Tikka Kebabs

This was a fantastic recent find of mine.  I have a couple of amazing cookbooks by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.  They are a couple who travels in different parts of the world (mostly Asia) and learn to cook in villages by the locals.  They have the most wonderful recipes in beautiful books.  This recipe came from Mangoes and Curry Leaves:Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent.  It just so happened that this book was the end book on my cookbook shelf.  The back cover picture kept staring at me calling my name until I became determined to find out just what that dish was.  This is it.  As my husband said, this was the best marinade he's ever had.  And this is a man who is serious about eating good meat!
The recipe is supposed to be for lamb kebabs (not much in the way of beef recipes in India) but seeing as we do eat beef here and good lamb is harder to come by, I used beef instead of lamb when we did these up.  We've had them twice in the past 2 weeks, once without the yogurt in the marinade as I didn't have any on hand and once with.  Both versions were good.  I even managed to convince my husband to BBQ them for me in the snow - isn't he great?



Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder (I used stewing beef in substitution)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp minced garlic (or garlic mashed to a paste)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4-1/2 tsp ground black pepper (optional)
lime or lemon wedges

Trim the meat of any excess fat and cut into 3/4 inch cubes.  Set aside in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, coriander. oil, 1 tsp of the salt, the cayenne, and black pepper.  Pour over the meat.  Stir with a spoon or your hands to get all the meat surfaces coated with marinade.  Cover  and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for as long as 12 hours. 
Thread the meat onto metal skewers, without pressing them tightly together, grill over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until browned on the outside and pale pink in the centre (or all the way through if you prefer).
Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 tsp of salt over the meat.  Put out lime or lemon wedges so guests can squeeze on fresh juice.
Serve with flatbread.

A Feast of Indian Food

I don't think there's a week that goes by in our house without me making one kind of curry or another. All of these recipes came from 2 of my favorite cookbooks. I became so addicted the the Bhajis, I made them again the following week. So tasty (and probably terrible for you, but great with a glass of beer)

Jamie Oliver's Vegetable Bhajis
One of my favorite discoveries this year.

2 large carrots (I used sweet potato instead the second time I made these and they were just as good)
a 4 inch piece of ginger root
2 medium red onions (I substituted the equivalent in shallots)
2-3 red chilies (I didn't have these so I used jalapenos instead)
a large bunch of fresh cilantro
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp tumeric
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sea salt
1 heaped cup self rising flour (I don't carry this on hand, I used one cup all purpose flour plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
1 quart vegetable oil
a piece of potato (to test oil heat)
juice of 1 lemon
2 limes (optional)

Prep
Peel and grate or shred the carrots, ginger and red onions and put them into a large bowl. Finely chop the chiles and add to the bowl. Roughly chop the cilantro. Add the mustard seeds, tumeric, cumin seeds, salt and chopped cilantro to the bowl, Add the flour, plus 1/2 cup of cold water and scrunch together using your hands. The mixture will be messy and thick.

Cooking
Use a deep fat fryer if you have one, which I don't. I used a large cooking pot. Add the oil. Drop in a piece of potato - when it floats to the surface and begins to sizzle, the oil is ready. Remove the potato using a slotted spoon. Pick up a tbsp of the bhaji mixture, press it together and carefully lower it into the hot oil. Repeat so you are cooking several at once. Cook for 5 minutes until they are crispy and golden. Remove using the slotted spoon and put them on some paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with a little salt and squeeze of lemon juice (I skipped that part). Repeat with other bhajis.
Serve with lime wedges.

*Bhajis can be made with all sorts of vegetables, just keep the onions the same.

Jamie Oliver's Vindaloo

2 medium onions
4 cloves of garlic
1-2 red chiles (I left this out, I knew the vindaloo paste would make it hot enough for me without)
a thumb sized piece of ginger
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
4 ripe tomatoes (I didn't have on hand so I used 4 canned tomatoes instead)
peanut or vegetable oil
a pat of butter
1 3/4 pounds meat (he suggests pork shoulder, I used chicken)
1/2 cup vindaloo or hot curry paste (Patak's is the best)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 cup plain yogurt
1 lemon

Prep
Peel, halve and finely slice the onions. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice the chile. Pee and finely slice the ginger. Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

Cooking
Use a large casserole type pan. Put it on medium to high heat with a little oil and the butter. Add the onions, garlic, chile, ginger, and cilantro stalks and cook for 10 minutes, until softened and golden. Add the meat and the curry paste. Stir well to coat everything with the paste and season with a little salt and pepper. Add the tomoatoe, balsamic vinegar, honey and 1 2/3 cup water and stir again. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer for 45 minutes. Check and stir regularly to keep the meal from catching on the pan. Add extra water if you need it. Serve over rice (basamati is best for Indian curries)

Dal with Coconut Milk (from Mangoes and Curry Leaves)

This is a dish from Sri Lanka, and so tasty. Don't get over excited about the coconut milk like I did and add too much, stick with the measurements listed to make a nice, thick dal.

1 cup masur dal, washed (orange-red lentil)
5 cups water

1 tbsp veg oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced shallots or red onion
6-8 fresh or frozen curry leaves
2-3 dried red chiles
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 cup coconut milk

Put dal in a medium pot with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the head to a low simmer and cook fo 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
Heat a wok or heavy skillet over medium high heat and add the oil.. Toss in the garlic and shallots and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves, chiles and ground coriander. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and coconut milk. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the tempering mixture to the dal and simmer for a for minutes to blend the flavors. The thicker you simmer it the thicker it will get.

Samosa Filling

4-5 potatoes, cooked and mashed
4 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup peas
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 chili, chopped
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
3 tbsp water
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp lemon juice

Cook everything up together, use to fill samosas (can use filo as casing)

Chicken Korma

This is the third recipe I've tried from Jamie's Food Revolution and the third recipe that we've loved (I'm seeing a pattern here with this book).  I made it mild (omitted the chili) so my kids would try it too.  My oldest (who is 5) decided he didn't like it because the chicken was pink (he decided this before tasting, he did admit it tasted good after one bite).  My 2nd (who is 3) surprised the heck out of me by eating all of his because he is usually so picky, but he really like this.  I'll have to make it again.  It was fun plating it out to look pretty with the garnishes.  I served it with basamati rice and Na'an bread.

1 3/4 pounds skinless chicken breasts
2 medium onions
1 fresh green chili (optional)
a thumb size piece of fresh root ginger
a small bunch of cilantro
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans
peanut or vegetable oil
a pat of butter
1/2 cup korma or other mild curry paste (I used Patak's Tandoori mild)
1 14 oz can of coconut milk
a small handful of sliced almonds (I had slivered on hand)
2 heaped tsp unsweetened shredded coconut
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups natural yogurt
1 lemon

Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces.  Peel, halve and finely slice onions.  Halve, seed and finely slice the chili (if using).  Peel and finely chop the ginger.  Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks.  Drain the garbanzo beans.
Put a large pan on high heat and add a couple lugs of oil.  Add the onions, chili, ginger and cilantro stalks with the butter.  Keep stirring it enough so it doesn't catch and burn but turns evenly golden. Cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the curry paste, coconut milk, half the almonds, the beans, coconut and chicken.  Fill the empty can with water, pour it into the pan and stir again.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes with lid on.  Check the curry regularly to make sure it's not drying out (add extra water if neccessary).  When the chicken is tender and cooked, taste and season with salt and pepper.  (I let the korma continue to simmer with the lid off after 30 minutes to let the sauce thicken up a bit).

Serve with rice.  Add a few spoonfuls of yogurt dolloped on top, and sprinkle over the rest of the sliced almonds.  Finish by scattering over the cilantro leaves and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Samosas

These are in no way the authentic, wonderful samosas that I crave from time to time. These are the cheaters version and a great way to use up filo pastry sheets. They still go great with chicken tikka masala.

filling:
4-5 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed coarsely)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup slightly cooked peas
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp cayenne
a few shakes of hot pepper sauce
1 tbsp margarine

Pre-heat oven to 400*. Melt margarine in large skillet. Add all the above ingredients mix well and heat thoroughly.

to form into samosas:
Take a sheet of filo pastry. Use a butter knife to cut into 4 strips (width wise). Brush cooking oil overtop of the sheet. Put a spoonful of filling onto the end of each strip and fold up into a triangle, repeat the folds until you reach the top of the strip. Repeat with more filo and filling.
Place samosas onto a baking sheet (you should have enough to fill 2 baking sheets with 12 samosas when finished. Bake for about 8 minutes (filo will be slightly browned). Great when dipped into plum sauce.