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Indian food

Meat Curry Recipe

Meat curry is a staple around our house. Every time I tell my husband I’m making Indian food he asks, “Is it meat curry?”

I was asking him this week to tell me a story about India and he had the perfect one to go with this recipe.

“Every time I would visit Ummamma and Thathya in India I would go out and get fresh spices for the meals. Outside of the bungalow they were staying in, there was a chinta chiguru plant (tamarind plant). When it would blossom the kids and I would climb the tree and each gather an arm full of the tamarind plant. We would rush it back to Ummamma and she would make the best chinta chiguru mamsam. To this day it is still one of my favorite recipes.”

Chinta chiguru mamsam is a fancy meat curry. Today I want to show you all a basic meat curry that is just a delicious!

Ingredients:

1 tbs oil
1 tbs butter
1 tbs ginger garlic paste
1 green chili
½-1 tsp chili powder (this depends on your spice tolerance)
1 lb beef stew meat (lamb and goat)
1 cup spinach
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 tbs ground coriander powder
1/2 cup water
2 chopped tomatoes
1 tsp salt to taste

Directions:

Heat your pan over medium/low heat. When the pan is warm, add in your butter, and onions. When your onions are translucent, add in your ginger garlic and spices. Heat for 2-3 minutes. (Cooking the spices takes away the raw taste from them).

Add in your stew meat and cook for 15 minutes. Pour in water and tomatoes. Cook until the meat is tender for about 20 minutes. When the meat is just about done, add in your spinach and let the spinach wilt. Add in your salt and serve it with rice or naan.

almostindianwife@gmail.comBrittany Muddamalle is the mother of three boys under four years old. She has been in an intercultural marriage for six years. Her and her husband are currently raising their children in American and East Indian culture. She is also the writer of The Almost Indian Wife blog. Her hope is to make a change by sharing her experiences with her own intercultural marriage and raising biracial children.

Check out her blog: The Almost Indian Wife                                                      Facebook Twitter Google+ 

Chicken Tikka Masala

My husband and I are coming up on our six year anniversary. It’s been a whirlwind for us. In the last six years we have moved to two different states, had three boys, and daily attempt to navigate our family through two cultures. I’m a Whitey from the Pacific Northwest and my husband is an East Indian from Chicago.

We have a few things that make up our foundation and helps to hold us together. Two of those things are our love of food and family. This is one of the things I love about Indian culture. It’s all about both of those things!

My husband and I love sharing Indian dishes with my side of the family. It’s a simple way we can teach them about a culture other than their own.

The first dish we showed my family was Chicken Tikka Masala. I haven’t met anyone that doesn’t like this dish! It’s incredibly easy to make. It just takes a little love and a few hours in the kitchen. When my family tried it, we took it a step further and taught them how to eat with their hands!

 

Ingredients:

  1. 1 lb of diced chicken breasts
  2. 2 small cans of tomato paste
  3. 2 garlic cloves
  4. 2-3 tbs olive oil or ghee
  5. 1 Shan chicken tikka bbq packet
  6. 1 tbs methi leaves
  7. 1-2 tsp chili powder
  8. 1-2 cups of plain yogurt
  9. 1/2 quart heavy whipping cream
  10. optional- extra yogurt, basmati rice, naan

 

Directions:

  1. Dice up the chicken and combine it with the Shan mix and yogurt in a bowl. Marinate it for 3 hours or overnight.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Put your chicken on a deep cookie sheet and bake it until your chicken is cooked through.
  3. Heat a pan on medium low heat. Add in the olive oil and diced garlic. After about 5 minutes, add in the tomato paste, methi leaves, and chili powder. Cook for about 10 minutes.
  4. Slowly add in the heavy cream, while stirring. Turn the sauce to the lowest setting. When the chicken is done, add it to your sauce.

 

A little family secret, just for you. You can add the extra liquid on the cookie sheet to the sauce and chicken mixture or keep it in a small bowl for people that like the heat to add to their dish. We call it “man sauce” in our house.

Serve this with rice and or naan.

 

almostindianwife@gmail.comBrittany Muddamalle is the mother of three boys under four years old. She has been in an intercultural marriage for six years. Her and her husband are currently raising their children in American and East Indian culture. She is also the writer of The Almost Indian Wife blog. Her hope is to make a change by sharing her experiences with her own intercultural marriage and raising biracial children.

Check out her blog: The Almost Indian Wife                                                      Facebook Twitter Google+