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

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

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

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 ….