Tag: south indian cuisine
Keema Mattar (Ground Turkey with Peas)
This is a very simple, weeknight meal one can whip up in no time. Keema is one of my favorite things to eat and make. Keema is essentially ground meat cooked in spices, onion, ginger and garlic- the rest is up to you. I love pairing the meat with different vegetables to make a great one pot meal. Brown rice or fresh make whole wheat rotis can be served to create and delicious and wholesome meal.
I made this one with peas but I also added a variety of different spices- which are not my usual. I used curry leaves and mustard seeds. The mix of spices gave this dish a fabulous flavor. My daughter loves keema- her favorite is the one I make with cauliflower. She devoured it with two big rotis and a glass of milk….
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Tomato Rice with Peas
This is my version of a South Indian rice dish my husband has all the time at restaurants. I have never made it before and thought it would be nice to try it at home. It is essentially cooked rice sauteed with a lot of spices, lentils and curry leaves. I decided to take it to another level and make a one pot meal out of it. How much do we love one pot meals?
In order to make this dish balanced I added frozen peas and shredded paneer which is an Indian style cheese. So now I had vegetables and protein in the rice dish. I guess if you wanted to be even more healthy, you can use brown rice instead of the white.
The rice dish was super flavorful with the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a blend of spices. The crushed tomatoes and peanuts made this dish fabulous. My daughter is not into nuts- so all I did was take them out for her. She was very skeptical trying the rice- but once she had a bite, she was sold…
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South Indian Style Cabbage and Broccoli with Coconut
I made this dish with the south Indian style chicken I made for my husband the other day. Since I was making dinner, I had to come up with some vegetables to serve with the protein.
I wanted to echo the same flavors I added to the chicken tikkas. I bought a bag of shredded cabbage and I had a head of broccoli. I decided to cook them together and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. I also added shredded coconut that I buy frozen from the Indian stores on Oak Tree road in Edison. They package and freeze fresh, grated coconut- it is great to have on hand for sauteed vegetables or meats and even desserts.
The vegetables took about 20 minutes to cook- so ideal for the summer. I finished the dish off with a good squirt of lemon juice. It wakes up all the flavors and makes everything delicious.
The chicken and the cabbage went really well together. I grilled some corn on the side and also made a garlic bread. It was perfect- we opened a Rose and enjoyed the meal outside….
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Chicken Chettinad Tikkas
These are a one of a kind of tikkas I came up with the other day. I asked my husband what he wanted to eat for dinner. He thought about it and suggested I make something with south Indian flavors. I knew I wanted grill some chicken- so I decided to come up with a recipe for chicken tikkas but not with the usual suspects. I added some south Indian flavors to it. Instead of the lemon juice, I used tamarind. It provides the same tanginess but also adds an earthy flavor lemons don’t have.
For the spices, I used a combination of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. I roasted them with curry leaves and ground everything up. Everything was mixed with the greek yogurt and marinated for several hours. It resulted in a super flavorful chicken. Everyone loved it, especially my husband.
I think this chicken will be part of the summer meals repertoire- it is perfect to serve with grilled corn and other vegetables. Try it- you will love it.
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Shrimp Saute with Dill and Cilantro
This was one of those quick recipes I came up with. I didn’t think about it much as I made it up.
I had a large bunch of dill in my fridge and wanted to use some up. I took out the jumbo shrimp from the freezer to thaw them out.
I kept it simple and marinated the shrimp in coriander powder and my super flavorful garam masala. I then sauteed the shrimp with onion, ginger and tomatoes. Curry leaves, dill and cilantro bring loads of flavor to this simple dish. It came out unbelievably delicious. While I was making the shrimp, I was thinking of what to make with it to make the meal balanced and healthier. I love rice with shrimp and I decided to make some with spinach and broccoli rabe. It was green in color and looked fabulous with the red shrimp.
While I was finishing up the meal, my daughter and her friend were playing and asked me if the friend could stay for dinner. I stopped and told the friend she could but she would have to eat what ever is for dinner. She said fine and I asked her to come up to the stove to look at the shrimp and the green rice.
As we sat down for dinner, I served my daughter a good amount of shrimp and rice and told her friend I would give her a little bit and if she liked it, I will give her more. She looked skeptical and I reminded her she promised me to try and eat whatever I gave her. Although nothing was spicy, I was still a bit worried about all the different flavors going on in both the dishes.
The meal was a big success and the girls finished everything on their plates. It makes me so happy when kids eat a well balanced meal.
Try this shrimp- you will love it…
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