Mumbai Style Keema Pav / Chicken Mince Curry With Indian Bread Mumbai Style

Today is Valentine's Day. A day that was marked to celebrate love. In today's world finding true love is becoming more and more harder. But amidst all these disillusions Almighty still sends people who reiterates your belief in this most powerful four lettered word in this entire universe LOVE. I still do meet people who totally surprise me with their untainted heart filled with selfless love. They keep my faith in this magical thing called Love alive. Amidst all the hatred that is slowly engulfing our beautiful planet it is heartening to know that we still value love. Why else would we otherwise have a day which celebrates something so pure so beautiful as love. Beginning from the Saint who started this trail of love even in the face of death who didn't stop spreading love how befittingly his name has today become synonymous with a day when the entire world comes together to restore their belief in this beautiful thing called love.

I have been blessed to be born in a family where people didn't hesitate to express their love for each other and where there was a free flow of love through days and weeks and months and years, Especially during tough times I have seen love becoming the impetus and propelling the weakest, making them resilient to tide through these times. So when life changed tracks, I put love in the forefront while choosing my soul mate, like most of us would do. At many points thereafter life has put us both through gruelling tests where our love have outshone the most trying of times. I must confess that at many points when my love was put to test I might have fallen a little short but Mr. S has proved time and again that he surpassed me when love was put to test.

A few years after we were married, we flew to Mumbai as a combined Business and Valentine Day's trip. Many of you would agree with me those first years after your wedding you do look forward with a lot of eagerness to celebrate Valentine's Day, so it was no different for me. A beautiful room looking straight out into the Arabian Sea and the famed Mumbai Marine drive also known as the queen's necklace, was the perfect setting to celebrate the day of love. As Mr. S left for work I busied myself in preparing for the most romantic Valentine Day's dinner setting. I got in touch with the hotel staff to ready the room for the evening. I wanted to create a red carpet with red roses starting from the door and leading to the dinning table placed next to the large window overlooking the Queen's necklace. Next lot's of heart shaped red balloons spread out all over the room. A bouquet of red roses, red candles placed in every nook and corner to light up the room. I was having butterflies in my stomach as I prepared to slip into my baby pink off shoulder satin gown. I made sure that I had kept his present in the right place and I sat on the wide window seat waiting for him to arrive.

When Mr. S is in working mode he is not accessible over any telephone or mobile. All you are allowed is a what's app message or a normal message which will be answered when able. So when the clock struck 8 in the evening I sent him a couple of messages asking him when he would be back. No reply, time kept ticking, I kept getting restless, a couple of times room service called to ask when dinner could be sent up, but still no message or phone call from Mr. S. Slowly my restlessness was turning to anxiety and anger. For the first time in my life LOVE was being put to test and I didn't know what would be the result. Would my love win or my anger get the better of me. By the time the clock struck 10, tears were welling up in my eyes and I began to pace up and down the room in hurried steps. My baby was warm with the fuming anger bottled up within, my breath was puffing heat and tears were rolling down my cheeks. For once I was tempted to open the door, get into the elevator and walk down the street to the building where Mr. S was engrossed in the meeting, shake him up and tell him that was this the day he chose to treat me like this. 

I thank God today that better sense had prevailed on me and I stayed in my room that evening, fuming almost ready to burst. I also at one point had the inclination of tearing down the rose bouquet, getting into my pyjamas and going to bed. But I hung on, maybe love took over and I wanted to still not ruin what was left of that day. As the clock struck midnight, I decided that I had had enough and it was indeed time for me to go to bed. I had all sorts of thoughts in my mind, I was too angry to reason and all I could think was I will never ever again celebrate Valentine's Day. Just then I received a message which read " Sorry Love. On my Way." Was this all he had to say after he had ruined my day. I just couldn't take it any longer and wept bitterly. The door unlocked at half past midnight and in he came. I still remember his expression to this day. His jaw dropped and he was searching for words looking with bewilderment once at me and once at the room.

He plopped down on the bed as pin drop silence followed looked straight into my eyes and said, I am really sorry, I will make up for this. When I get very angry I become silent and so I didn't respond to him. He came over my side of the bed, took my hands in his and said I know you are very angry, but honestly I just could not leave that decisive meeting. I am doing this for us, for our strong and sturdy future. Hearing this I breathed a little of my anger out. Well what now, I asked him. Let's go out he said and I was ready. Maybe I was also trying to salvage my dream evening by not throwing up a tantrum or being stubborn. I just redid my eyes as the kohl had melted away with my tears. Well what followed next was heart warming. A ride on the Victorias, Mumbai's famed horse drawn carriages, with a bunch of heart shaped red balloons stringed in my hand, the wind caressing my face and blowing away with it my anger, sharing a kala khatta ice gola (flavoured crushed ice lolly) culminating the night by savouring Keema Pav ( Meat Mince Curry served with a tradition Mumbai bun), walking back to the hotel hand in hand, every iota of anger erased from my heart, replaced with love.

Many years have passed since that day, I am glad that pain or anger did not remain with me in my mind or heart. Even today when I recollect, the memories of the ride on the horse drawn carriage, the crushed ice lolly and the Keema Pav is more vivid than the hurt from the episode in the evening. After that day life was not only about love, neither was it a roller coaster, yet even though love faced many tests, it always came out triumphant and we both have weathered a journey which has put us through some really tough tests, yet we have emerged more stronger every single time, bruised yes, but never broken. So as the world celebrates Valentine's Day today I want to send this message out, always believe in love, it's not easy to fulfil the diktat of love, but love is the only fairy dust, mana which makes this life worth living, so always be in love, even in the face of adversities.

The dish I am sharing today is Keema Pav a quintessential Mumbai Street food, which had made my Valentine day special on that day. Also do break away from the norm occasionally celebrate Valentine's Day by going horse riding together, walk hand in hand and stand by the sea letting the waves kiss your toes, eat a crushed ice lolly while letting the coloured water run down your hand, savour Keema Pav while biting into a green chilli and letting it's heat make your eyes watery as everything else drowns with your love and laughter.

Let's take a look at the recipe of Keema Pav. Actually this is the recipe of only the very typical Mumbai Style Keema served as a street food. For the recipe of Pav please click on this link LADI PAV(Dinner Buns) which will take you to a website belonging to my blogger friend Sonia Shringarpure's blog https://thefoodiedoodler.wordpress.com/

Mumbai Style Keema Pav / Chicken Mince Curry With Indian Bread Mumbai Style Recipe ~

Author ~ Piyali Sekhar Mutha

Serves ~ 4

Cuisine ~ Indian / Mumbai Style

Type ~ Street Food

Time ~ 10 minutes preparation + 35 minutes cooking (Please note making time of Keema Masala & Pav Bhaji Masala not included)

Ingredients ~

500 gms Chicken Breast, skinless

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

2 large Onions, finely chopped

1 large Tomato, finely chopped

1 tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala

Salt to taste

1/2 Cup Water

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, fresh, finely chopped

1 tbsp Ginger Juliennes 

To Grind Along With The Chicken Breasts ~

1 tbsp Keema Masala

2 tbsp Mint Leaves, fresh

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, fresh

2 ~ 4 Green Chillies

5 ~ 6 Garlic Cloves 

1 1/2 inch Ginger

For Pav Bhaji Masala ~

2 tbsp Coriander Seeds

5 ~ 6 Dry Red Chillies

1 tbsp Cumin Seeds

1 tbsp Fennel Seeds

1 inch Cinnamon Stick

1  1/2 inch Dried Ginger, Sonth (Alternately use 1 tbsp ginger powder)

1 ~ 2 Dry Mango or 1 tbsp Dry Mango powder / Amchoor

1 tbsp Black Pepper Corns

4 Green Cardamom

6 Cloves

1 Star Anise / Chakri Phool

1/2 Nutmed / Jaiphal

1 strand Mace / Javitri 

For Keema Masala ~

2 Tbsp Coriander Seeds

8 Dry Red Chillies

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tbsp Onion Powder(skip if not available)

1 tbsp Ginger Powder / Sonth 

1 tbsp Black Pepper Corns

1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds

1 inch Cinnamon Stick

6 Cloves

6 Green Cardamom

2 brown Cardamom

2 Bay Leaves

1 tbsp Garlic Powder(skip if not available)

Let's Get Cooking In Easy Steps ~

STEP ~ 1

To Make Pav Bhaji Masala ~

* Grind all the Ingredients under ~ For Pav Bhaji Masala except Ginger Powder & Dry Mango Powder. 

*After the ingredients have been ground to a fine powder, add Ginger and Dry Mango Powder and whizz everything for 30 seconds.

* Cool and transfer to a glass jar. Store this in a cool place. 

NOTE ~ For this recipe only use 1 tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala Powder from above and not the full quantity. 

Alternately you can use store bought Pav Bhaji Masala

This entire process takes 10 minutes

STEP ~ 2

To Make Keema Masala ~

* Grind all the ingredients under For Keema Masala except Ginger, Onion, Garlic and Turmeric Powder to a fine powder.

* Next add the Ginger, Onion, Garlic and Turmeric powder to it and whizz for 30 seconds.

* Cool and store in an airtight container in a cool place.

NOTE ~ For this recipe only use 1 tbsp Keema Masala Powder from above and not the full quantity. 
Alternately you can use store bought Keema Masala
This entire process takes 10 minutes

STEP ~ 3

* Wash the Chicken breast pieces. Keep Aside.

* In a grinder add chicken breasts along with all the ingredients under To Grind Along With The Chicken Breasts. Mince into a fine mince.

* Transfer the Chicken mince into a bowl and keep aside.

STEP ~ 4

* In a pan heat oil. Add Cumin Seeds when hot and let the Cumin Seeds crackle.

* Add finely chopped Onions and fry the onions till they turn golden brown.

* Add finely chopped Tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes softens.

* Add the minced Chicken. Mix all the ingredients in the pan nicely.

* With a potato masher or Pav Bhaji Masher mash all the chicken mince to break them down further.

NOTE ~ The Secret to a great tasting Chicken Mince Curry is very fine minced chicken. The finer the mince, the tastier the curry.

* Once the Chicken is mashed to very fine mince, add Pav Bhaji Masala and Butter. Season with Salt. Mix Well. Simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

* Open the lid, add 1/2 Cup Water and cook on Dum / covered not allowing any steam to escape on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.

STEP ~ 5

* Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and ginger juliennes.

Serve hot with Pav and some more butter. Also add some garnish on the side like chopped fresh coriander, ginger juliennes, green chillies, chopped red onions, pomegranate arils etc.

Cooking Steps In Pictures ~

In a grinder add skinless chicken breasts, mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger, garlic and keema masala powder.

Grind everything to a fine mince. Transfer to a bowl.

Take a pan, add oil. When hot add Cumin Seeds. Let it crackle.

Add in chopped Onions. Fry them till golden brown.