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.
Last night I did a Dinner Swap for tonight. I made the Cheesy Ground Beef Casserole and we had dinner with friends tonight. (Which was yummy by the way) Dinner last night was yummy as well. I'd tweak it a bit by adding more carrots and I left out the salt and pepper, but it does need the salt. I boxed up our bonus dinners for later. Tomorrow we will have our bonus oven fried chicken dinners. Tonight should have been Turkish pilaf. Miss M and I will have them for lunch tomorrow.
Here is the recipe for Friday. It comes from Indian: a Collection of Over 100 Essential Recipes, Paragon Books, LTD, 2008.
Lamb Rogan Josh
1 1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 t. asafetida, dissolved in 2 T. water
1 1/2 lb (700 g) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 2" (5 cm) cubes
2 tomatoes, seeded
1 onion, chopped
2 T. ghee or vegetable oil
1 1/2 T garlic and ginger paste
2 T. tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 T. ground coriander
1/4 t.-1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. ground turmeric
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garam masala
Put the yogurt in a large bowl and stir the dissolved asafetida. Add the lamb and use your hands to rub in all the marinade, then set aside for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the tomatoes and onion in a food processor and process until blended. Melt the ghee in a flameproof casserole dish or large skillet with a tight fitting lid. Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir until the aromas are released. Stir in the tomato mixture, tomato paste, bay leaves, coriander, chili powder and turmeric, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes.
Add the lamb and salt with any leftover marinade and stir for 2 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. The lamb should give off enouigh moisture to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the skillet, but if the sauce looks too dry, stir in a little water.
Sprinkle with the garam masala, re-cover the skillet, and contiune simmering for 15-20 minutes, until the lamb is tender. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
I am going to use beef in this recipe, since it's what I have on hand. There's a concert at school on Friday, but I'm home early and can get this made so we can eat right away and go to the concert.
Until tomorrow...
