Don't know what to call this -- maybe Beef Bhaji?

This is something my aunt makes and it is sooo yummy, its like comfort food to me. The thinner you slice the meat, the faster it will cook, but it tastes good even if you don't slice it very thin.

Beef Bhaji

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless beef (I ask the butcher for "pasinda" meat) sliced thin in 1 inch wide pieces
3 tbsp onion puree + 2 medium onions sliced thin
1 1/2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 cup yogurt
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

1. Mix the sliced beef with the onion puree, garlic, ginger, yogurt, and salt in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a pot, and brown the sliced onions until they are red (not completely fried).
3. Add the beef mixture to the pot. Cook on high, uncovered, until the water dries.
4. Once water is dried, stir fry until the beef browns on all sides.
5. Add a small amount of water, about 1/2 cup, and cook on medium, covered.
6. When the oil comes up, the beef is done. Goes great with plain white rice and lentils or other veggies.

Stir-fried Red Curry Beef with Eggplant

I know stir-fries are almost a no-brainer for many people, but there are some recipes that do something unusual and make you appreciate stir-fries anew. This one has eggplant, which I've never tried to make with beef, and I thought it was really good.

Stir-fried Red Curry Beef with Eggplant
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp + 1 tsp light brown sugar
12 oz. flank steak, cut into 2-inch wide strips with grain, then sliced across grain into 1/8-inch thick slices
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb.) peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
lime wedges for serving


Directions:

1. Combine soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar in medium bowl. Add beef, toss well, and marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once. Meanwhile, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, lime juice, chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and cornstarch in medium bowl. Combine garlic, curry paste, and 1 teaspoon oil in small bowl.

2. Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef to skillet in single layer, breaking up any clumps. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and continue to cook until beef is browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer beef to clean bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in skillet and repeat with remaining beef. Rinse skillet clean and dry with paper towels.

3. Add remaining tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and heat until just smoking. Add eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and no longer spongy, 5 to 7 minutes. Push eggplant to sides of skillet to clear center; add garlic-curry mixture to clearing and cook, mashing with spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir to combine garlic-curry mixture with eggplant. Return beef and any accumulated juices to skillet and stir to combine. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet along with basil leaves; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Transfer to serving platter and serve, passing lime wedges separately if using.

Martha does it again!

Another keeper from the Everyday Food collection, this time a popular Korean dish. I love their easy, few-ingredient recipes that still taste really good. My whole house was smelling of stir-fried beef after I made this, and it was GREAT.


Beef Bulgogi from Great Food Fast, Everyday Food
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. rib-eye steak, trimmed of excess fat
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp hot chile sesame oil (or add a dash of red pepper flakes to toasted sesame oil)
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
2 medium red onions, halved and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges
1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
4 tsp vegetable oil

1. Freeze the beef for 20 minutes; transfer to a clean surface and slice diagonally (across the grain) into 1/8-inch thick strips. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Place the onions and peppers in a small bowl and toss with half the marinade. Toss the steak in the remaining marinade and let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tsp of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat heat. Add the onions and peppers; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.

3. Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil over high heat. Cook half the meat, turning often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining meat. Return the first batch to the pan and any accumulated juices. Add the onion mixture. Cook, tossing, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve over white rice.

Mousaka

I have only had this once as far as I know but it was a memorable meal. It was one of our rare catered iftars at Wellesley and the mousaka was from a local halal restaurant. Delicious. I haven't seen it in any halal places around here so I thought might as well try to make it myself. I was actually flipping through a cookbook of recipes from local restaurants in Charleston, SC that I had bought when me and my hubby went there for a weekend back in January (I know, vacation in Jan?! Don't remind me.) There was a recipe for mousaka and it actually has lots of things my husband and I both like - ground beef, eggplant, potatoes. Mmmm. It's probably not a lactose intolerant's ideal food, but we all have to make sacrifices. :)

Mousaka - Greek Eggplant Casserole
by Old Town Restaurant, 229 King St., Charleston, SC
Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 clove minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 chopped onions
large handful of chopped parsley
4 tbsp butter
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 medium eggplants
8 medium potatoes
5 medium zucchini
vegetable oil
grated Romano cheese
1 recipe cream sauce (see below)

Directions:
1. Slice eggplants, potatoes, and zucchini. Fry or brush with oil and broil until golden.
2. Add garlic, salt and pepper to ground beef. Cook slowly until meat is done.
3. Add chopped onions, parsley, and butter. Brown well.
4. Add tomato sauce, sugar and 1 cup water. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350.
6. In a 9" X 13" baking pan, begin layering potatoes, then zucchini, and then eggplant. Pour meat sauce evenly over vegetables. Top with a layer of cream sauce. Sprinkle liberally with grated cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.


For Cream sauce:
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
3 cups of milk
5 egg yolks

Melt butter in pan. Add flour and stir until light brown. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Slowly add egg yolks and cook over very low heat until thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Kofta

I love Kofta. I love those small, spicy balls of ground meat that burst forth with flavor when you eat them. Ok maybe I'm being a little over dramatic, but I do love them. And I've never made them before, suprisingly. We eat them all the time at home - always with a spicy curry to keep them moist. I had some ground beef yesterday ready to cook and I was deciding between old fashioned keema and burgers. Not the most exciting choices. So I flipped through the indo-pak book and saw a few recipes for Kofte and various things like gravy, tomatoes, fenugreek, eggs, shrimp, and the list goes on. There were even recipes for stuffed meatballs and persian meatballs. Maybe another day... I had a bunch of tomatoes lying around so I decided to use them (after washing them in veggiewash - the news has got me scared of salmonella!) in the recipe for Kofte tomatay. I love the urdu pronounciations of everything :)

Kofte Tamatay (Meatballs and tomatoes)

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup oil

1 1/2 lbs. onions

1 lb diced tomatoes

1 tsp ground ginger and garlic

1 tsp chilli powder

1/8 tsp turmeric

3 green chillis

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp salt

kofte (recipe following)

Heat oil and brown sliced onions. Add ginger and garlic, fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Fry until oil comes up. Add 1 cup of water, slit green chillis, cilantro, and kofte. Cook until water dries and oil comes up.

Kofte (Meatballs)

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat

1 onion diced fine

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/4 cup roasted besan

4 cloves garlic ground

1/2 tsp ground spices (cardomom, cloves and cinnamon)

2 tbsp yogurt

3 chopped green chillis

1/4 chopped cilantro

1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients together and shape into 1 inch meatballs. Heat 2 tbsp water in frying pan. Add one layer of meatballs and cook covered until water dries. Add 1 tbsp oil and fry until evenly browned on all sides. Repeat for remaining meatballs.

Fast Beef Chili

This is a recipe I tried some time ago from the Test Kitchen files, but I never got around to posting it. I find that having a basic recipe for chili is useful and I take advantage of its versatility to make it out of whatever I can find in my kitchen. I also serve it with rice because I'm a rice person, but you could serve it with sour cream and cheese on a baked potato, in a wrap or on slices of bread.

Fast All-American beef chili from America's Test Kitchen

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
2-3 tsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 tsp sugar
salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsp veg oil
1 onion minced
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs 85 % lean ground beef

1. pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until slightly chunky, about 5 pulses.
2. bring tomatoes, beans, chipoltle chile, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to boil, covered, in large saucepan. reduce to simmer and continue to cook until needed in step 5.
3. heat oil in large dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. add onion, chili powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened, about 5 min. stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec.
4. increase heat to medium high and add beef. cook, breaking up beef with spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 min.
5. stir in tomato-bean mixture, scraping up any browned bits. bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Shepherd's Pie

I wanted to find something interesting to do with ground beef... I'm not a chili person usually but I was going to try it until I came across this recipe for Shepherd's Pie. I love potatoes and using them as a crust instead of cheese was a heavenly idea, since I'm lactose intolerant and hubby has caught my problem too it seems.

Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe adapted from SimplyRecipes.com

Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton. Americans typically make Shepherd's Pie with beef. The English (and Australians and New Zealanders) call the beef dish a "cottage pie". Naming conventions aside, Shepherd's Pie is essentially a casserole, lined with cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked.

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup broth, any kind
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
Salt, pepper to taste

1 Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).

2 While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.

3 Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

4 Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce, garam masala and chili powder. Add half a cup of broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more broth as necessary to keep moist.

5 Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

6 Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well. Sprinkle paprika evenly over potatoes.

7 Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Serves four.

Culinary Wasteland

Ok so this is my second post today because I had two recipes to post and I needed to rant about my unhappy cooking week(s). I have been in culinary wasteland - the last 3 or 4 recipes I've tried have been pretty unsatisfactory. It could be too many shortcuts, trying to multi-task, who knows. Has anyone else ever felt this way?

But finally Sunday I actually made some food that I liked and I would make again. I tried the Afghani soup and a beef pot pie with ground beef from a CI cookbook I borrowed from the library. I had to improvise because beef pot pie is usually made with chunks of beef and not ground, but it still turned out alright.

Ground Beef Pot Pie - adapted from Cover and Bake, from Cook's Illustrated

1 frozen pastry sheet
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp veggie oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
2 cups beef broth (or 1 beef bullion dissolved in 2 cups boiling water)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas


1. Thaw the frozen pastry sheet on the counter.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat. Stir meat until brown. Transfer meat to a bowl.
3. Add onion, carrot, and salt to pot. Cook until onion is soft and lightly browned, 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, water, tomato paste, and thyme. Add the browned meat and any juices, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Put oven rack on middle position and heat over to 400 degrees. When meat is done, transfer to a baking dish or casserole (or several small ones for individual sizes). Top with pastry sheet, rolled out if necessary to cover dish. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Soup

Ok so it's really Afghani Soup, but I like the name Spaghetti Soup :) This is another gem from Sameera's cookbook, and was realllly easy :) I love one pot meals!

Afghani Soup

1 small can of tomato paste
3 cans small tomato sauce or 28 oz. plain tomato sauce
4 cups water
1/2 lb. fettuccini noodles
1/2 lb. ground beef, browned
1 14 oz. can of chickpeas
1 tbsp of dill
1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
chili powder to taste
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric

Add all ingredients in large pot and cook. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour to taste and consistency.

Baked Spaghetti

I got this recipe in a recipe exchange email chain, and I think it might belong to someone on this blog, but I'm not entirely sure who! I tried it last night and I thought it was good and sooo spectacularly easy so I'm putting it up. As usual, I just used whatever I had in the house so I couldn't follow the recipe exactly - my assumption is that it would be even better if I did. :) One thing though - my baking dish was close to overflowing, especially when the liquid started bubbling. If you have a slightly deeper dish to bake in, you might consider using that instead.
Whoever's recipe this is - please claim it!

Baked Spaghetti~ yum!
PREP : 20 min
BAKE: 40 min

1 pkg (16 ounces) spaghetti
1-1/2 pounds of ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 can (8 ounces) tomato soup
1 cup water
2 tblsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Break spaghetti in half; cook according to pkg directions.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in the soups, tomato sauce, water, brown sugar and seasonings.
Drain spaghetti; stir into meat sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese.
Transfer to a greased 13-in x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.
Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 10-15 min longer or until the cheese is melted.

Yield: 12 servings.

Little Bites of Heaven..

My latest love...Potstickers..aka Chinese Dumplings...aka Shumai...pan fried on the bottom and steamed to perfection...

my recipe is sort of the best of a few different recipes..these are so easy you'll never want to order them again when you eat out..

Filling:
1/2 pound ground beef (1 cup)
3/4 cup shredded cabbage
1 green onion, diced
2-4 shrimp, ground (can be omitted)
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot chili oil, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
1/3 cup chopped water chestnut (make life easy- get the canned)
30 gyoza wrappers, or as needed

In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, beef, green onions, shrimp, water chestnuts, ginger, 1 beaten egg, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and chili oil.

On each wrapper add up to 1/2 teaspoon of filling, use water on the edges and fold over and seal.

Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a nonstick skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place dumplings in a single layer in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Turn over and fry another minute.

Add 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook 6 4-6 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.

---

Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1-2 tablespoon water
Few drops sesame oil
1 teaspoon Chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon green onions
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash red pepper flakes
--
Mix ingredients together. Don't make too much of this..a little goes a long way.

Hola Mexico! Mac and 'Burger Casserole

I helped out Safia recently with a Mexican food-themed dinner. Everything was pretty easy and simple and had common ingredients which made it even better for feeding a party of people. We also made some spritzy pina colada :) But here's one of the the dishes Safia makes often and is always a hit. Go light on the cheese topping, that mac and cheese can be more than enough!

FOUR LAYER HAMBURGER AND MACARONI CASSEROLE
Makes 6 servings

2 (12-ounce) packages STOUFFER'S® Macaroni and Cheese, defrosted* - divided use
8 ounces lean ground beef
2 tablespoons ORTEGA® Taco Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup crushed potato or tortilla chips
1/2 cup (2-ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400ºF (205°C).

Combine beef and seasoning mix in large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until beef is no longer pink.

Combine one package of macaroni and cheese and sour cream in medium bowl; spread over bottom of 8-inch-square baking dish. Top with beef mixture. Spread remaining package macaroni and cheese over beef mixture; top with tomato, potato chips and cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly around edges.