Curried Meatballs

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 Turmeric will be trending this year. I will post tomorrow about all its health benefits and more ways to add it to your diet. But I couldn't wait to share these meatballs. I know, the recipe is more than a couple of ingredients but these are so delicious. And they freeze well so make up a big batch while the kitchen is in a mess.

Curried Meatballs

The amount of spice used will depend upon how fresh your spices are. Fresher spices have more flavour. Vary to suit your taste. Cayenne, chiles, jalapenos and curry powder add the heat. Turmeric does not. Chile de arbol are small red hot chilies. Crushed red chiles can be substituted. For an interesting variation add a can of coconut milk to this curry sauce. This will tone down the heat of the spices, as well.

Resist the temptation to used extra lean ground beef. The lack of fat can make the meatballs dry and hard. If that is all you can find a few tablespoons of butter can be added to the ground beef mixture to improve the texture of the cooked meatballs.

Meatballs

olive oil

6 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces 2.5 cm

2 jalapenos, seeds removed if desired

6 garlic cloves

1-inch piece ginger, peeled, chopped 2.5 cm

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 15 mL

1 tbsp. garam masala 15 mL

1 tsp. ground coriander 5 mL

1/2 tsp. ground cumin 2 mL

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 mL

2 lbs. lean ground beef 1 kg

1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork

3 tbsp. plain yogurt 45 mL

2 tsp. kosher salt 10 mL

Curry Sauce

1/4 c. cooking oil 60 mL

4 medium onions, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled, chopped 3.7 cm

3 dried chiles de arbol

4 tsp. curry powder 20 mL

4 tsp. ground cumin 20 mL

4 tsp. ground turmeric 20 mL

3 tbsp. ground coriander 45 mL

1 tsp. whole black peppercorns 5 mL

1 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes 450 mL

2 c. water 500 mL

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp. kosher salt 15 mL

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 15 mL

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 mL

cilantro

Meatballs

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. Puree green onions, jalapenos, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, garam masala, coriander, cumin and cayenne in a blender until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add beef, egg, yogurt and salt. Mix with your hands until mixture is homogenous, about 1 minute. Avoid over mixing because it will make the meatballs tough. Roll beef mixture into golf ball size portions and place on baking sheet, spacing 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Makes about 24 meatballs. Drizzle meatballs with more oil and bake until browned on top and cooked through, 20–25 minutes.

Curry Sauce

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent and starting to brown, 8–10 minutes. Stir in chiles, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, coriander and peppercorns. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is very fragrant and spices begin to stick to the pot, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, stirring and scraping bottom of pot, and bring to a boil. Add bay leaf, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) salt, and 2 cups (500 mL) water. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until aromatic, 25–30 minutes.

Let sauce cool slightly, then transfer to a blender. Blend until very smooth. Transfer curry sauce back to pot. Stir in lemon juice and cayenne. Taste sauce and season with more salt if needed.

Gently nestle cooked meatballs into sauce, bring to a simmer, and cook until meatballs are heated all the way through, 10–15 minutes. Serve topped with cilantro. Makes 8 servings.

Meatballs and sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Gently reheat meatballs in sauce, covered, thinning with water if sauce is too thick. Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Lemongrass Chicken Curry

I have been craving real food. My summer is so busy and I feel like I am letting all the wonderful produce of the season pass me by. There is never time to make anything but a pot of steamed peas with butter. Or a big mess of green beans. The balanced meal has been difficult to fit into my baking schedule for the market.

Lemongrass was in my refrigerator. I buy wonderful herbs, vegetables and fruit and there they sit. But it was the lemongrass that motivated me. It should have been the chocolate mint. My herb vendor gave me chocolate mint and suggested I make tea. It sat for a couple of weeks in my produce bin in the refrigerator and finally it was moved to my compost pail. Every time I opened the pail to add trimmings and peels the mint was instantly reminding me how I lost that opportunity.

A lot of vegetables can be added if you like. I added the kernels from a cob of fresh corn and a few cherry tomatoes but I can see zucchini going nicely with this. There is a lot of curry sauce.

This is a Sri Lankan inspired lemongrass chicken. I had everything in my pantry except the chicken. Serve with basmati rice, white or brown.

Lemongrass Chicken Curry

2 lbs chicken breast cut into large pieces
1 onion sliced
2 jalapeno chiles sliced 

5 curry leaves
2 stalks lemon grass (bruised and cut into 2 inch pieces)
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
juice of 1 lemon  

1 tsp. turmeric powder

2 green cardamom pods
3-4 cloves
3 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tbsb. grated fresh garlic
1 can (15 oz) coconut milk
salt and black pepper tor taste
red chili flakes to taste

cornstarch as needed

Cut chicken and season it with salt and black pepper.  Add some cornstarch to coat outside of chicken lightly.  In a large pan heat 2 tablespoons canola oil.  Fry curry leaves, lemongrass for 1 minute.

Then add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes until outside of chicken is browned.  Next add ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and cook for another 2 minutes.  Finally add onion and jalapeno chilies and some salt.  Fry for another 2 minutes.   Then add turmeric powder, and red chili flakes.  Fry for another 1 minute.

Add the juice of the lemon and chicken stock and more salt to cook.  Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium high heat.  Finally add coconut milk and cook for another 2 minutes.  Taste for salt and seasoning.  Serve over rice. Enjoy.

Brown Basmati Rice & Lentil Pilau with Fenugreek

 

 

In my small town where I only find flat leaf parsley once a year, yes in my garden, you can imagine my disbelief. Fenugreek? I checked the label again and, yes it is fenugreek. Strangely I made a quinoa and lentil pilau, or pilaf as many say, only a few days ago that asked for a cup of chopped fenugreek. I simply omitted it. I have never tasted fresh fenugreek and to make a substitution was unnecessary. There was already lots of flavour.

This reminds me of when I found fresh Black Mission figs at the peak of ripeness. The bewildered produce manager had no idea how one would eat them. I bought a case. They were chopped and added to my farmers’ market loaves. I enjoyed them with a lovely chevre drizzled with local honey. I preserved jam and chutney. That was two years ago.

And then there was the time I found halloumi cheese. I had barely moved to town and was not familiar with anything let alone the standard fare at the grocery stores. I was suitably impressed but that was it. Once. Ditto with angostura bitters. That same Christmas there was an impressive display of angostura bitters. Wish I had bought a few bottles. I have not seen it since.

I looked again at my pilau recipe and it was indeed fenugreek that had been called for. Coincidentally I am making the pilau, this time with brown basmati rice, for a catering gig. Did I dare use the fenugreek? What would it taste like? 

How could I not buy it? I’m sure I’ll never see it again.

Brown Basmati Rice and Lentil Pilau

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice

1/2 cup cooked green lentils

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped fenugreek

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds

4 curry leaves

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon raw cashews

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, to taste

Cook the rice and lentils separately. I cook both of them like I cook pasta, with lots of water. I drain them when they are cooked but still firm and lay a clean tea towel over them to steam for a few minutes.

Heat oil in a wide saute pan on medium heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they begin to pop add the cashews and toast. Add turmeric, curry leaves, coriander and saute for a minute or two. Add shallots and carrots. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add rice and lentils. Mix thoroughly. Cover and heat on lowest setting for 8 - 10 minutes or they can be placed in a 325F oven in a covered pot for about 20 minutes.

Fenugreek (/ˈfɛnjʉɡriːk/; Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop, and its seeds are a common ingredient in dishes from the Indian Subcontinent. (Wikipedia)

It has a green herbaceous flavour with a slight bitterness. It is very mild in this dish. 

Chana Dal with Curried Chicken

I don't remember which came first, the chana dal or the curried chicken. I believe it was the chicken. I am on a mission to use what is in my freezer and I found a bag of chicken legs. I also had a jar of Chatty's Curry Paste. Chatty's Indian Spices has been producing their yummy mixtures in Saskatchewan since 1996. This was the opportunity to try it out. Good pairing, I thought. No recipe here. Just remove the skin from the legs, put in a slow cooker, add jar of curry paste and a cup of water. Cook for 3 hours on low.

My cold room offered up chana dal peas and the menu was set. Chana is a split chickpea. The dal doesn't become as creamy thick as other lentil dals. This recipe is stellar. I like to spoon dal over my rice or scoop it up with a chapati.

An Indian meal is not complete without chapatis. I thought they would be beyond my ability but I tried this recipe. It provides a step by step tutorial and a recipe. I highly recommend it. I remember when I visited my sister while she lived in India. The women in the house laughed at her square chapatis. Well, they might be perfectly round in the tutorial but that is not easily accomplished. However, they still taste good.

I used my hard white spring wheat flour. It made a chapati that was more substantial than using white flour but without the stronger flavour of whole wheat flour made from hard red spring wheat.

Chana Dal

    ¾ cup chana dal

    2 1/2 or 3 cups water

    ¼ tsp turmeric

    2 medium sized tomatoes

    ½ cup chopped onion

    1 inch ginger, finely chopped

    4-5 garlic, finely chopped

    1 green chili, chopped

    ¾ tsp cumin seeds

    ½ tsp red chili powder

    ¼ tsp turmeric powder

    1 tsp coriander powder

    1 or 1.5 tsp kasoori methi  or dried thyme

    2 tbsp butter or ghee

    salt as required

    a few coriander/cilantro leaves for garnishing

    Pick and rinse the dal well.

    Soak the dal for an hour.

    Drain and pressure cook the dal with water and turmeric powder till they are soft and well cooked, about 10 minutes.

    Meanwhile, heat butter or ghee. Add the cumin first and fry for a few seconds. Add the garlic and fry till they become light brown. Now add the onions and fry till they get golden. Add the tomatoes, ginger and green chili.

    Stir and add all the dry spice powders.

    Saute till the tomatoes get cooked and the oil starts to leave the side of the mixture.

    Add the kasoori methi and fry for some seconds.

    Pour this mixture on the dal. Stir and simmer for 5-7 minutes till you get medium consistency of the dal. The dal is neither thick nor thin.

    Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve the hot with basmati rice or rotis or bread.

 

Saffron Basmati Rice
         by Sunny Anderson

2 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 to 4 threads saffron
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 to 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the rice in a colander under cold water until it runs clear, picking out any little pieces of grit or debris. Shake off the excess water. Heat a pot over medium heat, and then add the rice, oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper. Stir and toast the rice until the cayenne and saffron are fragrant, about 4 minutes. Shake the pot to level out the rice, and then add the chicken stock to fill about 1/2-inch over the rice. Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer and cover to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice stand another 5 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the almond slivers and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Lamb Biryani

 

It was in the Victorian era, during the British Raj, that Britain first started borrowing Indian dishes, creating Anglo-Indian cuisine. Queen Victoria made it fashionable by having her Indian cook make this food everyday. To this day it is still one of England’s most popular ethnic cuisines.

The word curry is not used in India. It is a general word for the sauces from the subcontinent and refers to light, coloured, spiced sauces on food.

According to the Times of India, biryani is made with the heart and not the mind. The ratio of meat to rice should be half and half. One essential component is that the person who cooks eats last after serving everybody else and that best biryani is at least 5 kg (11 lb.) of ingredients. That is a lot of biryani and the idea is that whatever is left goes to charity. 

The manager of our real estate office where I worked for many years was ethnic Indian. It was always a treat when he made a special biryani for our office potlucks. I am so delighted to have discovered a recipe that I enjoy.

This is also the challenge with The Daring Cooks this month. Grace, one of our talented non-blogging Daring Kitchen members, was our Daring Cooks’ August hostess who shared with us some of her family’s tried and true Bengali Biryani recipes – all of them delicious and all of them prepared fresh from our own kitchens!

Lamb Biryani           

pinch of saffron threads

1/4 c. boiling water 60 mL

2 c. basmati or long grain rice 500 mL           

1 c. ghee or unsalted butter, approximately 250 mL

2 medium sized onions, peeled, cut lengthwise and then sliced paper thin

1/4 c. each unsalted cashews, slivered almonds, pistachios and raisins 60 mL

2 tsp. salt 10 mL

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger root 15 mL

1 tsp. finely chopped garlic 5 mL

1 tsp. cumin seeds 5 mL

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper, as cayenne 1 mL

2 lb. lean boneless lamb, beef or chicken cut into 1 inch cubes 1 kg/5 cm

4 inch piece of cinnamon stick 20 cm

8 whole cloves

6 whole black peppercorns

1/4 tsp. cardamom seeds 1 mL

1/4 tsp. ground mace 1 mL

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 mL

1 c. chicken stock 250 mL

1/2 c. plain yogurt combined with 1/2 c. light cream 125 mL/125 mL

Place saffron threads in small bowl with 1/4 c. (60 mL) boiling water and soak until needed.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and slowly add rice. After 10 minutes test rice as you would pasta. When rice is al dente, strain and let rest. When well drained it will be light and fluffy.

Heat 1/4 c. (60 mL) butter or ghee in heavy bottomed large pot, saute onions until soft golden brown. Set aside. In same pan, sauté nuts and raisins until lightly browned. Add more butter if necessary. Set aside.

Add ginger, garlic, cumin and cayenne stirring constantly for a minute. Add meat and brown on all sides.  Then add cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, mace, nutmeg. stock and yogurt cream mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until meat is tender.

In oven proof serving dish, layer half the rice. Spoon over 2 tbsp. (30 mL) of the saffron water with some of the threads. Then add meat and another layer of rice. Add remainder of saffron and water over the rice. Add layer of sautéed onions. Spoon some of the liquid from meat, pouring slowly down inside of dish. Cover securely, with aluminum foil if necessary.

Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until fully heated.

To serve, remove from oven and top with toasted nuts and raisins. In India this dish would be further garnished with small sheets of edible silver leaf. Serves 12-14.

Making Naan at Home

As it seems to be the norm, my Market clients are continually pushing me to try new things and learn.  First it was pumpernickel bread!  I had never made it.  Then it was healthy hot dog buns!  Too much work, I thought.  Now it is naan.

There is a special Tibetan dinner for a woman who will be going to that county as a missionary.  They want a special way to honour her and show their pride.  So here we are!  I am making naan.

My sister, Trish spent more than 15 years in India and I am hoping that I can have success by association!  My first lesson was to not call it 'naan bread'.  NO, NO, NO," she implored, "Naan means bread."

Trish did not have any recipes.  If you know Indian cooks, they rarely use a recipe.  It is learned.  I found my recipe in The Joy of Cooking, of all places.   I made it exactly as written and was happy with the end product.  However, I will make one change the next time.  The recipe calls for active dry yeast and it is not hydrated before incorporating into the dough.  As a result it hardly rose at all in 1 1/2 hours and also there were little specks of colour throughout the dough.  It was the undissolved yeast.

I will be using instant dry yeast next time and I think it will be delicious.  Another change to the recipe will be to skip over brushing the dough with melted butter before baking.  I don't want to make a mess of my pizza stone and create a lot of smoke from burning butter.  I usually see the chefs slathering butter on one side of the naan and rubbing two of them together to achieve a nicely oiled surface.

They will then be stacked oiled sides together and wrapped in a towel, or in my case for this group, heavy aluminum foil.  I am opting for salted butter in this case because there is little salt in the bread recipe.  I will also use 30% red fyfe flour for added flavour.  I can hardly wait.  I will be baking naan for 60 people!

This is my test run.

Naan               adapted from The Joy of Cooking

1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole red fyfe flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast

Mix in a large bowl or the mixer bowl of a heavy duty mixer.

Add
2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
3/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk, at room temperature

Mix by hand or on low speed of your mixer until all ingredients are incorporated.  Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the mixer using a dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover well with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat a pizza stone in a 475F oven.

Punch the dough down and divide equally into 4 pieces.  Roll into balls, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll each ball into an oval about 8 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.  Place the dough directly on the baking stone without touching each other.  Bake until each oval gets puffy and just begins to turn golden, 6 to 7 minutes.  Remove from the oven and butter one side of each piece.  Place buttered sides together and stack in a cloth lined basket.  Keep covered and serve warm.

Butternut Squash Curry with Basmati Rice

I made this earlier in the week while I still had a kitchen.  I had a squash from the market a few weeks ago and thought I should make this delicious curry, inspired from Martha, of course.

Butternut Squash Curry      adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved and seeded
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 two inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cilantro cube
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• yogurt for serving

Drizzle the squash halves with sorghum and put a pat of butter in the cavity.  Bake the squash at 350F until tender.  Scoop out in chunks and let cool.

Puree onion, garlic, and a splash of water in a food processor until smooth.

Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven.

Add fennel seed, mustard, and coriander and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant.

Add onion puree and ginger and cook until golden, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and cook another 3-4 minutes.

Pour in remaining water, red pepper flakes, cilantro cube, and salt.  Simmer gently for 15 minutes to develop flavours.

Add chunks of squash.

If you like a thicker sauce (which I do!) use a wooden spoon to mash 1/4 of the squash against the side of the pot.

Stir and serve over brown rice.

Garnish with a dollop of yogurt if desired.

The Daring Cooks Risotto Challenge

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker.  They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

With this challenge, we were required to make out own stock and our own risotto base.

I have made risottos many times over and wanted to challenge myself.  My risotto is a take on the Southern favourite – sweet potatoes.  They are served as a side dish at almost any meal but are a special favourite for Thanksgiving.

I am serving my sweet potato risotto with rack of lamb flavoured with a persillade.  A persillade is a flavouring made with chopped parsley and garlic.  I added lemon zest and panko and olive oil to bind it all together.  I like the panko rather than regular breadcrumbs because it seems to be crispier.

Arancini is another dish made from leftover risotto.  Balls of  cold risotto are dipped in beaten egg and then rolled in breadcrumbs.  They are fried or deep-fried usually, but one could bake them in the oven.  The panko does not absorb much oil so this is my preferred preparation method.

My arancini are a take on the Indian dessert, gulab jaman.  Gulab jaman are sweet balls that are deep fried and served with a sugar syrup.  My syrup for the arancini is made from the sugar syrup that was left after making candied ginger.  I thinned it out with a little water.

Just one little brag...OMG were these arancini delicious!  I would make the sweet potato risotto just so I could make the sweet arancini.  I cooked up all the little balls and put them in the freezer so I could enjoy every last one.  They will be like fresh made if I put them on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes.

Rack of  Lamb with Sweet Potato Risotto

For the risotto:

1 c sweet potato, cubed

1 c Arborio rice

½  c mascarpone

¼ c chopped pecans

8 whole pecans

4 T white sugar

¼ c sorghum

¼ c butter

2 t freshly grated ginger

2 c  ginger broth

½ c sugar

Peel and dice the sweet potato into ½ ” cubes.  Steam until just tender.  Melt 1 T butter and add 2T sorghum and 1 T grated fresh ginger.  Toss in the sweet potato cubes.  Saute until just turning brown.   Set aside half of the cooked, cubed sweet potato.  Mash the other half, and set aside for later.

Candy 8 pecan halves as described in note below.

Meanwhile, melt 2 T butter in a saucepan.  Add chopped pecans and 1 T grated fresh ginger.  Saute until the nuts are toasted.  Add 2 T sorghum.  Add the Arborio rice.  Saute for about 2 minutes.

Add ½ c ginger broth.  As the broth is absorbed, add broth a couple of tablespoons at a time until the rice is tender but still toothy.  When the rice is cooked to the right texture, stir in the mascarpone cheese and mashed sweet potato.

Toss with the candied sweet potato and serve.  Garnish with garnished candied pecan halves and strips of candied ginger.

Note:  To make the ginger broth slice 6 tablespoons of fresh ginger and simmer in 3 cups of water for ½ hour.  To candy the pecan halves, melt the sugar in a sauce pan.  When the sugar has melted, add the pecans.  Continue to cook until lightly browned.  Turn onto parchment paper to cool.

For the rack of lamb:

Make a persillade by combining the following in a small bowl:

½ c finely chopped parsley

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 t lemon zest

¼ c olive oil

1 c dry bread crumbs

Quickly sear two racks of lamb, meat side down, in an ovenproof pan.  When browned, turn over.  Press the persillade onto the meaty portion of both racks.  Put in 450F oven for 15 minutes, for medium.  Remove from oven and tent with tin foil.  Let sit for 10 minutes.

To put it together:

Place a mound of risotto on each plate.  Slice the racks of lamb and place 3 or 4 ribs on each plate.  Garnish with candied pecans and fresh parsley.  Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Arancini with Ginger Syrup

Chilled sweet potato risotto

3 egg whites

1 c panko

½ t dried ginger

¼ c white sugar

pinch of salt

Ginger Syrup and Candied Ginger:

Thinly slice 1 c fresh ginger.  Gently boil until tender, about 30 minutes.  Add 1 c white sugar.  Continue to boil until the ginger is translucent.  Cool.  Remove the ginger and reserve the syrup.

To make the arancini:

Season the panko bread crumbs with the dried ginger, sugar and salt.  Lightly whip the egg whites. 

Form the chilled risotto into 2” balls and chill for 30 minutes.  Dip each ball into the egg white and roll in bread crumbs.

Fry in 350F oil on all sides until browned.  If you do not have a thermometer, test the oil with a 1” square of bread.  If it browns in 30 seconds, the oil is ready.  Serve in a bowl with the ginger syrup.  Garnish with candied ginger.

Rice Kheer - Indian Rice Pudding

From the first time I visited my sister in India, I have loved rice kheer.  This is a rice pudding that is served throughout the country with regional variations.  I enjoyed it so much that I have never made my Canadian style rice pudding since.

Kheer can be made with variations including saffron, coconut, cashew nuts, pistachios and dates to name a few.  It can also be made with vermicelli rather than rice.  This is my version of kheer.

Note:  I forgot to say that the cardamom pods should be cracked so the seeds inside spill out and flavour the milk.  This is really important.  Just crush them like you would a clove of garlic or use the mortar and pestle.

Rice Kheer                                                                        

3 - 4 cups of whole milk

1/4 cup rice (basmati rice is best)

1 t butter or ghee
1/4 cup sugar, jaggery or brown sugar is best
1 tablespoon raisins, chopped

1 T shredded, sweetened coconut, chopped and dry toasted

pinch of saffron
1 tablespoon of dry roasted pistachios nut pieces. (Roasted cashews or almonds are also fine)
3 green cardamom pods

1. In a wide open heavy bottom pan, add butter and fry rice for about a min until it becomes golden brown.
2. Add the milk and cardamom pods and allow to boil. Stir often until it boils as it might burn the bottom.
3. After it starts boiling, allow it to boil for 30 min in the low-medium flame. Keep stirring occasionally and make sure bottom is not burnt as it spoils the taste of the kheer.  Add raisins after 15 minutes.
   
4. Add a tsp of sugar, saffron & grind them in mortar and make it to a fine powder.
5. Add sugar and let boil for 3 minutes.
6. Add powdered saffron and mix well. It gives a nice peach color to the Rice Kheer.
7. Add the nuts and coconut to the kheer.
8. Garnish with chopped nuts, threads of saffron, rose petals or edible silver.  May be served hot or cold but I prefer it served cold.