Chicken and Mushrooms

Picture this...

You're at a Chinese Buffet. There's some mystery meat mixed with shriveled up mushrooms in an overly clumpy brown sauce. Chicken with mushrooms. Mmmmm. Why not make your own?
In true Pooja fashion, I'm doin' up this Indian magic Chick n Mushrooms. Hook it up!!!

What you'll need:
1 lb chicken (white meat or dark, but I generally prefer dark meat when cooking stuff that has gravy, it stands up to the cooking process much better)
10-12 oz of sliced mushrooms (you can use any kind, but I love Shiitake or baby portobellos in this recipe)
1 cup chicken stock (you can use water, but tastes better with chicken stock. You can also use milk for a creamier version of this dish)
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp grated ginger
Flour, to dredge the chicken
2 green chillies
2 tbsp soy sauce
2-5 tbsp oil (sesame or peanut oil is good for this one, but if you don't have it, use canola or vegetable)

Spices:
3 tsp white pepper powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
Salt

What to do:

Dredge the chicken pieces in flour mixed with a little salt. Pan fry the chicken until golden brown. Should only take a few minutes. Fish out the chicken (no pun intended :P) and store it on a separate dish while you work the sauce. In the same pan, throw in sliced onions, and the grated garlic and ginger. Saute until golden. Sprinkle in the spices (hold the salt for later until you've added the soy sauce and stock and see how much extra salt is really needed). Saute again for a couple minutes. Finally, add the chicken stock/milk/water, green chillies and soy sauce. Throw the chicken back in and cook until done. Depends on the size of the pieces, but generally if you have pieces the size of your palm, they should take around 20 mins on medium heat, a little longer if they're bone-in. The flour from the chicken should thicken the sauce just a little bit. If you like a thicker sauce feel free to add a corn starch slurry (1-2 tsp corn starch fully mixed into cold water). I like a slightly thinner sauce.

Serve with white or brown rice, and leave all the regrets of a sub par Chinese take out food behind.

Indian Shepherd's Pie

I had to rack my brains to figure out what would be the first recipe I would want to post. It had to represent me. I think this dish is perfect: 1. It's got a decided Indian spice kick 2. Definitely comfort food 3. Big starch element...yay potatoes! 4. It's fusion food!

The dish has two elements: meat and potatoes. The two elements are prepared separately, and put together at the end for optimum taste. :D

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb of ground meat- you can use any kind you prefer-chicken,turkey,lamb, pork, beef... I generally use a half and half mixture of lamb and turkey or lamb and beef
5-6 large potatoes
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 tablespoons ginger, grated
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 of a small bag frozen peas
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of yogurt/sour cream
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
1 tsp mustard oil (optional)

Spices:
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
4 cloves
2 cardamon pods
1 small cinnamon stick or 1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp black peppercorns/cracked black pepper

To make things easier, you can substitute the following: 2 tbsp coriander powder, 2 tbsp cumin powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, and 2 tbsp garam masala powder.


What to do:

In a hot pan coated lightly with oil, saute the chopped onion until caramelized into a deep golden brown. Remove about 1/4 of the browned onions and set aside. Add the tomato paste and saute for an additional 2 minutes, until the red color deepens and the oil begins to separate. Add the ground spices and about 2 tsp of salt. If you are using the whole spices, make sure to dry roast the spices till the pungent smell hits your nose, and then grind. Saute the spice mixture thoroughly for about a minute and half. All of this can be done on medium heat.

Crank up the heat to high and add the ground meat. Break it up before adding, and continue to break up the mixture once added to the hot pan. **Neat trick** You can use a potato/vegetable masher in your pan to break up the meat. Otherwise, you'll most likely get some chunks larger than others. A masher is the best way to get the meat cooked evenly and coat the spices through the meat.

Another side note, try to get meat closer to room temperature before hitting the pan with it. If the meat is cold, it won't brown, and it'll release a whole bunch of water right away. Ends up looking like a gray mess. NOT good!

The ground meat does eventually release some liquid, but that's okay, work the pan a bit and the water will dry up. When the water has almost dried up, lower the heat to medium, add the frozen peas, and cover. Cook for about 4 mins, stirring occasionally.

While you're working on the meat, boil the potatoes. There's 2 ways to do this. The faster way is to peel and cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes and boil till fork tender. But I prefer to boil them with the skin on. That way the skin peels off, and I don't have to cut them. Either way, run a fork through the thickest part of the full potato, or potato piece to make sure it's ready. Once peeled and ready, mash up the potatoes. Normally, I don't mind mashed potatoes with some potato chunks, but here, you want them nice and creamy. Add the milk, butter, the yogurt/sour cream and the onions we saved earlier. Add salt to taste, and add the mustard oil. This is optional, but definitely adds an awesome depth to the flavor.

We're ready to assemble. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a baking dish (about 4-5 inches deep), pour in the ground meat mixture. Push it down so you don't get any big air pockets. This will also help the pie cut and stay together like a pie later. Make sure the ground meat is pushed down tight. Then add the mashed potatoes on top as an even layer. Throw in the oven, middle rack. Let it rip for about 15 mins. You should end up with some nice golden color on the top.

Time to eat!

(The Shepherd's Pie is on the bottom left of the picture. I'll post the recipes for the other mystery dishes later!)

PS- the meat is a good keema recipe. Mix with cooked pasta for an Indian kick, or eat with bread/roti/naan. Good stuff.

What the Herb?

Us Indian people (dot, not feather)...LOVE layering flavors and creating complex dishes. We've tackled and hopefully have our arms around the spice action. But it doesn't end there. Food in my opinion is not complete without some beautiful fresh herbs to add the last big hit to bring things full circle. Here are the most common herbs generally used in cooking:

Cilantro: Tangy and fragrant, this herb is a staple in Indian and Mexican food. Some people think it's too "strong". I don't really get that, but then I did grow up eating a lot of Cilantro, so maybe I'm just used to it. It's some good stuff though!

Basil: There's a Thai version and an Italian version. I personally much prefer the Thai version. It's minty and lemony, and pairs well with a lot of different Asian and European dishes.

Mint: Saying the name brings a tingly feeling about! Mint works in a variety of sweet and savory applications!

Dill: Good for salads and dishes that need a tang, Dill holds its own against strong flavors.

Chives: They taste mildly onion-y. Super tasty! Try mashed potatoes with Chives, use them in marinades, and throw in at the last minute for a burst of flavor.

Rosemary: Woodsy and earthy, Rosemary is good paired with meats and earthy vegetables and mushrooms.

Oregano: Tiny leaves, big smell/flavor. Great for Italian/Greek applications.

Sage: Something about this soft herb screams comfort food. Infuses great aroma into foods, especially when baked/roasted. Make sure to remove from the food before you serve, so keep it whole through the cooking process.

Flat leaf parsley: Slightly milder than Cilantro, Parsley has a lemony flavor about it, and works well in a lot of American/European dishes.

Thyme: Powerful in fragrance, and flavor, thyme can take slow cooking well, so add it whenever you run your crock pot or slow cook red meats.

Tarragon: Great for seafood, this is an underused herb.

Bay Leaves: These are just as good dry as they are fresh. Soups and stews are a perfect application, as well as all kinds of poultry.

Fenugreek leaves (Methi): We talked about the seeds in the spice post. Here we are with the herbs. They are not readily available fresh outside India, but dried leaves are available at Indian grocery stores. Used commonly in North Indian dishes to create an aromatic under-layer to curries.

Curry leaves: Do not bite into these! They taste awful, but they smell amazing! A lot of coastal populations in India use these, especially Central and Southern India. You want to fry them in oil to infuse the flavor .

Indian food usually only uses Cilantro, Bay leaves and Fenugreek leaves, for the most part. But what's the harm in experimenting, right?

Some pointers:

Dried herbs are more pungent than fresh, so if you're using dried herbs, use a very small amount in ratio compared to when you are using fresh herbs.

Most of the mentioned herbs have edible leaves and inedible stalks. To make it easy, use only leaves, and if you use stalks to flavor your dish during the cooking process, fish 'em out at the end before you serve. With Cilantro- you can use all of it, except the roots (!), but the leaves are milder than the stalks so you can use just the leaves for a milder flavor.

I've chopped fresh herbs and kept them in airtight bags in the freezer and they've kept well and haven't noticeably lost fragrance/flavor. You can stock up and that way always have some herbs on hand. It'll stay for a good 2-3 months this way.

If you're not into herbs, try a few different ways of incorporating them, to see if that makes a difference. Try a really fine chop or even make a fine paste with a little water and the herb and mix into your dish. That way you won't have to bite into a leaf and freak out.

If you're not into herbs, stay away from the dry stuff.

If you're afraid to try herbs, that's understandable. But you're missing out! Next time you cook, try one of these herbs. Start out with just a little, maybe a palm full of fresh herb chopped up fine or blended into a paste. I promise you'll develop a taste for them.

Mistress of Spices

Before I start discussing spices, I'd like to clarify something. There are two types of spicy food...HOT spicy food, which burns the tongue, ranging from a light, pleasant tingling all the way to a screaming, scalding, on fire burn (usually from some time of green/red/dry/fresh chillies or chilli powder/paste) and SPICE spicy food, which does not attack your tongue, but it is definitely an assault on the senses, smell and taste wise (which comes from dry spices, usually the seeds of several different plants toasted and ground together). Be AWARE of which you like, and how much of each. There are plenty of people who like one and not the other. Lastly, try and be open minded. We all draw the line somewhere, and I respect that line. I would never eat fried insects. However, when it comes to things that are only a small stretch away from what you already eat, give it a try. You might like it.

If you like Mexican food, you'll probably like Indian food. If you like Greek food, you'll probably like Middle Eastern food. If you like beef/lamb, you may like goat meat. If you like shrimp, you'll probably like lobster/crawfish/crab. Try it before you knock it, would ya?

With my Indian background, most of what I cook is Indian, or has some sort of an Indian twist to it. Indian food is enriched by a plethora of spices that give it its distinctive aroma and bold flavors. Walking around on Indian streets will tempt the most picky eaters. The smells are just indescribable- the smell of tangy fritters browning in bubbling oil, the wafting breeze (welcome in the sweltering weather) brings different rich smells from different angles on the same street. India has dozens of sub cultures, and each has distinctions and specialties vastly from the other. But the spices are for the most part the same:


Turmeric (Haldi): This comes in a bright yellow fine powder with a deep herb-like smell. It originates from a plant root, which is dried and ground to powder. It brings color and character to most Indian dishes. Be careful to not be too heavy handed with this one, it leaves a tell tale smell when you overuse it. When in doubt, use a smaller quantity and add if more is needed.

Cumin (Jeera): This spice can come in two forms- seeds and powder. They are light brown in color, incredibly fragrant and add an earthiness to any dish. It's used in Mexican and Indian dishes, almost in everything!

Coriander (Dhaniya): This spice also comes in seed form or powder. They come from the Cilantro plant, and have the same flavor/aroma profile, but more concentrated. It adds a lot of depth to any dish.

Chilli powder (Mirchi): Violently red powder, chilli powder can be intimidating to work with. I don't like the tongue-on-fire sensation, so most of my recipes are very tempered with regards to chilli. If you like more of a burn, feel free to add more!

Mustard seeds: These are yellow or black. Indian cuisine tends to use more of the black seeds, but yellow is used in some parts as well. We make our own mustard powder/paste for some dishes, but we mostly use the seeds.

Fenugreek seeds: These are small and flat, light brown in color, and used in several vegetarian applications. They are fragrant, but when you fry them in oil, watch them carefully. They burn easily and are extremely bitter when too dark.

Black cumin seeds: Jet black, and almost onion-y in smell, these are great and used a lot in Northeast Indian cuisine.

Asafoetida: (I know it's a mouthful, but go with it!): This is a PUNGENT powder. It smells REALLY bad, until fried in oil, but when it is, it can almost replace onions and garlic, it's THAT good. I did say almost right? Good.

Garam Masala: This one is widely subject to interpretation. It is a blend of aromatics, ground together in a powder that packs some serious punch. It's great stuff. Don't be afraid of it! It is a blend of cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns or any variation of these. People have their preferences, but this is my favorite version/procedure of making an awesome Garam Masala mix. You can use these whole or in a powdered form.

If you're using whole, this is my usual mix:

1 stick of cinnamon (about the size of an average index finger)

5-6 pods of whole cardamom, or 3-4 lightly crushed pods of cardamom

5-6 whole cloves

5-6 whole black peppercorns

To make your own Garam Masala powder:

1 stick of cinnamon

10-12 pods of whole cardamom

15 whole cloves

15-20 whole black peppercorns

Dry roast these on med-high heat on a pan for a couple minutes, shaking them around a few times. As soon as the pungent smell hits your nose, kill the heat, throw in a spice grinder or coffee grinder (that you preferably will NEVER be grinding coffee in again!) and grind to a fine powder.

If you use this as often as I do, you'll end up with enough for a week to two weeks. Feel free to halve the above quantities for a smaller amount. The fresher your spices the better, and an easy way to "cheat" and make them seem fresh, is to toast and grind them fresh.

Mr/Ms/Mrs Reader- if you're Indian, you have this stuff in your pantry and are rolling your eyes at my descriptions. If you're not, PLEASE don't be intimidated. Buy the following:

Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns, cardamom pods, turmeric powder and chilli powder, and we'll make do with those. They'll do you for most Indian dishes! If you're too lazy to go through all the work of grinding your own spices, then you're most likely not spending this much time reading my blog, but you can always use pre-ground spices (GASP! I know. But I did say I wasn't a food snob. Trying to keep the image!). Just bear in mind, there's definitely a noticeable difference in fresh ground vs. pre-ground.

That's all for now folks, we'll get to the cooking in my next post. As they say, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen". Right???!!! Mental high five.

Ready...Set...Go

I feel like I've been preparing for this all my life. I remember being a little girl, who should have been spending her Saturday afternoon playing with dolls, and instead I could usually be found on a high chair in the kitchen while my mom cooked, or pretending to cook with my little utensils, and insisting that my grandmother taste air and tell me how good it is.

I've always been into cooking...well, and eating. I think they tend to come together in people. Why would you be interested in the ins and outs of foods if you weren't incredibly into eating?(almost to the point of being an obsession).

Food is inexorably linked to emotions. Scientific studies have time and again shown that chocolate can create the same manifestation in feelings as the feeling of being in love. There is an entire industry around the murky (in the sense of being somewhat subjective) world of comfort food.

So what is this concept? The understanding is that certain foods pschologically, and sometimes physically impact our mood. This can be due to the actual content of the food- i.e., using ingredients that are "feel good", so to speak. Rich butters, cheeses and chocolates, fragrant spices and herbs, colorful and fresh produce which all come together in a work of art that transforms the mundane. This can be a sociocultural thing. We tend to gravitate towards what we grew up eating; the smells that pervaded our senses in our formative years, when the women of our families spent hours in front of stoves making the food of our youth.

Whatever the reason, the truth remains that even though many of these factors can be subjective, there are some common threads in the things we normally consider to be comforting. I'm not really a food snob, who needs to create something that looks dainty on a plate (I prefer to use my tweezers on my ample eyebrows, and not to arrange one stalk of micro-cilantro laying at the perfect angle on a portion of overly fancy food that is apparently supposed to be an entree size but wouldn't fill an 8 year old girl!).

So I go back to my culinary roots, to celebrate all things I tasted and smelled and later came to create and improvise, and things learned along the way. The focus, however, is on food that looks good, smells better, and tastes out of this world.

I hope you'll join me in this trip and here's to the oldest food tradition- comfort food- made by an amateur cook- as a means of experiencing the best times of my life.