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What is the meaning of Jalfrezi.
Jhal Frezi or Jal Frezi is an Indian dish that became popular in the UK. Jhal is a Bengali word meaning spicy and Frezi is loosely translated as stir fried. Jhal frezi was invented by Indian cooks in Bengal while serving British governors in India.
It is said that this dish was first made possibly during the time of Marcus Sandys who was the governor of Bengal during the British Raj in India. Cooks from the Mog tribe were working for him (who can now be found in present-day Bangladesh), who used the leftover meats and created a stir fried dish for themselves.
British governors at the time threw lavish parties that had English roast food & cold cuts (For eg roasted chicken, pork, mutton or beef, sausages, ham, salami etc). And often there were leftovers so the local Indian chefs probably used these leftover meats and stir fried them with onions and chillies which gradually found popularity with the British.
History of Jalfrezi
So the original Jhalfrezi or Jalfrezi is a quick stir fried dish made with meat that was usually left over after a meal. The dish travelled with the British back to Uk and the Indian restaurants made it popular by featuring them on the menu with more ingredients. Soon it became a dish that did not look or tasted like how it started (pretty much the story of many classic dishes). Even vegetarian versions were made available.
In fact chicken Jalfrezi is voted as Favourite British Indian Curry in 2015. A cookbook called “The Indian Cookery Book” written in 1880 mentions “Jhal Frezee” made by using any cold meat that is stir fried in half the quantity of onions. The recipe uses ghee, chillies and salt as the only other ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
Ghee (घी) – 2 tbsp
Cumin (जीरा) – 2 tsp
Onion, Chopped (प्याज़) – ½ Cup
Ginger, Chopped (अदरक) – 1 tbsp
Garlic, Chopped (लहसुन) – 1 tbsp
Green Chillies, Slit and Deseeded (हरी मिर्च) – 3 no
Tomatoes, Chopped (कटा हुआ टमाटर) – 1 cup
Tomatoes, Fresh Puree (टमाटर प्यूरी) – ½ Cup
Salt (नमक) – To Taste
Turmeric Powder (हल्दी पाउडर) – ½ tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder (कश्मीरी मिर्च पाउडर) – ½ tbsp
Coriander Powder (धनिया पाउडर) – ½ tbsp
Cumin Powder (जीरा पाउडर) – 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder, (गरम मसाला) – 1 tsp
Gobi, Florets (फूलगोभी) – ½ cup
Green Beans, Sliced (फ्रेंच बीन्स) – ½ cup
Carrots, Julienne (गाजर) – ½ cup
Cabbage, Sliced (पत्ता गोभी) – 1 cup
Green Capsicum, Julienne (हरी शिमला मिर्च) – ¼ cup
Yellow Capsicum, Julienne (पीली शिमला मिर्च) – ¼ cup
Red Capsicum, Julienne (लाल शिमला मिर्च) – ¼ cup
Coriander, Chopped (धनिया) – A Handful
Paneer, Fingers (पनीर) – 100 gm
Green Chillies, Slit (हरी मिर्च) – 2 no
Onion, Sliced (प्याज) – ¼ cup
Lemon Juice (नींबू का रस) – ½ tbsp
Salt (नमक) – To Taste
Steps
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1
Done
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To make Jhaal (spicy) frezi (stir-fry), we start with heating our kadhai and melt ghee. Add in cumin and roast it then add in chopped onions and stir fry over high heat till for a few seconds. Sprinkle finely chopped ginger, garlic and stir fry on high heat for a few more seconds. |
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2
Done
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Now we add slit & deseeded green chillies, chopped & pureed tomatoes to give them a tangy taste. |
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3
Done
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For veggies we start with cauliflower as it takes a longer time to cook.After cooking it for around one to one and half minute we add our other veggies - beans, carrots, and cabbage with a sprinkle of water to prevent our veggies from sticking or burning on the high heat. We collect our veggies in the centre of our utensil and cover it with a lid and let it cook on low heat to tenderise vegetables and cook it to semi dry. |
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4
Done
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On high heat, we add all 3 types of capsicums, paneer fingers, coriander, slit chillies, sliced onions, lemon for sharpness, and salt to taste and gently toss it by lifting and dropping it by a spatula. |
