Good Food + Good Friends = Fun Time August 23, 2007

The company…our crazy friend we met randomly at the bookstore and her boyfriend, who, it turns out, fits right in with our craziness.

The menu for the night…

Baked Spring Rolls
Homemade Plum Sauce
Broccoli Beef
Rice
French Silk Pie

The result…lots of fun and laughter.

The recipes…

Baked Spring Rolls
20 large spring roll wrappers
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 lb lean ground turkey or ground lean pork
2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil, for brushing

1. Prepare the cabbage and carrots and set them aside.
2. Fry the meat until just done with the ginger, salt and sesame oil.
3. Lift from the pan and put in a large bowl.
4. Drain off any excess fat (but don’t wash the pan) and saute the shredded cabbage and carrots with a couple tablespoons of water, until just limp and the water is gone.
5. Mix with the meat.
6. Brush each spring roll wrapper with oil, turn over, and put a little- one twentieth to be precise- of the filling in a tube shape diagonally across one quadrant of the wrapper.
7. Fold in the side corners, then roll up to make a neat tube.
8. Repeat 19 more times.
9. Lay the finished spring rolls on a lightly oiled cookie tray.
10. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
11. Serve hot with plum sauce.

Plum Sauce
8 cups plums, pitted, Halved (3 lb/1.5 kg)
1 cup onions, Chopped
1 cup water
1 teaspoon gingerroot, Minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon coriander, Ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cloves

1. In large heavy saucepan, bring plums, onions, water, ginger and garlic to boil over medium heat; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until plums and onions are very tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Press through food mill or sieve and return to clean pan; stir in sugar, vinegar, coriander, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cloves.
3. Bring to boil, stirring; reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture reaches consistency of applesauce, about 45 minutes.
4. Fill and seal jars; process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes.
5. Makes about 4 cups

Broccoli Beef
1 T cooking wine
Beef slices (round steak)
½ T soy sauce
2-½ T oyster sauce
1 T cornstarch
1 bunch of broccoli
1 cup fresh mushroom
Water chestnuts
Green onions
Cooked rice

1. Brown beef strips in oil. Remove.
2. On medium heat, stir-fry broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and onions.
3. Combine wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cornstarch.
4. Add beef and cook a few minutes more.
5. Serve over rice.

French Silk Pie
1 C butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ C sugar
4-oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
2 t vanilla
4 eggs

1. Beat butter and sugar together until well blended and smooth.
2. Add melted chocolate to butter and sugar. Add vanilla.
3. Add eggs one at a time. Beat 5 minutes each on medium speed mixer.
4. Pour into pie crust and refrigerate. Keep cool.

And there you have it, the recipe for a fun night of great food and great friends…of course, you will have to find your own friends…I don’t have a recipe for that.

Recipes galore August 20, 2007

I made this meal for my in-laws last night and it was really wonderful. The Saag Paneer didn’t turn out as good as the saag I had at the restaurant but it was still really good. I think the recipe I have is different from what was used at the restaurant. I am going to try some different recipes and see if I can find one that’s closer to what I remember. Anyway, here’s the menu and the recipes follow.

Garlic Naan
Saag Paneer
Chicken Masala
Brown rice
Spiced Indian Tea

Naan

4 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
salt to taste
1 egg, beaten
6 T plain yogurt
3 T butter or ghee, melted
About 1 C milk
garlic, one chopped clove per naan you wish to be garlic
1 T poppy seeds, parsley, chives, or some other “decorative” herb type thing

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.
2. Stir in egg, yogurt, and 2 T melted butter. Gradually stir in enough milk to make a soft dough.
3. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and put in a warm place 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth, then divide dough into 8 pieces. If garlic naan is desired (and I suggest it), knead into each divided piece, one chopped clove of garlic.
5. Roll each piece into a ball, then roll out to make ovals about 6 inches long, pulling ends to stretch dough into shape.
6. Brush ovals with water and place wet side down on greased baking sheets.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until puffy and golden brown, then brush with butter and sprinkle with pretties. (I use chives to mark the garlic as garlic and leave the plain with just butter)

Makes: 8

Paneer – Indian Cheese

2 quarts whole milk
¼ C lemon juice

vegetable oil for deep frying

1. In a large, deep pot over medium-high heat, heat milk. As soon as it reaches a full boil and foams up, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Milk will split into curds and whey.
2. Pour contents of pot into cheesecloth (muslin) or dish towel (tea cloth) placed inside a colander. Keeping the curds in the cloth, tie a knot above their level and hang it over a kitchen sink. Let the whey drip for half an hour. Remove the knot, twist the cloth several times to tighten it, squeeze out any remaining whey, make a tight knot just above the paneer, shaping the paneer into a round ball. Keep it hanging for another 30 minutes.
3. Remove the paneer from the cloth. Now with the all the whey gone, it turns out into a firm ball. Store this in the refrigerator, 2 to 3 hours, for further solidification.
4. In a wok or deep saucepan heat oil at 350 degrees F
5. While oil heats, cut paneer into roughly ½ – inch dice. Deep-fry cheese dice, half at a time, in oil until light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Spinach Paneer

1 recipe Paneer (see above)

2 packages (10 oz each) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and chopped finer
1 green chili (Serrano, Thai, or jalapeño), split lengthwise
1 t salt

1 C thinly sliced onion
3 T olive oil
1 t minced garlic
1 t minced ginger
1 C chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned, drained
1 t salt
Spice mixture:
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
¼ t ground turmeric
1/8 t ground red pepper (cayenne)
¼ C water

1 C water
¼ t Garam Masala

1. At least 2 hours before serving, prepare paneer. Set aside.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, cook spinach with green chili and 1 t salt for about 5 minutes, or until spinach is well cooked and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, fry onion in oil until edges are nicely browned. Add garlic and ginger and stir for another minute. Add tomatoes and 1 t salt, and fry until tomato pieces begin to break up.
4. Add the spice mixture and stir for a minute. Add ¼ C water and continue frying until all tomato pieces have softened and broken up.
5. Stir in cooked spinach. Add 1 C water and paneer and simmer until water is absorbed. Stir in Garam Masala and remove from heat. Taste for salt.

Preparation time: 30 minutes, not including preparation time for paneer

Serves: 8

Chicken Masala

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 3 pounds with bone and skin
Spice mixture:
6 t ground coriander
2 t ground cumin
½ t ground red pepper (cayenne)
½ t ground black pepper
½ t ground turmeric
1 t salt
2 C thinly sliced onions
3 T olive oil
2 T minced garlic
2 T minced ginger
2 T olive oil, or more as needed
2 C chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned, drained
1 t salt
2 t poppy seeds, coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle
½ C water
1/8 t Garam Masala

1. Trim boneless, skinless thighs of fat and cut into 2-inch chunks. If only thighs with bone-in are available, remove skin and fat and cut thighs into 2 or 3 pieces each, bone in. Rub chicken pieces with mixture of ground spices and 1 t salt and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. In a deep heavy frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, fry onion in 3 T oil until edges are nicely browned. Add garlic and ginger and stir for 2 minutes until onion turns medium brown. Remove onion mixture from pan and set aside.
3. Add 2 T oil (more if needed) to pan and heat over medium heat. Add chicken pieces and stir for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add fried onions, tomatoes, and 1 t salt and simmer until tomato pieces become very soft.
4. Stir in crushed poppy seeds and water and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Uncover and continue simmering for another 20 minutes, until sauce thickens and turns a darker shade of brown. Stir in garam masala, simmer for 1 minute, remove from heat. Taste for salt.

Preparation Time: 1 hour marinating + 1 hour cooking
Serves: 6 to 8

Spiced Indian Tea Mix

1 part black pepper (heaping)
1 part ground coriander (cardamom)
1 part ground cloves
1 part ground cinnamon
5 parts ground ginger

or

1 T plus 2 t black peppercorns
1 T cardamom seeds
1 T whole cloves
1 (1-1/2-inch) cinnamon stick
1/3 C ground ginger

Hot tea
Boiling water
Milk and sugar to taste

Mix spices together or if using whole spices: Put peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cloves and cinnamon in a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder with pestle. Add ginger and grind again a few seconds to mix. Add about ½ T of spice mixture to a pot of tea; leave in a warm place 1 to 2 minutes to brew. Serve hot, with milk and sugar.

Makes about 8 T (whole spices) spice mix, enough for 16 pots of tea.

NOTE: Store remaining spice mixture in an airtight container, in a dark cupboard to preserve flavor. It will keep 2 to 3 months.

More recipes from “Walker’s Indian Bistro” August 18, 2007

Made this the other day and it turned out really well. Enjoy and have fun.

Chicken Fry – Indian Recipe

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or about 3 pounds with bone and skin
2 C thinly sliced onions
¼ C vegetable oil
1 t minced garlic
1 t minced ginger
1 t minced green chili (Serrano, Thai, or jalapeño)
Spice mixture:
3 t ground coriander
½ t ground cumin
¼ t ground red pepper (cayenne)
¼ t ground black pepper
1/16 t ground turmeric
1/16 t ground cinnamon
1/16 t ground cloves
2 T water
1 ¼ t salt
½ t lemon juice

1.Trim fat from boneless, skinless thighs and cut into 2-inch chunks. If only thighs with bone and skin are available, remove skin and fat and cut thighs into 2 or 3 pieces each, bone in.
2.In a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, fry onion in oil until edges are nicely browned.
3.Add garlic, ginger, and green chilies and stir for 1 minute.
4.Mix ground spices with water to form a paste. Stir into onion mixture and fry for 1 minute.
5.Add chicken and salt and fry, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for salt.
6.Stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat.

Serves 8
Goes very well with Potatoes and Onions with Tomatoes.

Potatoes and Onions with Tomatoes

1 C thinly slices onion
3 T olive oil
1 t minced garlic
Spice mixture:
5 t ground coriander
¼ t ground red pepper (cayenne)
¼ t ground black pepper
¼ t ground turmeric
1 ½ C chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned, drained
3 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
¾ C water
½ C coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 t fennel seeds, coarsely ground with a mortar and pestle
1 t salt
¼ C coconut milk
¼ t mustard seeds
10 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
1 dried red pepper
1 T olive oil

1.In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, fry onion in 2 T oil until edges are nicely browned.
2.Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
3.Stir in spice mixture and tomatoes and fry until tomatoes are soft.
4.Add potatoes, water, ½ C coconut milk, fennel seeds, and salt, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender and liquid is reduced, about 20 minutes.
5.Add ¼ C coconut milk, bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Consistency should be moderately thick. Taste for salt.
6.In a small covered frying pan over medium-high heat, heat mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red pepper in 1 T oil until mustard seeds begin to pop. Pour contents of pan into potato curry and stir.

Serves: 6 to 8
goes very well with Chicken Fry

It’s official (as if there was ever any doubt) August 10, 2007

It’s official. The South as a whole sucks.

There’s no other way to look at it. There is a blight that covers this place. Mississippi seems to be in the center and it extends out to Houston, Texas to the west, to Orlando, Florida to the south, Knoxville, Tennessee, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Kansas City, KS to the north. There is a small resistance in the New Orleans, Louisiana, but we don’t expect them to make any headway.

“What’s happened now?” you ask. I’m glad you’ve asked.

There are no Indian groceries. It’s like a bomb went off in the center of Mississippi that only obliterated Indian food. There are no Indian restaurants in the Biloxi are (big surprise). There is no where to buy Indian food in the South (except for one store in New Orleans). That’s a 2 hour drive at least. Dallas has half a dozen. The Houston area has a dozen. The southern tip of Florida has a dozen.

But those towns are very big, you say. Okay, well, then this little community of Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Gulfport, etc, etc, should be able to have ONE Indian grocery. Aw hell, I’d settle for some frickin’ ingredients in the spice aisle at the grocery store.

But do you know why there aren’t Indian spices in the spice aisle of a Southern grocery store? Because the people who choose to live here are stupid.

And my daughter is clamouring for me to play play-doh with her and I should go.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!!!

I am going to hit up a friend and/or family member and make them pick up some stuff for me and mail it to me. I am desperate.