Grilled pork ribs

A very simple grill dish that can be marinaded and prepared days or weeks in advance.

Materials:

- southern style pork ribs (1 for each person)

- salt (to taste)

- peppercorns (coarsely crushed)

- garlic powder (1/2 tsp per rib)

Preparation:

Clean and trim ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, crushed peppercorns and garlic powder. Pack in freezer bags and leave at least overnight or - preferable - longer. If marinading overnight, leave in fridge. For longer periods, transfer to freezer on second day.

Turn on grill (use indoor oven grill if you do not have an outdoor BBQ) and cook on medium or low for about 15 mins each side. Then grill on high till lightly charred.

Serving:

This can be served with any number of possible sides: rice, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables (you can toss some potatoes, squash, peppers, eggplant with salt, olive oil and pepper and grill at the same time as you grill the ribs) - have fun and experiment!

A simple Pulao (Rice with Veges)

Known by many names this is a very simple yet incredibly versatile dish. Fast to cook and compatible with virtually any side dish, it is easy to add to your repertoire.

Materials:

- 1 cup rice

- 1 small pack frozen mixed vegetables (Birds Eye or similar); or use a mix of freshly prepared peas, green beans, corn, diced carrots, etc

- Salt

- Heeng (asafoetida)

- Jeera (cumin)

- 1 black cardamom

- 1" piece cinnamon

- 6 black peppercorns

- 1 dry red chili pepper

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1 tsp ghee

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan or dutch oven. Add heeng, jeera, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom and the chili pepper. Stir until cumin is sputtering and you can smell these spices. Add rice and stir fry well on low heat for 2-4 minutes. Add ghee and stir until it is melted. Now add veges and stir fry for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add salt to taste. Stir. Add 2 and 1/2 cups water. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then lower heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked.

Serving:

This tastes great by itself and also works with any number of accompaniments: plain yogurt, raita (kheera raita for example)  papad, achaar, dal (arhar or chana for example) and any curry dish.

Chhole

Chhole bhature is a favorite dish in India. For a long time, I've been trying to get the recipe for chhole right so it's close to what used to be served at Nathu's in Bengali Market in Delhi. With each iteration, I think I'm getting closer :-) Here's the latest.

Materials:

- 1 large can chickpeas (chhole, garbonzo beans)
- 1 large onion chopped fine
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon dry coriander seeds coarsely crushed
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp dry pomegranate seeds crushed
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 cloves
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 4 green cardamom (hari elaichi)

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and stir. Add onions and stir fry until lightly browned (add water if necessary to prevent sticking). Add cloves, peppercorns, black and green cardamom, peppercorns. Add turmeric and stir fry on low heat for about 10 minutes (till you can smell the spices).

Add coriander and stir fry on high until you can smell it (you want the coriander well roasted, not raw). Add crushed pomegranate seeds and stir for about 1 minute. Now add the chickpeas (with liquid from the can) and stir well. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat, add salt to taste and simmer till cooked. You will have to add more water. This tastes really good if you simmer on low heat for a few hours. Remember to stir periodically to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan and add more water as necessary. Also - you can use a ladle to gently smoosh the chickpeas - this helps soften them up and they absorb the flavors better.

You can choose to reduce the curry to taste. A thinner curry is good if serving with rice and bread while a thicker one is good with samosas and kachoris. Try it out - see what works for you!
 
Serving:

Serve with basmati rice, pooris, rotis, whole wheat pitas or regular buttered bread.

Also tastes great served with samosas or kachoris.

A simple stir fry

This is a very generalized and versatile way to make a quick hot meal. It's fun to experiment with ingredients and try different veges and meats.


Materials:

- One onion (chopped round)
- One bell pepper (cut in thickish slices)
- Dry red chili peppers
- Garlic (powder or fresh crushed)
- Salt

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add chopped onions and stir until lightly browned. Add chopped bell peppers and stir fry on medium heat for 2-4 minutes. Add garlic to taste and chili peppers (depending on how hot you want it). Stir fry for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle some water and cover to cook for about 10 minutes on low-medium heat. Uncover and stir on high heat till the oil separates.

Serve with spaghetti or soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles). Also goes well as a side with eggs and toast.

Options: You can prepare a more robust meal by adding a precooked sausage (bratwurst or organic chicken sausage) at the final stir-fry stage. This also works well with medium or hard tofu cut in chunks and added at final stir-fry stage.

Green Curry meatballs in Thai Green Curry

While making kebab's one day, I wondered whether it might work to try a totally different flavor. A few days later, I was making Thai green curry and inspiration struck. I think this would work with (ground) pork or beef as well.