Indian Recipes from Toronto’s Pukka Restaurant

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Feeling the need to change up your usual menu items and try something new? If that’s the case, Indian restaurant Pukka located in Toronto has some recipes for you. Created by their Chef Kirti Singh, try the French Beans with Coconut and Fresh Tumeric, Indian Spiced Braised Beef Short Ribs or the Indian Spiced Turkey Kebabs with Pomegranate Chutney.

French Beans with Coconut and Fresh Turmeric

Recipe serves 4 as a side dish Ingredients

450 g French beans

2 tbs Coconut oil

10 pcs Curry leaves

1tbs Turmeric paste*

1⁄4 cup Raw coconut {freshly grated}

1⁄4 tbs Mustard seeds

1⁄4 tbs Red chilli flakes

1⁄4 tbs Kosher salt

1⁄2 cup Red onion chopped

2 Garlic cloves minced

pinch Black pepper

1 tbs  tamarnd pulp

Preparation
Turmeric paste*: 250 grams fresh turmeric. Wash turmeric root. Roast at 325F for 1 hour until cook through and soft, similar to a cooked sweet potato. Once cooked, remove and let cool. With a motor and pestle, mash turmeric into a paste. {It isn’t necessary to peel the outside skin.}

Clip the stem from the beans leaving the pointed end of opposite side intact. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch beans making sure not to overcook. As French beans are quite delicate, this takes only 30 seconds. Remove beans from pot and immediately submerge in ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, remove from water and let drain.

In a large frying pan, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Drop a few mustard seeds into the oil and once it begins to sputter, add remaining mustard seeds and stir for 1 minute. Now add the onion and garlic and continue to sauté until the onion begins to soften and become translucent. Add curry leaves, chilli, turmeric paste and sauté for 1 minute, then add beans and tamarind. Continue to sauté, tossing the ingredients so that the beans are coated. Add coconut and a pinch of salt and pepper, toss for another 2 minutes. Test a bean to see if it is heated thoroughly, crisp, not over- cooked, adjust salt as desired.

Once cooked, transfer to a large serving bowl and sprinkle with more grated coconut. Serve immediately.


Indian Spiced Braised Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 tablespoons canola oil

6 beef short ribs with bones, cut 2 inches thick (about 4 pounds)

Note: short ribs cut across the bones instead of parallel to them can be ordered at butcher shops

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, sliced

3 celery ribs, sliced

3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons of ginger paste

4 tea spoons garam masala

1 bottle red wine (preferably syrah/shiraz)

3 cups chicken stock

 

Preparation:

  1. In a large skillet, heat the oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add the ribs to the skillet and cook over medium heat, turning once, until browned and crusty, about 18 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a shallow baking dish in a single layer.
  2. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add the wine and garam masala and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour the hot marinade over the ribs and let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the ribs once.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Transfer the ribs and marinade to a large, enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the lower third of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Uncover and braise for 45 minutes longer, turning the ribs once or twice, until the sauce is reduced by about half and the meat is very tender.
  4. Transfer the meat to a clean shallow baking dish, discarding the bones as they fall off. Strain the sauce into a heatproof measuring cup and skim off as much fat as possible. Pour the sauce over the meat; there should be about 2 cups.
  5. Preheat the broiler. Broil the meat, turning once or twice, until glazed and sizzling, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to plates, spoon the sauce on top and serve.

Serving suggestion:

Steamed basmati rice, garlic mashed potatoes or broad pasta noodles like papparadelle work well as an accompaniment to these full-flavoured ribs. In a deep dinner plate or wide bowl, place your choice of starch in the centre, set rib with bone on top and spoon sauce over the whole dish. Garnish and enjoy!

Indian spiced Turkey Kebabs with pomegranate chutney

Turkey Kebabs

Ingredients

500 gr Ground Turkey (30% white 70% dark) (preferably free range and/or organic)
3 red onions finely chopped
1 large egg (preferably free range)
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 cloves, crushed garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
50 g dried cranberry chopped
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ground red chilli
100 ml vegetable oil

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425 F / 220 C. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients for the kebabs like a meat ball except the vegetable oil. Mix with hand and shape into about 25 sliders ( kebabs) , each weighing about 20 g.
Pour enough vegetable oil into large frying pan . Add the kebabs in batches to the pan when the oil starts to sputter. Cook each batch for about 5 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared kebabs to a baking sheet lined with wax paper and place it oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve warm with chutney or raita.

Pomegranate Chutney

(yields approximately 400ml)

Ingredients

473 ml of pure pomegranate juice (unsweetened) *we use “POM”

seeds from 3 pomegranates

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp cloves

8 whole green cardamom pods

2 tbsp cane sugar

1 tsp red chilli powder

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cups water

Preparation

  1. In a heavy bottomed pan add the pomegranate juice, seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, sugar, red chilli powder, salt and water.
  2. Keep on a low heat to boil and thicken like a syrup. You can partially cover the pot. This will take approximately ½ an hour to 1 hour.
  3. When the syrup thickens and all the pulp has been cooked remove from heat and allow to cool.
  4. Remove the cinnamon sticks and blend the whole mixture in a blender.
  5. Strain the puree through a fine sieve mashing it so that you get the pulp and only the seeds remain.
  6. Remove in a clean and dry, air tight glass bottle and refrigerate.