Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Indian Cuisine, Poultry
Thursday Jul 9, 2009
Keema is one of my favorite Indian dishes to eat! It is essentially any kind of ground meat cooked with onions, ginger, garlic. I like using turkey meat for health reasons- but any kind will work really well. Dry spices can be added as well- I love using cumin, cinnamon, etc- all sorts of spices. I love the flavor they impart in any dish. Mostly keema also includes some kind of a vegetable- either fresh green peas or potatoes- I would say, those two are the most popular ones. A very popular combination in my family is ground meat cooked with cauliflower- that is by far my favorite. Although this particular one is not that far behind.
The basic recipe for keema is to saute onions, ginger and garlic and then add either fresh or crushed tomatoes to make a delicious savory, slightly tangy gravy. Another way to add body and tang to a dish is to add yogurt. Most Indian dishes have one or the other ingredient (tomato or yogurt)- sometimes they have both. In this case, I decided to use yogurt- I love the creamy depth it adds to any dish. I also used a lot of the dry spices, especially black cumin. This particular spice reminds me of creamy, delicate dishes- it gave this dish a very sweet flavor- it went really well with the meat and the spinach.
I wanted to add a vegetable and make a complete one-pot meal. I added frozen chopped spinach since it is usually not paired with keema- I thought it went really well. I love using spinach in almost everything- first of all it is very healthy for you; secondly- I end up using the frozen variety, which is very economical and lastly- my daughter eats it without any fuss- I think she really enjoys it!
Overall the dish was a success. I made fresh rotis and a cucumber salad on the side.
I had quite a bit of leftovers the next day- I have come up with a great way to use them in quesadillas. Will post the recipe soon!
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Entrées, Indian Cuisine, Sides, Vegetarian, kid friendly
Tuesday Jul 7, 2009
This is a great side dish that goes really well with a variety of different entrees. The rice dish already has a bunch of vegetables, so all you need to do is grill or roast some meat and you are good to go! You don’t even need a salad in case you are too lazy to make one!- which I admit- I am most of the time. I think that is why I am always looking to come up with dishes that have all the food groups in one! It is hard to come up with different rice dishes with new and delicious flavors all the time- this one is a winner!
This particular one came about with whatever I had in the fridge. I had bought some vidalia spring onions from the farmers market. Carrots, dill and cilantro are always in my fridge. I also decided to add my other staple ingredient- frozen spinach. I love adding spinach to all sorts of dishes- I love the flavor and my daughter loves it in anything. I make all my rice and couscous dishes with chicken broth- I always have lots of boxes sitting in my basement. So making this dish was a cinch- I just had to come up with the recipe in my head- which didn’t take very long either.
It is nice to have some dishes in your repertoire that can be made easily with the ingredients you have on hand all the time. Especially if you have a busy, crazy day and do not have time to think about dinner let alone go to the grocery store. Most people I know don’t like going to grocery stores or don’t have time. Me, on the other hand, love-love going food shopping- especially the day I am going to cook something- but it is not possible all the time and so I love being able to come up with something without leaving the house.
This was a big success- my daughter loved it. I served the vegetable rice dish with pink lentils and it was a complete meal! Simple, easy and very tasty.
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Salad, Vegetarian
Monday Jul 6, 2009
With all the cooking I have done lately, you would think I have made plenty of potato salads- I thought so as well – but when I really started thinking about it, I have never made a potato salad- ever! Whenever we grill for us, or company, I end up making roasted, grilled or some other kind of potato side dish- somehow potato salad does not come to mind. I never end up buying it either- not sure why… I do like it, especially at a barbecue, definitely with chicken or ribs and some beans- hmm… that is a delicious combination! I do love to go to a southern barbecue place and eat the potato salad there. We have a local place in Maplewood called Church’s Kitchen – they have really delicious grilled meats and yummy sides. Their potato salad is really good.
We were invited to a barbecue and guess what I decided to make – yup, a potato salad. I thought about it for a very long time- I wanted to make something different. I first thought of making an Italian style potato salad with olive oil as the dressing base instead of mayonnaise. I envisioned adding thyme and rosemary with maybe some olives or capers- that combination sounded really good to me. I also thought of making one with mayonnaise and pickled relish- since I love the combination of sweet and tangy- that sounded like it would be delicious as well. Last night while I was trying to go to sleep, I started thinking about the potato salad again- I really am always thinking about food… Anyway, I decided to use lots of green herbs in it, including, cilantro, dill and chives. Cilantro is my favorite herb and I am always looking to add it to everything I make. Dill is a recent addition to my repertoire- I love the earthy flavor; and chives are growing like crazy in my backyard- so that was an easy pick! I wanted to make the dressing tangy and spicy and thought of the sriracha sauce. I envisioned about a cup of mayo with the hot sauce, lemon juice and salt. I had green onions in the fridge and of course some eggs. That is how the recipe came about- once I put it together I was very happy with it. It was creamy with a nice crunch from the green onions and fresh herbs. The sriracha sauce added just the right amount of heat while the tanginess from the lemon juice balanced the flavors off really well.
Well, the potato salad was a big hit. It went really well with the burgers and the hot dogs and most of all everyone was happy!
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Seafood/Fish, Southwestern, Vegetarian
Sunday Jul 5, 2009
This was my first time using bulgur wheat. For a while I wasn’t sure how to use this particular ingredient. I love it in tabbouleh- the Middle Eastern dish with lots of parsley, mint, tomatoes and cucumbers. It goes really well with a gyro or a falafel. The texture is very similar to couscous- and I think that is why I like it so much. I normally buy bulgur wheat salad at the Whole Foods salad bar- not really sure why I have never attempted to make it at home before.
A few days ago I was watching food television and saw someone using bulgur wheat and making something similar to tabbouleh. It looked really easy and delicious! I started researching online for exact cooking directions- turns out- everyone has their own way of cooking bulgur wheat. It’s very strange but each recipe I looked at, I saw different quantities of liquid being used to cook the wheat. After looking online for a good hour, I came up with my own measurements. I decided on 3/4 cup of bulgur wheat cooked in 1 cup chicken broth. I also noticed most recipes flavored the cooking liquid. I was already using flavorful chicken broth but decided to add to it even more. I added lemon juice, salt, olive oil and smoked paprika. The reason I used smoked paprika was because I wanted to give this dish a south western/spanish flavor. I was planning on serving this as a side dish with pan roasted cod topped with the tomatillo mango sauce I had left over. The extra flavor in the chicken broth made a huge difference- it added a nice tang and smokiness. I then added some cut up cherry tomatoes and green onions with roasted corn. I got fresh mint and cilantro from my herb garden and finished the dish off with a bit more salt. It was very refreshing- perfect for the summer months and best of all- very easy to make. This particular recipe was a side dish with the fish, but I think next time I will also add a protein in the salad to make it a complete meal- maybe some leftover chicken, shrimp or even cheese- and of course I will wash it down with my favorite summer drink, a Malbec Rose.
Click here for the recipe… »
Posted by Monica Puri Bangia | Under Sauce, Sides, Southwestern, Vegetarian
Wednesday Jul 1, 2009
Here we go with using mangoes again! I can’t help myself- I have so many of them in the house that I feel the need to use them constantly. The good thing is that they are so versatile. I can use them for sweet and savory dishes.
We were having people over and I wanted to serve chips and salsa before the meal. I normally buy the really spicy one from Trader Joes, but my husband doesn’t enjoy it since he does not eat very spicy food. For me the spicier the better.
I remember when I was younger and first came to the States, we used to go to a Mexican restaurant, Chi Chi’s. They would give a big bowl of salsa with chips- it was spicy and delicious. We were also able to find big, huge bottles of Chi Chi’s salsa in Costco. I remember buying tons of it during college- that used to be my late night snack. Since then, salsa has come a long way- there are so many different kinds out there. I remember when I realized how easy it was to make your own- who knew??
In the summer, salsa and chips is my ‘go to’ appetizer. Since most of the entertaining is done outdoors- it’s perfect to serve with a cold beer while the grilling is going on. In the colder months my usual appetizer is a great looking tray of cheese and olives with some grapes, etc- I think when one is entertaining, simplicity is the key .
In this case, I decided to roast the tomatoes and add some chipotle in adobo sauce. I added just the sauce and not any of the peppers- I was being kind to my husband! Just the sauce gives the dish enough smokiness and heat. I added the mangoes to balance the salsa off- I love the idea of having something sweet, savory, tangy and spicy in the same bite. It was delicious with chips. I am planning to make it again as a sauce for fish or shrimp- I think the flavors would go really well.
We enjoyed the salsa and chips with beer and a white wine while the kids played in the backyard- how great are the summer months!!
Click here for the recipe… »
