Surprise lasagna gravy


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Preparation Time : 50 minutes

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Serving : 8-10 members

Description

Surprise lasagne gravy . A recipe I came up with for a cooking competition held at my place Where we had to cook with fish , crab or prawn being the main ingredient . I was Participating in a competition nearly after decades . I think my last competition should have been in 1988 in school . Can’t tell you the excitement and nervousness that filled my soul from the time I started to prepare for the competition till the results were announced . First it started with breaking my head as to what dishes I should cook for the competition . I finalised with a cornflakes crusted fish fry , prawn pie , prawn Konkani style fry . but 2 dishes were deep fried and 1 baked . I wanted to serve a main course dish . How much ever I kindled my mind , I just could think of fish curry , chilli fish , fish gravy …. The regular usual things . The other 3 dishes I finalised are cooked regularly at home , was confident but  still wanted to come up with an innovative dish . I was making lasagne for dinner . As layering the lasagne having this competition in mind , my mind just went into what about a fish lasagne but again another baked dish . I just stuck to the concept of lasagne in my mind but wanted it with a surprise twist . Layers like lasagne , what do I use …. Cheese slice bingo … Oops but my prawn pie is a cheesy dish . Umm no way , pls something else ….. My mind and eyes wondered all around . Saw a cabbage in my kitchen counter . Use cabbage leaves instead of lasagne sheets … Wolla and fish mince  for filling . But a main course and not baked . So I decided to steam the layered cabbage and serve it along with a tomato tangy based gravy . Started my experiment and it worked pitch perfect the 3 rd time . The first time my cabbage and filling didn’t stick and came out as dry layers not as I wanted , corrected it by adding an egg to the filling . Second time I steamed the cabbage bundle it was hard , so I had to correct it by blanching it in salted water . Third , my tomato gravy lacked flavour so corrected it by adding bones to it to add more flavour . Four , the cabbage bundle didn’t have flavour of the gravy , so after blanching I poked it all around with a fork and then added it to the gravy . After all these corrections , tadaa , my surprise lasagne gravy was perfect . My hard work paid off and I won the competition . My surprise lasagne gravy and prawn pie were the high light of the competition . I have been wanting to post this recipe from the time I tried it . As the process and writing the recipe needs a lot of time , just kept postponing . So today is the day to reveal the secret of my surprise lasagne gravy .

Ingredients for blanching cabbage leaves

Ingredients
Quantity
Cabbage whole leafs10
Turmeric powder1/4 teaspoon
Saltto taste

Method to blanch cabbage leaves

  1. Take a large whole cabbage .
  2. Remove the cord of the cabbage from below carefully making sure you do not disturb the upper layers of the cabbage .
  3. Immerse the cabbage , cord removed side down in water mixed with turmeric powder and salt to taste .
  4. Let it boil for 8 to 10 minutes . Strain and reserve the water .
  5. Carefully take apart 10 leaves making sure you do not tear the leaves .
  6. Set aside .can use the left over cabbage for any other purpose in cooking

Ingredients for the filling

Ingredients
Quantity
Boneless Fish or Chicken mince 1/4 kg
Chilli powder1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste1/2 teaspoon each
Onion chopped1 big
Green chillies2 chopped
Coriander leaves chopped1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder1/4 teaspoon
Limea squeeze
Egg1
Salt to taste

Method for filling

  1. Marinate the fish or chicken mince with all the above ingredients together and set aside for 15 minutes .

How to proceed

  1. Place four blanched cabbage leaves on top of a muslin cloth in the shape of a flower .
  2. Place one blanched cabbage leaf over the flower shape . Top with filling mixture .
  3. Pat the mixture making sure the blanched cabbage leaf is fully covered with the filling and is levelled .
  4. Repeat the same with three more blanched leaves and filling mixture .
  5. Now close the four flower shaped placed blanched cabbage leaves to form a covering to seal the layered stuffing . ( it will look like a normal cabbage ) .
  6. Now tie the muslin cloth together firmly to close the filled cabbage lasagne . Boil this tied cabbage bundle in the reserved turmeric salted water for 10 minutes .
  7. Remove and reserve the water . Cool completely . In tie the muslin cloth . Poke the cabbage lasagne with a fork all around and set aside .

 

Ingredients for the gravy

Ingredients
 
Fish or chicken bones few ( if using fish filling use fish bones , if using chicken mince for filling use chicken bones
Tomato 1/4 kg ground
Onion 1/4 kg sliced , sautéed in 1 teaspoon oil and ground to a paste
Ginger garlic paste1/4 teaspoon each
Onion 1 chopped
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Oil4 tablespoon
Chilli powder1 teaspoon
Cumin powder1 /2 teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder 1/4 teaspoon
Saltto taste
Coriander leaves chopped 1 tablespoon

Method for the gravy

  1. Heat oil in a non stick kadai . Add cumin seeds and chopped onion . Fry to translucent . Add ginger garlic paste and fry to crisp .
  2. Top wit the fish / chicken bones and sauté for 3 minutes . Remove the bones and set aside . Add ground tomatoes and fry till oil separates .
  3. Top fried ground onion paste and fry for another 3 minutes in medium heat . Tie the fish / chicken bones in a muslin cloth and put it into the tomato onion gravy .
  4. Add chilli powder , cumin powder , coriander powder , pepper powder, salt  and garam masala powder . Mix well .
  5. Add 2 cups of reserved blanched water to get a thick saucy consistency gravy . Bring to boil in medium heat for 8 minutes until all the flavours infuse together and oil separates .
  6. Reduce the flame and immerse the blanched cabbage lasagne bundle carefully . Pour the gravy all over and simmer for 2 to 4 minutes letting some juices of the gravy to get into the cabbage lasagne .
  7. Remove from heat and set aside . Just before serving slice the cabbage lasagne into 8 or more slices . Remove the bone bundle from the gravy .
  8. Heat the gravy , pour over the sliced cabbage lasagne and serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves . Best served with chapathi’s , boiled rice , pulao , roti ….