Lamb Biryani, by Diane

 

This recipe comes from the NY Times, and it looked like the perfect dish to make for a cozy winter weekend. It did involve prep a day ahead, and was a little laborious, so I would save this for a week when I had the time to cook it. Overall, I liked it but it was a bit drier than I hoped. Some biryani dishes I've had are on the dry side so this wasn't a problem with the recipe I don't think. Another complaint was that the whole spices had to stay in while it cooked so every few bites I'd get a cardamom pod or a piece of cinnamon stick (also not uncommon), but I think next time I'd put these in a little bag and take it out before the oven step. On the plus side, the lamb was super tender and the rice was nice and fluffy, and the heat level with just one green finger chile and the 1 tsp of Kasmiri chili was a perfect mild-medium level. I also added currants to one bowl on whim and really like the pop of sweetness! And, while there was a ton of cilantro and mint in this I couldn't tell at all, all the flavors really blended nicely. 

Ingredients:

For the Lamb:

4 green finger chiles (or serrano chiles), stems removed (I used one)

1 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

8 cloves garlic, peeled

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered

2 roma tomatoes, quartered

1 cup full fat yogurt

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp Kasmiri chile powder, plus more if desired

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp kosher salt, plus more if desired

2.5 to 3 lbs lamb chops (shoulder bone in or boneless) (I cut this into bite size pieces)

3 Indian cinnamon sticks half inch each, or 1 large cinnamon stick

12 whole black peppercorns

6 cloves

6 green cardamom pods

1 tbsp garam masala

For the Fried Onions:

1 cup neutral oil like canola

2 yellow onions thinly sliced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the Rice:

kosher salt

water

3 cups basmati rice

For Assembly:

6 tbsp whole milk

1/2 tsp saffron threads

2 cups mixed fresh cilantro and mint leaves

6 tbsp unsalted butter, sliced

Directions:

1. Prep the lamb marinade by adding finger chiles, garlic and ginger to a food processor until finely chopped. Add tomatoes and onions until smooth. Add to a ziplock bag with the lamb, yogurt, mint, cilantro, coriander, cumin, chile powder, turmeric and salt. Combine well and refrigerate overnight.

2. Prep the fried onions by heating oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and salt and cook until browned about 25-30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towels and spread out so they don't clump. Set aside.

3. Add the cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom to the remaining oil and fry over medium heat for one minute until fragrant. Add the meat mixture with the marinade plus one cup of water and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, on a low simmer (adjust heat as needed) until the meat is tender and the sauce is dark (about 2.5 hours). Add in garam masala, then chile powder/salt as needed.

4. Heat the oven to 350 F. Prep the rice by adding it to a large pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes, stirring well and often, then strain and run cold water over the rice. Set aside.

5. Prep the saffron milk by warming the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until just steaming. Remove from heat and add saffron, crumbing it with fingertips as you drop it into the milk. Set aside.

6. In a large dutch oven with a lid, add 1/3 meat mixture to the bottom layer of the pot evenly. Sprinkle the meat with 1/3 herbs and 1/3 rice, assembling lightly without packing the layers down. Drizzle 2 tbsp of saffron milk over the rice and add 1/3 fried onions. Build 2 more layers like this and top with butter pats. Cover the pot with foil and then the lid.

7. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake for one hour until piping hot. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving, digging all the way to the bottom with the spoon to serve. Reheat in a covered dish in the microwave for leftovers.

Indian Pickles, by Diane

 

After the success of Quickles and Korean Pickles, I wanted to see if I could create any other fun pickle recipes with other international flavors because they are awesome to snack on after the pool or being outside. This recipe from myrecipes.com was awesome with one big exception- I wouldn't let these marinate for longer than a few hours. By the time I got to them after 24 hours they were so strong I couldn't handle them! So in the future I'd follow these instructions and pull them after 40 min. I also used a mandolin to make pickle slices, but this recipe called for spears which may have also made them taste stronger. Side note- I had all the spices on hand thanks to our cooking through the countries activities during quarantine, so that felt like a win!

Ingredients: 

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp each brown mustard seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, whole allspice

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 cardamom pods, split open

2 small dried red chiles, broken in half

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced thick

6 persian cucumbers sliced thin (I used a mandolin)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and add in mustard seeds for 2 min.

2. Add remaining spices except turmeric and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. 

3. Add turmeric, then remaining ingredients except cucumbers and bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 min. 

4. Put cucumbers into a glass jar or bowl, then pour liquid over top. Marinate for 40 minutes at room temp, then drain liquid and chill for up to 2 days.

Jerk Chicken Potato Patties, by Diane

This recipe is a fusion of two of my favorite recipes, Crockpot Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Baked Kerala Chicken Cutlet. I wanted to make the jerk chicken, but didn't want the carbs of the usual rice and beans I make to go with it, so I made it into patties a la cutlet style. Much easier for me to grab on the go anyway, which is one of the reasons I love these cutlets so much! These turned out EXACTLY as I had envisioned, the delicious flavor of the jerk chicken with the creamy texture of the potato and the crispy crust. YUM. I didn't even need a dipping sauce to go with them!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3-4 pounds chicken breasts, cleaned
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
10 peppercorns
5 medium garlic cloves, smashed
3 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, sliced into rounds
3 large potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup each flour and breadcrumbs


Directions:

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chicken all over with the rub and set into the base of the crockpot.
2. Throw the remaining ingredients through habanero peppers into the crockpot and cook on low for 5-8 hours. Remove the chicken and blend in food processor with 1 cup of the liquid (not the ginger or habanero) until just before smooth. Keep the remaining sauce in case you need to add more to the mixture later.
3. 30 minutes before the chicken is done, peel, cube, and boil the potatoes until soft. Puree in a food processor until smooth.
4. Add the chicken to the potatoes and mix well. Taste for flavor- if it needs more flavor, add more sauce!
5. Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 2 9X5 baking trays with cooking spray.
6. Take flour and bread crumbs in two separate plates. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl big enough to dip each of the patties. Take each shaped patty, roll in flour, dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs and place them on the baking sheet.
7. Spray tops of patties with a final coat of nonstick cooking spray. Bake in oven for 18 minutes when edges are crisp and tops are golden brown. Rotate baking trays halfway through and flip, adding more cooking spray below and on top of the patties.

Gobi Makhani, by Diane

One of my fave Indian dishes is makhani, which is a buttery tomato gravy. I found a version online that was vegan and light (makhani is loaded with fat and calories!), and converted the veggie/protein ingredients to other favorites in Indian dishes. I then adjusted the cooking so that I could do it in a crockpot, and the whole thing took no more than 10 minutes! In the future, I would suggest cooking the sauce according to the directions, as I think the toasting of the spices and charring of the onions and garlic would have given this already flavorful crockpot version even more flavor, but this came out FANTASTIC and it will definitely be made again! Any possible veggie or protein can go in this sauce, but I am posting my combo because it is amazing!

A note on this photo- I decided I wanted cauliflower to be the main ingredient so I bought two heads. I saw purple cauliflower next to the white and decided to buy one of each. There is no flavor difference, but the purple version is more nutritionally charged than it's white counterpart thanks to anthocyanins, which are cancer-fighting, blood lipid and sugar-stablilzing, weight loss compounds. So those weird purple blobs in the photo are this type of cauliflower, which simply made it more nutritious and colorful!

A photo of the crockpot fully loaded- with the gorgeous purple cauliflower on top!

 Another first for me in this recipe was making a vegan sauce with cashew flour/powder, which I see a lot as a substitute for dairy (i.e. in fettuccine alfredo). I didn't get the substitute as I could not imagine that cashews could even come close to a milk or cream, but lo and behold it really did! The cashew powder (which I simply created using my nutribullet milling attachment and a handful of whole roasted cashews) when added to a liquid instantly develops into a creamy, thick, rich sauce. And it adds an amazing flavor that is subtle but really good. Although this sauce was vegan and therefore contained no butter and no cream, the coconut milk and cashew powder really made it come close- and in my opinion added two more complex flavors to round out the gravy. I will absolutely use these two in the future to create a lowfat and nutritious vegan sauce!

And finally, a note on the spices. Many of these such as coriander and fenugreek can be found in both whole/leaves and powder forms. For this recipe, my local whole foods only had the opposite of what was listed (fenugreek powder instead of leaves, and whole coriander instead of ground). A great rule of thumb for this and any other similar spice situation is 1 tbsp whole/leaves = 1 tsp powder. I simply used this conversion and all went well! 

Recipe from: http://www.veganricha.com/2013/06/gobi-musallam-whole-roasted-cauliflower.html


Ingredients:

For the makhani sauce:

2 teaspoons oil (omit this if you are doing a crockpot version!)
1/2 medium red onion chopped  
1 inch ginger chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic chopped  
1 dry red chili or chili flakes to taste
3 medium tomatoes chopped (I used one can of tomato sauce and it worked really well)
1 teaspoon garam masala  
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder  
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder  
1 Tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves  
3/4 cup coconut milk (from can)  
1/4 cup ground cashew or 1/3 cup soaked cashews
3/4 teaspoon salt  
1/4 teaspoon raw sugar or 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup


Veggies/Proteins:

2 cauliflower heads, chopped
1 small bag frozen peas
4 large carrots, chopped (I had a bag of shredded carrots leftover so I used those but next time would use whole)
1 can chickpeas, drained

Directions for the sauce are on the original website. For this crockpot version, throw all ingredients into the crockpot (sauce ingredients last!) and cook on low for 4 hours, stir and cook on high for 30 minutes.

Baked Kerala Chicken Cutlet, by Diane

I stumbled across this recipe on tastespotting and thought it was a typo. Chicken cut-LETS are breaded and fried pieces of chicken in America, but in India a chicken cut-LET is a delicious snack you have with tea in the afternoon. It consists of cooked chicken that is ground with chiles, ginger, onions, and curry and then mixed with mashed potatoes, formed into a patty, breaded and fried. These sounded amazing, but I wanted to make them healthier so I found a recipe to bake them instead.

Fried recipe here: http://www.collaborativecurry.com/2011/03/i-cannot-ignore-what-is-happening-in.html?showComment=1392489330891#uds-search-results

Baked recipe (beef version but you can cook the chicken ones the same as I did) here: http://blessingsfrommykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/08/baked-beef-cutlets.html

I liked these a LOT and it's hard to stick to just one. They are a bit labor intensive to make though, especially if you fry them, so be warned. They pack a major anti-inflammatory hit with all the spices, and are great for a meal if you eat a couple. Traditionally they are served with ketchup, but I couldn't get the hang of this and experimented with different sauces (so far tamarind sauce wins). Also, I found that mine needed a lot of salt (the recipe calls for very little), so make sure to taste the patties before you bread them.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast - 3 (About 1 Lbs)
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch piece
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 4
Potato - ½ lbs
Onions - 2 big (chopped fine)
Ginger - 2 inch piece (chopped fine)
Garlic - 4 pods (chopped fine)
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Green Chilies - 8 (chopped fine) (reduce if it’s too hot for your taste)
Eggs - 2
Bread crumbs - ½ cup
Flour - ½ cup
Salt - to taste
Vegetable Oil - 1 Tbspn + enough for deep frying


Directions:

1. Cut the chicken breast into big chunks. In a deep pan, cook the chicken with ¼ cup of water, ½ tsp salt, 2 green chilies cut, 1 garlic pod, about 1 tbsp of the chopped onions, whole cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. Cook till all the water is completely drained and chicken is cooked through. Set this aside to cool. Once cool, pick out the cinnamon stick and grind the remaining in your food processor until it resembles a coarse nut meal.
2. Simultaneously, steam/cook the potatoes until soft.
3. Heat oil in a pan and sauté finely chopped onions till translucent. Add finely chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves and sauté till the garlic and ginger gives off the cooked aroma.
4. Once the potato cools, powder it using a fork. Mix all the cooked, boiled and sauteed ingredients together. Check for salt and adjust according to taste. Form small balls of equal size, press it on a spoon to form oval shapes.
5. Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 2 9X5 baking trays with cooking spray.
6. Take flour and bread crumbs in two separate plates. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl big enough to dip each of the cutlets. Take each shaped cutlet, roll in flour, dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs and place them on the baking sheet.
7. Spray tops of cutlets with a final coat of nonstick cooking spray. Bake in oven for 18 minutes when edges are crisp and tops are golden brown. Rotate baking trays halfway through.

Slow Cooker Chicken Saag, by Diane

Indian is one of my favorite types of food, and usually I get some sort of saag (spinach). I decided to try it out at home, and the result could not have been easier. It took me less than 10 minutes to throw this together! I was pleasantly surprised to find that this dish did not contain cream or butter, which most saags tend to use, and instead used coconut milk to thicken it up. I picked a lite coconut milk to lower the fat content and it came out perfectly.

This dish is a major hit of the anti-inflammatory foods, including ginger, onion, garlic, turmeric, curry, cayenne, cumin, and spinach. It's great for the digestive tract and for warming the body which in the wintertime = less energy output. This dish does pack some heat though, and if you're not a fan eliminate the cayenne and cut down on the garlic and ginger.

The only changes I made were to drain the liquid from the tomatoes and substitute a small 6-8 oz can of tomato sauce because I like it to be thick and creamy, and I know from experience that tomato juice and coconut milk produce a watery dish (if you look at the recipe photo from the website compared to mine you'll see the difference). I also used a mix of half fresh half frozen spinach for consistency, because restaurant saag is usually chopped finely like frozen chopped spinach is (ain't nobody got time for that). 

Recipe from: http://aarongoulette.com/bingethinking/slow-cooker-chicken-saag/


Ingredients (my version):

2.5 lbs chicken, cubed
1 tsp each turmeric, cumin, and cayenne
1.5 tbsp each curry, coriander, and garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 inches ginger, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can lite coconut milk
1 6 oz can tomato sauce
8 oz each fresh and frozen spinach

Directions:

Place chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, cover with spices, and stir to coat well. Add in remaining ingredients in order with spinach last on top. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high, stirring once about halfway. Stir once more and turn heat down to low to cook for 1 more hour. Remove from heat and let sauce thicken. Add more salt to taste.

bottom of the slow cooker, topped it with all of the ground spices. In a food processor, I chopped the onion, garlic and ginger to a minced consi - See more at: http://aarongoulette.com/bingethinking/slow-cooker-chicken-saag/#sthash.aAPYBVlJ.dpuf

2.5lbs chicken breast – cubed to bite size

15oz fresh spinach (or frozen if you’re lazy) – I used baby spinach – less stems, etc.

1 large onion, diced

Ginger, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1tsp Turmeric

1tsp Cumin

1tsp Cayenne pepper

1.5tbs Coriander

1.5tbs Garam Masala

1.5tbs Curry

1 can coconut milk (richens the sauce)

1 can diced tomoatos

- See more at: http://aarongoulette.com/bingethinking/slow-cooker-chicken-saag/#sthash.aAPYBVlJ.dpuf

2.5lbs chicken breast – cubed to bite size

15oz fresh spinach (or frozen if you’re lazy) – I used baby spinach – less stems, etc.

1 large onion, diced

Ginger, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1tsp Turmeric

1tsp Cumin

1tsp Cayenne pepper

1.5tbs Coriander

1.5tbs Garam Masala

1.5tbs Curry

1 can coconut milk (richens the sauce)

1 can diced tomoatos

- See more at: http://aarongoulette.com/bingethinking/slow-cooker-chicken-saag/#sthash.aAPYBVlJ.dpuf

Shrimp Curry, by Cheryl

Shrimp Curry

Complete meal with the shrimp and eggplant curry

I just realized that I forgot to post the rest of the Sri Lanken dishes that I made from the recipes of my friends Ashley and Kam. This recipe goes really well with the eggplant curry and pairs well with rice to offset the spice. It's a delicious and different way to make shrimp. Yum!


Ingredients:

Shrimp, peeled and tail off
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 cinnamon stick
2 pieces of anese
5-10 curry leaves
1 tablespoon cumin
2-3 tablespoons curry
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
2 teaspoons crushed fenugreek (I didn't use this)
salt and black pepper
canola or vegetable oil

Directions:

1) Saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft.

2) Add all of the spices and mix until fully coated. Add more oil.

3) Add the shrimp and cook until no longer transparent.

Eggplant Curry, by Cheryl

Not the most appetizing shot... but it was delicious!

The first week we were in Italy we met our friends Ashley and Kamalan. Kamalan is Sri Lankan so when they have us over for dinner their meals usually consist of Sri Lankan cuisine made by Ashley. The food is so delicious and SPICY! Ashley gave me all of their recipes and I've tried making some of them. While the meals generally don't take that long to make, it's very hands on using a lot of spices that were a little foreign to me. I've made this dish twice and both times it came out very well... although the second time was a little better since I knew what to expect. I highly suggest giving it a try since this can be a side dish to any meal you make, not just when the whole meal is Sri Lankan. Yum!

Ingredients:

- one eggplant
- 1 can coconut milk
- oil (to fry)
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- spices: anise, cinnamon, chili powder, tumeric, curry powder, black pepper, salt, crushed fenugreek (I didn't use this), cumin powder, and curry leaves (about 6). Use more curry powder than the other spices.

Directions:

1) Cut eggplant into small pieces. Toss with red chili powder, salt, and tumeric.

2) Heat oil in a pan and fry the eggplant. Remove once eggplant has browned and dry on a paper towel.

3) Add a few tablespoons of oil and saute the onion and garlic. Add the spices and saute until the onion is cooked.

4) Add the can of coconut milk, more tumeric and red chili powder to taste.

5) Mix well, add the eggplant, and let simmer until the curry sauce has thickened.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, by Diane

I have always been hesitant to cook Indian food because I thought it had too many exotic spices that would be costly to put together, or that it would take a long time to make, or that it would need special cookware like clay pots. But, the other day when I was searching for a healthy, protein-filled lunch that I could make for my week, I came across this recipe. Chicken Tikka Masala is my most favorite Indian dish, I always order it when I go out for Indian food. The list of ingredients was long as I expected, but when I looked through them I found that there was only one foreign spice I did not recognize and the rest were common ingredients at the local grocery store (most I had in the pantry/fridge). And when I saw that it was in a slow cooker (read: throw everything in a pot and leave it alone!) I knew I had to try this dish!

I changed the yogurt and the cream to light or nonfat to make it healthier, skipped the jalapeno (I knew the cayenne would be spicy enough!), and added brown long grain rice for more fiber (= more filling!). I also ran out of cornstarch so I substituted all-purpose flour.

The recipe was found at: http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/02/slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala.html

Overall I was not crazy about this recipe being the CTM lover that I am. It tasted more tomato-y than creamy and buttery (I even doubled the cream after tasting it). I think the tomato paste was the culprit because that's what the overall flavor of the dish was. It was also VERY spicy despite the omission of the jalepeno and only using 2 tsp instead of 3 for the cayenne. It did make a LOT of food though. I love the idea of slow cooker easy Indian food though, so I'll be looking for more recipes out there!


Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces (about 3 lbs)
1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp freshly, finely grated ginger
1 jalapeno, stemmed, sliced in half and seeds removed
1 (29 oz) can tomato puree (the author recommends Contadina Brand)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt 
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-3 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it!)
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Prepared Long Grain White Rice or Basmati Rice
Chopped cilantro, for serving


Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine chopped onions, minced garlic, grated ginger, sliced jalapeno, tomato puree, plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, Garam Masala, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combine.  

2. Pour half of sauce mixture into a large slow cooker then add in diced chicken followed then cover chicken with remaining sauce. Add in 2 bay leaves. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low heat for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours).  


3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together heavy cream and cornstarch, pour mixture into slow cooker and gently stir. Allow mixture to cook 20 minutes while you prepare the rice. Remove bay leaves and sliced jalapeno and serve warm over rice and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.