Rogan Josh

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless cubes of beef or lamb

2 large tomatoes (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

2 tblsp butter

2 tblsp garlic paste

2 tblsp ginger paste

2 tblsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 tblsp ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 cup beef or vegetable broth

Marinade:

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade.  Add the lamb/beef and rub the marinade thoroughly.  Allow to marinade for 30 minutes.

In a food processor or blender, add onions and tomatoes, process until well blended. Add butter to a large skillet and melt.  Add garlic and ginger; stir fry gently.  Add bay leaves, coriander, tumeric garam masala and chilli powder. Continue to stir for 30 seconds; do not allow spices to burn.  Stir in blended tomato mixture, tomato paste and broth. Reduce heat and allow to simmer stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes. Add the meat and the marinade. Continue to cook and stir for approximately 2 minutes. Reduce heat and cover.  Allow to cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Check sauce, do not allow to dry out.  Add a little water (few tablespoon) if necessary.  Cook for another 15-20 minutes.  Serve over basmati rice.

Stuffed Eggplant - India Style

My husband and I both love eggplant and I try to find as many ways to prepare it.  I found several recipes for stuffed eggplant, but I found them to be very un-interesting till I found this one.  Of course, had to make it my own by making some adjustments to the ingredients and cooking method. This is really great with rice.  I tried with ground lamb and it was fabulous.  It is also great with ground beef.  So try it both ways and see which one you like the best. 

Remember, nothing is set in stone. Try this recipe and adjust to suit your own taste.

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of canola or vegetable oil
1 medium onion (minced)
1 1/2 tsp ginger pulp/paste (or minced)
2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp garlic pulp (or minced)
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 large tomato (finely chopped)
1 lb of ground lamb or beef
1 medium green bellpepper (chopped)
1 medium red bellpepper (chopped)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh (save for future use or discard). Make sure you do not remove too close to the bottom skin or the eggplant will trear when you fill it.  Heat the canola oil in a pan and lightly fry the eggplant pieces on both sides.  When the skin is starting to brown (2-3 minutes), remove and place in an ovenproof baking dish.

In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry the onion until golden brown  Add the ginger, chilli powder, garlic, tumeric, and ground coriander. Stir continuously for approximately 1 minute, do not let spices burn.  Add tomatoes and continue to stir and fry for another 4-5 minutes.  Add ground lamb/beef, season with salt and pepper; continue to stir until meat is brown.  Add the chopped peppers and cilantro. Stir until well mixed.  Remove from heat. 

Spoon mixture into each eggplant shell. Do not worry about overfilling or creating a mound.  Brush the edges and outside of eggplant shell with remaining olive oil.   Cover loosely with foil and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes of cooking, remove the foil to allow the top to brown. Serve with basmati rice.

Kashmiri Style Chops

The cooking method to this is pretty interesting...so I had to try. It came out really great! I paired it up with the wild rice and mushroom pilaf and it was dinner. So simple.  I know it sounds very different, but I recommend it, you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:
6 pork chops or lamb chops
1 piece cinnamon bark
1 bay leaf
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp peppercorns
4 green cardamon pods (pierced)
3 1/2 cups of milk (use whole)
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp of ginger pullp
1 tsp garlic pulp
1 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper
enough oil to fry chops

In a large sauce pan, place chops with milk, cinnamon bark, bay leaf, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods, and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until chops are cooked through.

In a bowl, mix yogurt, flour, chilli powder, ginger pulp, garlic pulp, garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended.  Remove the chops from the milk and coat with the spicy yogurt mixture.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Make sure oil is not smoking or very hot. Use medium to low heat. Add the chops, fry until one side is golden brown, turn them over and brown the other side. When done, transfer to a serving dish and serve with lime quarter and your favorite rice.

NOTE: To make it spicier, just increase the chilli powder, garlic and ginger pulp, and garam masala in the spicy yogurt mixture to suit your taste.

Lamb with Spiced Cardamom Rice

Don't let the list of ingredients scare you. This is an easy dish to prepare and what wonderful aromas it generates during cooking. Once done, the presentation and the flavors are great. The original recipe called for clay pot cooking. The preparation was time consuming. I experimented using a crock pot and my trusty rice cooker and found an easy and convenient cooking method that did not require me to stay in the kitchen the whole time. I think you will find this dish easy and impressive.
Ingredients:
1 large onion (quartered)
2 garlic cloves
1 small green chilli (halved) optional
2 inch fresh ginger root
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or regular butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil or light olive oil
11/2 lb leg or shoulder of lamb cut in chunks
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick broken into at least 3 pieces
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup rice
1/3 cup dried apricots (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
For the rice:
1 1/4 cup basmati rice
6 cardamom pods (split)
2 tbsp butter (cut into pieces)
3 tbsp cashnew nuts or sliced almonds
Garnish:
1 onion (sliced thinly and fried golden brown)
Sprigs of fresh cilantro
In a food processor, add the quartered onion, garlic, chilli and ginger and blend to a smooth paste. Heat ghee and vegetable oil in a pan. Fry the lamb in high heat in batches until brown. Remove from pan and set aside. In the hot pan, add the paste, ground coriander, cumin and broken cinnamon sticks. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Return the lamb to the pan and gradually add the yogurt stirring constantly to ensure lamb is well coated. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Transfer the content of the pan to your crock pot and set the temperature to low and allow to cook for 3-4 hours.
Prepare rice during the last 30 minutes of the lamb's cooking time. Rinse the basmatic rice several times until water runs clear. Soak the basmati rice for 20 minutes in cold water. Drain and in a pot add the water, salt and rice. Bring to a boil until liquid has evaporated (approx. 10 min); remove from heat.
If using a rice cooker, rinse the basmati rice until water runs clear. Add 2 cups of water and the rice to the rice cooker. Turn rice cooker on and let rice cooker complete the cooking process. When all water has evaporated and before the rice cooker "clicks" over to "warm", follow the transfer process to the crock pot.
Add split cardamom to rice and stir. Add chopped apricots to lamb. Pile the rice ontop of the lamb in the crock pot, dot with butter pieces and sprinkle with cashnew nuts. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
Uncover and combine the lamb and rice together. Spoon to a bowl and garnish with the fried onions and sprigs of cilantro. Enjoy!
Note: I've prepared this without the green chilli. The other spices provide so much flavor you don't miss it.