Meatloaf

We tried making meatloaf at home last thanksgiving and all of us loved it. Amma made sandwiches with the leftover meatloaf the next day and it tasted great.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground beef

1/2 cup onion finely chopped

2 tsp ground garlic

1/2 cup carrot finely chopped

1/2 cup celery finely chopped

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp black pepper

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degree.

2.Mix together all the ingredients and transfer to a meatloaf pan. Shape the meatloaf.

3.Paint some tomato ketchup mixed with brown sugar and spices of your choice on the top of the meatloaf.(optional)

3.Cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until the meatloaf is cooked through.

Malabar Biriyani

My friend Noora who is from Kozhikode makes excellent malabar biriyani. Following is the copy paste of the recipe she gave me. Though the preparation is time consuming the final results are very much worth the effort.

For marinating Chicken (full chicken cut into medium size pieces)

1. In a vessel add 3 sliced onions,3 chopped tomatoes, 1 sprig curry leaves,20 chopped green chillies,6 cloves of garlic chopped,3 cm ginger chopped, coriander leaves and mint leaves.Mix thoroughly with hand.

2. Add chicken,3 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.

3. Heat cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon in medium heat and grind. 2 tbsp of this powder is required.

4. Add 1 tbsp of the above spice powder, 3tbsp yogurt and 1 tbsp lemon juice.

5. Mix with hand thoroughly for 5 minutes – Keep it aside for 10minutes.

For Garnishing

6. Add ghee/oil in pan

7. Fry cashew nuts and raisins.Drain and keep aside

8. Deep fry 2 big onions sliced very thin in same oil, till it becomes brown (add a pinch of salt for taste).Drain and keep aside.

Cooking Chicken

9. Take a pan and add 3 tbsp oil.

10. Add the marinated chicken, close with lid and cook the chicken on low heat.DONOT add water.(This will take 30 to 45mts)

Preparing ghee rice

11. Add 5 tbsp ghee to a hot pan.

12. Add a pinch of jeera, a pinch spice powder from step 3,salt and 8 cups of water.

13. When the water boils add 4 cups of washed and drained basmati rice and cook till rice is done.

Final layering

14. Layer half of the chicken in a big vessel.

15. Add the cooked rice on top of chicken

16. Layer with fried onion and sprinkle spice powder from step 5.

17. Garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves, fried cashew nuts and raisins

18. Repeat from step 14 till the rice and chicken is over.

19. Cover it with aluminium foil and keep aside for 30minutes before serving.

Egg curry

My dad who never ate his food without fish curry has recently stopped eating fish and meat. He claims to have turned into an ovo vegetarian or eggetarian. He prepares a typical fish gravy and adds boiled eggs to it instead of fish. This curry he says has helped him in his transition from a strict non vegetarian to an eggetarian.

Ingredients:

5 boiled eggs

1 shallot + 1 inch ginger + 2 green chillies ground

1 tomato chopped

1 small raw mango cut into pieces

curry leaves

salt to taste

1/4 cup coconut milk

To Grind:

1 cup grated coconut

1 tbsp chilly powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 cup water

Method:

1.In a pan mix together the ginger/shallot/green chillies , tomato, curry leaves,mango and salt.Mash well with hand.

2.Add the ground coconut paste.And one cup of water.

3.Boil the mixture for 15 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Do a taste test and adjust salt if required.

4.Make stripes to the boiled eggs with knife and add them to the gravy.

5.Add the coconut milk and switch off the flame when the gravy comes to a boil.

6.Temper with fried shallots.

Mushroom Alfredo

We like to have seafood afredo when eating out at Olive garden. Amma tried making Alfredo sauce with mushroom and chicken.It closely resembled the alfredo sauce we get at Italian restaurants.

Alfredo sauce is creamy white sauce made with cheese and melted butter. This sauce is served over cooked pasta.

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta 

250 gm mushroom

250 gm boneless chicken

2 tbsp butter

6 cloves garlic

2 cups milk

4 oz parmesan cheese

1 pinch basil

1 pinch oregano

2 tbsp flour

salt to taste

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp cooking oil

Method:

1.Heat water in a big pan. When the water boils add salt and 1 tsp oil.Add the pasta and cook for around 15 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.Drain the water and keep the pasta aside.

2.Heat butter in a pan and add chopped garlic. Add chicken and saute for 7 minutes.

3.Add mushroom and saute for 4 minutes.

4.Add one and a half cup milk and cook.

5.Mix the flour to the remaining half cup of cold milk and pour the milk into the pan.

6.Add parmesan cheese,oregano and basil. Saute well till the sauce thickens.

7.When the sauce reaches the desired consistency add salt and pepper to taste.Switch off the flame.

8.Serve the Alfredo sauce over cooked pasta.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is one of the national dishes of Thailand. It is a preparation of rice noodles with vegetables and/or meat/seafood in tangy sauce. We tasted this first at a Thai restaurant and on request the chef gave us an idea of how it is prepared. This is ammas version of Pad Thai.

Ingredients:

250 gm rice noodles

100 gm shrimp cleaned

1/2 cup small chicken pieces(cooked with salt and pepper)

1 tsp crushed chilli

1 tbsp garlic chopped

2 tbsp ground peanuts

6 tbsp tamarind sauce

6 tbsp fish sauce

50 gm jaggery

2 tbsp crushed dry prawns

2 tbsp oil

2 eggs

Method:

1. Soak noodles in hot water for 15 - 20 minutes or as per the instructions on the pack.

2.Bring tamarind,jaggery and fish sauce to boil.Keep aside when the jaggery melts.

3.Heat oil in another pan and add garlic and saute. Add shrimp and cook for 5 minutes.

4.Add the beaten eggs and cook.Add the noodles,chicken,crushed chilli and dry shrimp. Mix well.

5.Add 4 tbsp of sauce. Mix well. Add more sauce only if required.

6.Add the crushed peanuts.Saute well for5 mins.

PS: Vegetables like Mushrooms,tofu,beans,carrot etc can be added after step 3 if desired.Spring onion can be added at step 6 for garnishing.