Witchy Kitchen

Tag: garam masala

  • Mawmenny

    Mawmenny

    As a lover of both medieval and desi food, I get excited when they collide, as in this dish which is basically a medieval curry. Thanks, Spice Route!

    There are lots of variations, some with chicken, beef, or mutton (or a mixture), some cooked in wine, some in almond milk, some sweetened with sugar and dates, all spiced with cinnamon and cloves. (See this recipe, which sources a few olde receipts). Some were colored red with sandalwood, most garnished with nuts.

    Because of the warm spices and the almonds, I made mine similar to a Mughlai korma, and it turned out rich, fragrant, and lovely.

    As Game of Thrones fare…

    This is the upscale version of bowls of brown – that is if better ingredients were available than stale bread, meat gristle and sewer water! When the hipster noble houses start gentrifying Flea Bottom, you can look for mawmenny establishments to start popping up for sure.

    Note: if you don’t have all the spices, or if you’d rather use beef or chicken than goat, go for it! Medieval chefs are resourceful. This recipe is very versatile, use whatever meat and at least the cinnamon and cloves and you should be good.

    Mawmenny

    • 2 pounds bone-in goat cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (you can also use lamb, beef, or chicken)
    • 1 cup dry red wine
    • 6 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
    • salt & pepper
    • 2 1/2 medium onions
    • 2 inches ginger, peeled and chopped
    • ground spices: 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
    • 4 tablespoons ghee, divided (or you can use half and half butter and oil)
    • whole spices: 1 stick cinnamon, 8 cloves, 2 black cardamoms
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1/4 cup almonds, ground
    • 1/4 cup almonds, slivered

    Marinate meat in wine, 2 cloves garlic, and generously seasoned with salt and pepper, for at least an hour and ideally over night.

    Grind together onions, 4 cloves garlic, ginger, and ground spices. On medium high, heat 3 tablespoons ghee, and cook the onion mixture, stirring frequently at first and constantly at the end, until liquid has evaporated and the mixture has darkened in color. Crank the heat up to high and add whole spices and the meat (along with the marinade), and cook, stirring, until liquid has mostly evaporated and meat is sealed, being careful not to burn. Add sugar, ground almonds and water to just cover, bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is very soft, 2-2 1/2 hours (will be less for chicken, only 20-30 minutes).

    Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry the slivered almonds, stirring gently, until golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

    When meat is ready, remove cover, raise heat and thicken up the sauce, stirring frequently. When it’s thick enough, garnish with almonds and serve hot with bread.

    From Game of Thrones menu Queen in the North

  • Peach Chutney

    Peach Chutney

    Summery peach chutney is a lovely balance of sweet, spicy and refreshingly tart and is perfect on everything from grilled veggies to rice to sandwiches to toast – I know because I’ve been eating a lot of it! And I’m not complaining; the combination may not be for everyone, but for me it’s addictive!

    Peach Chutney

    • 2 pounds peaches (about 8 medium)
    • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 inches ginger, peeled and grated
    • 2 tablespoons jaggery, brown sugar or sugar
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon red chili powder plus a couple dried red chilis (or to taste)
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • generous pinch salt

    Wash the peaches then score them on the bottom. Drop in a boiling pot of water for two minutes and drain. When they are cook enough to handle, peel, pit, and chop into medium large chunks.

    Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan along with a cup of water. Cook, covered, on medium low heat for about an hour, gently stirring occasionally. After an hour, you can cook uncovered to thicken it up a bit to desired consistency.

    Cool completely and serve! Stores well in the fridge for up to a month.

  • Pindi Chana

    I saw this recipe and was eager to try it for several reasons:

    1. Cooking with tea – from chamomile cupcakes to Tea Eggs, I’m always excited to cook with tea. In this recipe it stains the chickpeas a deep brown.
    2. Cooking with pomegranate seeds (anardana) – I acquired these for making chapli kebabs, and like adding these little tart and unexpected additions.
    3. Named for Rawalpindi! I’ve been there!

    It turned out quite nice! I love to make a big pot of chickpeas or lentils to have around for a day or two, will definitely add these to the rotation.

    Pindi Chana

    Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor, mostly because cooking with dried chickpeas require forethought that I don’t have

    For the chana masala

    • 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
    • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoons amchoor powder
    • pinch turmeric

    Lightly toast the spices in a dry pan, crush lightly with a mortar and pestle, then set aside

    For the pindi chana

    • 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • 2 teabags
    • Salt
    • 4 tablespoons ghee, divided
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 2 medium onions, sliced
    • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
    • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
    • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
    • 1 tablespoon coriander powder
    • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    • 2 roma tomatoes, quartered
    • 4-6 green chilies, trimmed and slit
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala

    In a medium saucepan, heat the chickpeas, teabags, a good sprinkle of salt, and water to cover. Simmer for 10 minutes and set aside.

    In a heavy-bottomed pot, karahi or wok, heat 3 tablespoons of ghee. Add cumin seeds and heat until they sizzle, then add onions and saute until they are golden brown, stirring often and being careful not to burn. Add garlic paste, ginger paste, cumin, coriander, red chili, and turmeric powders, and saute for another minute or two.

    Add the chickpeas along with a cup or two of the cooking liquid (I started with about a cup and added more as it got a little dry – you want some sauce, but not for it to be soupy).

    In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon ghee. Heat tomato and chilis with a good sprinkle of salt for a minute (crush the tomatoes slightly as they start to break down), then add chana masala and garam masala. Toss the mixture for another minute, then stir into the chickpeas.

    Mix well and cook at a low simmer for 10-15 minutes until it thickens, adding more cooking liquid or water if necessary.

  • Tomato Rice Soup

    Tomato Rice Soup

    This month’s MENA Cooking Club is hosted by Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz. This month’s country was Jordan, and the recipe I chose was Jordanian Tomato and Rice Soup – although it veered into desi territory as I used ghee since I have a fresh made batch, and I ended up adding a few more spices (I opened up the cabinet for a cinnamon stick and…well, you know how it goes).

    This soup is warm and wintry: spiced tomato broth thickened with basmati rice, and it’s completely simple, made from ingredients I mostly have on hand – which is great, because we are having a streak of frigid weather (how do you Canadians/Chicagoans/etc. do it?!) and I am happy warm and cozy over the stove and refuse to venture out for procurement. We are out of coffee, my life blood, that’s how much I don’t want to go to the store.

    Anyway, the kids loved it and so did I, so thank you Evelyne for the lovely suggestion!

    Tomato Rice Soup

    • 1/3 cup basmatic rice
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 2-3 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    • red chili (just a pinch because kids…you can add a little more if you like)
    • 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
    • salt
    • limes for serving

    Rinse the basmati rice well and soak as you prepare the rest.

    Heat ghee on medium high in a heavy-bottomed pot, and saute onions until they are beginning to turn golden. Add garlic and saute a minute or two, being careful not to burn, then add cumin, paprika, garam masala, turmeric and red chili and saute for a minute. Add tomatoes and a good couple pinches of salt and cook until they are well broken down and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

    Add about 6 cups of water, scraping the bottom of the pot and stirring well, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

    Bring back to a boil and add rice. Keep at a high simmer for about 15 minutes, gently stirring often. Add more water if necessary (I didn’t need to).

    Lower the heat, adjust seasoning if necessary (another pinch or two of salt), and serve brightened up with limes.

  • Pumpkin Quesadillas

    Pumpkin Quesadillas

    For the last several years, it’s been a tradition to make pumpkin quesadillas on Halloween – they’re easy, the kids love them, and they go great with Beetroot Chili (or any chili for that matter).

    Pumpkin Quesadillas

    • 4 oz cheddar cheese, or a mix of cheddar and jack, grated
    • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala (or a mix of cumin and cinnamon)
    • 1/2 tsp paprika
    • good pinch cayenne
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • small corn tortillas

    Heat a pan or griddle over medium high heat – I use my tawa 🙂

    Combine cheese, pumpkin, and spices and mix well. Spread a smallish amount over a tortilla and top with another, cook on both sides, flipping, until toasty and brown. Allow to cool slightly then slice in quadrants, serve with salsa/sour cream/chili.

  • Beetroot Chili

    Beetroot Chili

    I’ve been giving this a lot of thought as I’m planning what I want to cook this October, and I have determined that there are 4 categories of October/Halloween food:

    1. Harvesty
    2. Spooky
    3. Cutesy
    4. Gross

    I (obviously) love harvesty and spooky Halloween food, and I don’t generally make but will surely eat your cutesy little witches’ hats and Satan’s eggs with little baby horns and goatees, but the category I can’t abide is the last one. I cannot take slimy, disgusting, creepy Halloween food. It’s just too unsettling to eat something that looks so revolting. I do not care how delicious the bloody fingers or veiny eyeballs or slimy sluggy worms are, am not interested. Gross.

    I do however, like the technically spooky and harvesty foods that toe the line – like doesn’t any soup or stew with beets look a little like….blood?

    I love beets so much, sanguineous or not. I often roast a bunch on the weekend (it’s easy, just coat with a little olive oil and wrap in foil, then roast until tender – the skin will peel right off) and eat them throughout the week in salads and soups. The kiddies love them too.

    Beets are a striking addition to this chili, which is not sophisticated enough for a vampire, as they would likely be slurping up a velvety velouté, but may be the perfect thing for werepeople who crave red meat (and root vegetables?). Chili has also become my Halloween night tradition, as it’s easy to throw together when I come home from work, then leave on the turned-off stove as we take the kids trick-or-treating and crank it back up when we return. It also feeds a crowd; we always invite company, our friends and family – or ghosties and ghoulies – that want to share.

    Beetroot Chili

    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • salt & pepper
    • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 2 tsp paprika
    • 2 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp garam masala (if you don’t have this it’s fine, maybe just a pinch of cinnamon or omit)
    • 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (or just diced is fine)
    • 2 cans beans (black, kidney, or a mix), drained and rinsed
    • 2 beets, roasted, peeled and chopped
    • chipotles in adobo to taste – tsp of just sauce up to 2 chopped chilis. I usually just add the adobo because then it’s not too spicy for the kids, and serve the chopped chilis on the side for everyone else.
    • Sour cream, pumpkin seeds, limes, and chopped green onions for garnish

    Heat olive oil medium high in a heavy bottomed pan, and sauté onion with a good pinch of salt and pepper until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for a few minutes, then slide them to the side and crank heat up to high. Brown the meat with another sprinkle of salt, then add the paprika, cumin, and garam masala and stir for a minute or two. Add tomatoes, beans, beets, chipotles and a cup of water and mix well, making sure to scrape up anything on the bottom of the pan.

    Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Adjust liquid (whether you like it thick or soupy) and salt if necessary.

    Serve with garnishes.