So I Married a Meat-a-holic....

Honeyed Orange Cashew Chicken

2010-05-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

Going with the theme of recent posts in Mirch Masala, here is yet another easy to make something for a weeknight dinner. Ever since I started working, I have made a meat/fish something only a couple of times. Making dinner in itself becomes such a chore sometimes that making two things - one each for us is just unimaginable. But then I thought, there HAS to be something that is simple enough that you can quickly whip up on the side when your main dinner dish is cooking. Hope you all find it easy enough too.

Honeyed Orange Cashew Chicken - The recipe

Chicken breasts – 2 , cut into thin long pieces
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
Cashew nut pieces – 2–3 tbsp
Red bell pepper – 1/2, cut into thin strips
Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
Honey – 1 tbsp
Orange juice – 1/4 cup
Orange zest – 2 tsp
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a sauté pan. Add the cashew nut pieces to it. Once they start to brown a little, add the bell pepper strips. Sauté for a while and add the chicken pieces to it. Increase the heat to medium high and let the chicken cook well. Add the soy sauce, honey, orange juice and orange zest and let the liquids reduce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with some rice, noddles, pasta whatever... :)

Pan Fried Cod with a Tamarind-Onion Sauce on the Side

2010-03-19T16:16:00.001-07:00

I don’t even remember when I made this! But thankfully I remember where I got the recipe from and I also remember that the meat-a-holic loved it a lot that he did not wait for dinner to finish this plate off! :) This recipe is from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer and the original recipe calls for mackerel but it also said that mahi-mahi, cod, striped bass or tuna can be substituted for mackerel. It is an adaptation of a popular Maharashtrian recipe and uses Maharashtrian Garam Masala, but i used the regular garam masala.

Pan Fried Cod with a Tamarind – Onion Sauce on the Side – The Recipe

2 fillets of cod
1 tsp grated ginger + 2 Thai green chillies – ground to a paste
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs + semolina

For the sauce:
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 tsp garam masala
2-3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves
1 tbsp oil
salt, to taste

Combine the ground ginger and chillies and salt in a bowl and rub the cod fillets with this. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 30 mins or so. The longer the better.
Heat the oil for the sauce and add the chopped onion to it. Once the onions are well sautéed, add the tomatoes, tamarind, garam masala and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the cilantro leaves to this and remove from the heat and keep aside.
Heat the 2 tbsp canola oil in another skillet and spread the breadcrumbs – semolina mixture on a plate. Press the cod fillets on this so that they are coated on both sides. Fry the coated fillets until crispy on both sides and flaky inside – 4-6 mins on each side.
Serve the fried fillets with the sauce on the side and see them vanish in minutes!

Kerala Style Beef and Potato Curry

2010-03-10T01:37:00.001-08:00

What will I do without my current favorite cookbook – The Kerala Kitchen??!? I knew it when I first laid eyes on this book, that this was going to be a good one and it soo is one of the best! I have tried out so many recipes from this – all simple and day-to-day types and each one was better than the other. Especially all the meat and fish recipes. Last week I made a beef and potato curry from this book for a bunch of friends I had called home for dinner. I made a LOT and only a little was left – that says it all about the curry right?

The Recipe

Beef cubes for stew – 2 to 2.5 lbs
2 tbsp oil
1 red onion, sliced
2” piece ginger
6-7 garlic cloves
3 Thai green chillies, slit
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp red chilli powder/cayenne powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 green cardamom pods
1” piece cinnamon
3 pieces cloves
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed to big pieces
1/2 cup coconut milk
salt, to taste

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions till they just about turn brown and are translucent. Grind the ginger and garlic together to a paste and add this to the onions. Add the green chillies as well. After a couple of mins, add the tomatoes and sauté well till the tomatoes are soft and the oil can be seen on the sides. Now add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Sauté well. At this stage, add the beef and salt and mix properly. Add enough water in the pan to cover the beef. Cover and cook over medium-medium high heat till the beef is well done. It should take about 30-35 mins. Now add the potatoes and cook till the potatoes are just about done. Add about 1/2 cup of coconut milk to sort of get a thick gravy. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.
Caution : This is a little on the spicy hot side. So adjust the spices and the chillies according to individual taste.

Achari Murgh ~ Chicken in Pickling Spices

2010-02-19T21:46:00.001-08:00

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Want really spicy and flavorful and finger licking good chicken? then, this recipe is the one you are looking for. I saw a recipe for Achar Gosht ( Mutton in Pickling Spices) in A Taste of India by Madhur Jaffrey and loved all the spices that go into it. I did not have any lamb/mutton in hand, but as always there was some chicken in the freezer. I kept the chicken breasts out to defrost and finished off some chores I had around the house. As i started making, I experimented with a whole bunch of other different spices that I have previously used in making pickles (this is the Indian style spicy hot pickles I am talking about with cayenne pepper and lots of other spices and oil) and also in making chicken curry at home. So, this recipe is based on the original recipe – a recipe from Bhopal by Madhur Jaffrey but with a lot of modifications from me. Hope you all enjoy it, like how my meat-a-holic did!
A word of caution : It is REALLY hot and spicy! So those with less tolerance for heat, start with spices about less than half of what is given here and work your way up from that.

Achari Murgh
Adapted from A Taste of India by Madhur Jaffrey

3 – 4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp lemon juice

To grind to a paste
5 –6 red pearl onions
2 tbsp grated ginger
5 cloves garlic

To be crushed
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 green cardamom pods
1” cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp white poppy seeds

6 whole green Thai chillies
To be stuffed into the chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp nigella seeds
1 tsp yellow mustard powder
1/2 tsp black salt

In a food processor, blend the onions, garlic and ginger to a fine paste with some water (2-3tbsp) and keep aside. Crush the “to be crushed” spices, so that they are just about broken down with a mortar and pestle and keep aside. Cut slits in the green chillies just in the center staying away from the top and the bottom. If you want to reduce the heat of the dish, you can try and remove as many seeds from the chillies as possible. Stuff the chillies with the “to be stuffed into the chillies” spices.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium to medium-high heat and add the crushed spices into it. Stir for a few seconds and then add the ground paste. Sauté for a few minutes and add the chopped onions to it. Fry for about 10 mins or so, till they turn brown. Add the coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. You can omit the red chilli powder at this stage, if you want, to reduce the heat even further. Stir well and add the chicken pieces to it. Combine well, cover the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Let it cook for 20 mins or so. Keep checking in between to see nothing is sticking to the pan. Give it a stir too. Once the chicken is cooked, add the stuffed green chillies, salt and the lemon juice and stir well. Let it cook uncovered for about 10 mins.
Serve hot with rice or rotis/chapatis/naans and some cool yogurt on the side.

Garlic Sautéed Shrimp – Hunger Action Week 2010

2010-01-29T15:48:00.001-08:00

We are participating in the Hunger Challenge this year also, the details of which can be found on Mirch Masala. Yesterday, as part of one of our Hunger Action Week’s dinner, I made a Thai inspired dinner – Jasmine Rice, Yellow Curry, Garlic Sautéed Shrimp and Bananas in Coconut Cream for dessert. The garlic sautéed shrimp recipe is one of the most easiest ones that I have ever come across and from what AJ says its as delicious too.
Garlic Sautéed Shrimp

12-15 nos shrimp , tail on and deveined
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
4-5 garlic cloves
3 tbsp black pepper corns
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
a few cilantro leaves and a thinly sliced red/green chili for garnish

Grind the cilantro and garlic to a roughly smooth paste. Add the pepper corns to it and grind again. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Heat the oil in a wok and add the cilantro-garlic mix to it. Let the garlic smell disappear and add the shrimp and the sauce mix to it and fry for 2-3 mins or until the shrimp turns pink. Garnish with cilantro and chili and serve hot!

Lamb Pepper Fry ~ Lamb Kurumolagu Olathiathu

2010-01-21T00:41:00.001-08:00

I am not even going to go into the reason for the long absence from here. It happened, now I'm back and that's what matters. I recently bought this new cookbook “The Kerala Kitchen” by Lathika George. I was just going through it when I was at Borders and did not realize that I spent almost an hour going through the book. I did not hesitate to buy the book and I am happy I did that. I have already tried a couple of fish curries from this book which the meat-a-holic absolutely loved.
Last night when we were in Safeway doing a usual late night grocery run, I saw some Lamb for Stew and picked it up. I don’t know what drew me to it, but I knew I can make something with it. I was initially thinking of a lamb stew (Duh! thats what it says the meat is for, so obviously that is the first thing to cross my mind) and I somehow expected to see one in this book, but I didn’t find any. There were only two lamb or rather mutton dishes in the book – one was this pepper fry recipe and the other a kofta recipe with ground meat. The pepper fry recipe looked pretty simple and a quick check in my refrigerator and pantry ensured that I had everything I needed.

The Recipe:

1 lb lamb for stew, cubed
2 – 3 cups water
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp cayenne / red chili powder
1-2 tsp salt
1 tbsp coconut / canola oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
5-6 curry leaves

To be roasted and ground to a powder:
2 cardamom pods
4 cloves
1” piece cinnamon

In a saucepan bring the water to a boil and add the meat, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and cayenne to it. Let it continue to cook on medium-high heat for about 15-20 mins till the meat is tender. In a separate heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and sauté the onions. Add the tomatoes, garlic, curry leaves to it. Once the tomatoes look a little cooked, add the peppercorns and the meat with whatever is left of the spiced water. Meanwhile, dry roast the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and grind them finely. Add the spices to the pan and mix well. Fry the meal well till it is browned and all the water has evaporated.
Serve hot with rotis or even rice.

Beef Cutlets

2009-11-03T13:04:00.001-08:00

This is yet another recipe that I got from my mom-in-law when she was here. She gave me her recipe for mutton cutlets and I put my twist to it by adding/omitting some ingredients and made these yummy beef cutlets. Beef or for that matter, any cutlets are pretty easy to make and is a great crowd pleaser, which is why you find them at dinner parties very often. Kerala is the only state (as far as i know) in India that is very tolerant in the use of beef in day to day cooking and beef cutlets are especially popular among the Christian community in Kerala. I may be wrong about that, but during the 20 odd years that i grew up in Kerala, I've seen this as a very common appetizer that most of my friends’ moms make.
You can substitute any other ground meat instead of beef and vegetarians can use a mix of potatoes, beetroot, carrots, green peas etc.

Beef Cutlets
Ground beef – about 2 cups
Ginger – 2” piece
Garlic – 5-6 cloves
Cinnamon Sticks – 1 whole stick
Cloves – about 4-5
Cardamom – 3-4
Whole black pepper – 1 tbsp
Bayleaf – 2, crushed
Mace - 1tsp
Chopped cilantro – 1 cup
Red chilli powder – 3-4 tsp
Red onion – 1, chopped finely
Boiled and mashed Russet potato – 1
Thai green chillies – 2, minced
Salt, to taste
Egg – 1
Bread crumbs – 1-2 cups
Canola oil, for shallow frying
Grind together ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black pepper,mace, bayleaf and cilantro to a smooth paste. Saute the onion a little so as to get rid of its moisture. Add the ground spices, red chilli powder, thai green chillies, potato, salt and the ground beef to this. Stir well and cook until all the moisture from the mix goes away. Keep aside and let it cool.
Beat the egg and keep aside. Spread out the bread crumbs on a plate. Make lemon sized balls of the beef mixture and flatten them a little. Dip in the beaten egg and roll in the bread crumbs and shallow fry till golden and crusty. Serve with plain old tomato ketchup!!

A Quick Fix Lunch – Grilled Chicken Breast, Jerk Seasoned Turkey Cutlets & a Simple Salad with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

2009-10-28T13:11:00.001-07:00

AJ was working from home one of these days and since I already had some leftovers from the day before for my lunch, I thought i’ll make something nice and meaty for him. Ever since i got my stove top grill, it has been so very easy to just marinate a chicken breast or some fish fillets and just grill them up for lunch/dinner.
I started off with just grilling a chicken breast, but there was no bread or anything else to go with it and I was sure that i will have to cook something in a couple of hours if i give him just one chicken breast for lunch :) So, there was some ground turkey and i decided to make some cutlets with it. Wait a minute, is that just too much of meat?!?! Let me add some veggies to the plate as well. With so much meat on the plate, AJ will definitely not mind eating some veggies with it. So, i just made a simple salad with some lettuce, brussel sprouts and radish and spooned some roasted red pepper sauce on it.

Grilled Chicken Breast

1 chicken breast
1 tsp Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (World Market brand)
1 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and Pepper , to taste

Rub the seasoning mixes and the salt and pepper onto the chicken breast and keep aside for 20 mins or so. Spray the stovetop grill with non stick cooking spray and grill till done on both sides.

Jerk Seasoned Turkey Cutlets
Makes 4-6 cutlets

6–8 oz lean ground turkey
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece ginger, minced
2 tsp Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (World Market brand)
2 tsp paprika ( use less if you dont need the heat)
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/4 cup grated low fat pepper jack cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all the ingredients together well. Divide into 4-6 portions and make small balls out of each portion and flatten them lightly between your palms. Spray your stovetop grill with non-stick cooking spray and grill the cutlets well on both sides. It should take about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Simple Salad with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

1 cup brussel sprouts
2-3 radishes, sliced
a handful of lettuce leaves
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp lite mayo
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Grind all the ingredients for the sauce together in a food processor and keep aside. Heat some olive oil in a sauté pan and sauté the brussel sprouts and radishes with the salt and pepper. Add this to the torn lettuce leaves, toss well and spoon the sauce over it.

My Everyday Chicken Masala Recipe

2009-10-20T23:56:00.001-07:00

I have come a long way from making chicken curry with just the readymade “chicken masala”. It was very easy but i could tell that AJ was getting bored of it after a while – I mean anyone would as it will have the same packed masala taste to it. This “My Everyday Chicken Masala” recipe is my go-to chicken recipe that I came up with one day by just putting in whatever i thought will go well together with each other and with the chicken. Also AJ wanted something really spicy and that is what this recipe is, so pls adjust the spices according to your taste.

You will need:

Chicken Breasts – 2, cut into bite sized pieces
Yellow Onion – 1/2 , chopped
Green Bell Pepper – 1/2, chopped
Thai Green Chillies – 5 or 6, minced
Ginger – 1 tbsp of finely minced ginger
Garlic – 1 clove, minced
Tomato – 1, chopped ( i ran out of tomato for this, so i used 1/2 tsp of tomato paste)
Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder – 2 tsp ( i use this as it is not very spicy, remember the green chillies that are already there , and it gives a nice deep red colour)
Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander – Dried Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp ( roast almost equal quantities of coriander seeds and dried red chillies and grind finely)
Tomato Ketchup – 2 tbsp
Salt, to taste
Canola Oil – 2 tsp

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Add the turmeric powder and kashmiri chilli powder and sauté for a while. Next add the tomato and after a couple of minutes add the garam masala and the coriander-dried red chilli powder (if using the tomato paste, add the garam masala and the coriander-dried red chilli powder before it). Now add the green bell pepper and let it cook for a while. Add the chicken pieces after this and let it cook on medium heat. Once the chicken is completely cooked and the masalas/spices have gotten together on the chicken, add the tomato ketchup and salt and let it cook on med-low heat for about 10 mins more.

Serve hot with rice/ rotis or even bread!

Mom’s Special Kerala Chicken Fry

2009-09-30T17:24:00.001-07:00

I know I have been neglecting the meat-a-holic blog lately, but its definitely not that i neglected my meat-a-holic husband. He has been getting an extra dose of meat for as long as mama was here till the vrat (dietary restrictions/fasting for religious reasons) for Navratri began. Now that its over, the meat-a-holic is back and so are many recipes for the blog.

This particular chicken fry recipe was a BIG hit among all our friends. And many have requested me for the recipe as well. So, this post, especially is for the benefit of those who were lucky enough to have tasted this and also to the rest of you out there! :)

Chicken drumsticks – 15 ( chicken breasts can also be used)

For the marinade:
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Salt, to taste

For the ground masala:
Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon – 2, 1” pieces
Cloves – 5
Green Cardamom – 4-5
Black pepper – 1 tbsp
Bay leaf – 2
Star Anise – 2
Coriander leaves / cilantro – 2 cups
Red onion, chopped – 1
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Garlic – 6-7 cloves
Ginger – 4” piece

Red onion, thinly sliced– 1
Curry leaves – a sprig
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Oil for deep frying

Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt for atleast 2-3 hrs. Make small slits on the drumsticks before marinating so that the marinade gets soaked up in the chicken.

Grind all the ingredients for the masala to a smooth paste. Add the masala and some more salt to the marinated chicken. Rub well and keep aside.

Deep/shallow fry the chicken till nice and brown and keep aside. To check whether the chicken is cooked, cut out a thin slice and it should be all juicy and cooked inside. In the remaining oil, fry onions and any masala left in the marinade. Add the chicken and give it a toss. Add curry leaves and ground black pepper and toss again. Serve hot and enjoy the compliments! :)

Grilled Lamb Chops with a Pepper-Vinegar Sauce

2009-06-01T17:09:00.001-07:00

During our last grocery shopping trip, we saw some lamb chops on sale ( actually we had a coupon for meat) and bought some. The idea was to make a lamb stew which I had made sometime last year and AJ liked it very much. But then, I didn’t remember where I found the recipe or what all went into it. So I was looking around..saw some recipes, but none looked like what I had made before. That’s when I saw that we had actually got some loin chops which are great to just grill. And i got a new stove top grill which ive been waiting (for the last two days only :D) to use and that's how yesterday’s dinner for AJ became grilled lamb chops.

I didn’t look anywhere for a recipe. I just threw in some herbs and spices to marinate the lamb chops and then grilled it and made a garlic-shallots-pepper-vinegar sauce to top it off. This is like the first time that I am experimenting this way with meat and it was good. Not great! but good and that is great enough for me! :)

Ingredients:

Lamb loin chops, about 3/4 lbs

For the marinade:
fresh parsley, minced – 1/4 cup
fresh Rosemary – one sprig
fresh ground black pepper – 1/2 tsp
fresh ground schezwan pepper – 1/2 tsp
Cajun seasoning – 1 tsp
dried marjoram – 1/2 tsp

For the sauce:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 green bell pepper – chopped into small pieces
fresh ground black pepper – 1/2 tsp
fresh ground schezwan pepper – 1/2 tsp
red wine vinegar – 4 tbsp ( use balsamic if you have it, i ran out of it and hence substituted with red wine vinegar)
kosher salt – 1 tsp or to taste

Rub the lamb chops with the marinade and leave it for about 15-20 mins. Meanwhile, chop the onions, garlic, pepper and keep aside.

Prep the grill and place the lamb chops on it. Grill each side for about 6-7 mins, if you want the meat well done. Remove the chops from the grill and place them on a serving plate.

If you are using a stove top grill like I did, heat some olive oil in the grill pan itself, else use a separate sauce pan for this. Add in the shallots, garlic and peppers and sauté for a couple of mins. Add the vinegar and deglaze by gently scraping off any meat stuck in the grill pan. Add the salt as well and pour this sauce over the grilled chops and serve!

Sri Lankan Crabs with Spinach and Coconut Milk

2009-05-30T02:33:00.001-07:00

This was originally supposed to be my entry to AWED – Srilanka, but later I realized that only vegetarian entries are acceptable, but then decided to go ahead and make it anyway for the meataholic :) This is adapted from the book “660 Curries” by Raghavan Iyer and even though the book has an elaborate method of using live blue crabs and getting the meat out it, I didnt bother to do any of that. I just got some readymade crab meat from the store and this was like the easiest non-vegetarian dish that i have made so far.

8 oz crab meat
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp sliced ginger
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp untoasted Sri Lankan Curry Powder, see recipe here
1 tsp cayenne
1 tomato, chopped
3 Thai green chillies, cut in half lengthwise
2 1-inch long cinnamon sticks
1/2 can un sweetened coconut milk + more coconut milk or regular milk, if it becomes too thick
1 cup baby spinach leaves
juice of half a lime
oil
salt to taste

Pound the garlic, ginger, peppercorns and mustard with a mortar and pestle till it all become grainy and gritty. Heat oil in a large pan and add the onion and stir fry until golden brown. Add the curry powder, the garlic-ginger-pepper-mustard mixture and cayenne powder and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the tomato, chillies, cinnamon sticks, salt and coconut milk as well. Let the mixture come to a boil and then add the crab meat to it. Lower heat and stir occasionally till the crab meat is cooked. Now add in the spinach and cook till it wilts. Stir in the lime juice and serve with Sri Lankan Muttu Rice or Basmati Rice or some Jasmine rice.

The Meat-a-holic’s Verdict : has a very south Indian flavor with the coconut milk standing out, but the fenugreek gives it a different spin. Jasmine rice would make the ideal combination. 7/10

Chicken Caccciatore / Chicken Hunter’s –Style ( Polla Alla Cacciatora)

2009-05-12T12:00:00.001-07:00

This is a chicken dish that I made during out Italian food phase. AJ claims it to be the best he has ever had! Well that says it all, doesn’t it?! after all, its only for him that I even make these :)

This particular dish is adapted from Mario Batali’s “Molto Italiano”. Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish and is also referred to as Hunter’s Stew or “cooked Hunter’s style”. Cacciatore means hunter in Italian. It is typically made with braised chicken, mushroom and spices. I read somewhere that the original cacciatore recipe does not call for any kind of tomato sauce, but all modern recipes do and I felt that it is much better with the tomato sauce.

Chicken Cacciatore
Inspired from Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano

3 chicken breasts, each cut into 3-4 pieces
3-4 chicken drumsticks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 branch rosemary leaves, minced
2 tsp jerk chicken & fish seasoning ( World Market brand) – this is purely my addition, of course, there is no Jamaican spice in the original Italian recipe :)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Spanish Olive Oil ( Trader Joe’s brand) + 1/4 cup more
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup mixed dry mushrooms
1 tsp celery seeds
3 cups basic tomato sauce ( see recipe here)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

In a bowl, mix in the garlic, rosemary, jerk seasoning, salt, pepper and olive oil. Rub the chicken with this mix and place in a zip lock bag and pour in the remaining marinade as well. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the remaining olive oil till smoking hot and sear the chicken after brushing off any excess marinade, till all sides are browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. To the same pan, add the onions, celery seeds and sauté till light brown. Add the tomato sauce and wine at this stage and stir with a spoon to dislodge any browned bits of meat stuck to the pan. Now add the chicken stock, sugar and pepper flakes and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken to the pan, cover and cook for 20-30 mins. Uncover and cook until done, for another 10-15 mins more. Serve hot!!!

The Meat-a-holic’s Verdict : The best chicken I have eaten in a very long time. the meat is succulent and flavorful, its got a near perfect level of hotness and spice. you just cant get enough of it! 9.5/10

This is my entry to the event “The Potluck – Chicken” by Viki of Viki’s Kitchen.

Hyderabadi Cuisine – Shrimp Korma and Sheekh Kebabs

2009-05-04T12:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we had invited some friends over for lunch and i decided to go all Hyderabadi for the menu. Check out my parent blog Mirch Masala for more details about Hyderabadi Cuisine and the vegetarian curry recipes.

Yesterday’s menu had Sheekh Kebab, Bhagare Baingan, Mirch Ka Salan, Jhinge Ka Korma, Zaffrani Pulao and Firni for dessert.

The source for all these recipes is the internet. I haven't followed any single recipe, that i found, as it is. I went through tons of recipes and made these recipes to suit my taste.

Sheekh Kebab

2 lbs minced lamb
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 Raw Papaya, cubed
1 lemon
salt to taste

Grind together the papaya cubes, onion and garlic in a blender. Add this paste to the minced lamb and add coriander powder, garam masala and salt to taste. Add the juice of one lemon as well. Mix these well and keep aside. Preheat the oven to 450F. Meanwhile, soak the skewers in water.

After about half an hour or so, take enough of the meat mixture for a kebab and press it around the skewer. Make more kebabs and bake it in the oven for about 40 mins or more, till the meat is well done.

Serve with Mint- Cilantro Chutney.

For the mint-cilantro chutney, grind together a handful of mint leave and a handful of cilantro with some yoghurt, a couple of garlic cloves and 2 –3 Thai green chillies. Add salt to taste.

Jhinge Ka Korma ( Shrimp in a yoghurt – cilantro sauce)

To grind to a paste
1/4 cup cashewnuts
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp poppy seeds
a handful of cilantro, chopped
4 cloves garlic

3 cups, deveined – tail off shrimp
1 cup yoghurt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 Thai green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 tsp oil
salt to taste

Marinate the shrimp for about half an hour or so in the yoghurt, turmeric powder and green chillies. Heat the oil and saute the ground paste for a while. Add the marinated prawn with the curd and cook till the gravy thickens. You can also add a couple of tsps of rice flour for the gravy to thicken.

Grilled Chicken for Hunger Challenge – Day 1

2009-04-21T13:35:00.001-07:00

What is this Hunger Challenge?? For my readers who are not familiar with the parent blog, Mirch Masala, here is something about the Hunger challenge that AJ and I are participating in.

United Way of King County is organizing a Hunger Action Week from Apr 20-24, 2009 in an effort to create awareness about hunger issues in Washington. Many food bloggers and other individuals have been challenged to provide nutritious wholesome meals to themselves or their families in under $X amount per day. The $X is the maximum food stamp benefit ( known as Basic Food Program in Washington) that is given to individuals or families. The rule for this Hunger challenge are as follows:

· Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner spending only $X a day (see below)
· Salt and pepper don’t count but all other seasonings, cooking oils, condiments, snacks, drinks, etc do.
· Don’t use food you already own.
· Don’t accept food from family, friends, coworkers and others. Not even the free samples from Costco!
· Try to include fresh produce and healthy protein each day.

How Much Can I Spend Per Day?
Individuals can spend about $7 a day for the challenge. We chose that amount because it is the maximum food benefits a single person can get on Basic Food (what Washington calls food stamps). And while Basic Food is designed to be a supplement to food budgets, the reality is that many rely solely on their benefits for food because they don’t have enough money to buy food as well as all the take care of other expenses that they have.
This table shows how much allowance you’re allowed depending on family size:

Household Size Hunger Challenge Budget
1 $7 / day
2 $12 / day
3 $18 / day
4 $22 / day
5 $26 / day
6 $32 / day
7 $35 / day
8 $45 / day

Interestingly, the $7 is generous compared to most other hunger challenges. Many places set the budget based on the average food stamp benefits: $3 a day. For this challenge, we are just trying to emphasize that many, many people are living on tight food budgets and work at the same time, so it’s tough for them to have meals that are fulfilling and healthy.

What Is The Point Of The Challenge?
The Hunger Challenge is really an exercise in empathy – to live in someone else’s shoes for one week and learn how you can help fight hunger in our community.

You will find my menu for the week and other recipes in Mirch Masala. Grilled Chicken was one of the items in the menu for Monday’s dinner.

Chicken Breast – 1
Mediterranean Spice Blend ( bought from World Market and is a blend of Oregano, Garlic granules, Lemon Peel, Dill Weed, Dill Seed, Chili Flakes, Spearmint Leaf, Cinnamon, Mace and Chervil) – 3 tsp
Olive Oil – 1/2 tsp

Marinate the chicken breast with the spice blend for about a couple of hours. Put the two in a ziplock bag, shake well and refrigerate for 2 hrs. Heat oil in a griddle or stove-top grill. Grill the chicken until thoroughly cooked and brown on both sides. You can use the conventional oven for this as well. Season with salt and pepper, if required and serve.

Shrimp and Raw Mango in a Coconut Gravy

2009-04-10T00:47:00.001-07:00

Especially since I started this blog, AJ has been having a great time. My usual, once a week non-veg cooking has gone up just a lil bit and that too not just the plan simple chicken curry with the Eastern Chicken Masala ! LOL, the first time I made that I thought it was a beeg achievement for me and that i now know everything. I think it was just the pride of the moment. :) Ever since, my repertoire of non-veg cooking ingredients have gone up from just chicken to tilapia, cod, lamb, beef and now shrimp as well.

Last weekend we got a bag of shrimp from Costco and eventhough my plan for lunch was just a humble potato fry, i wanted to make something with shrimp. When i thought about where to look for good recipes, the first blog to pop in my mind was Mishmash! I saw this prawn with raw mango and drumstick in a coconut sauce recipe and i suddenly remembered the raw mangoes I had bought from the Indian store to make raw mango and jackfruit seeds curry, only, i never could get any jackfruit seeds and the mangoes were still sitting in my veggie crisper. I roughly followed Shn’s recipes but made my own changes to it. But basically her recipe was the background for this curry. I did have some drumsticks, so I just made a raw mango and drumstick curry for myself and skipped the drumsticks in the shrimp curry.

Shrimp and Raw Mango in a Coconut Gravy

4 handfuls of shrimp, i used the deveined-tailoff-cooked -frozen shrimp
1 medium sized raw mango, use sour ones, skinned and cut into thin long pieces
3-4 thai green chillies, slit half lengthwise
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste

For grinding:
1/2 cup grated coconut
2-3 thai green chillies, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5-6 red pearl onions
1 clove garlic
1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

For tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
2 dried red chillies
1 tsp coconut oil

Grind the coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, pearl onions, garlic, ginger and turmeric powder with a little water to form a thick paste. Meanwhile in a sauce pan, boil the raw mangoes with the shrimp, green chillies, turmeric powder and red chilli powder till cooked well. To this add the ground coconut mixture and let it cook for a little longer. In another small pan, heat the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies and let the mustard seeds splutter. Add this to the curry and mix well. Garnish with some cilantro leaves if you want and serve hot with some rice.

For the vegetarians: Substitute the shrimp with some drumsticks and you are ready to go! If you are making the two dishes simultaneously like how i did, do the grinding part for both the curries together and just split it and add to both the saucepans.

The Meat-a-holic’s Verdict : the meat-a-holic is currently in deep sleep, probably dreaming about my tiramisu. Will post this part tomorrow morning as soon as i get it from him. I am still not sleepy, so wrote this post and once written, i just had to publish it!! :) Update: I’m not a big fan of fruit-like flavors (the mango) in my meat dishes, but it totally worked this time. Shrimp and coconut obviously are meant to be :) Love it with rice, perfect for an afternoon where the south Indian craving hits. 7/10

Beef with Black Bean Sauce – Phat Neua Tao Jiaw Dam

2009-04-03T16:24:00.001-07:00

This has been a long pending post and I have been a little partial to Mirch Masala that it always got the priority when it came to posting. My excuse was that the meat-a-holic had not given his verdict and i could not post without it, but then I got it yesterday and I thought I better post this today!

This recipe is from a yet another new cookbook that i got a couple of weeks ago. I have so many of them now that I have temporarily stopped buying new books till i buy a new bookshelf!! Yeah, yeah, as long as it is some kind of shopping that i do, I am a happy soul. It is this book called “The Food of Thailand” and has many Thai recipes other than the regular red/yellow/green/massaman curries and phad thai!! The best section i like about this book is the Thailand street food section. I believe, street food is that which gives out the culinary secrets of a particular country. This is something I made for AJ last week, when I already had something just for me, leftover from my lunch ( and i was selfish and didnt want to share!!). So i made this beef stir fry with some jasmine rice and AJ had a very happy tummy after this ! :D

Beef with Black Bean Sauce

This is a Chinese dish which is found very often in various forms in Thailand. As usual, I played around with the ingredients and the quantities as from the original recipe!

1/2 lb sirloin steak ( i think its about 1/2 lb – we got this small box of it from the meat and seafood aisle at the grocery store), finely sliced
1 1/2 tbsp black bean garlic sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp oyster flavoured sauce
1/3 cup beef stock
1 tsp chilli oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp canola oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small carrot, cut into fine matchstick strips
3-4 snake beans, cut into 3 inch lengths
3-4 scallions/ spring onions, cut into 1.5 inch lengths
a few cilantro sprigs, to garnish

Mix the black bean garlic sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, beef stock, chilli oil and sugar in a small bowl and keep aside.

Heat the canola oil in a wok and stir-fry the onion over high heat. Add the meat and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 5-7 mins until cooked well. Add the carrot, snake beans and the sauce mixture and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the spring onions as well and cook for a few seconds. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot with jasmine rice and any Thai curry.

The Meat-a-holic's Verdict: The meat is amazingly tender! The sauce is really tasty, but might scare off the salt haters. Can stand to get a little bit more spicy. Can’t get enough of it with the rice!! 8/10.

Chicken with Almond and Coriander Sauce

2009-03-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is yet another greek recipe that I am making from the book " Flavors of Greece" by Rosemary Barron. You will find a post on Eggplant Pilaf, Monk's Onion Soup and Tomato Salad with Arugula and Olives, called Flavours of Greece on Mirch Masala. I made this as dinner one day when we had invited some friends over and I remember making Marinated Chicken with Tiny Onions and Vinegar along with the pilaf and soup and salad. I only wish I had taken a picture of that so then, I could have included it as well!

Greeks generally enjoy a variety fo chicken casseroles and baked dishes. Pretty much all the chicken recipes in this book are also baked, except for one spit roasted chicken recipe. The traditional greek dishes are meant to be baked in their traditional village ovens, but we can easily use our conventional oven to replicate the taste. This particular chicken dish I made, Chicken with Almond and Coriander sauce is a typical autumn recipe in Greece. Well, I had everything the recipe needed and went ahead and made this eventhough it is almost spring now!! :) Also, the original recipe called for walnuts (It was Chicken with Walnut and Coriander Sauce - Kotopulo me Saltsa Karythion), i read walnuts in the recipe but added almonds!!! Well, it was one heck of a tiring day and it was well past our dinner time when i started making it, may be that is why i did this! But anyway, the end result was good and I get to send it to an event as well ! :)

Chicken with Almond and Coriander Sauce

Boneless and skinless chicken breasts, 4

1/2 cup white wine ( i used an opened bottle of Chardonnay that we had)

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup of almonds, blanced in boiling water for a minute

1 tsp coriander powder

1/4 cup fresh chopped coriander leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

1/3 cup Spanish Olive oil

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat 3-4 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan an dlightly brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a heavy baking dish.

Drain off the oil from the pan, add the white wine and boil for a minute or so, while stirring in any browned bits of chicken in the pan. Pour this over the chicken, add the chicken stock, bayleaves, salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 30 mins.

Grind together the almonds, coriander, garlic, coriander powder and cayenne pepper in a blender / food processor. Add the remaining olive oil and 2 tbsp of the lemon juice to it. Add salt and pepper to taste and keep aside.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the baking dish and keep it on a serving platter. Measure 3/4 cup of the liquid from the baking dish and add it to the almond sauce.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the remaining lemon juice to it. Place a heavy bottomed pan on the stove and pour the almond sauce to it. Heat it for about 5 mins on medium heat. Switch off the heat and then pour the beaten eggs to it. You want the eggs to cook in the heat of the sauce and not get scrambled! Keep mixing well. Now pour this sauce over the chicken on the serving platter and serve immediately. Can be garnished with some fresh parsley leaves, if required.

The Meat-a-holic's Verdict: I usually don’t enjoy sauces with nuts in them, but the nuts in this are subdued enough not to bother me, but make the sauce crunchy. It has a very Indian flavor to it even though its ingredients are not. Best served with bread to soak up all the great sauce :) Rated: 7.5/10

This is my entry to the "Let's Go Nuts with Almonds" hosted at Tasty Treats and conceptualized by Aquadaze of Served with Love.

Tilapia Fillets with Tomato - Chilli Sauce

2009-03-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

So I married a meat-a-holic...the title says it all, doesnt it?! Well, for the benefit of those who did not get it, this is a blog by a veggie who is married to someone - someone for whom meat and fish is a part of everyday food. I wanted my other blog, Mirch Masala to be what it is now, a vegetarian blog and since i make so many non-vegetarian dishes at home..it sometimes feels like a sin, not blogging about it. That is when the meat-a-holic, known to many of you as AJ, suggested that I start another blog. So here you go, a new blog of mine dedicated to my husbands love of anything non-vegetarian! :) So, all those who are following Mirch Masala, pls add this also to your reader / follow list.

The original plan was to make the breaded tilapia from 660 curries, but somehow at the last moment, i changed it to Tilapia Fillets with Tomato-Chilli Sauce. This is adapted from the book "Best Ever India Cookbook" by Mridula Baljekar and others. The original recipe was Fish Fillets in Chilli Sauce and suggested using any flatfish like plaice, sole or flounder ; but I had only tilapia and decided to go ahead with it. Now, that was a pretty bold step, considering that I have no idea how different these fishes are!! Well, you will see the verdict of this dish at the end of the post!

Fish Fillets with Tomato-Chilli Sauce

2 Tilapia fillets, each cut into 3 pieces

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp oil

For the sauce:

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tbsp tomato paste, mixed with water to form a paste

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp of hot chilli sauce (Sri Racha)

1 tbsp hot pepper sauce ( i used the Pittsburgh's Original Sports Sauce, which I had bought on a trip to Pittsbugh)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

Rinse and pat dry the fish fillets and place them in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, cilantro and oil to it. Mix well and keep aside to marinate for an hour or so.

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce, pour into a small saucepan and simmer gently over a low heat, stirring occassionally. Keep it warm.

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the fish fillets in a sheet pan and broil them for 5 -7 minutes. When the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and arrange on a plate. Spoon the warm tomato-chilli sauce over it and seve hot.

The meat-a-holic's verdict : "Its surprisingly flavorful for such a simple dish. The cilantro and sauce combo work well, though hotness should vary by taste. Will go well with a bread/pasta dish. Rated: 7/10."