Spicy Meat Roast

Did you miss me?? I guess yes!!! Well, though I couldn't post last 2-3 months, I'm glad to be back again..Food blogging is a passion for life time you know. If not the first day of the year, Here I'm the last day of the first month. My my see, how January has gone I like a breeze..
So let my first post of this year start with some real spice. Here's to all meat and spice lovers..presenting a spicy meat roast.
Choice of your meat, preferably red meat and go for rib eye of eye of round cut. Meat is cut into small cubes and pressure cook with various masalas and then comes the intresting part of tempering it with dry spices with elevates the level of taste to an extreme satisfaction
Ingredients :
1 lb meat
2 + 1 Tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste
3-4 Green Chillies Slit
1 + 1 Tbsps of Olive or Sesame oil
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Red Chilly powder
1 Coriander powder
3/4 + 3/4 Tbsp of Garam Masala powder
1 tsp Fennel seeds
5-6 Red Chillies dry
10 or handful of Curry leaves
1 big Onion sliced

Method:
Place meat in the pressure cooker and to it add 1 tbsp each of ginger-garlic paste, oil.
Add ginger chillies, turmeric, chilly, coriander and 3/4 spoon of garam masala powders.
Add 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 25 minutes or more depending upon the choice of meat. Once the meat is cooked empty it in an vessel and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok or kadai.
Roast fennel seeds till aromatic.
Add red chillies fry for 5 seconds till color slightly changes.
Add Curry leaves and fry till crisp.
Add onions and roast half cooked.
Add remaining ginger-garlic paste and fry.
Now add the cooked meat with gravy and keep stirring thoroughly till all the waters evapourates. Sprinkle remaining garam masala powder mix well till you can smell the aroma of the spices. Remove from heat and transfer into a serving bowl. Serve hot with Rice and Dhal curry or sambar.
If you are on low carb diet, skip teh rice and have it as side with any stir-fried or baked veggies.
I bet you will say "Yummy!!!"

Curried Minced Meat w/ Ridge Gourd

------AKA Kheema Birakaya/Birakankai Kheema-------

Kids back to school last week after that long summer break and though fall is going to officially start next week, it seems like winter is already here..And chill weather always calls for something soothing and comforting..and think about comfort food its always authentic dishes from home afar..One such comfort food for me is a cup of hot rice with this preparation of minced meat and veggie..

The combo of a non-veg and veg is always a hit and it got to be when it is an Andhra preparation. So here is yet another scrumptious dish straight from amma's kitchen. Being a Tamilian, my husband is not so used to these combos. Though he loves Andhra cuisine and by all means my cooking, the first time I mentioned I'm preparing Kheema(Minced meat) with Ridge gourd(Birkankai - Tamil) he had his eyebrows raised but totally got bowled with the result..


So for those who enjoy Indian cooking and don't mind eating meat, next time pickup a pkg of minced meat and a pack of Ridge gourd(readily available in most of the South Asian stores) when you grocer and let your kitchen be filled with the aroma of this side dish.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 long - Beerakaya/ Ridge Gourd / Beerkankai (De-skinned and chopped into small cubes)
1 to 1.5 lb Kheema ( Mutton/Beef)
2 tsp oil
2 medium Onions chopped
4-5 Green Chillies slit
A Few Curry leaves
1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1 tsp Coriander pwdr
1/2 Cumin pwdr
1 tsp garam masala powder(Home Made)
Salt to taste
Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Procedure :
Heat oil in a pan/wok and add chopped onions, slit green chillies, curry leaves, and cook till onions are translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and cook till rawness is gone.
Now add minced meat(kheema) and salt.
Add garam masala powder
Mix well.
Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or till the kheema changes color, stirring occasionally.
Add chopped ridge gourd pieces to the kheema curry and cook till both are is fully done.

Sprinkle some water if too dry while the kheema is cooking.
Cook till the ridge gourd almost gets disappear in the kheema..much like the pic above..follow the pics anti clockwise..
Once the kheema is cooked and oil starts oozing from the sides add coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Serve hot with plain rice first and then with sambar.

Nihari curry

For those of you who have been sending emails about this post, here is the much awaited "Nihari curry". Sorry for the delay girls, this was due from long time. Any way better late than never. So instead of writing a story...lets go straight into the making of it.

Ingredients:
Meat:
Beef/Lamb- 2 lb

Whole Spices
a few of each Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Fennel seeds, Bay leaf, Star Anise etc...

Spice powders:
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Nihari Curry Powder - 2 - 3 tbsp (depending on mild or hot)

Others:
oil - 1 tbsp
Onions - 2 Big
Green chillies - 4 slit
Ginger garlic paste( or Chopped finely) - 1 tbsp
Tomato Paste - 1/4 cup or 2 large Tomatoes finely chopped
All purpose or rice flour - 2 tsp.
Water - 3 cups
Salt -to taste

Garnish:
Fresh Coriander leaves - a few finely chopped
Fresh Ginger cut into thin strips - 10
Fresh Lime wedges



Procedure:
Heat oil in a pot, fry the whole spices till color changes.
Add onions, green chillies and fry till onions are translucent.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute
Add the tomato paste and keep mixing for a minute.
Add all the spice powders and fry for a minute
Add the meat pieces and salt and mix well to give a nice coat of the masala for each piece.
Cover and cook for 3-5 min, to allow the spices to be absorbed by the meat.
Add 2 cups of water depending upon the amount of gravy desired.
Cover and cook on very slow heat for 3 - 4 hours till the meat is fully cooked and completely soft. (The traditional Nihari curry requires 6- 7 hours of slow cooking)
Keep mixing regularly and add more water if required so that the curry doesn't stick the edges of the pot.
When almost cooked add a few the coriander leaves.
After 3 hours check to see whether the meat is soft and check for taste too.
Add more Nihari curry powder if you think the curry is bland.
Now add flour to the enough water to make a smooth watery batter and add it to the cooked curry.
Mix well.
Allow it to cook for 5 -7 min till the raw flour smell goes away and the aroma of the curry sustains.
Remove from heat and garnish with remaining coriander leaves, ginger strips and lemon wedges.
Serve hot with Plain or Flavoured Rice, Roti, Paratha or Naan.