Category Archives: Entrees

Prawn Masala

Entrees, Seafoods

 Serves 4

Prawn Masala

 

Ingredients

  • 1                lb prawns tails
  • 1/4             cup oil
  • 1/2             tsp cumin seeds
  • 1                medium onion diced 1/4”
  • 2                tomatoes diced to 1/4”
  • tsp             green masala
  • 1                tsp dhana Jeera
  • 1/4             tsp haldi(turmeric powder)
  • 1                tsp tomato paste
  • 11/2           tsp salt
  • 2                lemon
  • 1                tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Skin and devein the prawns (make a slit in the middle and remove the black vein).  Add 1/2 tsp salt and juice of 1 lemon and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
  2. In a wok or a medium saucepan heat the oil, add the cumin seeds and onions and fry the onions till they are transparent.   Add the tomatoes, green masala, dhana jeera, heldi, salt and tomato paste.
  3. Let it cook on low heat, covered, stirring a couple of times  for about 10 minutes.
  4. Rinse prawns in cold water and dry it on a kitchen  towel,  add this to the sauce and cook for about 5 min.  The prawns will change color to pink and it will curl up.
  5. Add lemon juice and mix.
  6. Serve in a shallow dish sprinkled with cilantro.

Serve with chapatti or paratha.

Kari nu Shak(Mango Curry)

Entrees, vegetarian

 

Ingredients
  • 2                 ripe mangoes
  • 2                 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 5                 curry leaves
  • 1/2              tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2              tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1                 tbsp green masala
  • 1                 tsp dhana jeera (coriander & cumin) powder
  • 1                 tsp salt
  • 1/2              tsp red chili

Instruction

  1. Rinse and cut the mangoes into about 1-1/4 inch cubes.
  2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. 
  3. Add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds.
  4. Add the cubed mango with the pips, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 
  5. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 min.
  6. Serve with Chapatti.

Bharazi(Pigeon peas Curry) nu Shak

vegetarian

You can either use dried bharazi that you soak in water for 5 hours or overnight and boil it, or you can use frozen bharazi or canned bharazi.  You can buy the bharazi at an Indian grocery store or Iranian grocery store.

Ingredients

  • 2             medium onion
  • 1             medium tomato
  • 1/4          cup vegetable oil
  • 1             tsp dhana jeera(coriander & cumin powder)
  • 1/4          tsp haldi(turmeric powder)
  • 2             tsp green masala
  • 1             tsp tomato paste
  • 2             cups boiled bharazi(pigeon peas)
  • 2             cups water
  • 1             tsp salt
  • 1             tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Peel and slice the onions and chop the tomatoes.
  2. Heat the oil, add cumin and the onions and fry till the onions are golden brown.
  3. Add the tomatoes, dhana jeera, haldi, green masala and tomato paste, stir and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the water, salt and the bharazi and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle chopped cilantro before serving.

Serve it with rice or chapatti.

Kuku Paka

Entrees, Poultry

Kuku Paka is a simple chicken dish, cooked with coconut milk, from the coast of East. Africa. It is sometimes called Kuku na nazi.  Kuku means chicken and nazi is coconut in swahalli.  For authentic flavor, grill or BBQ the chicken pieces before stirring them into the simmering sauce. If you like, you can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

  • 1                chicken skinned and cut into 10 pieces
  • 1                small onion
  • 2                tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4             tsp cumin seeds
  • 5                cardamom pods
  • 1                jalapeño
  • 1                medium tomato
  • 1                tbsp green masala
  • 1/4             tsp haldi(turmeric powder)
  • 2                cans(400 ml)  coconut milk
  • 1                tsp salt
  • 1                lemon
  • 4                boiled eggs
  • 2                tbsp chopped cilantro

Instruction

  1. Remove all the fat from the chicken and rinse it in cold water.
  2. Peel the onions and dice it to a 1/4 inch.
  3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add cumin seeds, cardamom, ,jalapeño and onions.  Fry the onions till they are soft and transparent.
  4. Finely chop the tomato and add this to the onion mix.  Add the green masala, haldi, salt and  mix.  Cook for a min.
  5. Add the coconut milk, one cup water and cook till the mixture starts to boil.
  6. Add the chicken and cook  covered on medium heat for 15 min till the chicken is cooked.
  7. Add the lemon juice and boiled eggs.
  8. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

Serve with Fresh bread, Makati and/or rice.

You can substitute potatoes for eggs.

BEEF ROLLS

Entrees, Meat

Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 2            lbs sirloin steak
  • ½           teaspoon salt
  • ½           teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼           cup vinegar

Filling

  • ½           cup raw peanuts
  • 2            jalapeño  
  • 1            bunch coriander leaves
  • 1            lemon
  • ½           tsp salt
  • 1            tsp  sugar
  • ½           tsp each ginger and Garlic
  • ½           cup yoghourt
  • 4            tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Beat the steaks between 2 pieces of plastic and marinate  in vinegar, salt and sugar for a couple of hours.
  2. Place all the ingredients for the filling in a blender and make a paste.
  3. Spread this paste on the steak and roll it up. Hold the roll with a tooth pick.
  4. Heat oil and brown each roll on all sides.
  5. Transfer it in an ovenproof dish.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven 350 degrees.
  7. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Serve with fried rice or oven fried chips and a vegetable.

Mayai Mani

Entrees, Meat

Mayai Mani is a rich , dry kheema curry with eggs on it.  You break the eggs on curry  and broil it.  When my kids were young they called this eggsagna. because it looks like lasagna with eggs on it.  It is served with bread, naan or chapatti.

Mayai Mani

  •  

 

Ingredients

  • 1/4             cup  vegetable oil
  • 1/4             tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4             tsp black pepper
  • 1                inch stick cinnamon
  • 5                cloves
  • 5                cardamom pods
  • 2                medium onions thinly sliced
  • 2                medium tomatoes chopped
  • 2                level tsp dhana jeera
  • 1/4             tsp turmeric powder
  • 1                tsp salt 
  • 2                tsp green masala
  • 2                lbs lean ground beef
  • 1/2             cup water
  • 1                tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1/2             tsp garam masala
  • 2                tsp tomato paste
  • 6                eggs

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan heat the oil.  Add the cumin, black pepper,cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and sliced onions.  Fry the onions till they are golden brown.
  2. Add the tomatoes, dhana jeera, turmeric powder, green masala, salt and cook for  5 minutes.  Add the ground beef stirring and breaking the lumps.  Add the water and cook, covered for half and hour, on low heat.  Uncover and cook till the meat is dry.  Add garam masala and cilantro and mix well.
  3. Spread the mixture in an 8 inch square Pyrex dish.  Make six dents and break the eggs on it.  Broil this for about 5 minutes(the eggs should be cooked).
  4. Sprinkle some cilantro on it before serving.

You can also make it individually by putting the mixture in 4-4″

KAS KAS

Entrees

 

Poppy seeds (regular gray and Indian white type (close up) 

Poppy seed is a spice and an oil seed  from the opium poppy. The tiny kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years.  The seeds are used whole or ground, as an ingredients in many foods and they are pressed to yield poppy seed oil.  Opium poppy is native to the Middle East and produces very small slate blue, brown, white or yellow seed that has a nutty flavor and have a crunchy texture.

 

In Indian cuisine, white poppy seeds are added for thickness, texture and also give added flavor to the recipe.  It is also used as a garnish to the sweet dishes.

Gujarati Daal

Entrees, vegetarian

Gujarati food is very tasty and it has a lot of different spices.  It is sweet from sugar, hot from chili, bitter from fenugreek seeds, sour from lemon juice and nutty from peanuts.  I got this recipe from my mother who got it from our Gujarati neighbor in Uganda.

Serves 4

Gujarati Daal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 1            cup toor daal(8oz)
  • 1/4         cup raw peanuts(optional)
  • 2            med tomato chopped(6oz)
  • 1            tsp dhana jeera
  • 1/4         tsp haldi (tumeric powder)
  • 1            tsp garlic paste
  • 1            tsp ginger paste
  • 1/2         tsp green chilli paste
  • 1/2         tsp salt
  • 1            tbsp sugar (optional)
  • 2            tbsp oil
  • 1/4         tsp jeera(cumin) seeds
  • 1/4         tsp rye (mustard seeds)
  • 1/4         tsp methi (fenugreek seeds)
  • 5            curry leaves
  • 1            tbsp chopped cilantr0
  •               juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Rinse daal in cold water and soak it in 6 cups of water  for 5 hours or overnight. ( Daal will cook faster if it has been soaked).
  2. Boil the daal in 2 cups of water, when the daal starts to boil remove it from the heat, drain it and rinse it in cold water(this will remove the gas from the daal).
  3. Boil it in 4 cups of water, add the chopped tomato, dhana jeera, haldi and  green masala.  Boil it for about half an hour, the daal will be soft.  With a whisk mash the daal.
  4. Add salt, lemon juice, sugar and peanuts.
  5. Heat oil in a frying pan, add the rye, methi, jeera and curry leaves.  When the rye starts to pop, add this to the daal mix and boil for 15.
  6. Sprinkle the daal with cilantro before  serving.
  7. Serve the daal with rice, chapatti and  vegetable curry.

Thumb IMG 4745 1024

 

Spicy Potatoes

Entrees

 Ingredients

  • 6                   med potatoes
  • 2                   tbsp oil
  • 5                   curry leaves
  • 1/4                tsp rye(mustard seeds)
  • 1/4                tsp jeera(cumin seeds)
  • 2                   tbsp tomato paste
  • 1                   tsp salt
  • 1/4                tsp red chili powder
  • 1                   tsp green masala
  •                      juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/4                tsp garam masala
  • 1                   tbsp chopped cilantro for decoration.

Instructions

  1. Boil the potatoes till they are half done.  About 10 minutes.  Peel them and cube them to 3/4 inch.
  2. In a medium saucepan heat the oil, add the curry leaves, rye and cumin.  When the rye starts to pop add the rest of the ingredients except cilantro.  Mix well.
  3. Add the potatoes mix, cover and cook for another 10 min till the potatoes are cooked through.
  4. Sprinkle cilantro before serving.
  5. Serve with BBQ chicken or meat.

Mattar Pilau

vegetarian

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 2             cups basmati rice
  • 1             medium onion
  • 1             medium tomato
  • 2             potatoes(optional)
  • 4             tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4          tsp cumin
  • 1/4          tsp black pepper
  • 5             cloves
  • 1             inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 5             cardamom pods
  • 1             tsp dhanajeera(cumin and coriander powder)
  • 1/4          tsp haldi(turmeric powder) 
  • 2             tsp green masala
  • 1             cup frozen peas
  • 1/ 2         cup yoghurt
  • 2             tsp salt
  • 2-1/2       cups water
  • 1             tsp garam masala

Instructions

  1. Rinse the rice in cold water and soak it in the water till you are ready to use.
  2. Peel and thinly slice the onions, dice the tomatoes and peel and quarter the potatoes.
  3. In a medium saucepan heat the oil.  Add cumin, black pepper cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and onions.  Fry the onions till light golden brown. 
  4. Add the tomatoes, dhana jeera, haldi, green masala, salt  yoghurt, and peas.   Mix and let it cook on medium- high  heat for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the water.  When the water starts to boil add the rice.  When this starts to boil, turn the meat to medium cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Most of the liquid  will be absorbed. 
  6. Sprinkle garam masala and put it in a pre heated 300 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Serve it with yoghurt and carrot pickle.  The rice can be served with chicken tikka or on its own.