are formed
5. Heat oil in a wok. When the oil is smoking add the onions, salt and sugar. Toss around till the onion becomes light brown in color. The sugar will caramelize and color the onion.
6. Add the Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove and Bay leaf into the wok. Saute for a couple of minutes.
7. Add the Tomato and cook till they become slightly mushy.
8. Add the chicken and keep the marinade aside. Toss the chicken till it is coated well with the mixture in the wok. Fry till the chicken is lightly browned in the edges.
9. Now add the rest of the marinade and saute for 3 minutes.
10. Add the paste mentioned in step three. Saute till oil separates. Then add water according to the gravy desired. At least add 2 1/2 cups of water as we are going to pressure cook it, so enough water should be present to ensure the chicken doesn't get burnt.
11. Add the fried potatoes, garam masala powder and whisked yoghurt. Fold in everything and cook for 1 minute.
12. Transfer the content of the wok into a pressure cooker and cook it for one whistle
When you open the lid you will see red oil floating on the chicken and the gravy has also attained a red hue.
Note: I am still perfecting this recipe until I reach the desired deep red hue.I have kept the spice level of the recipe very mild as neither me or hubby prefers overtly spicy dishes. And still I got the color near perfect and tasted pretty royal.
Serve it on a bed of steamed rice or with any Indian Rotis.
Today is Diwali so wish all my reader a very happy, joyous and safe Diwali. Celebrate the Festival of Lights with Light and avoid noisy crackers. Spare a thought for the animals also who get scared by the noise. Let's pledge for a greener Diwali this year.
This was one fire cracker of a recipe for this Diwali. Prepare the dish for your near and dear ones and Enjoy!
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