Mince and Mushroom Hot Pot

I have been meaning to make this recipe for  a long time. Ever since my friend Jayanti posted her recipe to me and Laxmi posted it on her blog, I have wanted to  have a bite of it. I finally got a chance today. My brother-in-law Makrand is visiting and I decided that this would be a no-fail formula. And was  I right!

The mince by itself was yum! I could just dip a bread in it and eat it all by itself. But the potatoes, mushrooms the sauce, everything just added to the flavor. I did make a few changes, but they are really very minor changes. Try this recipe, all you mutton eaters and tell me if you liked it.

Ingredients

• 250 g mutton mince
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 7 cardamom pods
• 1 badi elaichi
• 5 peppercorns
• 5 cloves
• 1 javintri (Mace)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt to taste
• 1/2 pack potato croquettes (or as in my case herbed potato wedges)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• Cream of Mushroom soup powder (Knorr or Maggi)
• 2 tomatoes sliced horizontally
• 1/4th cup peas
• 1 cup grated mozarella cheese

First make the mutton mince.  Heat the oil in a wok and throw in the cardamom, badi elaichi, cloves, and peppercorns and saute for about two minutes. Now remove the whole spices from the oil and tie in a muslin cloth. (What I did was to empty a tea bag, put the spices in it, seal it once again and put it in the mutton mince once again.) This is to be able to remove the spices as a whole in the later stage.

Once the spices are removed add the onions to the oil. Saute for two minutes and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute well for about four minutes and add the mutton mince. Add the salt and the dry spices and cook till the mince is almost done. Now add the white wine and cook for few more minutes.

Make the mushroom sauce. Mix half the soup powder in one and half cup of water. Bring to a boil slowly. Stir all the time. This makes the soup become a thick sauce.

Grease an oven proof baking tin and pack the mince in it. Level it. Now add one layer of the potato croquettes. Layer the sliced mushrooms on it. Layer the sauce on top of the mushrooms. Line another layer with the tomatoes and peas.

Slide the tin into the oven and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the grated cheese as the final layer and once again put it in the oven. Bake for five more minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve hot as a one-dish meal!

Happy Cooking!