Yummy meatballs and the next recipe Dopiazah for Wednesday...

Tonight we had Curried Meatballs with Rice.  We've had that for dinner as another of our "go to" recipes for a long, long time.  It was a recipe from early in our marriage.  It never disappoints.  I boxed up 3 dinners for later and we had no leftovers.  Miss M joined us and we talked about how I should sometime make the rice by itself because it's so darn good! Mmm...a hint of ginger just makes it a stand alone with other dinners.

 Wednesday is going to be Dopiazah for dinner.  Dopiazah means double the normal amount of onions.  The recipe I use comes from The Encyclopedia of Asian Cooking, Octopus Books Limited, 59 Grosvenor St., London, WI., 1982.    

Dopiazah
3/4 c. ghee*
2 lbs. onions, peeled and sliced
2 t. cumin powder
1 t. fenugreek powder
1 T. turmeric powder
2 t. Garam Masala (recipe follows)
3 green chilis, chopped
1 lb. boneless lamb shoulder or leg cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/4 c. water

Melt the ghee in a heavy pan, add the onions and fry gently until soft.  Remove half the onions from the pan and set aside.  Add the spices to the onions remaining in the pan and fry for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the chilis, then the lamb and fry until the lamb is browned on all sides.  Stir in the water and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the meat is tender.  Add the reserved onions and cook a further 5 minutes until the curry is fairly dry.  Serve hot with rice.  Serves 4.

 Ghee:  Clarified butter.  Also sold in jars in the Indian section of the supermarket.  You can clarify your own butter to save money by melting over low heat and separating the milk solids from the oil.  Refrigerate the ghee and use within 3 months.  

Garam Masala
1 1/2 t. whole cardamoms
5 t. coriander seeds
1 t. cumin seeds
1 1/2 t. whole cloves
2 T. whole black peppercorns

Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods, then place on a baking sheet with the remaining ingredients.  Bake in a preheated 475 degree oven for 10 minutes, then leave to cool.  Grind to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle or food processor.  Store in an airtight container.