Zucchini and Onion Koftas

adapted from Spice Goddess / Bal Arneson

vegetable oil
1 cup chickpea flour
3 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed
1 medium onion, cut in quarters & thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, grated (about 3 cups)
a pinch of salt

Directions

1. Combine chickpea flour, yogurt, garam masala, cardamom seeds, onions, zucchini and salt into a large bowl and mix well.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Drop appx 2 Tbsp mixture into pan, press slightly to flatten and fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Add more oil to skillet as needed.
4. Drain on paper towels.
5. Serve hot.

• To avoid using a lot of oil to deep-fry, I made this into “pancakes” rather than round fritters.
• I did not use the green onions or pomegranate seeds listed in the original recipe.
• I prefer the spice seeds to be crushed to spread the flavor thru the dish a little more. If you prefer, you can leave them whole as Bal Arneson does.
• The flavor may vary a little depending on the spices in the garam masala being used.
• You can substitute all purpose or whole wheat flour for the chickpea flour, but the texture will not be as crunchy.
  

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Indian Beef and Peas / Kheema

adapted from Spice Goddess – Bal Arneson

1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dried curry leaves, crushed
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 tsp mustard seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed
1 pound ground beef
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 cup frozen peas

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add ginger and onions and cook until softened and beginning to turn golden, about 3 minutes.
3. Add curry leaves, garam masala, mustard seeds and cardamom seeds, and cook for 20 seconds.
4. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with salt and stir to break up any chunks. Continue to cook until the beef is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
5. Stir in peas and cook until they turn bright green, about 2 minutes.
6. Serve with flat bread or naan.

• I prefer the spice seeds to be crushed to spread the flavor thru the dish a little more. If you prefer, you can leave them whole as Bal Arneson does.
• The flavor may vary a little depending on the garam masala mix being used.

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Spiced Indian Grilled Chicken

adapted from Spice Goddess / Bal Arneson

1 Tbsp garam masala
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cayenne
Pinch salt
1 cup plain yogurt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions

1. Combine the garam masala, sugar, garlic, cardamom, cayenne, salt, yogurt, and tomato paste in a large bowl and mix well; set aside about 1/3 of the marinade for a dipping sauce. Add the chicken and coat well. Cover the bowl and let marinate in the fridge for 45 minutes to 4 hours.
2. When ready to cook, preheat a grill to medium-high.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place on the hot grill.  Cook until the chicken is done and juices run clear.

• Garam masala varies quite a bit.  the one I had was rather sweet, and I remember Bal’s mix having a lot of cumin, so I added cumin to the recipe.
• The recipe was supposed to include 2 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves and 2 Tbsp tomato paste. I did not use the fenugreek leaves because I did not have them and I forgot to add the tomato paste because I was sleepy when I made it : ]
  I’ll have to try this recipe again with these flavors added.
• Bal used legs & thighs, but I prefer white meat so I used breasts.

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Quick Turkey Curry

I got this recipe from a magazine in the early 80’s, but I don’t remember which one 🙂

This is not by any means an authentic Indian curry, but it is a good, quick fake and one of our favorites for using up Thanksgiving leftovers.

Servings: 2

½ large onion (about 1 cup), chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup cooked turkey or chicken
Curry powder to taste
Cooked rice
Condiments

Directions

1. Saute onion in hot oil.
2. Add soup & turkey.
3. Add enough curry powder to make a nice yellow color, more if you want it spicier. Heat until bubbly.
4. Serve over rice.
5. Add condiments to taste.

Condiments
chopped peanuts
raisins
coconut
chopped hard-boiled eggs*
sliced green onion
chutney or cranberry sauce

You can substitute shrimp for the turkey and/or cream of celery soup for the cream of chicken soup.

*Add eggs when cooking white rice – they will be done when the rice is – about 20 minutes when added to boiling water.

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Mango Peach Lassi

adapted from Spice Goddess – Bal Arneson

1 cup low-fat yogurt
1 cup mango, chopped
1 cup frozen peaches, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
water as needed for desired thickness

Directions

1. Combine & blend until smooth. Add water if needed. Transfer to glasses and serve right away.

I did not have enough mango, so I added peaches to the recipe. You can use both or just one fruit.

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