New Recipe - Skirt Steak - Indian Style

This steak will be good enough to feed two people.   

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of skirt steak
• 1.5 tbsp of olive oil  
• 2 tbsp of black pepper
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 3 tbsp of spicy mustard 
• 1 tbsp of ground cumin powder
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of any popular steak sauce
• salt to taste

How To Cook?

1. First thing first. Clean the meat well under flowing water.
2. Cut the steak into narrow strips along the grain of the skirt 
3. Mix all the spices and then marinate the steak pieces 
4. Refrigerate the whole mix for an hour or two
5. After an hour, cook the meat on medium to high heat till the steak color suits you.

How To Serve?

Serve with white rice! Enjoy.

Lamb stew - my style

This stew will be good enough to feed a family of four.   

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of lamb mix (not boneless just chopped up lamb meat)
• 1.5 lbs of long carrots (cut into small cubes)
• 4 idaho potatoes (cut into small-medium cubes)
• 4 tbsp of dry Thyme (preferably crushed)
• 2 red onions (finely chopped)
• 3 tbsp of crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp of crushed ginger
• 2 tbsp of black pepper
• 3 tbsp of crushed cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp of turmeric (powder)
• 4 tbsp of tomato ketchup
• salt to taste

How To Cook?

1. First thing first. Clean the lamb meat well under flowing water. 
2. Put the lamb meat in a stew sauce pan and add cold water till the water level is 5 fingers above the level of the lamb. Add thyme. 
3. Add the turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper
4. Heat the mixture till it starts boiling.
5. In a separate bowl, boil cubed carrots and potatoes with just enough water.
6. By the time, the meat starts to boil, add the vegetables in to the meat and continue boiling at low heat.
7. Add onion, ginger, garlic and black pepper to the boiling mixture and continue cooking.
8. Add the tomato ketchup.
9. Add appropriate amount of salt to taste.
10. Cook till the meat is well boiled (about 45 minutes)

How To Serve?

Serve with rice or bread. Enjoy!

Baignon ka Bhurta

Total Time: 30 minutes / Serves: 3 to 4 people

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 finely chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1 teaspoon garlic, grated
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies,
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon ghee
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped coriander

How to Cook?

1. Grease the brinjal (eggplant) with olive oil, make small slits all over the surface and cook over an open flame till it is soft. You can microwave like I did for 10 minutes (dont just burn the hell out of it)

2. Cool and peel the skin. Mash the pulp thoroughly and keep aside.

3. Heat ghee and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle add the onions and sauté for a few minutes.

4. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry again for a few seconds.

5. Add turmeric powder and cook till the oil separates from the masala.

6. Add the mashed brinjal, garam masala and salt and mix well.

7. Serve hot garnished with the coriander.

How to serve?

Serve with Roti or hot rice and garnish with chopped coriander

Home-made Indian fare

I cannot believe this. More than a year in mid-town Manhattan and still didn't know of this hole-in-the-wall Indian food joint at 6th Ave and West 38th before last afternoon.
No menus. Just plain veggie dishes to be ordered.
6 dollars flat. White or yellow Indian rice, Saag-daall, Okhra-squash sabji curries, 4 rotis heated with traces of ghee, a lentil soup with sambar, Mango-chilli pickle, and a gulab jamun to end it all.



Try it out! Its a good break from Kati rolls and other Indian buffet fares. If you get bored with the veggie fare (the side dishes are different every day), then try the next enclave of Spanish non-veg food.

Eazee Indian Cooking in USA: Chapter 3

Based on requests, we are going to cook some Daal. Before we embark on this great journey, let us understand what is daal. Daal is a kind of lentil and the soup made of this lentils/spilt pulsesis also called Daal in India. There are numerous types of Daals, you can find their variety at here. However, if you want to buy it, get it from an Indian grocery like this.

Chapter 3: Masoor Daal

Ingredients:
2 tea cup full of yellow Masoor Daal
1 Red Onion - finely chopped
2 spoons salt.
1 spoon turmeric, ground cumin
1 spoon of finely chopped garlic and green chilli
2 spoons garam masala
2 spoons ground coriander
2 spoons of tomato puree
1 big spoon of butter
2 large spoon fulls of any cooking oil (my preference Olive oil)
6 cups of water (approximate)
Process:
Wash the lentil seed (from now on daal) in fresh water and slow boil them in a deep pot (wok)
Add enough water to cover the daal. Boil the stuff till its mushy.
Fry all the spices with onions in olive oil in a deep skillet.
Add the fried and spiced onions and chillies to the mushy daal
Add some more water and slow boil the stuff with intermittent stirring.
Boil it till you a get a medium thick consistency ( lentils are soft and tender). Add the butter and boil it some more.
How to Serve and Eat:
Eat this daal with basmati rice.
Ahh!

Eazee Indian Cooking in USA: Chapter 2

Since the last one was Non-veg I thought of making this chapter vegetarian; I am just being lazee so the recipe stays the same as Chapter 1, where you replace the chicken with corn (frozen corn is available at Walmart) to make Alu-Chana Corn Mix.

The rest remains the same as Chapter 1.

Sorry if I disappointed you; I would make it up soon with chapter 3.
Happy cooking.

Eazee Indian Cooking in USA: Chapter 1

Indian cooking can be so easy if you know what to use and how to use; so I have taken upon myself the responsbility of satiating the appetite of young, single Indians (H1b holders or otherwise). The first item in our mission is Non Vegetarian (approx cooking time 25 minutes); however you can always avoide using the Chicken (that will save your cooking time too :)). And all the stuff is available at Walmart or at your big local grocery store.

Chapter 1: Alu-Chana Chicken Mix

Ingredients:
1 can of Diced Potato (Alu)
1 packet of fully cooked frozen Diced Chicken (you can use fresh chicken if you have time)
1 can of Chick Peas (Chana)
1 large Red onion (No white onions: they are not for Desis)
1 Green chilli
4 large spoon fulls of any cooking oil (my preference Olive oil)
2 large slices of tomato, 2 spoons of tomato puree, 1 spoon of minced garlic, 1 and half spoons of ginger paste.
Plus 1 spoon each of red chilli powder, garam/curry masala, turmeric powder,cumin seeds;
salt to taste.
Coriander leaves (for garnishing)
Process:
Cut the onions fine.Cut the green chilli into small pieces.
Fry the onions over red heat in a medium deep non stick skillet with olive oil (3 mins)
Add the cumin seeds and fry some more (2 mins)
Add the garlic, ginger and tomato puree.(1 min)
Add the diced potato. Add green chillies.(1 min)
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pinch of salt (1 min)
Add tomato slices (1 min)
Fry on low heat with the chicken pieces (5 mins)
Add all the Chick peas with the juice in the can slowly (2 mins)
Add a small cup of water if you need gravy (optional)
Add Garam Masala/ Curry Masala and cook thoroughly (6 mins)
How to Serve and Eat:
Serve medium hot in a elongated bowl with some coriander leaves for garnish.
Eat with Tortillas or Pita bread.

Let me know your feedback. Bon Appetit

'Desi' Home Run; lingo explained

Here is a collection of cool 'desi' definitions for the uninitiated American, who have not yet been 'blessed' with the Indian philosophy :-). Let me know if this helps.
____________________________________________________________
Desi:A colloquial name for South Asians, people who trace their ancestry to South Asia, especially India, Bangaldesh, Pakistan. Pronounced "THEY-see," it is the Hindi word for "from my country" (from the word 'desh' or country). In an article about the South Asian party scene in the Big Apple, New York Times reporter Somini Sengupta described the word as a "Hindi version of homeboy or homegirl" (NYT, 6/30/96: "To Be Young, Indian and Hip"). That's a pretty good definition.
ABCD "American Born Confused Desi" : A slightly derogatory name used to describe desi children who were born and brought up in America and are "confused" about their South Asian background. Read Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri for insights.
Non-resident Indian or NRI: A term coined by bureaucrats in New Delhi to define Indians who live outside India. Indian tax law includes three categories: resident and ordinarily resident; resident and not-ordinarily resident, and non-resident. The first is one who lives in India all the time; the second, one who lives at least 180 days in India, and the third, who lives less than 180 days in India. Also stands for Not-required Indians or Non-reliable Indians.
Asian, Asian American: Be careful of this usage when talking about those of Asian origin (like me). The key is to know is your reference really about all Asians or only about East Asians and/or Southeast Asians!! For example, an American reporter might write about the 'Chinese New Year being important to Asians in the U.S.' South Asians are a part of the Asian American community, and they don't care about Chinese New Year.
Diaspora:The British colonial legacy and large-scale immigration resulted in large number of pockets of people of South Asian origin scattered around the world (besides South Asia, of course). The government of India puts the size of the diaspora at more than 20 million. There are more than 2 million South Asians in the United States, a lot of them married to americans.Is there any statistics of the successes of these marriages?
Bengal, Bengali, Bangali, Bangla: During partition of India, the Indian state of Bengal was divided into two: the mostly hindu state of West Bengal, which went to India, and the mostly muslim country of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. However, political borders are not necessarily cultural borders. Both Bangladeshis and West Bengalis speak the same language of Bengali, though with slightly different accents, and call themselves "Bengalis" or "Bangalis" (never Bangalees.) I am a Bengali Hindu from West Bengal in India: ooh what a legacy.
Hindu, Hinduism: One of the oldest (older than Christianity and Islam) religion practiced by about 80 percent of the population of India. The values and beliefs of Hinduism are not derived from a single text, institution or pontiff but have evolved over several thousand years in the subcontinent into a set of theological and social values embedded in a range of ritual observances, mystical contemplation and ascetic practices by its followers. Although Hinduism is often portrayed to be polytheistic, many scholars consider Hinduism to be henotheistic or monotheistic, the gods and goddesses worshipped by Hindus representing manifestations of One Supreme Being. Among the many sacred scriptures and texts of Hinduism are the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita (a segment of the epic Mahabharata). Do not confuse Hindu (the religion) with Hindi (a language).
Hindi: The primary language of about 30% of India's people, and one of almost two dozen major languages spoken around the country. It is derived primarily from Sanskrit, using the Devanagari script
Urdu: One of the official languages of Pakistan; also spoken in many parts of India, especially in the North. Also the language used in ballads known as ghazals. Urdu romantic shairis are the life blood of any good desi crowd.
Sanskrit: Indo-Aryan language in which many ancient Indian texts are written (Vedas); also used by Hindu clergy for recitation of most prayers.
qawaali or qawwali: (not capitalized) Devotional songs of the Sufi tradition of Islam. In the style popularized by the late singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, this old tradition has been sped up and blended with Western instruments.
Bhangra: Dance and music style originating in the Indian state of Punjab. Now often refers to a blend of western pop and traditional Punjabi music when performed in the West.Check out LA for regular Bhangra sessions.balle balle.
Mehndi: The traditional Indian and diaspora art of intricate hand and body decoration using dyes from the henna plant. Used mainly by brides during marriage ceremonies, it is now becoming popular as an exotic decoration and a non-permanent "tattoo." In recent years, mehndi has gained attention in the West as a result of its use by Madonna and Gwen Stefani. They have also popularized the 'Bindi', a hindi name for the decoration worn on the forehead by many women of South Asian origin.Contrary to popular perception, the bindi does not necessarily indicate the marital status of a woman. It can be applied as a turmeric-based powder or a quick-drying liquid, but many contemporary women prefer to use "stick-on" bindis that have a weak adhesive on the back.
Chai: Hot/Iced/Frozen tea served with milk, spices and sweeteners. Most of coffee shops in USA think that the trendiest beverage is neither espresso nor cappuccino, but chai. Rooted in the tea-drinking traditions of India, chai is suddenly the hottest sip in America.Note: The "ch" is pronounced as in "check." The vowel rhymes with "eye."
Cashmere: Fine wool from the undercoat of the Kashmir/cashmere goat. While mistakenly applied to all kinds of soft wool, only the wool from this goat is true cashmere. The wool, known as pashmina, is popular for its use in beautiful shawls and other handmade items produced in the Indian state of Kashmir (now China does too).
Diwali, Deepavali: One of the most festive holidays observed by Hindus, its overall theme is celebration of the triumph of good and truth over evil, symbolized by the lighting of fireworks and clay lamps at night. Diwali occurs during late autumn (late October/early November) and is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India to signify different local customs and religious traditions. Although it is celebrated among many north Indians and the diaspora as the start of the new year, Diwali should not be referred to as the 'South Asian new year', 'Indian new year', or the 'Hindu new year'. No such event exists.