Beef Vindaloo
This dish is usually cooked with chicken or lamb)
Beef Vindaloo
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 med onion, chopped 1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, peeled 1/4 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp turmeric 2 lbs boneless stewing beef
1 Tbsp coriander seeds cut into 1" cubes
2 tsp chili powder 3 Tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp light mustard seeds 4 cups water
1/2 tsp fenugreek salt to taste
1 tsp ginger-root, ground
Put the onion and garlic in the work bowl of an electric blender. Grind
the spices in a spice grinder. Add to the onion mixture. Blend, adding
enough of the vinegar to make a thick, stiff paste.
Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels. Put the meat in a large bowl.
Coat thoroughly with the paste. Marinate for between 4 and 12 hours.
Melt the ghee in a heavy casserole. Brown the beef carefully - don't
let it burn. Add the water. Cover.
Cook over low heat until tender (1 1/2-2 hours). Remove the cover and
turn up the heat to cook off excess liquid. Add more water if the curry
is too dry. Serve hot.
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This recipe is from the "Aniversary Cookbook - National Evangelical
Church, Kuwait" (No, really!). Can't say that you'll find this book down
at the local bookstore It is easy and
excellent, not hot. Serve it with rice or couscous.
CHICKEN MASALA (Mangalorean style)
1 kg chicken
4 tbsp curd (plain yoghurt)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsps chilli powder
2 tsps coriander powder
1/4 cup oil
salt to taste
Cut chicken into pieces and marinate with curd and salt and keep aside
for an hour.
Heat oil and fry turmeric. Add onion and fry till light brown. Then add
ginger and garlic mixed in a tbsp of water and stir well. Then add
chilli and coriander mixed in 4 tbsps water. Stir well till oil comes
out clear. Now add the chicken and sufficient water to make good sauce.
Cover and let cook on gentile fire till chicken is done.
---------- My notes -------------
1) Cooking is about a half hour to 45 minutes, depending on size of
chicken pieces and level of heat.
2) All of the curd (we used plain yoghurt) curdled (no pun, I think this
is how you would describe it). So, we made another batch of sauce, using
all of the ingredients except the chicken.
3) This was not hot, just spicy enough. You could probably spice it up
with more chilli powder and more garlic, or fresh garlic instead of
powdered.
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Pumpkin Fugadh
A mild sweet curry, ideal as a complement to a spicy hot curry
Ingredients:
1 lb diced butternut pumpkin
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped tomato
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
4 Tbsp oil
400 ml coconut cream
200 ml water
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish
Heat oil and cook mustard seeds until they burst. Add chopped onion and
fry until tender. Add chopped tomato and tumeric, cook briefly (approx
2 mins). Put in the diced pumpkin, salt and water. Stir well to coat
the pumpkin. Add coconut cream. Cover and cook until pumpkin is soft -
this depends on how small/large you dice. Garnish with chopped
coriander.
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Palak Gosht
Lamb and Spinach
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil or ghee
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 inch piece fresh ginger-root, finely chopped
1.5 tsp turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot paprika
2 lbs lean diced lamb
800 ml coconut cream
1.5 tsp salt
2 curry leaves (optional)
1 pkt frozen chopped spinach
Instructions:
Heat oil in heavy pan. Add onions and fry until golden brown Add
garlic, ginger and all spices except salt Fry for 5 minutes until
fragrant. If mixture is too dry add a little water. Stir regularly to
prevent burning Add lamb and toss through to coat with onion/spices. Fry
further 10 minutes, stirring to prevent burning/sticking Add thawed
spinach and mix thoroughly. Add coconut cream and salt. Stir well. Add
curry leaves, bring to a rapid boil Reduce heat and allow to simmer for
at least _1.5_ hours covered. Remove lid and simmer till sauce reduces,
usually 15-30 minutes.
This is an exceptionally hot curry, if you prefer a milder curry reduce
by half the following ingredients: chilli powder and hot paprika.
This recipe also lends itself to substituting chicken for the lamb.
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Alu Gosht Kari
Meat and Potato Curry
Ingredients:
3 lbs beef skirt steak
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp ginger-root, finely chopped
3 medium onions, finely sliced
1.5 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp coriander
1 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp chilli powder
3 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp garam masala
2 Tbsp extra vinegar
1.5 lbs cubed potatoes
2 Tbsp fresh coriander
Cut steak into cubes. Heat oil and fry mustard seeds till they burst.
Add fenugreek, garlic, ginger and onion. Fry until the onions are
golden. Add turmeric and fry 1 minute longer. Add coriander, cumin and
chilli. Stir well. Add salt and vinegar, and fry until liquid
evaporates. Sprinkle in the garam masala and mix well. Add meat and
turn till coated. Add extra vinegar if spices start to stick. Reduce
heat, cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Add cubed potatoes and cover.
Cook for another 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Garnish
with fresh coriander.
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Zeera Murg
(Cumin Chicken)
Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken thigh cutlets or breasts, whole or in fine strips
juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cayenne
2-3 oz flour
3-6 oz butter
2 onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2.5 inch piece ginger-root, finely chopped
2-4 tsp cumin seeds
500 ml yoghurt*
150 ml fresh cream* (or equal quantity of sour light cream)
1 can coconut cream (if mixture seems too dry through prolonged cooking)
thinly pared rind of 1 lemon, in a single piece
Place chicken on a large plate and rub over with lemon juice. Set aside
for at least 20 minutes, then pat fry with kitchen paper. Mix salt,
cayenne and flour on a plate and dredge chicken pieces, shaking off
excess. Melt butter in pan, add the chicken and fry until browned. Add
onions, garlic, ginger and cumin seeds and fry until golden brown. Stir
in yoghurt, cream and lemon rind. Return chicken to mixture and mix
until all chicken is well coated. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to
low, and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked. Uncover the pan
for the last 20 minutes, to allow sauce to reduce. Discard lemon rind
(if you can find it) before serving.
I found that the mixture was too dry for the quantity of chicken, so I used
additional yoghurt/sour cream and the coconut cream to get the consistancy
I liked.
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Chicken Tikka Masala
Marinade ingredients:
2 Tbsp cummin seeds
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp mango powder (optional)
1 tsp chilli powder (optional or to taste)
pinch of red food colouring (optional, but it looks nice)
juice of a lime (or lemon, but lime is better)
about 10 oz good thick yoghurt
salt to taste
Other ingredients:
About 1.5 lb chicken, diced
3-6 cloves garlic, chopped (to taste - I like loads!)
1 large onion, very finely chopped
Chicken stock or Water
Oil or ghee for frying
Method:
Grind the spices and mix with marinade ingredients. Immerse chicken in
marinade and leave in the fridge for 24 hours Heat Oil in a frying pan
(skillet!) or wok until very hot Stir fry chicken vigorously for about 5
mins (you may need to do it in 2 batches, depending on the size of your
pan) Remove chicken and keep warm.
Fry onion and garlic until just browning and return chicken with any
remaining marinade, plus stock, plus more spices if you think the sauce
needs it; an extra tsp of cummin and coriander may 'lift' it a little
Simmer until chicken is cooked and Sauce is nice and thick.
Serves 4 with rice.
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Lamb with Spinach
(Lamb Saag)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 lb lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lrg onion, finely chopped
4 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder (or less if you want)
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 inch finely chopped fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lbs fresh spinach, trimmed, washed and torn in small pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Heat the oil in a casserole and cook the onion over medium-high heat,
stirring constantly, until soft. Stir lamb, coriander, mustard seeds,
cumin, chili powder and turmeric. Mix all the ingredients well. Add 1
Tbsp of yogurt and cook over high heat, stirring the meat until all
the yogurt is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with the second
Tbsp of yogurt, third, and so on.
When the yogurt is used up, stir in the ginger and garlic, add just
enough water to cover the meat and bring to boil. Cover the casserole,
lower the heat and simmer for one hour.
When the meat is cooked, increase the heat to medium and add the
spinach in batches, stirring each batch until it is wilted. When all
the spinach is incorporated, cook the stew, uncovered, over high heat
to evaporate any excess liquid, about five minutes. Add the salt just
before serving.
Serve with rice and pappadoms.
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Saag Aloo
Saag Aloo is a delicious spicy blend of spinach and chunky potatoes, and
goes very well with parathas or naan. It is very easy and inexpensive
to make, and will impress the heck out of your friends, especially if
you go for the mughlai version. Be prepared to turn down marriage
proposals though. :-)
It is also very versatile. I have served this as a side dish with naan,
rice or wheat tortillas; used this as a stuffing with pita bread, and as
stuffing in vegetable lasagna. If you find more uses for it, do let me
know. (prem@prem.lbl.gov)
Please don't be intimidated by the length of this article. The basic
procedure is very short and simple. The article is long because of the
suggestions, variations etc. Give it a shot.
( source: a hand-written sheet of paper. dunno original source. )
( The serving suggestions, the variations, the warnings/notes and )
( optional improvements are my ideas. )
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Saag Aloo
Ingredients:
Vegetables:
1 can (16 oz) chopped Spinach, drained
1/2 lb (2 large-size) potatoes, cut in chunks
1-2 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 medium-sized onion, sliced into thin strips
2-3 Tbsp water
Spices & Flavourings:
6 whole black peppercorns, crushed coarsely
2 cloves of cardamom, crushed
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small matchsticks
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely shredded.
(or pinch of chili powder)
salt
Optional "touches":
some blanched, slivered almonds, cashews
sliced mushrooms, added with the onions
for "mughlai" taste, replace cumin powder (jeera)
with fennel seeds (saunf)
Vessels:
1 saucepan
1 bowl of water to soak potato chunks
Serves:
6 as a side dish
3 as a main dish
Procedure:
Soak the potato chunks in a small bowl full of water until you need to
use them.
Heat ghee/oil in the saucepan on medium-low heat. When oil is hot,
reduce heat to low; add the crushed peppercorns, cardamom seeds and
almonds/cashews and saute gently for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chili, ginger, onion and garlic to the saucepan and raise heat
to medium. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring lightly to prevent
browning or burning.
Stir in the spices and salt and mix well. Drain the potato chunks and
add them (without the water). Stir vigorously as you turn the heat up,
until potatoes are half baked and are covered thoroughly with the rest
of the stuff. (you can add a little turmeric too at this point, though
it isn't essential).
Reduce heat back to medium and add about 2 tablespoons of water. Bring
to a boil, lower heat and simmer, stirring occassionally.
Gently stir in the spinach and simmer for about 20 minutes until the
potatoes are tender. Add a small quantity of water if necessary. Don't
add too much water. This is a moist dish, not a liquid one.
Cover it. Turn the heat off. It's done.
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VERY IMPORTANT: WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN SCREW UP:
1. The intensity of heat you use to cook is crucial. So follow the
guidelines exactly. When in doubt, be conservative and use low
heat, it will just take a few more minutes, that's all.
2. Adding too much water will ruin it.
NOTES:
1. VERY EASY TO MAKE. Even I have made this without screwing up!!! :-)
2. Total time required is about 45 minutes. Less if you already have
the ingredients ready for another accompanying dish.
3. Quite inexpensive, even if you add the almonds and cashews and the
fancy geegaws.
VARIATIONS:
1. As already mentioned, replace cumin powder with fennel seeds for
a mughlai taste.
2. You can add a few fresh green peas to the equation. If you are
using fresh or dried peas, soak them accordingly and add early.
If you're using frozen peas, you can add them after the potatoes.
3. You can sprinkle a very small pinch of masala towards the end of
the process, though I prefer not to, since masala can overpower
the other flavours.
4. Squeeze a lemon (or some concentrate) just before serving, or
offer a few slices of lemon individually on the side.
5. Add some paneer/feta cheese chunks, or even tofu while saute'ing.
6. Puree all or part of the spinach in a blender.
7. If you plan to use this as filling for lasagna, either cut the
potatoes into small pieces or replace them altogether with peas.
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TANDOORI CHICKEN
(Serves 4)
TANDOORI in INDIAN stands for an earthern oven which is sort
of cylindrical and uses coal as the fuel.
This recipe will need a bar-b-que grill as a substitute. It
can be also cooked in a gas or electric oven, but it will lose
most of its flavour. Also, the chicken has to be marinaded for
atleast 6 hours, ideally 12 hours overnight.
You will need the following:
1. 12 Chicken drumsticks and/or breast pieces (skin removed)
2. 1 cup plain yoghurt (pref.) or 2 cups Buttermilk
3. 1 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
4. 2 tbsp coriander powder
5. 1 tbsp garlic powder } FRESHLY GROUND IS
6. 1 tbsp ginger powder } MUCH BETTER
7. 1 tbsp cumin powder
8. 1/2 tbsp. GARAM MASALA powder (available at any/all Indian grocery
stores)
You can prepare #8 at home by dry grinding to a powder the following:
(20 black pepper corns 0r equivalnet black pepper powder, 5 cloves,
1 inch cinnamon stick, 4-5 cardamoms, 1 tsp. cumin powder, 2 bay
leaves plus some more stuff I dont know, although this should be
fine )
9. Meat tenderizer (optional)
10. 2 tbsp. salt (use less if tenderizer contains salt)
IF YOU LIKE IT HOT AND SPICY , ADD 1 TBSP. EXTRA OF ALL SPICES FROM NOS.
3-8.
Method:
Prick the chicken pieces with a fork all over. apply the
tenderizer to the chicken pieces and let it stand for an hour or so.
The marinade : Take a wide and deep bowl about 12 2 inches wide and deep
enough to hold all the chicken pieces. Add the yoghurt plus one cup
water or the buttermilk with no water into the bowl. Add all the spices
from nos. 3 thru 8 into the bowl and stir to form a
homogeneous mixture.Now add the chicken pieces into the mixture, so
that they are all covered with the paste/mixture. Cover the bowl with a
lid and let it stand for 6 hours. If you plan to marinade for 12-15
hours, put it in the refrigerator. The more time it is marinated, the
better it will absorb the spices and the tastier it will be.
When you are ready to grill the chicken, apply melted butter to the
the chicken pieces with a brush or spoon all over and you are ready to
grill the chicken on the barbeque in the normal fashion. turn over the
chicken pieces when they look brownish red in color or darker if you
prefer it well done.
Slice finely onion into rings, add some salt and lemon juice to it, to
be served as a salad with the tandoori chicken. lemon juice sprinkled
on the cooked pieces also adds to the flavor , if you wish.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy this recipe!
My favorite rice is basmati, for its texture and fragrance, but you can
also use jasmine rice or ordinary long-grain white rice. You may want
to wash and drain the rice. If you use converted rice, increase the
amount of water accordingly.
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SAFFRON RICE
Ingredients:
1/4 tsp saffron threads
3 Tbsp warm milk
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup raisins (or currants, or dried cranberries)
1/2 cup cashew pieces or sliced almonds (or pistachio pieces)
1-1/2 cup long-grained white rice
3 cup water
1 Tbsp sugar (or honey)
(Yes, saffron is expensive, but there's really no substitute. But it's
used in small amounts, and it's much cheaper at Indian groceries).
Measure the saffron threads into a small bowl and crush them with the
back of a spoon (I use a small mortar & pestle). Heat the milk (do not
boil) and add to the bowl, stirrinng to dissolve the saffron. Stir in
the sugar, and let stand while preparing rice.
In a small pot or frying pan, melt the butter and saute the raisens and
nuts over very low heat for 2 min. (I eliminate this step and just add
these things halfway through cooking the rice.) Boil the water, add the
rice and stir with a fork. Cover the pot and cook over low to medium
heat for 12-15 min, until the rice has absorbed much of the water. Add
the saffron, milk and sugar mixture and stir gently with a fork. Add
the butter, raisins, and nuts and stir again. Be careful while stirring
not to break the individual grains or the rice will become mushy. Cover
the pot and cook another 10 min. or so until the liquid has been
absorbed and the rice is completely cooked. (If there is liquid left
when the rice is done, cook for a couple of min. with the lid off.) The
color of the rice will be bright yellow, and the saffron will smell
wonderful. Serve immediately, as it does not taste the same reheated
(actually, it still tastes pretty fine reheated, so don't fret about
this).
Serves 4-6.
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