Chick Peas in a Spicy Tamarind Sauce

To a hot pot with oil add 2 small chopped onions, and after frying for a while add spices.  Add a tsp of cumin powder, a pinch of turmeric, half a tsp of black pepper, two tsp of chopped garlic in water, a pinch of crushed ginger, a tsp of chili powder, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder.  Mix and let fry for 5 or so minutes before adding a large chopped tomato.  Then add 1 cup of chick peas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans), a tablespoon of Maggi tamarind sauce, two hot peppers, and a handful of chopped cilantro. Let simmer for 15/20 minutes so that the peas absorb the flavors.  Voila! You have spicy chick peas in a tamarind sauce.  

Spicy Mini-Burger Patties

So, one thing that I like to do is make up big quantities and freeze portions, and this process is ideal for mini-burgers.  Once you have it prepared the mixture you can use it to make normal size burger patties, make meat balls..dip in batter and then breadcrumbs before frying/baking to make it a little different...let your creativity run free! I have deliberately written this in a free flowing format rather than using a typical recipe style as this is how I make it, and if I haven't made it in a long time I need to experiment a little, as I ask you to do.

I take 1 lb of ground meat, a large finely chopped onion, a finely chopped hot pepper, chili powder, cumin seed powder, black pepper, chili powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder, 4 crushed garlic cloves, half a tsp of ginger, a couple pinches of salt, two eggs, bread crumbs, a tablespoon of lime juice, chopped cilantro and mix well.  Spices are to taste.  Add a little first and then if you fry and it needs more add some more.  Quarter teaspoon of each spice powder with half teaspoon of cumin, 1/8 tsp of turmeric should be a safe bet to start out with. I add enough bread crumbs so that the meat does not fall apart and liquid does not come out when frying.  Trial and error.

The cilantro really adds a nice piquancy to the mixture.  Now that it is prepared you can make portions of the final mixture and freeze to take out and make fresh when you want to use it.  This helps speed up making meals.  Alternatively you can make the entire lot and freeze.  That works pretty well, too, but it isn't as good as freshly made.

Note that some people put the entire mixture through a food processor so that you don't see/feel pieces of onion etc...That is an extra step that you can add.  To make the patties you can fry or bake.  I've done both and they come out fine.

In terms of ground meat I have used chicken, fish, turkey...the outline that I have given is for ground beef.  For fish, for example, I would definitely use ginger and garlic more sparingly.

The egg is used as a binding agent.  The yolk makes it richer, but if you worried about cholesterol etc you can skip the yolks and add more whites.         

Ox Tail

Yup, you read it, ox tail, or otherwise knows as cow's tail.  Skin this, and pressure cook it and you get some of the richest tasting meat that melts in your mouth.  This weekend I made some.  After pressure cooking with garlic,ginger,black pepper and a little salt I take off the liquid and let it cool down, removing the fat that collects at the top.  Then I make a base of fried chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and a hot pepper.  To the base I add the oxtail, the cooled liquid and let it simmer for half an hour.  Le voila!  It is ready!

The oxtail is also great as a soup base.  I have fond childhood memories of oxtail soup.  Yum.

Another great childhood treat is the other extremity of the cow - the tongue.  But that is for another day. 

Black bean xacuti curry

There is no excuse not to make quick and delicious home cooked meals nowadays. And it's very easy to make different dishes with the plethora of readymade spice mixes available. Today afternoon my spice was xacuti powder. I fried a cut onion, added a cut tomato, ginger garlic paste, pepper, a little salt and xacuti spice. Added black beans last and simmered. Dish in a nutshell!

Don't like xacuti, or interested in other flavors? Use a different readymade mix and you can get a different dish. For example one, you can make cooking even easier, use an Italian tomato sauce instead of cutting a tomato and get an Italian flavored dish.

black eye bean curry?

When I cook I use recipes as a guideline. I take the inspiration provided and make it my own. Just one ingredient can transform a dish. I made black eye bean curry today. It was good, then thought of adding tamarind sauce and wow! Nice tang on the palate! Too often we stop before taking that additional step that would lead us to transforming experiences. Maybe we should all try going beyond the usual more often. Anyway abbreviated bean recipe follows:

Soak a cup of beans, and then pressure cook until melting soft. In a pan heat oil and then add mustard and curry leaves. Add jeera/cumin seed and cook. Add a little fenugeek, but don't cook long. Add onion and fry, together with black pepper, chili powder, turmeric. Then add tomato and garlic and cook. Add pressure cooked beans and mix. The dish is done. Can be had as is or add the tamarind for that tang!