Qeema Karela - Bitter gourd with Mincemeat

Recipe requested by my nephew's wife, Kamila.

 

Bitter gourd (karela) lowers blood glucose levels, is a great source of Vitamin K; helps build immunity; encourages glowing skin if consumed regularly; lowers cholesterol. Endless benefits to this bitter tasting vegetable. The bitter taste can be offset & diminished (as demonstrated in this recipe) and enjoyed in different ways: fried, cooked with lentils, cooked with tomatoes & onions, or mixed in with meat.

 

This dish can be enjoyed with chappati, rice or mixed with freshly chopped salad & quinoa.

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd: 0.5kg

Oil: 3Tbsp

Onions: 5; medium; sliced

Mincemeat (Qeema) (mutton, beef or chicken): 0.5kg

Garlic Paste: 2tsp

Ginger Paste: 2tsp

Cayenne Pepper: 0.5tsp

Turmeric Powder: 0.5tsp

Coriander Powder: 1tsp
Cumin Powder: 0.5tsp

Tomatoes: 2

Aniseeds: 0.5tsp*

Coriander Seeds: 0.5tsp*

Cumin Seeds: 0.5tsp*
Yoghurt: 3Tbsp

Green Chilies: 2-3 chopped

Cilantro: 2Tbsp chopped

Lemon Juice: 2tsp

 

*crush coarsely

 

Directions:

1. Prepare the bitter gourd in the following manner:

1.1 After washing, scrape the skin; cut & remove the seeds. 

1.2 Slice the bitter gourd in medium size rings; add 0.5tsp turmeric powder, generous helping of salt and keep aside.

1.3 Squeeze the bitter gourd between your palms, wash well & squeeze out all the water.

 2. In a frying pan, add 1Tbsp oil & half of the sliced onions. Fry the onion till pink, add the sliced

    bitter gourd, & stir to combine. Keep frying for a further 10 minutes till the onions gourd turn
    golden brown. Close the flame and keep aside.

3. In another pan, add 2Tbsp oil & fry remaining onions to a golden brown color.

4. Add the mincemeat & fry till meat changes color.

5. While mince is cooking, in a small bowl add garlic paste, ginger paste, cayenne pepper, 

    turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder & salt. Mix with a little water to make a paste.

    When the mince turns color, add the spice mixture to the mince. Stir to combine & keep cooking ]

    for 15-20 minutes on very slow flame. 

6. Wash & chop the tomatoes & blend in a food processor (or finely chop & pound in a mortar &

    pestle). Add the blended tomatoes to the cooking mince.

7. When the water of the tomatoes dry add the fried bitter gourd, the coarsely ground cumin seeds,

    coriander seeds, & aniseeds & yoghurt. Turn the flame to very low and cook till bitter gourd

    softens & water of yoghurt dries.

8. Before turning off the flame, add the chopped green chilies, cilantro, lemon juice.

 

Moong Dal - Green Gram

If in the mood to give yourself a break from meat and get some protein into your meal, lentils are a perfect alternate. I like to throw in spinach into this to get a high intensity kick of good nutrients.  

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
Moong Dal: 1 cup
Turmeric Powder: 0.5tsp
Green Chillies: 2-3 (optional)
Salt: to taste
Cayenne Pepper: 0.25tsp (optional)
Ginger Paste: 0.5tsp
Garlic Paste: 0.5tsp
Cumin Seeds: 0.5tsp
Water: 2cups (more if you want it watery)

For tempering (tadka):
Oil: 2Tbsp
(Ghee: 1Tbsp. optional. If using Ghee, then reduce Oil to 1Tbsp.)
Chopped Onion: 1; medium size
Cumin: 0.5tsp
Ginger Paste: 0.5tsp

Directions:
1. Boil dal with water.
2. Remove froth with a spoon that will form from boiling.
3. Add green chilies and turmeric.
4. When lentils are mushy, add cumin, ginger & garlic paste, salt & cayenne pepper.
5. Prepare tadka in a separate small saucepan. When it's frying nicely, onions have changed colour and there's a beautiful spicy aroma wafting, pour over cooked dal.

If using spinach:
Add 2 cups of blanched & crushed spinach leaves blanched  into cooked dal. Do this before tempering. Finish off with a squeeze of lemon & dig in.

Fettuccine Salad

~ Recipe (as well as jargon, blurb & pic) submitted by Rabab

One fine, lazy morning, I happened by an Instagram post which prompted me (I was an inch short of licking my screen) to put together this salad. Pasta has been a recent additional source of carb comfort - it sits well in my tummy for a long time after consumption and stops me from reaching out for afternoon carb fixes (most times - some days I'm just on a carb roll). This recipe is versatile as you can throw in any kind of vegetable (steamed or raw), your favourite pasta (penne, spaghetti, fettuccine etc.), cook the egg (which is optional) any way you want, and spritz in any homemade salad dressing (non-creamy if you're planning to stay within health zone parameters). I found the citrusy dressing I used didn't bode too well with the poached egg, so will probably keep the egg on a separate plate next time. Also, you can go as low or high in quantity of ingredients, contingent on people eating. (See? Versatile.).

Serves: 2 (or 1 if feeding a super hungry person)

Ingredients:
Arugula Salad: handful, chopped (you can also use iceberg lettuce or any crunchy greens)
Baby Spinach: handful, chopped
Garlic Cloves: 1-2, finely chopped (this is optional; skip it if you don't like garlic. I love garlic & use more cloves if it's just me eating)
Onion: 0.25, finely chopped (optional)
Cucumbers: 2 small, finely chopped
Orange / Red / Yellow / Green Pepper: quarter of each, finely chopped (can use 1, 2 or all of the peppers)

Steamed vegetables: Cutting the vegetables before steaming saves on cooking time.
Carrots: 1, chopped to bite size pieces
Brussels Sprouts: 4-5, cut into quarters
Green Beans: handful, cut into 3" pieces

Fettuccine Pasta: 1.5" diameter bunch uncooked
Eggs: 2 (I stick to 1 egg per person)

Salad Dressing:
Lemon Juice: 0.5 lemon
Olive Oil: 2-3tsp
Turmeric Powder: generous pinch
Salt & Pepper: to taste
Paprika Powder: pinch

Directions:
1. Cook Fettuccine as per package directions.
2. Cook egg the way you like it. I generally poach it, or fry it on days I'm feeling naughty.
3. Toss in all vegetables in a large bowl.
4. Throw in salad dressing ingredients in a small glass bottle with lid. Close lid and shake well. Do a little jiggy while you're at it.
5. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well.
6. In a serving dish, layer with pasta, dunk out all the salad, toss some more & serve with egg.

Sweet Potato Kheer - Sweet Potato Pudding

This was another favourite at my parent's home. It's often made with rice, but sweet potato is a tasty alternative, giving the dish a nice, custardy texture. You can use 1Tbsp of sugar instead of honey. Combines well with Meethi Tikya.

Serves: 6-8 (if eaten decently; otherwise for 1 greedy sugar lover)

Ingredients:
Milk: 1.5litre
Sweet Potatoes: 250g; peeled & cut into small pieces
Honey: 2Tbsp
Sugar: 0.5 Cup
Kewra Essence: 0.5tsp
Saffron Strands: few
Almond: 1Tbsp; peeled & slivered
Pistachio: 0.5Tbsp; peeled &cut into small pieces

Directions:
1. Boil milk on low heat for an hour or so
2. Add in chopped sweet potatoes
3. Once sweet potatoes are soft & tender, mash well with a hand blender.
4. Add sugar & cook till liquid texture thickens (usually takes about 15-20 mins).
5. When you get the thick consistency, add honey, kewra essence, almond, pistachios & saffron.
6. Serve chilled

Garam Masala

Garam masala gives a wonderful taste & aroma to South Asian dishes; used in most recipes. You can make a batch and store in an airtight container; suggested to keep in fridge if environment is intensely humid. Too much garam masala can cause heart burn so use sparingly; I always serve yogurt as a side dish for the less adventurous palettes on my table & also works well as an end to a mouth ripping, sweat pouring spicy meal.

Ingredients:
Cloves: 8
Peppercorn: 18
Big Cardamom: 5
Small Cardamom: 5
Cinnamon Stick: 3 sticks, each 2"
Cumin Seed: 2tsp
Coriander Seed: 2tsp

Directions:
1. Slightly roast all ingredients in a frying pan & in a coffee grinder, grind to powder form.
2. Store in airtight container away from direct sunlight.

Gallery

Halva



Halva in a Pizza Pan



Adding the sugar syrup



Combining the ghee into the sooji



Dry roasted sooji with ghee or butter



Sugar Syrup



Almonds added to roasted sooji

Chai spices

Checking the syrup consistency

Roasting the sooji



Sooji over flame



Measuring the sooji



Roasting almonds

Chicken Tandoori Masala

I came up with this combination, during a day which had me craving for something smoky, something chicken and something spicy. It serves well with tandoori naan, parathas, puri or even pita bread. Go crazy. You can use cayenne pepper instead of Kashmiri red chili; I find the latter gives a wonderfully vibrant colour to the dish - it's available in most South Asian spice selling stores. But no need to stress if you can't find it - just use cayenne pepper.

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Boneless or Bone-in Chicken: 500g
Garlic Paste: 2.5tsp
Ginger Paste: 1.5tsp
Lemon Juice: 1 lemon
Oil: 3Tbsp
Onions: 2 medium; peeled & blended with a little water
Yogurt: 0.5cup
Kashmiri Chili Powder: 0.5tsp
Turmeric Powder: 0.5tsp
Salt: to taste
Coriander Powder 1.5Tbsp
Garam Masala: 1tsp
Butter: 2tsp
Cilantro: 1Tbsp, chopped
Green Chilies: 1-2, chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Marinate chicken with 0.5tsp garlic paste, 0.5tsp ginger paste & lemon juice. Keep aside for 45 minutes.
2. Heat 2tbsp oil & add in the blended onions.
3. In a cup, mix in yogurt, Kashmiri red chili, turmeric powder, salt, coriander powder, garam masala, 0.5tsp of garlic paste & 0.5tsp of ginger paste.
4. When onion becomes translucent, add in 0.5tsp garlic paste & fry for a few mins.
5. Add in yogurt mixture into frying onion with 1tsp garlic paste & 0.5tsp ginger paste.
6. Fry well adding water to stop burning. Don't dump in oodles amount of water; just enough spritzes to stop burning & sticking to the pan.
7. Fry chicken in another pan with butter and 1Tbsp oil, till the chicken turns color.
8. Add chicken to the frying onion - yogurt mixture & cook a bit more.
9. Light up a coal till it's demonic red and place in a piece of foil. Put this smoking hot coal into the cooked chicken pot & cover tightly. Smoke it well.
10. Garnish with chopped cilantro & green chilies.