Tag: meatballs

Small adventures in my kitchen

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I have always loved the bright red look of Kashmiri curries and last grocery visit I picked up some mild but vibrant Kashmiri red chili. I looked up a few recipes for Rista, a lamb meatball curry online because I had ground turkey sitting in the fridge waiting for me. Didn’t follow the recipe completely. However, I did learn how to use the spice and  a new meatball cooking technique.

The meatball mixture included baking powder and cornflour/starch. The meatballs were then simmered in water.  This combination of no fillers like breadcrumbs or crackers and no binders like eggs, yielded a surprisingly soft and pillowy meatball. The curry itself was beautifully crimson, mild in spice, light in texture, and flavorful infused with meatball-simmered-water. I was surprised with the difference in taste. Aside from the use of this special chili powder and the cornstarch-baking powder, simmered meatball, the recipe was essentially the same as any Bengali curry.

Instead of struggling to follow a completely a unfamiliar recipe, this was a less intimidating way to try a different cuisine. Follow your own recipe and simply switch one spice for something different.

I added star anise to beef stew last week. That was wonderful too. Granted sometimes the experiments can be less than successful. But, I find that these small cultural modulations show me wide possibilities in my regular, every day and known recipes.

I am a fan of Kashmiri Mirch now. What other ways can I use it?

On the other hand, I followed Bobby Flay’s recipe for buttermilk pancakes with bourbon molassas butter last weekend. Familiar sweet pancakes all dressed up for a fancy weekend party.  Food experiments come in all degrees involving a recipe, spice swap, technique change, substitutions by necessity, varying measurements and more. Pick one and play to have a tasty adventure.

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Hope you are having as much fun in the kitchen as I am!

Wishing you happy adventures,

Hungryphil

 

 

Deshi in the Dorm Kitchen – Chicken Kofta Curry

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Dear Amani,

I’m sure this recipe exists in some form somewhere. Here is what I did with a pound of ground chicken. Its a yummy take on the everyday chicken and potato curry.

You’ll need:

1 lb of ground chicken

1 medium onion

2 medium potatoes (I had yellow potatoes)

1 teaspoon curry powder (grocery store brand is fine, I had hot curry powder from our Indian grocery store)

1 teaspoon of garlic paste (crushed, powder, doesn’t matter)

1 teaspoon of ginger paste (powder is fine)

Oil about a 1/4 cup

Here’s what you do:

1. Mix ground chicken with shredded potato (don’t shred your fingers, be careful with the metal grating box….use the large eyes), shred onion on the same contraption about 2 tablespoons worth, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, garlic and curry powder each. And salt.

2. Form loose meatballs with the mixture. It’ll be messy. If you oil your hands, it’ll be easier to form.

3. Fry lightly in the oil. Turning so all sides get browned.

4. You can stop here or reserve some meatballs separately for room mates who don’t like much spice and for sandwiches or quick bites. Be sure to check done-ness. If not, place in warm oven for 10 minutes. The meatballs need to cook a bit for the potatoes to get soft.

5. If you want to make a curry sauce……..chop the rest of the onion, fry it in the oil (depending on how much oil is left in the pan you might want to drain some of it…until you have about 2-3 tablespoons left in the pan), add the rest the ginger, garlic and curry powder (and salt). Fry until you can smell the spices. Add 1/2 cup of water. A sauce will form very quickly. Put the meatballs back in the pan, coat gently with the sauce and let sit on low for about 15 minutes.

You can add chopped tomatoes, cilantro, cream or coconut milk if you have it. Otherwise, this is an easy 6 ingredient recipe. You can also use any spice instead of the curry powder for example tandoori spice or any barbeque spice rub.

Serve with hot rice or bread. Let me know if you try it.

Love,

Your hungry mom