SUKA MUTTON (Picnic mutton)
This is a black masala dry mutton that is easy to carry when you are travelling. Since it has oil, it does not spoil easily, yet refrigeration is recommended. When we were kids and travelled with the family by road, a whole lot of this preparation was always carried with us. When hungry we would stop the cars under some shade and eat it with pao. Tastes best with laadi pao, though.

Ingredients:
1 kg mutton
1-1/2 kg large onion chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
4 tbsps melted ghee
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1-1/2 tsp Prabhu sambhar masala
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp peppercorns
4 inch long pieces of dalchini
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Mix the garlic-ginger paste and all the power masalas thoroughly with the chopped onions and meat and salt. Keep this mixture aside for half an hour. Meanwhile in a large iron kadai fry the cloves, peppercorns and dalchini in the ghee till an aroma starts arising. Add the onion and meat and masala mixture. Cover the kadhai with a thali and put some water on the thali so that the bottom of the kadai does not burn. Cook till meat is tender.
Caution: Do not add water to the preparation. It should cook in its own juices.

SHEVANDICHA KHADKADLA (Lobster khadkhadla)
The word 'khadkadla' is more an onomatopoeia than a word. This preparation is principally made with whole crabs. When the crabs are cooking in a metal vessel, and are brought to boil they make the sound khad khad khad khad... hence the name.

Ingredients:
Approx 10 small crayfish
10-15 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1-1/2 tsp Prabhu sambhar masala
1/4 tsp asafoetida, 1 cup water
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Clean the crayfish. If the crayfish is small shell the tails and leave the heads intact. In a broad vessel heat the oil and add the asafoetida. Add chopped garlic and stir till brown. Add the masalas and let them cook a bit.
Add the water and stir the mixture till the water just about starts to steam. Add the lobsters. When the lobsters are half cooked add the ginger paste. (This helps thicken the gravy slightly). The same recipe can be used to cook prawns and crab.
The main ingredient in these recipes is the Prabhu sambhar masala. This is available at very select places, one such place is Kirtikar Masala at the Girgaum Thakurdwar junction.

HING TELACHE WATANE (Peas in asafoetida and oil)

Ingredients:
1/2 kg shelled green peas
1 tbsps oil
1 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Prabhu sambhar masala
3/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Procedure:
In a small vessel, make a tadka with oil, jeera and asafoetida. Make sure the tadka does not start smoking. Add water and mix. Add the green peas and stir. Add all the masalas and reduce the water till peas are cooked. Add sugar at the end.