This is one of my favorite dishes. I get my Grandmother to cook it for me every time I see her! She uses tender pieces of veal to prepare it and was gracious enough to share her recipe with me. The dish gets its name from the almost paper thin (parcha is the Hindi word for note) veal steaks used to make it!
Ingredients:
- 1 kg veal steaks cut into 2" square pieces
- 6 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
- 4 large onions - 2 halved then sliced thinly, 2 cut into thick circular slices
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 1/2 tbsps black mustard seeds, roasted then ground to fine powder
- 3/4 tbsp cumin powder, roasted then ground to fine powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into thick circular slices
- 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into wedges
Preparation:
- Heat 3 tbsps of the cooking oil (on medium heat) in a large pan and when hot add the thinly sliced onions to it. Fry till soft and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for 2 minutes.
- Now add all the powdered spices and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the meat to this and cook till browned.
- Add the white vinegar and 1/2 a cup of warm water to this and cook till the meat is done. Season with salt to taste. Turn off the heat. This dish has minimal and thick gravy so adjust water accordingly.
- In a separate pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the potato wedges till cooked and golden. Drain on paper towels and keep aside.
- In the same oil, fry the thick onion slices till soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Do the same for the tomato slices so as to cook them very slightly.
- Spoon the meat into a serving dish and garnish with the onions, potatoes and tomatoes. Serve with rice, your favorite Daal and a salad or with hot Chapatis (Indian flatbread).
