Far East Fare

These recipes come from my fiance's Mother, Amina, who is Indian. She has all of these recipes in her head, so getting them onto paper and tasting the right way was my biggest challenge. She took a trip last year to Dubai, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and was gone for over 4 months. So, before she left, I sat down with her and my fiance, Faisal, to get some of my favorite recipes from her. She dictated them in Memon (pronounced "may-mon"), my fiance translated them into English, and I typed them up. Then, I spent the 4 months that she was gone tweaking the recipes, trying to make sense of her process and cooking times, and making them healthier. For instance, she usually does not drain the grease from the sirloin in the Keema recipe, and she uses about 4 times the amount of oil to brown the onion. These recipes are healthier versions, as I have eliminated most of the oil and grease from them, which I think everyone and their arteries appreciates! You'll also notice a lack of salt in these recipes - please season them to taste. There is salt already in most of the masala mixes, and Faisal does not care for any added salt, so I leave it out and I just add it to my own after plating.

I love all the fresh ingredients that are used in these recipes. Aside from maybe a can of garbanzo beans, you are not likely to see any canned or frozen ingredients in any of these recipes. I use organic produce when I can. Fresh produce and meat are key to a tasty dish!

The ingredient lists in Indian cooking are usually pretty long, as are the cooking times, but the difficulty level is easy and it is always worth it! Indian cooking is very fragrant and made with a lot of spicy ingredients. Short of the pre-made masalas, you can tailor the spice level to better suit your taste buds by adding or deleting peppers and other spice amounts, such as the kashmiri. It is important to have proper ventilation when cooking these recipes, unless you want your home to smell like an Indian market for days! 

I get most of my ingredients, such as the Shan mixes, kashmiri, garam masala, and Indian green peppers from the local Middle Eastern grocer, Ali Baba. They also usually have some pretty great deals on other produce, spices, and herbs; freshly butchered Halal meats and poultry; and housemade pita and naan breads. Several of the recipes only call for small amounts of some of the mixes and not the entire box (e.g., vegetable curry, keema), so I usually transfer the ones I frequently use small amounts of to a labeled jar for easier access and measuring.