Brilliant talented people: suggest menu for Indian dinner, please.?

Question

Cooking for relatives, serving 6, chicken, beef, or pork, vegies, hot and spicy is desireable. Problem = no Indian markets in SC. Desi Chef, you still out there?

Many many thanks for your answers

Answer 1

I am flattered! Thank you, I will try my best. The lack of Indian markets is a challenge.

For apps: I suggest kebabs (you can do any meat or vegges)
pakoras or crab cakes.

Reshmi Kebabs (can substitute any meat)

2 lbs. ground chicken (or lamb, beef...)
2 medium sized onions
2 teaspoons ginger paste
3 teaspoons garlic paste
1 bunch of cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 eggs
Salt to taste

Chop onions coarsely. Chop cilantro coarsely. Grind together onions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, cumin and white pepper. Add this to the ground chicken. Mix in the eggs and salt.

Shape into 2 inch long sausages, place these on pre-wet wooden skewers or metal ones. Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil to catch the drippings. Cook in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. At this stage you are ready to store the kebabs in foil for use the next day OR Grill over charcoal fire or in rotisserie for 2 to 3 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and lemon wedges. Enjoy with Mint Chutney.
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PAKORAS

One snack that is synonymous with the advent of the rainy season in India is "Pakoras". Servred with a hot cup of chai, Pakoras are crispy batter fried vegetables that melt in your mouth and can be very addictive. Tha batter made out of "Chick pea flour" is very versatile because you can dip almost any vegetable or even bread or paneer to make the most delicious of Pakoras.

1/4 cup Besan or Chickpea flour (can use rice flour also)
1/4 cup rice flour
5 oz. Warm water
1/4 tsp. Red Chili powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp tumeric
3/4 tsp. salt
1 small onion
1 potato
1 cup cauliflower florets
green & red pepper strips
A few fresh spinach leaves
Oil for deep frying

In a bowl put the Chick pea flour and half the water and stir until it becomes a thick batter. Beat hard for 5 minutes gradually add the rest of the water and set it aside for 10 minutes. Add salt, cumin powder, tumeric, red chili powder and beat again.

Wash, peel and slice onion and potatoes. Wash and pat dry spinach leaves, florets, peppers. Heat oil till smoking hot and dip the vegetables in the batter and deep fry till golden brown. Serve hot.

Hints & Tips: if you use only rice flour, your end product will be similar to tempura style.
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Spicy Crab Cakes (Goan style)
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:

1 small onion; finely diced small
1 tbsp peeled; minced fresh ginger
½ tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp coriander seeds; lightly toasted & ground
1 tsp cumin seed; lightly toasted & ground
¼ tsp turmeric
1 small roma tomato; diced small
1 cup crabmeat; carefully picked, (Dungeness crab works well)
2 med size shrimp; minced to fine past
2 limes; zested (chopped), and juiced
8 sprigs cilantro; washed & finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 egg; lightly beaten
1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese style)
¼ cup canola oil (for shallow, pan frying)
salt & freshlyground black pepper to taste
cayenne; to taste

Method:
In a large non-stick saute pan, heat one tablespoon of the corn oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and the tomato and continue to cook until it turns dry. Remove from the heat and cool down. In a large mixing bowl, combine crabmeat, the cooled onion mixture, shrimp, chopped lime zest and juice, cilantro, chives, beaten egg and 3 tablespoons of the panko breadcrumbs. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix well so that all the ingredients are well incorporated. Test a small quantity by forming a teaspoon of this mix into a small patty and frying it in a pan. Adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Divide this mixture into 4 equal portions. Form into balls and flatten to form small patties. Put the rest of the panko on a cutting board. Place the patties one at a time in the bread crumbs. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet large enough to hold the crab cakes on medium heat. Add the oil and pan fry the crab cakes. When the cakes turn a light golden color, flip them over and cook them on the other side until they are light golden in color. Using a slotted spatula, remove and drain on a paper towel. You can serve this with a variety of sauces & chutneys, and a small salad of mixed baby greens completes the dish.
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Entrees:

Murgh Malai (Chicken in Coconut Milk)

Ingredients:

5 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
2 tsps salt
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
3 pound frying chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 green cardamom pods
2 medium cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp garam masala
3/4 tsp fenugreek
2 cups coconut milk
2 1/2 tbsp raisins
cilantro leaves for garnish

Preparation:

Heat ghee in a large dutch oven and fry potato cubes with a dash of turmeric until golden. Remove and set aside.

Fry cardamom in ghee to release oils, then discard pods.

Brown chicken pieces in ghee, then remove and set aside to drain.

Fry onion, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cayenne and pepper for about 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Add chicken, potatoes, garam masala and raisins; cover, and bake in 350 degree oven for 60 minutes.
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Bagara Baingan

Eggplants in a spicy seasoned sauce

6 small Eggplants
1 cup roasted Peanuts
2-3 Garlic cloves
1 " fresh Ginger
3 Cloves
2 " Cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon unsweetened dry Coconut
4 tablespoons Sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2 Onions finely chopped
4 Green Chilies, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Lemon juice
Salt as required
3 tablespoons oil

Make this paste first. Blend the peanuts, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, dry coconut, sesame seeds and lemon juice with water & add salt as required. Keep this aside.
Cut the stalks of the eggplant. Slit them into two halves lengthwise and keep them soaking in a bowl of water.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add chili & onion. Sauté until the onion is golden brown.
Now add the paste & fry for a few minutes, then add 1/4th cup of water to it and then add the slit eggplants with the insides face down. Cook fore 5 to 8 minutes until done.
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Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes
Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:

• 2 hot green chilies, minced
• 1 piece of ginger root (1/2”)
• 4 tb ghee or oil
• 3 potatoes, diced
• 1 cauliflower in florets
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp coriander seed, ground
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tps garam masala
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Combine chilies, ginger and panch phoron s in a small bowl. Heat ghee in a large pot. When hot, add the spices. When the seeds start to pop, drop in the potatoes and cauliflower. Fry for 4 minutes or so.

Add the tomatoes, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, sugar, salt & half the chopped cilantro. Mix well, cover and gently heat for 15 minutes. If the vegetables start to stick, add a few drops of water. Top with remaining cilantro serve.
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Dhal (spicy lentils)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (455 g) lentils
• 4 -5 cups water or stock
• 1/2 tsp. chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek, ground
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2-3 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
1 onion
• 1/2 tsp. cumin, ground
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• lemon wedges

Preparation:

Wash lentils thoroughly.

Drain and boil in 2 cups of water or stock.

Add chilli, fenugreek powder, salt and turmeric. Stir and simmer for 30-45 minutes until lentils are cooked and mushy, adding water or stock as necessary to obtain desired consistency.

Heat ghee and fry onion, cumin, garlic and ginger for a few minutes.

Pour oil and spices on to dhal on serving. Alternatively, cook the dhal in this for 5 minutes

Serve with lemon wedges.
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Halibut with Curried Corn Sauce and Tomato Chutney



Delicious fish kebabs, spicy and aromatic. Choose fish that is firm enough for skewering, such as cod, snapper, etc. Makes 8 skewers, 4-5 pieces per skewer.
Ingredients:


Curry Powder:
• 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin seed
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander seed
• 1 tablespoon ground fenugreek seed
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom seed
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Tomato Chutney:
• 6 plum tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• Salt

Curried Corn Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 green apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 4 cups fish stock
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Halibut:
• 4 halibut fillets, 6 ounces each
• Olive oil


Preparation:

In a bowl combine all curry powder ingredients

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and green apples and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add curry powder and cook for 5 minutes.

Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain stock into a clean medium saucepan. Add the corn to the stock and cook for 30 minutes, covered.

Place the cream in a small saucepan and cook until reduced by half. Add the reduced cream to the stock and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Halibut
Heat a large saute pan or grill pan over high heat. Brush halibut with the oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the halibut for 3 minutes on each side. Serve with corn sauce and tomato chutney. Yields 4 servings.
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Tangy Shrimp in Coconut Curry:

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of canola oil
1 tsp coriander powder (seeds should be lightly toasted & ground)
¼ tsp of chili powder (add to taste)
¼ tsp of turmeric
2 tbsp of julienned fresh ginger
1 tsp thinly sliced garlic
1 tbsp or more of julienned green chilies
12 fresh or dried curry leaves (or substitute 2 bay leaves)
1 cup shredded scallions, both the white and green part into 2-inch pieces
1 pound of large shrimps, peeled and deveined
½ cup rich coconut milk, can use light variety (or light cream)
Juice of 1 lime
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped for garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add coriander, chili powderr, turmeric, ginger, garlic, green chilies, curry leaves, and scallions, in this order. Saute stirring for 3 minutes or until the scallions are wilted. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until they lose the pink color. Stir in the coconut milk and cook until the sauce is heated through and turn off heat. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and serve. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro.
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Basmati Rice Pilaf with Indian Spices and Raita

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 green cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 4 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt to taste
2 cups fresh green peas
• Ground pepper

RAITA:
• 2 cups yogurt
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint, or to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon ground roasted cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste


Preparation:

Wash rice by rinsing in cold water. Then soak in cold water for about 30 minutes. Drain.

In a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until onion is tender. Add garlic, and saute for about a minute. Add cardamom, coriander, cinnamon and ginger. Saute for another minute and add the rice. Saute until rice is translucent and begins to brown. Add water, bay leaf and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Most of the water will evaporate and steam holes will show through rice.

Add peas, but do not stir. Cover tightly and let simmer for 5 minutes more. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, covered.

Prepare the raita: In a bowl whisk together the yogurt, cucumber, mint, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper.

Uncover the pilaf, season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Turn pilaf out onto a serving platter and pour half of the raita over rice. Pass remaining raita. Yields 6 to 8 servings.
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Breads: if your grocery store carries frozen naans, that's great or you can substitute flatbreads or pita.

Drinks: mango lassi, chai or even iced chai tea

Desserts: mango sorbet, chai ice cream...








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Answer 2

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