I just got back from an intensive Indian workshop in NYC with Julie Sahni and what fun it was! We cooked for 20 hours in two days and made some amazing food. Truly better than any restaurant I have ever been to even in India!
Here is to Indian home cooking- enjoy!
Curry Chicken with Tamarind Sauce - Goa
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 inch round tamarind pulp
1 cup hot water
Spice paste
2 tablespoons coconut vinegar or sherry wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground red chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin and excess fat removed
Spice mixture
One 1 1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
4 whole green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed
1 medium-sized yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons canola or olive oil
6 baby eggplant, left whole- slit open like a radish
Procedure
1. Place tamarind in a bowl and add the hot water. When cool enough to, handle, crush tamarind pulp with fingers and extract pulp clinging to fibers. Strain the juice into a cup and discard the fibrous residue.
2. Combine the spice paste in a large bowl. Add the chicken and rub it in. Set aside for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.
3. Combine the spice mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Add the spice mixture. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is light golden, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, tossing and turning, until lightly seared, about 6 minutes. Add the eggplant and tamarind juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, covered, until the chicken is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Taste and correct the seasoning and serve.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Tibetan Cuisine
I enjoyed a lovely meal last night at a simple place on Venice Blvd near Culver city. Tara's Himalayan Cuisine was one of the nicest places we have been to lately as it was quiet, the food was delicious and they didn't bother you after you paid the check to leave. In fact, we sat there for an hour and a half talking and enjoying our company.
The food was Northern Indian with many familiar dishes such as Pakoras, Curries, Masala, Raita and Nan bread. Very nicely flavored with just the right amount of spice and not overly sauced we enjoyed most everything we ordered.
We had an appetizer of cooked potatoes with cilantro, chilies, garlic and scallions (Aloo Achaar), Daal, Raita, Shrimp Curry, Saag Aloo and Chicken Sekawa. The chicken was moist and flavored with cilantro, ginger and spices. The shrimp was served in a curry tomato sauce and the Saag Aloo was a combination of cooked spiced cubed potatoes with pureed spinach that was very good. We had two orders of Garlic Naan that was crispy and lightly flavored with garlic and cilantro; perfect!
This was a place I would recommend for it's food, atmosphere ( calm and quiet; NOT trendy), prices ( very inexpensive) and Buddhist feel (very Zen, no one cares how long you sit)
That said I am now teaching Indian cooking as I have learned from master chef and cookbook author Julie Sahni so if you would like to try an Indian dish of your own here is a sample from my last class:
Southern Indian Garlic Braised Tomatoes
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 Tb. canola oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
8 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly
12 kari leaves, julienne
1 ½ tsp. curry powder*
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 large plum tomatoes, peeled, cut into wedges
3 small green chilies, seeded and julienne
½ tsp. salt
juice of ½ lime
Procedure
1. In a large skillet over high heat warm the oil. Add the seeds and cover the pan, when the seeds stop popping turn off the heat and uncover the pan. Add the garlic and kari leaves and cook until golden about 30 seconds.
2. 3. Stir in the curry powder, cumin and red pepper flakes. Add the tomato wedges and cook 3 minutes without stirring. Carefully mix the tomatoes and cook until very soft about 6 minutes. Add the chilies, salt and lime juice and cover until ready to serve.
3. Serve hot or cold and this can be pureed for a great sauce for chicken, fish or meat.
Curry Powder
1 ½ Tb. coriander seeds
1 tsp. peppercorns
½ tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. fenugreek seeds
½ tsp. cumin seeds
3 whole cloves
1 Tb. turmeric
½ Tb. cayenne
Grind the first 6 ingredients in a spice grinder until a fine powder. Stir in the last two.
The food was Northern Indian with many familiar dishes such as Pakoras, Curries, Masala, Raita and Nan bread. Very nicely flavored with just the right amount of spice and not overly sauced we enjoyed most everything we ordered.
We had an appetizer of cooked potatoes with cilantro, chilies, garlic and scallions (Aloo Achaar), Daal, Raita, Shrimp Curry, Saag Aloo and Chicken Sekawa. The chicken was moist and flavored with cilantro, ginger and spices. The shrimp was served in a curry tomato sauce and the Saag Aloo was a combination of cooked spiced cubed potatoes with pureed spinach that was very good. We had two orders of Garlic Naan that was crispy and lightly flavored with garlic and cilantro; perfect!
This was a place I would recommend for it's food, atmosphere ( calm and quiet; NOT trendy), prices ( very inexpensive) and Buddhist feel (very Zen, no one cares how long you sit)
That said I am now teaching Indian cooking as I have learned from master chef and cookbook author Julie Sahni so if you would like to try an Indian dish of your own here is a sample from my last class:
Southern Indian Garlic Braised Tomatoes
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 Tb. canola oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
8 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly
12 kari leaves, julienne
1 ½ tsp. curry powder*
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 large plum tomatoes, peeled, cut into wedges
3 small green chilies, seeded and julienne
½ tsp. salt
juice of ½ lime
Procedure
1. In a large skillet over high heat warm the oil. Add the seeds and cover the pan, when the seeds stop popping turn off the heat and uncover the pan. Add the garlic and kari leaves and cook until golden about 30 seconds.
2. 3. Stir in the curry powder, cumin and red pepper flakes. Add the tomato wedges and cook 3 minutes without stirring. Carefully mix the tomatoes and cook until very soft about 6 minutes. Add the chilies, salt and lime juice and cover until ready to serve.
3. Serve hot or cold and this can be pureed for a great sauce for chicken, fish or meat.
Curry Powder
1 ½ Tb. coriander seeds
1 tsp. peppercorns
½ tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. fenugreek seeds
½ tsp. cumin seeds
3 whole cloves
1 Tb. turmeric
½ Tb. cayenne
Grind the first 6 ingredients in a spice grinder until a fine powder. Stir in the last two.
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