OneLifeToEat featured on Savvy.mn
[tweetmeme source=”sabera” only_single=false]
I know this post is out of my schedule of posting every Wednesday but I wanted to make a small announcement that I know you’d love to learn about. OneLifeToEat is featured on Savvy.mn, a Minnesota based magazine geared to women. Sara Glassman from the magazine recently contacted me to ask me about my cooking classes and what followed was this great article on my beloved OLTE. Read more about the ‘Spice Girl’ (That’s me!) here or click on the image above.
Tandoor style grilling
[tweetmeme source=”sabera” only_single=false]
Grilling in India is synonymous with the Tandoor style of cooking which involves cooking meats, breads and vegetables in a deep clay oven that is heated with hot coals. Food cooked in the Tandoor has a distinct flavor, achieved by using a specific blend of spices, further enhanced by the flavors of the clay oven and fumes from the burning coal. Owing to a proliferation of Indian restaurants world over, and their desire to appeal to western sensibilities, tandoor meats and tandoor style cooking has a lot of awareness and appreciation.
The good news is, Tandoor style cooking doesn’t necessarily require a clay oven and can be easily done using a conventional coal or electric grill.
Tandoor style grilling
With the coming of an early summer here in MN, the hubby & I have been grilling every other weekend. It all begins with marinating the meat appropriately, preferably overnight, using a blend of tenderizing yogurt and assorted Indian spices. Ready to use spice blends are easily available in all grocery stores and you’ll be sure to find a ‘Tandoor chicken masala’ packet at your neighborhood Indian grocery store. However, all the manufactured blends have tons of preservatives and artificial color that you’d be better off without, when my marinade recipe is so easy to prepare. Prep the veggies for grilling an hour before your cookout, throw on some store-bought naan on the grill and you have a veritable Indian tandoor feast at your disposal!
COOL TIP: Trader Joe’s has the best naan here in the Twin Cities and comes closest to the ones back home.
Get a printable version of this recipe here.
For the chicken: Ingredients –
- 4 large boneless skinless breasts of chicken or equivalent amount of bone-in skinless chicken thighs, legs etc. – washed and patted dry
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tsp Ginger & Garlic paste
- 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Cumin & Coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- A handful of chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tsp Salt
- Lemon wedges for garnishing
Method:
- Make slits in the meaty portion of the chicken, to make sure the marinade flavors seep in well
- Blend together all the other ingredients
- In a large container, mix together the raw chicken and the marinade mix, making sure each meat piece is well enveloped in the marinade
- Marinate overnight in the refrigerator
- When ready for grilling, place meat on hot grill and cook on each side for 6-7 minutes or until done
- Before serving, garnish with a healthy spritz of lemon juice
Almost done!
For the vegetables: Ingredients –
- 4 metal skewers
- About a pound of assorted vegetables such as baby carrots, mushrooms, onions and green peppers, all cut up in large pieces that can easily sit on a skewer. You can also use cubes of Indian cottage cheese or paneer
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin & Coriander powder
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Mix all the vegetables and paneer well with the spices, salt and olive oil
- Needle the veggies and paneer in the skewers, alternating a vegetable with a paneer cube
- When ready to grill, grill on each side for 4-5 minutes or till the onions and paneer cubes are lightly charred
- Garnish with lemon juice before serving
To new beginnings!
[tweetmeme source=”sabera” only_single=false]
So many exciting things have happened the last couple weeks, I felt like they deserved their own blog post. Now before you get all bored on me, I must tell you that they’re all to do with food, food and more food! And not just Indian food, mind you. So here goes:
1. OneLifeToEat had its first official cooking class:
Yes, the day finally arrived. And I was beginning to think all my promotion efforts were going to waste!
Last week, I had the pleasure of teaching 4 wonderful ladies – Eileen, Marci, Tara & Janet – how to make Restaurant style chicken curry, Palak Paneer & Raita (a yogurt based condiment). Over the 2 hour demonstration class, I started with a brief explanation of commonly used Indian spices, their usage and their qualities. Marci enthusiastically took over my cook-top when we moved into the kitchen, following my instructions perfectly. Step by step, I taught them how to make delicious Indian curries, using simple techniques that can be applied on any type of meat or vegetable.
OLTE's first cooking class
We ended the class enjoying the fruits of our labor. We sat down to a delicious dinner that I served up with some store-bought naan and cumin rice. It was wonderful being in the company of 4 amazing women. The food on the table slowly disappeared as we talked about generations, social media and of course, food!
I hope I get a chance to teach many more classes. This experience was not only thoroughly enjoyable for me, it was also a huge learning experience. I never thought I’d be doing this and least of all, I never thought I’d be even a little bit good at it.
2. I’m invited to talk at the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market Fresh & Local Radio show:
I’m really really excited about this opportunity and truly thank Susan Berkson for discovering OneLifeToEat and getting in touch with me. It will be great to talk about the importance of using fresh vegetables in Indian cooking. Back home, my mother buys fresh vegetables from local producers everyday and I know how much of a difference it makes to the flavor of a dish.
If you live in the Twin Cities area, tune-in to AM 950 on Saturday, Sept 18th morning. A recording of the show will be posted online so anyone outside the Twin Cities can also listen in afterward. More details on this later! You can read more about upcoming guests here (scroll down to see me!).
And now, back to food and cooking
Last week, the hubby and I decided to make our second trip to our local farmer’s market. On our first trip this season, we loaded up on several assorted veggies and some really nice Butternut Squash Ravioli. Last week, we decided to stock up on fruits. Despite my husband’s warnings, I picked up a large batch of strawberries. He warned me because he knows I’m greedy – I get so tempted when I see strawberries that I get greedy, buy too much, forget about them in the fridge, and then feel miserable having to throw them away a week later when they begin to rot. I know… I’m mean no?
But this time, I was determined not to waste the precious fruit. I kept a small amount away for munching and was wondering what to do with the rest, when I came across good blogger friend Jenn Sutherland’s simple recipe for Sour Cherry compote. As soon as I was done salivating after reading her recipe (and this was at 9pm on a weeknight), I decided I had to make a Strawberry compote right away.
The result was a truly delicious, not-too-sweet gorgeousness of a compote that me and my husband together managed to polish off in 3 days flat! I followed her suggested ratio of sugar to fruit. The vanilla adds an interesting layer of flavor to the compote. We topped it over waffles for breakfast, vanilla ice-cream after dinner, and even over store-bought Belgian cream puffs! YUM! And did I mention I had 2-3 spoonfuls as is, several times a day?
Jenn's strawberry compote over waffles
Can’t wait to try this recipe with another fruit. Peaches maybe.
How have you enjoyed your strawberries this summer? Which fruits have you gorged on this season? Any interesting fruit recipes to share?
Add To:
One Life to Eat 