Minced Turkey Rendang

We reached an important milestone at work, so the powers be it decided that we should go out for lunch. We went to a Malaysian restaurant ordered the usual Roti Canai yummy and Mango Chicken, somebody had also ordered Lamb Rendang. I tasted a tiny bit of it and it tasted great. Later I came back and did some googling and found out that rendang is an Indonesian dish and is cooked by letting it simmer slowly on the stove.

I had a pack of minced turkey lying in the freezer and it was time. So I set out making Minced Turkey Rendang and hunted for recipes. I found an excellent blog for Malay recipes and recipe for Rendang. I did not have Coconut milk, lemon grass or galangal so left those out. I also added turmeric powder just by rote and hence the yellow color. The taste was nowhere near the rendang, I think the richness of coconut milk and also the slow simmering is required for the great taste. But this was still tasty a little different than the gravies that I usually make.






Ingredients

1. 1 lb Minced Turkey
2. 1/2 red onion - chopped
3. 6-8 small red onions
4. 3 red chillies
5. 5 gloves of garlic
6. 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger
7. 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
8. 1/2 tbsp fennel powder
9. 2 tbsp grated coconut
10. 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method
1. Saute ingredients 2-9 with a little bit of oil and blend to a paste
2. In a pressure pan add 1/2 tbsp of oil and saute the minced turkey for a few minutes
3. Add the ground paste and mix it well. Add salt, place the weight and cook for 3-4 whistles. If not using a pressure pan close the lid and cook for atleast 10 minutes.
4. Open the lid add lemon juice and saute till almost all the moisture is gone.

Serve with any kind of bread.

Why I Like Summer! By DD

Summer is almost here, I can smell it in the air. Wake up hearing the birds sing. Makes me want to sing and dance. Really... And DD wrote a poem. Here it is ....

I like summer because there is no school.
I like summer because I can jump in the pool.
I like summer because it is hot outside.
I like summer because I can surf the tide!
I like summer because we can go to the beach.
I like summer because we can play card; 13 cards each!

Kadai Mushroom with Potatoes and Methi

This past week my favorite section in the Washington Post, carried this headline "Can Vegetable Biryani Satisfy Mr. Meat and Potatoes?" no prodding is necessary to read the Food Section but this heading piqued my curiosity. There were a few Indian Recipes and the Kadai Musroom recipe was one that I wanted to try immediately. Mushrooms bought here have too much water and so the simple stir fry with just chilli powder and salt that my mother does in India does not taste all that good. The 2 packets of mushroom were not sufficient so added a few potatoes, also added fresh Methi leaves with the tender stems which gave it the special taste and aroma. If you have enough mushrooms leave out the potatoes.



Ingredients
1. Cremini Mushroom 2 Packets clened and sliced
2. 6 garlic cloves minced
3. 5 Green Chillies (deseeded) and chopped fine
4. 1 1/2 inch ginger piece grated.
5. 1/4 cup of fresh Methi leaves chopped
6. 5 Roma tomatoes (I added one big tomato and one roma tomato)
7. 3 Medium sized Red potatoes cut into lengthwise strips
8. Few sprigs of corriander leaves chopped
9. 1/2 tbsp kassor methi crushed coarsely
10. 2 tsp Chicken Masala powder
11. 1 tsp Red chilli powder (did not have red chilli flakes)
12. 1 tbsp corriander powder
13. 1 tbsp of oil


Method
1. In a Kadai add a little the oil and when it is hot add the mushroom and stir fry till all the water is evaporated, transfer to a bowl.
2. Clean the kadai add some more oil and stir fry the potatoes till they are 3/4 cooked and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil and when it is hot add the garlic and let them cook till they turn color, don't let the garlic burn, adjust the heat to a little below medium.
4. Now add the methi and corriander leaves and chilli powder and saute till are wilted.
5. Add the green chillies and fry for a minute
6. Now add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft and mushed.
7. Add the ginger and chicken masala and corriander powder and mix well.
8. Add the the mushrooms and Potatoes, salt mix well, cover with a lid and let it cook for 6-8 minutes till the potatoes are cooked through.
9.Now add the kasoor methi and after a minute switch off the heat.

Recipe Source: From chef Nilesh Singhvi (article in the Washington Post)



Serve with Rice or Chappathis.

Growing Methi

Thanks to the timely tips and how-to from Jugalbandi, I have my own homegrown Methi.




Thinking of what to cook with it....

Show me your LunchBox

Meeta,Shaheen and the folks at The Daily Tiffin who by the way do a wonderful job on that blog have asked us to participate in the Show Me Your Lunchbox event. My lunch box is easy to pack, anything that will keep me from eating out is welcome in my lunch box. But the toughest (is that a real word? no time to look in the dictionary) is to pack a kiddie friendly lunch box, especially for someone like my daughter for who the process of eating rice is an arduous task by itself ,time consuming requiring constant prodding. So anything that goes in the lunch box should be nutritious but have a snackish quality.

Few items that I pack regulary, mini idlis with Idli podi/sugar and ghee. Green Peas,Corn and Carrot steamed with a little salt and Cream Cheese. Quesadilla (the all time favorite).

Contribution to Show Me Your Lunchbox



Todays Lunch Box Menu:

1. Cheese Quesadilla
Multigrain Tortilla (don't you love that) chappathis will work too
Pepper Jack Cheese grated

Method
Heat the Tortilla on both sides in a pan
Spread the cheese and cover with a lid for the cheese to melt
Cut into wedges

2. Sliced Strawberries
3. Gogurt
4. Whole Wheat Baked Snack and Craisins (Snack)



Packed in a lunch box I got from India it keeps it warm and any side items can go on the lid on top. Neat box.

Decadent ? A Word for a Food Blog?

I saw a Choclate Cake on a blog! Oh yeah it was Shaheen's blog. "Decadent" came to mind. I know it is used for describing Desserts, really delicious ones but I wanted to be sure and checked the exact meaning. So I flipped through the dictionary and here is the meaning "characterized by or given to decadence" and the meaning for decadence "the act or process of falling into decay, moral degeneration".

Now I started having serious doubts and did a google search on "decadent desserts" and got numerous hits on TV Shows, Gourmet Magazine all called Decadent Desserts.

So what gives why are desserts being called Decadent but their dictionary meaning says something else totally. Here now I am having sleepless nights over this so please can somebody help me put this to rest?

I used "decadent" to describe Manisha's latest Post on some really delicious Bedouin dish , hoping she will set me right if I used the wrong word to describe it.

Bell pepper Jalfrezi

Last weekend two things happened, perused Nupur's 'J' episode in the A-Z Vegetables series, visited the grocery store where I found tricolor Bell Peppers which looked fresh and inviting and ofcourse I picked a pack.
Richa's Jalfrazie came to mind immediately and I was going to give it a whirl. I have noticed Jalfrezi in restaurant menus but something about the explaination of the dish itself or the fact that I did not know much about it had a role in me not having tasted this dish before. Next up was finding out what Jalfrezi meant, stir fried in a thick sauce, with either vegetables or Chicken is the gist of what I learnt.


Pretty much followed Richa's recipe and the end result was colorful, tasty and lip smacking.
Ingredients
1. 3 Bell peppers (Red, Green, Yellow) seeded cut into strips.
2. 1/2 Red Onions Chopped lengthwise
3. 1 Carrot cut into strips
4. 1 Potato cut into strips
5. 12 Fresh Green Beans French Cut
6. 6 garlic cloves chopped
7. 1 1/2 inch ginger piece grated
8. 1 tbsp Chilli Powder
9. 1/2 tbsp Chicken Masala Powder (I did not have garam masala)
10. 2 tsp cumin powder
11. 2 tsp turmeric powder
12. 2 tsp oil + 2 tsp ghee
13. Salt to taste

Blend
1. 2 Ripe tomatoes
2. 1 tbsp tomato paste
Puree the tomatoes along with the tomato paste


Method
1. In a pan heat oil and stir fry the Green Bean, Potatoes and Carrots till they are done and set aside.
2. In the same pan heat the ghee add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes, add the bell pepper strips and saute till they start turning a little brown on the edges.
3, Add the garlic and grated ginger and saute them for a few minutes.
4. Add the powders and mix them well.
5. Now add the tomato puree and salt and cook on medium heat till the raw smell goes and the water has evaporated and the gravy is thick.
6. Now add the stir fried veggies, give it a good mix and turn off the heat after 4-5 minutes.

Green Chana with Mangoes and Potatoes

Desi Momz Club
I join Sandeepa in Calling All Moms to come share your experiences, ideas and frustrations. We all have wondered at some time or the other "What do moms in my situation do?". Here is a wonderful way to find out and if you have ideas share them, offer advice. Our very own round table in Cyberspace.

Green Chanas - I noticed them in the grocery store very fresh in their pods about 4 years ago, I looked at it for a while debating if to buy it or not. I did not buy it then but started looking for them after I saw Indira's post on them, but they seemed elusive, so settled on the Frozen variety. The dried Channa are delicious but the green ones have a special taste all their own.




Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 Cups Green Chana
2. 1 Onion Chopped fine
3. 4 garlic cloves chopped fine
4. 1/2 inch ginger grated
5. 1 Red Tomato
6. 1 Small Mango cut into small pieces
7. 2 Potatoes peeled and cubed
8. 1 Tbsp Corriander powder
9. 1 tsp cumin powder
10. 1/2 tbsp Red chilli powder
11. 1 tsp turmeric powder
12. Seasonings: mustard cumin and curry leaves
13. salt to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a Pressure Cooker add the seasonings, when the mustard starts to splutter add the onions and saute till translucent.
2. Add the garlic and grated ginger, saute for a few minutes.
3. Now add in the powders mix well.
4. Add the tomatoes and saute till soft.
5. Add the Green Chana, add salt and about 1/4 cup of water. Close the lid and cook for a whistle or cook for about 6-8 minutes till chana is almost cooked.
6. Now add the chopped Mango and Potatoes and cook till potatoes are soft.

Serve hot with Chappathis or Rice.

The crunchy Chana, soft potatoes and sour mangoes give it a unique taste.