Rogan josh improv

This is more like a food short story than recipe. As preparing Indian food is all about order and colour for me, it is colourful picture story. You'll have to google recipe if you want to do this yourself.

I had row deer for the meat this time. I think that any red meat cut to bite size chunks should do. But originally this is a lamb recipe and probably you should keep it that way :)

Prepare the meat. Cut it and marinate for couple hours or overnight in yoghurt, turmeric, finely chopped or grated garlic and ginger (I use garlic ginger chili paste I keep in the fridge all the time), crushed pepper.

Put peeled tomatoes, chili, fresh coriander stems (leaves are for garnish) in the blender. The result is a nice drink, but keep it ;)

NB As making food is a must-enjoy process, you have to have something during. Red wine is the best. This time I decided for the garlic+butter+bread and refreshing whiskey with water.

Now, the spices blend. Deseed cardamom. Put it in the pan as well as cloves, cinnamon stick, cumin, coriander seeds and dried chillies. Roast until it starts to change colour, smelling nice. Pestle it in the mortar together with paprika powder.

In the same pan heat butter (use ghee if you want), cook bay leaf for a few seconds until you can smell it. Add the spice mix and cook for a minute or so.

Cook chopped onions. Mix in tomatoes paste. I like to use concentrate. Add the tomatoes drink. In theory you can blend onions into the drink, I just don't like to do so. Cook for 10 min maybe.

This mix makes bubbles intensely from now on, try to avoid them on you.

Add marinated meat. Heat it all up. I wash the bowl the meat was marinated in with beer to keep the spices leftovers and add it to the pan. You can use water for the cooking and simply wash the bowl ;)

Add salt. Some use sea salt, some black salt, I use regular. Sometimes I add little bit black salt, but at the very end.

Cook until the meat is super-tender. That depends on the meat you chose initially. ~2 hours is good estimate.

Taste and adjust. Chili powder is meant for getting it hot enough.

Somehow you have to manage to get both meat ready and thickness ok at the same time. Water is your friend if meat is late.

One version is to boil rice and serve separately. The other I chose this time is to add rice to the mix ~20 min before it is ready.

I add sliced chili and ginger ~5 min before ready.

Add garam masala and dry fenugreek leaves right before serving and mix well.

Serve with coriander leaves and lemon or lime. Cream is also nice.

Shrimp Avocado Salad

Very quick salad recipe. Delicious, especially for the summer when you don't want to have a hot meal. Best with fresh crispy bread. I make it with fresh / salted shrimp and crayfish tails 50:50.

Link to the source and copy of the content to have it just in case.

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Shrimp Avocado Salad Recipe

June 26, 2013 By Robyn

This Shrimp Avocado Salad is perfect for a quick lunch or supper during the summer. Especially when it is hot and humid in south, I always start craving things that are cool and filling without being heavy and draining.

And that makes this shrimp avocado salad the perfect answer.

Full of cool, shrimp and creamy avocados, this salad has a bit of a zestiness to it from the bits of red onion and the dressing.

This shrimp avocado salad would also be perfect inside of fresh or bakery bread for a delicious sandwich for a more casual supper with friends or piled high on top of a bed of greens for a dressier salad for a luncheon.

There are just so many options with this bright, tasty salad that you just can’t go wrong with it.

It makes a perfect make-ahead salad as well. Toss it all together, store it in an airtight container for a luncheon the next day or even supper the next evening. You’ll be so glad you did!

Here’s my Shrimp Avocado Salad Recipe. I can’t wait to here how you like it!

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Shrimp Avocado Salad makes a wonderful lunch or light supper during the summer. Add this Shrimp Avocado Salad to a sandwich, pasta, or atop greens, too!

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boiled or steamed shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 avocados, cut into large pieces
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• For the Dressing
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Add shrimp, avocado, and onion to a large bowl.
2. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together ingredients for the dressing. Whisk until well-combined.
3. Add dressing to shrimp avocado salad until it has the amount you desire. Serve additional dressing on the side.

Garam Masala, i'm starting to think

I'm a user of India spice mix called Garam Masala for some time. Wikipedia says: Garam masala, from Hindi: गरम मसाला, garam ("hot") and masala (a mixture of spices). You can buy it readymade, but for me it's a process of making it making it even more spicy. As I think I can make it properly, now is the time to blog it, because my next step will be to improvise :)

Here I just copy the source and do very few comments of my own here. Because this post is mainly for myself as a basis for the next steps with Garam Masala and further learning. I'm doing some more linking of ingredients too.

So, the source, copied:
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The Magic Spice - Garam Masala by Petrina Verma Sarkar

This easy-to-make spice blend is the heart of most Indian dishes. A combination of different spices, it probably has as many recipes as there are families in India! Here is a basic one. Once you get a feel for the taste it gives your cooking, experiment and alter it to suit your needs.

Garam masala is best made fresh just before you begin cooking, but if you haven’t got the patience (like me!), make a batch ahead and store for several months in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes

Ingredients:
4 tbsps coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 ½ tsps black cumin seeds (shahjeera)
1 ½ tsps dry ginger
¾ tsp black cardamom (3-4 large pods approx)
¾ tsp cloves
¾ tsp cinnamon (2 X 1” pieces)
¾ tsp crushed bay leaves

Preparation:

Heat a heavy skillet on a medium flame and gently roast all ingredients (leave cardamom in its pods till later) except the dry ginger, till they turn a few shades darker. Stir occasionally. Do not be tempted to speed up the process by turning up the heat as the spices will burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.
When the spices are roasted turn off the heat and allow them to cool.
Once cooled, remove the cardamom seeds from their skins and mix them back with all the other roasted spices.
Grind them all together, to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.
Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

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• It is really important to use proper skillet or pan
• The same goes for choosing the right temperature and timing
• Quite easy otherwise :)
• Coriander seeds
• Cumin, my dear latvian folks, don't take it for ķimenes, even thou it is similar, it's totally not the same :)
• Black pepper
• Black cumin, here I have two versions: Bunium bulbocastanum and Nigella sativa, I have used latter, but starting to think that this is not right one. Even thou nothing is wrong while edible, my friends :)
• Dry ginger powder
• Black cardamom, I do remove skins after roasting
• Cloves
• Cinnamon, I use sticks, not pre-prepared powder
• Bay leaves, are confused with bay laureal (Laurus nobilis, lauru lapas), but Cinnamomum tamala should be used as far as I understand, and I hope I have bought and used the right ones :D

Few pictures from my last batch: before, after roasting, final product:

Btw, I have encountered this post several times while googling Indian spices. Again, a copy for my own records (ask me if you can't access original, I'll lend you).

PS There is a movie named Garam Masala, comedy rated good on imdb.com. Don't ask me for a review.

Indian spiced lamb with Provençal vegetables and mint sauce

Googled recipe, here's preserved version.

Ingredients:

• 450g/1lb loin of lamb
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 100ml/31⁄2fl oz plain yoghurt
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• seasoning
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 courgette, cut into chunks and griddled
• 1 aubergine, cut into chunks and griddled
• 1 red pepper, cut into chunks and griddled
• jar mint jelly
• water

Preparation method
1. Combine the garlic, yoghurt, lemon juice, garam masala, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
2. Add the lamb and stir to ensure everything is evenly coated. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2, but no more than 24 hours.
3. Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan, drain the lamb from its marinade and add to the pan. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.
4. To make the dressing, simply whisk the mint jelly with a little water.
5. To serve - slice the lamb and place in the centre of the plate, place the vegetables around and drizzle the sauce over.

Vegetables & Seafood Thai

Got this recipe from my cousin (together with green curry paste). Messed with it.

Ingredients:

• green curry paste 
• coconut milk 
• vegetables (onion, paprika, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, you figure) 
• some seafood mix (you can use chicken or go vegetarian instead) 

Ingredients

Seafood

Extra shrimp

Chop vegetables. I do it in a big sticks, like 0.5x5cm.

Boil oil in a pan, add green curry paste, break it down, add some water, boil, add coconut milk, boil.

Put in vegetables and seafood. Cook.

Best with rice and lentils, both.