Tag: ghee

Turkey Keema with Cauliflower and Dill (Ground Turkey)

This is one of our favorite things to eat – ground meat and cauliflower.. I made this one with lots of dill. It gives the dish an amazing earthy flavor…

3 tablespoons ghee or butter
1 pound dark meat ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 inch piece ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 cup full fat yogurt
1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat a heavy saucepan with the ghee/butter. Add the ground turkey and sauté on medium high heat while separating the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes till the meat is golden brown. Add the onion, ginger and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the yogurt and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well and add ½ cup each of the dill and cilantro. Mix well and lower heat to medium, cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes or till meat is cooked through and cauliflower is tender. Take the lid off and increase heat to medium high and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with the remaining dill and cilantro.

Keema (Ground Meat) with Brussels Sprouts

Keema is kind of the Indian version of chili.. well, a loose interpretation of it- there are no beans in keema.. usually some veggie. I decided to pair, my favorite, Brussels sprouts. Why not, I thought… and it was delicious…

2 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
1 pound ground turkey or any meat desired
2 tablespoons cilantro stems, chopped
2 tablespoons dill stems, chopped
½ cup full fat yogurt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
½ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup dill, chopped

Heat a heavy saucepan with ghee and oil. Add the onion and ginger and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground meat and cook while separating with the back of a wooden spoon on medium heat. Saute for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the yogurt, coriander, cayenne pepper and salt. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add the sprouts, mix well and cook with lid on for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and cook for another 10 minutes, checking for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro and dill. Serve warm.

Dhaniya Meat (Goat Meat Cooked in a Cilantro Sauce)

Dhaniya Meat This is one of my all time favorite dishes-ever. I grew up eating this and learnt later my maternal grandfather used to enjoy it immensely as well. I love it for its simplicity and amazing flavor.

This is my first time making this delicious dish and realized how simple it is to make.

The dish is made with one of my favorite combinations- cilantro, onion, garlic and green onions. The mixture imparts amazing flavors and color. It is as simple as that.

If you are not able to find goat meat, use lamb, beef or chicken- the basic flavor will be the same. I introduced the dish to my daughter who love it. The taste brought me back to my childhood. I love how food invokes delicious memories…

Enjoy this dish…
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Morel Mushroom Rice Pulao

Morel Rice Pulao I never knew morel mushrooms are used in Indian cuisine. I was talking to my Mom about cooking for some friends who are vegetarian and I wanted to make a rice dish with mushrooms. She told me about how many years ago, this rice dish was served at very fancy weddings. Especially since morels are and were very expensive to buy so only the very wealthy could afford to serve them.

I was very surprised to hear that morels are used back home- I usually associate the mushrooms with Italian cuisine. Anyway, she explained to me how the rice dish is made and I replicated it with very good results. I used dried morels and reconstituted them in some hot water. I also managed to find mushroom broth which elevated the flavor factor by many notches.

Overall, it was a delicious dish- especially served with a variety of vegetarian dishes.
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Moong Dal with Spinach (Lentils with Spinach)

Moong Dal with Spinach This is a great dish to make through the week. It is simple and quick. Especially since I used these particular lentils- moong. They take all of 15 minutes to cook up. I have quite a few lentils in my pantry which is great when I don’t have anything else to cook.

I made these simply with some turmeric, salt and garlic. I let the lentils cook for a while and then added the frozen spinach- another thing I have on hand- it is extremely versatile and easy to use.

While the lentils were finishing up, I heated up some ghee (butter can be used instead) and added cumin. I added the mixture to the lentils and that was it. I served the lentils with some rice and it was a delicious weeknight meal. Everyone loved it.

Make these lentils through the week- they don’t take long at all.
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Lentils with Mint- Pudina Dal

Lentils with Mint To me there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of well made dal (lentils). It is equivalent to Chicken Soup here- real comfort food.

In India the lentil variety is mind boggling. I am sure there are plenty of them I have never tasted. As part of my Indian pantry, I have at least 8 to 10 different kinds on hand at any given time. They are very reasonable to buy and great to make in a cinch. Some of the lentils have a tough exterior and need longer to cook- I have my trustee pressure cooker to do the job. A slow cooker works really well also- red kidney beans (rajma) and black lentils (whole urad dal) are ideal for slow over night cooking.

A well balanced Indian meal usually includes a vegetable- saag paneer or aloo gobi; a dal- masoor; a meat dish- keema or chicken. The dishes are served with homemade yogurt and freshly made rotis (bread) or rice. Obviously the dishes vary according to household and region but the staples remain the same- dal, roti and yogurt.

My parents are visiting from India- that means we will be getting fabulous Indian food. My Mom is a great cook- that is where I get my obsession of food.

While she was unpacking her suitcase, she brought out a big container wrapped carefully in plastic wrap and all sorts of plastic bags. Out came one of my favorite mutton dishes- achari gosht. The word achari means pickled and gosht is mutton. She used to make this dish whenever we would go for a picnic or on a long train ride. The meat is cooked in pickling spices, and mustard oil and finished with vinegar; plus it does not have any water- all of these factors help with a long shelf life. It is absolutely delicious- I know what you are thinking- why didn’t she just make it here?- well, the goat meat you get back home is far more superior than here and a lot tastier- I will post the recipe soon.

Anyway, my point was that we ate the mutton dish that very night. I decided to make dal as an accompaniment. I mixed the masoor dal (pink lentils) with moong dal (yellow lentils). I wanted to keep the dish simple since the mutton dish was the star of the evening. I added a few garlic cloves and cooked the lentils with salt and turmeric. I added fresh mint from my backyard. The mint gave the dal a really fresh and light flavor- it was amazing. The whole meal was delicious and very enjoyable- brought me back to my childhood. My daughter enjoyed it as well!

This dal is perfect with any dish or just by itself with a bowl of fluffy white rice.