Kofta with Cherry Tomatoes

We make kofta kebabs a lot in our household. Kofta kebobs are ground/minced meat mixed with spices and cooked up. A few months ago I posted about some chicken kofta in tomato sauce.  My spousal unit would be in perma-nirvana-state if I made kofta kebabs multiple times a week.

This particular recipe makes for a very bright and colorful presentation with the bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, pearl onions and chopped cilantro. The kebabs are moderately spicy, but if you are a spice-wimp you can reduce the amount of chili peppers and garam masala. We eat these kofta kebabs with roti or paratha (Indian flat breads). 

 Kofta with Cherry Tomatoes

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon garlic pulp
• 2 medium fresh green chilis, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons corn oil
• 16  baby onions (thawed if frozen)
• 4 fresh green chilis, sliced
• 16 cherry tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Blend together the ground turkey, onion, garam masala, garlic, green chilis, cilantro, salt and flour in a medium bowl.  Use your hands to make sure that all of the ingredients are completely mixed.
3. Form small handfuls of meat into small sausage shapes about 3-4 inches long and 1 inch wide. Brush the kebabs with 1 tablespoon of the oil and place under broiler for 12-15 minutes, turning and basting with oil occasionally, until they are evenly browned.
4. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil in a deep pan. Lower the heat slightly and add the whole baby onions. As soon as they start to darken, add the fresh chilis, bell pepper and cherry tomatoes.
5. Add the kebabs to the onion and tomato mixture. Stire gently for about 3 minutes to heat them through.
6. Transfer to a serving dish, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
7. Serve with roti or paratha.

Pakistani Black-Eyed Peas

This is a dish we frequently cook in our home. It is relatively quick and so good. A perfect weeknight meal after a long day at work. We usually eat it with chapati or roti, but you could also serve it with some simple basmati rice.

 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 15 oz. can black-eyed peas
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 3/4 t ground corriander
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoesundrained
• 1 cup water

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium- high heat.
2. Cook onion and garlic until golden brown
3. Add black-eyed peas and stir gently for 30 seconds
4. Add all ground spices and stir for 30 seconds.
5. Add tomatoes and water and  cook over medium high heat covered for 7 minutes.

Eats: Grain and Salt

Grain and Salt

431 Cambridge Street  Allston, MA 02134

617-254-3373

website: http://grainnsalt.com/

 Being as my husband is Pakistani, I am always eager to try places that advertise as having Pakistani food. Although, in the Boston area, these places often end up serving pretty much the same dishes as every other Indian restaurant.

From the decor and the low lighting level (apologies in advance for the lack of brightness in my photos) it was apparent that Grain and Salt are positioning themselves as a more upscale Indo-Pakistani dining establishment.  The walls are painted shades of red and green with modern paintings hanging on the wall. There are a few other decorative touches that don’t mesh well with the rest and seem like things that were added after the original decorator left the scenes.

When we arrived some Kenny G-esque saxophone Muzak was playing with covers of yesterday’s and today’s favorite pop songs…including Alicia Keyes… oooh aaah!  The saxophone music was a little loud and the screeching sax was starting to grate on my nerves.

We focused most of our ordering on the last page of the menu since it had the most interesting options, including Indian-style Chinese food. The menu could also use a proofreader.

We ordered the “Chicken schezwan”, haleem (beef and lentils), Kukumber Salad, Mint Raita, plain naan and white rice. Unlike other Indian restaurants plain rice isn’t included free with entree orders.

Take-Out Talk: Indian Delight

Indian Delight

428 Washington Street Weymouth, MA 02188

web site: http://www.indiandelightrestaurant.net

Due to the unceasing headache that I’d been battling all day I wasn’t up for cooking Sunday dinner.  So, I had the mister stop off at Indian Delight to pick up some take out. 

We have eaten in the dining room at Indian Delight a few times. They must do a steady take-out business since I’ve never seen more than 2 parties in the dining room in the several years that they’ve been open. It is kind of awkward… I always wait for crickets to start chirping or something to fill the silence. As far take-out goes, you can do much worse than Indian Delight in Weymouth.   Indian Delight is something different than the plethora of Pizza and Chinese joints. It is one of the few Indian restaurants on the South Shore.