Chili Beef

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Beef strips - 500 gms
• Onion - 1 lrg, sliced
  
• Chilies/capsicum - 1 cup, sliced (seeded if heat is not preffered)
  
• Corn flour - 1 tbsp
• 
  
• Marinate:
• Soy sauce - 1/2 cup
• Tasting salt - 1 tbsp
• Black pepper - 1 tbsp
• Chili powder - 1 tsp

Methods:

• 1. Mix in the ingredients for the marinade and marinate beef strips overnight.
• 2. Heat oil in a pan, add the beef and saute on high heat for 4-5 min, till cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside.
• 3. Add the onions and peppers to the pan, with some black pepper and tasting salt. Add a splash of oil if required, however you should not need to. Saute on high heat till the onions are browned on the edges a bit, but still crispy.
• 4. Return the beef strips to the pan. Stir to combine and saute for 2-3 min on high heat.
• 5. In a bowl mix 1/2 cup of ice cold water with the corn starch and 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp tasting salt. Whisk to combine smoothly.
• 6. Add the mixture to the beef. Stir vigorously so that the corn starch does not lump up in one place. Once the gravy starts to thicken and simmer a bit, turn the heat off.
• 7. Serve immediately on a bed of pasta or rice. Bon Appétit!
  

Pepper Beef

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Beef rump steak - 500gms(1lb), cut into thin strips
• Green Capsicum - 1, cut into strips
• Banana peppers - 1 , cut into strips
• Whole pepper corns - 1/2 tsp
• Soy sauce - 3 tbsp (2 tbsp more separated)
  
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• White pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste (account for the saltiness of the soy sauce)
• Corn flour/starch - 1-2 tbsp
  

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl, mix in the 3 tbsp soy sauce, black pepper, chili powder, white pepper, salt. Marinate the beef strips in the sauce mix for half hour.
• 2. Heat some oil in a wok. Once smoking hot, add the whole pepper corns to the oil followed by the marinated beef strips. Saute for 6-8 min, till they cook through.
• 3. Add the sliced onions, capsicums and peppers. Saute on high heat for 4-5 min. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
• 4. In a bowl, whisk in the corn flour with 1 cup of cold water and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Pour this over the peppers and beef.
  
• 5. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens up. Serve immediately on simple fried rice.
  

Tandoori Steak Sandwich

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Onion bread roll - 4
• Olive oil spray
• Romain Lettuce - 4 leafs, or to preferred amount
  
• Tomato - 2, thinly sliced
  
• Red Onions - 1/2 sml, thinly sliced
• 
  
• Marinade:
• Beef round steak - 750 gm(1.5 lb), cut to make 4 individual steaks
  
• Plain yogurt - 1 cup
• Freshly squeezed lime juice - 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
• Ginger paste - 2/3 tsp
  
• Shan Tandoori spice mix - 2 tbsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder - 1 tsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Ginger paste - 1 tsp
• 
  
• Sauce:
• Plain yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Lime juice - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Cilantro - 1/3 cup, chopped
• Green chili - 1 tsp, chopped
  
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl, mix in all the ingredients for the marinade, and marinate the beef steaks for 24 hours, refrigerated.
• 2. In a bowl, mix in the ingredients for the sauce, and set aside for the flavours to develop.
• 3. On an iron skillet heat 2 tbsp of oil till smoking hot. Add one beef steak and let it sear for 4-5 min. Do NOT poke it with a spatula. Let it cook undisturbed. Then flip and sear the other side in the same way. Remove from heat, cover with a piece of aluminum foil and let it rest. Wipe off the residue from the pan with a paper towel. Do this for the rest of the steaks.
• 4. Meanwhile toast buns on both sides. Place a leaf of the Romaine lettuce on the heel of the bun, followed by 2 slices of tomato and some red onions.
  
• 5. Slice one of the beef steaks across the grain and lay the whole thing gently on top of the onions, on the bun. Top it with a tbsp of the yogurt sauce, ending with the crown of the bun. Serve. Bon Appétit!

Braised Beef Brisket with Vegetables

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Beef brisket - 500gm (1lb), trimmed of any visible fat and cut into strips
• Zucchini - 2 med, sliced
• Broccoli floret - 1 med, cut into small pieces (yielding 3 cups of broccoli )
• Carrots - 2 sml, sliced
• Water chestnuts - 1 can, drained of the canning juice and rinsed
• Spring onions - 1 cup, chopped
• Onion - 1 med, chopped
• Green Chili - 2-3, sliced lengthwise (optional for heat)
• Plain flour - 1-2 tbsp
  
• 
  
• Marinade:
• Soy sauce - 4 tbsp
• Worcestershire sauce - 2 tbsp
• Freshly ground black pepper - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste (account for the saltiness of the soy sauce)
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Methods:

• 1. In a seal able bowl prepare the marinade. Marinate the beef brisket for 24 hours refrigerated or minimum of 2 hours. The longer you marinate the tastier it gets.
• 2. In a deep dish or dutch oven heat 4 tbsp of oil. Add the chopped onions. Season with salt and black pepper and saute till they are translucent.
  
• 3. Add the beef and saute on high heat till they have browned all over. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 min.
• 4. Add 1 cup of hot water, cover and simmer on low-med heat for 2 - 2.5 hours. Make sure to stir and add 1/2 cup of hot water every 15 min, to make sure that the beef brisket is always in liquid but not too much of liquid.
• 5. Meanwhile, chop and prepare the vegetables, set aside.
  
• 6. At the end of 2 hours, test a piece of beef to see whether it is fork tender. If so, add the vegetable (except the spring onions), stir to combine, cover and simmer for 15 min for them to cook.
  
• 7. Once done, taste for seasoning, if required add some salt & pepper, sprinkle the spring onions on top and serve as it is or with a slice of crunchy bread.
  

Beef Biriyani

Serving: 6

Ingredients:

• Beef stew meat - 4-5 lb (2.5 kg), cut in small pieces
• Basmati Rice - 5 cups
• Onion - 1 lrg, thinly sliced
• Green Chili - 6 -7 , sliced lengthwise (seeds removed if you do not like the heat)
• Bay leaf - 1 or 2 lrg
• Green Cardamons - 5 pcs
• Cloves - 4-5 pcs
• Cinnamon stick - 2.5 inch long
• Whole pepper corns - 1 tbsp
• Unsalted Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup
• Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/2 cup
• Full cream milk - 1.5 cups
  
• 
  
• For the marinade:
• Plain yogurt - 1 cup
• Garlic Cloves - 5, crushed
• Ginger root - 2 inch, grated finely
• Salt - 1 tbsp
• Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Hot spice powder - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• 1. Wash the beef thoroughly and drain off all the water. In a seal able container, mix in all the ingredients for the marinade, and marinate the beef for 24 hours, refrigerated or minimum of 2 hours. The longer you marinate, the tender the beef gets.
  
• 2. On the day of cooking, take the marinated beef out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before cooking. Wash the Basmati rice, let it drain and set aside.
  
• 3. In a large non-stick pot, or a dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of oil with the ghee. The oil is added to reduce smoking as butter/ghee burns very quickly.
  
• 4. Add the cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, and the pepper corns. Saute till they pop. Add the onions and saute till they turn translucent.
• 5. Drain the beef from their marinade (reserving the liquid) and saute on high heat to get a crispy brown coating. Add the reserved marinade and green chilies(add half the amount or skip if you do not like the heat), cover and simmer on low heat until the beef is cooked/al dente, for about 35-40 min. Remember to stir occasionally to avoid any burns at the bottom of the pan. If the liquid seems to dry up very quickly then add 1/2 cup of hot water, however the trick is to cook the beef in its own juices.
• 6. Once you are happy with the tenderness of the beef, add the basmati rice to the pot and stir very gently to combine. Saute for 4 - 5 min on med heat. Remember to keep stirring otherwise the rice will burn.
• 7. Add 8 cups of water (using the same cup you used for measuring the rice), bring to boil on high heat. Add the milk (warmed up in the microwave), stir to redistribute, then lower the heat to med, cover and simmer for 10 min.
• 8. After 10 min of simmering, stir the rice gently only once. That is, fold the rice from left bottom side to the upper left side, then the right side. DO NOT over stir it, as it will make your Biriyani soggy. Even if you are worried about burning at the bottom, then lower the heat, still do not stir it vigorously. Scatter few of the green chilies on top of the rice (this is for the scent), cover and simmer on low-med heat for 10 more minutes. Turn the heat off, sprinkle the cashew nuts on top, cover and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
  
• 9. After the long wait, your Beef Biriyani is ready. Serve and enjoy!
  

Cajun Beef Burger

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Oil Spray
• Swiss Cheese slices - 4
• Tomato - 2, sliced
• Onion - 1 sml, sliced
• Green capsicum - 1 sml, sliced
• Lettuce - as required
  
• Honey Smoked BBQ sauce
• Ketchup
  
• Sriracha Hot sauce (optional)
• 
  
• For the patties:
  
• Ground Beef - 1 lb (450 kg), 95% lean meat
• Cajun Seasoning - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Onion - 1 med, finely minced
• Jalapeno - 1, seeded and finely minced
• Parsley - 1/2 cup, chopped
• Breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup
• 
  
• Cajun Seasoning: (yields about 1 cup of spices)
  
• Onion powder - 4 tbsp
  
• Garlic powder - 3 tbsp
  
• Chili powder - 1.5 tbsp
  
• Paprika powder - 1 tbsp
  
• Cayenne pepper - 1 tbsp
  
• Black pepper - 1 tbsp
  
• White pepper - 1 tbsp
  

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl mix in all the ingredients for the Cajun seasoning. Use the amount required and store the rest in a sealed container, in a dark cool place (spice cupboard) for future use. If you do not want to make your own seasoning use any store bought kind.
  
• 2. In a large bowl, mix in the ingredients (except the onions, jalapeno and parsley) for the the beef patties. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. Mix it well and thoroughly with your hands. Cover with a plastic wrap and chill for 1/2 hour for the flavours to develop.
• 3. After the 1/2 hour, mix in the chopped onions, jalapeno and parsley to the ground beef. Divide into 4 equal portions and form into 1 cm thick flat disks. The patties will look quite big, but once you cook them they will puff up and shrink a bit.
  
• 4. Heat your stove-top griddle (if you do not have a griddle use a non-stick pan), spray a bit of olive oil and add the chopped onions and capsicums with a pinch of salt. Saute on high heat till they are caramelized. Remove and set aside.
• 5. Wipe off any oil residue from the griddle with a paper towel. Heat it up till smoking hot.
  
• 6. Add some oil spray to the griddle and add the beef patties. You need the oil spray for lubrication since the meat is 95% lean. Do not poke or move the patties. Let it get a good sear for 2-3 min. Flip and do the same on the other side. Cook till your preference of rarity. I like mine well done.
• 7. Meanwhile, prepare the buns. Toast the buns on both side until warmed up. Arrange a slice of lettuce, then 2 slices of tomato on the heel (bottom half) of the bun. Top it with ketchup, BBQ sauce and Sriracha sauce. Do all these when the beef patties are about to come off the griddle, otherwise your buns will get cold.
  
• 
• 8. Once you are happy with the cooking (rare, med-rare, well done etc.) of the beef patties, add a slice of the Swiss cheese on top of the patty and top it with a portion of the sauteed onions & peppers.
• 9. Cook till the cheese melts. Swiss cheese melts really fast and will melt down to your griddle. Do not worry about it, as it will come off, and that toasted, crunchy bit of the cheese is really yummy.
  
• 10. Once the cheese has melted, carefully transfer the beef patties with a spatula on top of the buns. Top it with the crowns. Serve immediately.

Simply Steak

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Cube steaks - 4, 1/2 lb each
• Light Soy Sauce* - 4-5 tbsp
• Vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Black pepper - 1.5 tbsp, coarsely ground
• Chili powder - 1 tsp
  
• Onion - 1 med, thinly sliced
• Canned capers - 1 tbsp , drained of the liquid
  
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Methods:

• 1. In a seal able bowl mix in the soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder and black pepper. Marinate the beef steaks in the mixture, sealed, for 24 hours, refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before cooking.
  
• 2. Heat your stove top grill** till smoking hot, spray some olive oil on the grill and grill the steak 3-5 min on each side for well done, or less if you like it rare.
  
• 3. Remove and let it rest in a foil wrap for 10 min before serving.
• 4. Meanwhile, heat a small nonstick pan, spray with olive oil. Add the onions to the pan and saute on high heat till they caramelize a little.
• 5. Add the capers, a pinch of salt, the sugar and saute for couple of min. Remove.
• 6. Serve the steaks topped with the caramelized onions and a side of roast potatoes or any side of your choice. Bon Appétit!

Hints:
* If you have high sodium or concentrated soy sauce, then make sure to dilute it a bit with couple of tbsp of water.
** If you do not have a stop-top grill, you can also use a iron skillet. Just make sure it is smoking hot, so that the beef will cook real fast.

Shami Kebab

This is a cheater's version of Shami Kebab. What I mean by that is, it tastes like Shami kebab, but the methods I used for making the kebab is far away from the actual way of making it. I have found the original process of making the kebab (which involves cooking the meat and split chickpeas together with spices, then mashing them, and then making into balls and frying them) involves too much work and takes too long. My version is fast and tasty with crispy kebab on the outside and a soft moist inside. I have used the same ingredients, except using whole split chickpeas (which need to be cooked) I used split chickpea flour (or ground up split chickpea) and instead of using cooked meat I used raw minced beef.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• Minced Beef - 1 lb(450 gm), at least 85% lean meat, the more the better
  
• Chickpea flour - 1- 2 cups
• Onion - 1 med, finely chopped
• Garlic cloves - 2, minced
• ginger root - 1 cm pc, finely grated
  
• Green chilies - 3-4, finely chopped
• Egg - 1
• Whole coriander seeds - 1 tsp, crushed
• Whole cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp, crushed
• Black pepper corns - 1/2 tsp, crushed
• Chili flakes - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp (or to taste)
• Cloves - 3-4 pc
• Cardamons - 2-3 pc
• Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch long pc
  

Methods:

• 1. Lightly pan roast the cardamons, cloves and cinnamon together and ground them to a fine powder. Pan roast the cumin and coriander seeds and the black pepper corns, till fragrant. Crush them with the back of a heavy pan. Do not ground these, as the specks of the spices adds a texture to the kebabs.
• 2. In a bowl beat in the egg, add the onions, chilies, garlic, ginger, all the ground up and crushed up dry spices, chili flakes and salt.
  

• 3. Slowly, with a fork, mix in the minced beef with the egg mixture. It will still be quite gooey in texture.
  
• 4. Now, carefully mix in the chickpea flour 1 tbsp at a time, so that you can control how much is needed. Do this until the beef reaches a doughy consistency, so that you can form them into round shaped disk. Make about 12 1/2 cm thick disks or less or more depending on the size of the kebabs you want.
• 5. Fry them till brown and crispy. Remove and drain them on a paper towel off any excess oil. Serve immediately.
  

Beef & Potato Cakes

Servings: makes 12 cakes

Ingredients:

• Potato - 3 lrg, boiled and mashed
• Minced Beef - 1 lb (450 gm)
• Onion - 1 med, finely chopped
• Green Chilies - 2. finely chopped
• Parsley - 1/2 cup, chopped
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Egg - 1- 2, beaten with a pinch of salt & black pepper

Methods:

• 1. Peel and boil the potatoes and mash them until smooth. However, make sure it is not too moist. If so, then put it in the microwave, uncovered and cook for 2-3 min on high, this will remove any excess moisture and create a fluffy mashed potato. Set aside to cool down.
• 2. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add the minced beef, onions, garlic, ginger, salt and the chili powder. Saute on high heat for about 5-10 min, until the meat has changed colour to brown and crisped a bit. Remove and let it cool. If it seems too fatty, then use a paper towel to absorb any excess fat from the cooked beef.
  
• 3. Once the meat and potato has cooled down, mix them together with the chopped green chilies and parsley. Form into oval shaped patties. The recipe yields about 12 patties. However, you can make more or less depending on the size you choose.
• 4. In a flat non-stick pan, heat oil for deep frying on med heat. Dip the cakes in to the beaten egg mixture and fry them till golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel off any oil.
  
• 5. Serve immediately with your choice of sauce or dip or even as it is.

Hints:
* I also like to use this cakes in a sandwich. Just use simple sandwich bread, nicely toasted, a slice of lettuce, a layer of the beef & potato cake topped with just ketchup. Yum!

Pita Pockets

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• Pita Pockets - 3 whole, cut in half to make half-circle pockets
• Minced Beef - 1 lb (450 gms)
• Cabbage - 2 cups, chopped
• Soy sauce - 4 tbsp
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1 med, chopped
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Provolone cheese - 1/2 cup, shredded
  
• 
  
• For the Salsa:
• Avocado - 1, chopped
• Roma tomatoes - 1 chopped
• Red onion - 1/2 small, chopped
• Jalapeno - 1 chopped
• Italian Parsley - 1/2 cup, chopped
• Salt & pepper - to taste

Method:

• 1. In a non-stick pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add the chopped onions. Saute for few min till the onions are translucent.
  
• 2. Add the beef, garlic, black pepper, coriander powder and soy sauce. Saute till the meat has changed colour to brown.
  
• 3. Add the cabbage. Saute on med heat for 5 - 10 min till cabbage have softened and changed colour. Turn the heat off, set aside.
• 4. Chop up the ingredients for the salsa. Gently toss together, other wise it will mush up and turn in guacamole.
  
• 5. Toast the pita pockets. Fill them up with a generous portion of the beef cabbage filling. Then top it with the salsa and cheese. Serve.
  

Philly Cheese-Steak

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• French bread sticks - 2, foot long size (you can use any long bread rolls)
  
• Onion - 1 lrg, thinly sliced
• Jarred Capers - 1 tbsp, drained
  
• Cooked Beef Steak - thinly sliced, 8 oz per person/sandwich
• Cheese slices/shredded - up to preference, I used combination of Swiss and Provolone cheese
  
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
  
• Salt & pepper - to taste
• Chili sauce - to taste (optional)
  
• Ketchup - to taste (optional)

Methods:

• 1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan.
• 2. Add the onions and capers, saute on high heat for 3-4 min till the edges are browned up.
• 3. Add the sliced steak meat, soy sauce and pepper, saute for 3-4 min till the meat shrivel up and gets a bit crispy.
• 4. Cut the bread sticks in half, length wise. Spray some olive oil on the inner side and toast till preferred crispness.
• 5. Top one side of the bread with the beef steaks, top with cheese and serving of chili sauce and ketchup. Broil for 2-3 mins, till the cheese has melted and bubbly. Serve.
  

Sweet Chili Beef Sub

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• Soft crust french bread sticks - 2, foot long size
• Minced Beef - 1/2 lb (250 gms)
• Carrots - 1 med, finely chopped, to yield 1/2 cup
  
• Onion - 1 med, chopped
• Celery - 2 sticks, chopped, to yield 1/2 cup
• Jalapeno - 2, finely chopped
• Garlic cloves - 2, minced
  
• BBQ sauce - 2 tbsp
• Ketchup - 3 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
• Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
  
• Salt & pepper - to taste
• American Slices Cheese - to preference
  

Methods:

• 1. In a non stick pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add the onions and garlic, saute till the onions are translucent.
• 2. Add the remaining vegetables. Saute for 2-3 min.
  
• 3. Add the minced beef, saute on high heat till the meat changes colour to brown.
• 4. Add the sauces and the dry spices and 1 cup of water. When adding the salt, take into account that the soy sauce will be salty. Reduce the heat to low-med. Simmer for about 20-25 min, or till the water evaporated and sauce reaches a thick sticky consistency.
• 5. Meanwhile, cut the french sticks in half, lengthwise. Spray with some olive oil spray on the inner side and toast to your preferred crispness.
• 6. Once the meat sauce is done, let it cool for 5 min. Then spread a generous amount of the meat sauce on one side of the breads, top with some slices of cheese (I used American Slices, you can use any cheese of your choice) and broil for 1-2 min, till the cheese is bubbly and browned.
• 7. You can serve the subs as it is, or top with some crispy lettuce, sour cream and hot sauce for extra bite. Bon Appétit!

Hints:
*For a vegetarian version, I had substituted the meat for same amount of chopped button mushrooms and followed the same methods. That also tastes pretty good.

Beef & Split Pea Stew

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

• Beef for stew - 2 lb (1 kg),
  
• Dried Split peas - 1.5 cup
• Onion - 1 lrg, chopped
• Cinnamon stick - 2 inch long pc
• Cloves - 5-6 pc
• Cardamons - 5-6 pc
• Dried Bay leaf - 1 lrg, or 2 med
• Whole pepper corns - 1 tsp
  
• Green Chili - 2-3, halved lengthwise (seeds removed if you don't like the heat)
• 
  
• For marinade:
  
• Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
• Ginger paste - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1.5 tsp (or to taste)
  
• Chili powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Methods:

• 1. Soak the slit peas with water, overnight. Make sure to put it in a big enough bowl, as the peas will puff up once they are soaked.
• 2. In a bowl, mix in the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the beef for 1/2 hour to 2 hours. It is not necessarily going to make the beef tender but more flavoured.
  
• 3. In a deep base pot or a dutch oven, heat 4 tbsp of oil. Add the cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf and the whole pepper corns. Saute till they pop.
• 4. Add the onion and saute till they are browned on the edges. Add the marinated beef to the onions. Stir to combine everything evenly.
• 5. Lower the heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 15 min. By this time the juices released from the meat would evaporate.
  
• 6. Add 1 cup of hot water, enough to submerge the meat. Simmer for 1 hour on low-med heat, stirring occasionally to avoid any burns or sticking to the base of the pot. Every time you stir the stew, make sure to add 1/2 cups of hot water, if it has evaporated, so that the meat will always be submerged into juice.
  
• 7. After 1 hour, check whether the meat is tender enough. Add the drained split peas to the beef. Stir to combine. Adjust the water level. Check for salt.
• 8. Simmer on med heat for 30-50 more min, until the split peas are cooked and the beef is tender enough to break when you pull with a fork.
  
• 9. Add the green chilies. Cover and let it rest for 10 min. Serve the beef stew with plain or flavoured rice, or even pita bread.
  

Kebab Pockets

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Pocket pita breads - 4, cut in half
  
• Avocado - 1, diced
• Vine tomatoes - 2, diced
• Red onion - 1 sml, diced
• Feta cheese crumbles - 1 cup
• Romain lettuce - 4 leaves, chopped (you can use any greens of your choice)
• 
  
• For the Kebabs:
• Ground beef - 1 lb (450 gm)
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp ( or to taste)
• Dried herbs - 1 tsp (a blend of oregano, rosemary, thyme and parsley)
• Jalapeno - 1, finely chopped
• Garlic cloves - 2, finely chopped
• Ketchup - 1 tbsp
• 
  
• For the Sauce:
• Sour cream - 1/2 cup
• Ketchup - 3 tbsp
• Lemon/Lime juice - 1 tbsp
  
• Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp (freshly made, or just use finely chopped garlic)
• Chili Sauce - 1 tsp
• Salt & pepper - to taste
  

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl mix in all the ingredients for the kebabs. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
• 2. Chop the avocado, tomato, onions and the lettuce. Divide into 8 equal portions, set aside.
• 3. Heat your griddle to smoking hot. If you do not have a stove-top or electric griddle, you can also use a pan or a skillet.
  
• 4. Take the beef out of the fridge and form into flat disks/patties. The recipe should yield about 8 disks.
• 5. Sear the meat patties on your hot griddle for about 2-3 min each side. Remove and let it rest on a plate. You should not need any oil as the fat released from the beef will be more than enough to lubricate and cook the kebabs.
• 6. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix in all the ingredients for the sauce, set aside. Once all the kebabs are done, use the griddle to warm/toast up the pocket pita breads.
• 7. Fill the pita pockets as such, lettuce-> tomato-> avocado-> onions-> feta cheese and then the kebabs (1 each for each pita pocket) and top it with a generous amount of the sauce. I had roughly chopped up my kebab patties. You can serve it either chopped or whole. Enjoy!
  

Kebab Fingers in Sweet Pepper Sauce

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• For the Sauce:
  
• Sweet peppers* (banana peppers) - 3, sliced
• Green Capsicum - 1 med, sliced
• Fresh Tomato - 3-4, sliced lengthwise
• Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
  
• Vinegar - 3 tbsp (any would do, I used apple cider vinegar)
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
  
• Onion - 1 med, thinly sliced
• Salt & Pepper - to taste
  
• 
  
• For the Kebabs:
• Minced Beef - 2 lb (1 kg )
• Ginger paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
• Salt - 1.5 tsp
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Dried oregano - 1/2 tsp
• Dried parsley - 1/2 tsp
• Chili flakes - 1/2 tsp
• Chili powder - 1/2 tsp (or more if u like it hot)
  
• Whole coriander seeds - 1 tsp, lightly toasted and coarsely crushed
• Whole anise seeds - 1/2 tsp, coarsely crushed

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl, mix in all the ingredients for the kebabs. Do not over work the meat as that will create a hard kebab, rather mix in the ingredients with a fork.
  
• 2. Form the mince into finger long kebab. The recipe yields about 20- 22 kebabs. Chill for about 1/2 hour.
• 3. In a non-stick frying pan, spray a little of oil spray, and heat. Add the kebab fingers and saute on high heat. The fat content released from the minced meat will be more than enough to cook the kebabs. So you will not need any frying oil.
  

• 4. Just make sure that the kebab fingers are browned on all sides very quickly, they do not need to be cooked through as they will finish cooking in the sauce. Once they are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
  
• 5. Add the onions to the pan. You do not need to add any oil, as the remaining fat released from the mince will be used for the cooking. Saute the onions on high heat till they brown up on the edges.
  
• 6. In a cup, mix in the tomato puree, sugar and the vinegar, set aside.
  
• 7. Add the sliced sweet peppers, salt and pepper to the pan and saute for 2-3 min. Add the tomatoes.
• 8. Add the tomato puree mixture, stir to combine. Carefully return the kebabs to the sauce, since they are still fully uncooked, they will be fragile.
• 9. Add 1 cup of hot water and simmer on low-med heat for about 45- 60 min. The sauce will thicken to a sticky consistency. Serve hot with pita/flat bread or Polao or even plain Basmati rice.
  

Hints:
*Sweet peppers vary in different shapes and colours. Capsicums/bell peppers are a kind of sweet pepper. The specific ones I had used are long, light green in colour and very sweet and tasty. They are also called banana peppers, as they look like bananas.
I am here giving a pic I got from the web to give you an idea about which one I used.

Meatball Rezala

Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• Ground Beef - 2 lb (1 kg),
• Onion - 1 med, 1/2 of it thinly sliced
  
• Green Chili - 6, (3 sliced & seeds removed if you do not like the heat)
  
• Garlic cloves - 4
  
• Ginger root - 1 inch (to yield 1 tsp in paste)
• Ghee/ Clarified Butter - 4 tbsp
• Hot spice Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
  
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Plain yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 2 tbsp (or to taste, the dish is meant to be on the sweet side)
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1.5 tsp
  

Methods:

• 1. In a food processor, blend 3 chilies, garlic, ginger to form a rough mince. In a bowl, mix in the ground beef with 1 tsp salt, pepper, hot spice powder, cumin, coriander powder and the minced aromatics. Form tennis ball size meatballs and refrigerate for minimum of 1/2 hour to up to 2 hours.
• 2. Meanwhile, in the blender, blend the remaining garlic, ginger and half of the unsliced onion into a puree.
• 3. In a bowl, beat the yogurt with the sugar and set aside.
  
• 5. In a heavy base non-stick pan, saute the meatballs, in batches, until you get a brown coating. Make sure not to cook it all the way through, as it will finish cooking in the gravy. Remove and let it rest on a plate.
  
• 6. Clean the pan off with a paper towel to remove the fat released from the meatballs. Add the ghee/butter to the pan and heat.
  
• 7. Add the sliced half of the onion to the pan, and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Saute till translucent.
• 8. Add the yogurt mixture and simmer on med heat for 4-5 min. Return the meatballs to the pan along with the milk. When adding the milk, make sure to remove your pan from heat, and then once stirred in properly, return it on the heat. This will stop the milk from breaking.
• 9. Add the remaining 3 chilies. Simmer the meatballs on low-med heat for about 35-40 min or until the milk evaporates and the ghee separates to create a thick shiny white gravy. Serve with Polao or Nutmeg Rice.

Szechuan Beef & Vegetables

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

• Whole pepper corns- 1 tbsp
• Dried chili peppers - 2 tbsp
• Ginger root- 1.5 cm long, grated finely
• Garlic cloves - 3-4, crushed
• Water chestnuts - 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
• Snow peas - 1 cup, whole (or halved if too big)
• Capsicum/ bell pepper(any colour) - 1, julienned
• Carrots - 1 lrg, julienned
• Green onions/ scallions - 3, chopped into 1 inch long pieces
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Cider vinegar - 1 tbsp
• 
  
• For the Marinade:
• Beef rib-eye steak- 1 lb, cut into thin strips
• Tomato sauce/ketchup - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Cider vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Salt - adjust to taste, since the soy sauce will be salty
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl mix in all the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the beef strips overnight or minimum of 2 hours, refrigerated. On the day of cooking, take them out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature, for at least half hour before cooking.
  
• 2. In a wok, heat 3 tbsp of oil, till smoking hot. Add the pepper corns, saute for few min, then remove the pepper corns with a spoon. This is just to infuse the oil with the peppery taste and scent.
• 3. Add the dried chili peppers to the oil, saute for couple of min. Add the garlic, ginger and the beef strips. Saute on high heat till they are cooked. For about 3-4 min.

• 4. Add the vegetables, except the scallions and stir-fry for about 3 - 4 min on high heat.
• 5. In a bowl, mix in the vinegar, soy sauce, and the sugar. Pour this mixture on top of the beef and veg. Turn the heat off. Stir to combine everything together. Garnish with the chopped scallions. Serve with plain white rice.

Hints:
For a vegetarian version, you can skip the meat altogether. Also, use any combination of vegetables you like.

Kofta Curry

Servings 4- 6

Ingredients:

• Ground Sirloin - 1.5 lb (750 gm)*
• Onion - 1 med, finely chopped
  
• Tomatoes - 1/2 lb, chopped finely, reserving their juices
  
• Plain Yogurt - 1 cup (full cream)**
  
• Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp (I prefer freshly made paste or crushed for full flavour)
• Garlic Cloves - 3, crushed
• Green chili - 2-3, seeded and crushed
• Salt - 2 tsp
• Black pepper - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Ground Cumin - 1/2 tsp
• Ground Coriander - 1 tsp
• Hot spice powder - 1 tsp**

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl mix in the garlic, ginger , chili, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp of oil with the ground meat. Do not over work the meat as that will result in hard meatballs when cooked. I use a fork to mix in the ingredients with the meat rather than smashing them with my fingers.
• 2. Form the meat into round balls, the recipe should yield about 20-25 balls. Cover them with a plastic wrap and chill for at least 1/2 hour to 2 hours.
• 3. When ready to cook, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep base pan, add the onions and the remaining salt and pepper. Saute till the onions turn brown on the edges.
  
• 4. Add the tomatoes with their juices and saute for about 5-6 min. Add the cumin, coriander, hot spice powder and the sugar. Stir to combine.
• 5. Add 1 cup of hot water and simmer on med heat for about 6-10 min, till the tomatoes turn soft and gooey. Remove the pan from top of the heat and stir in the yogurt. If you add the yogurt to the pan while keeping it on heat, the yogurt will break.
  
• 6. Return the pan to the heat. Add 1 cup of hot water. Take the meatballs out of the fridge and gently place each onto the sauce.
  
• 7. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Stirring occasionally to avoid burning at the bottom. The final gravy will be thick and rich. Serve with naan/flat bread or even on a bed of rice or pasta and a salad.
• Simply bellissimo !!

Hints:
* You can also use ground chuck or even chicken. However, I prefer sirloin since it is the leanest and works best with this dish.
** I prefer using the full cream yogurt as this dish does not require much oil to cook. So the full cream yogurt gives it a rich body. However, for a more diet version you can use fat-free yogurt, but you will be sacrificing the flavour a bit.
***I make my own hot spice powder by first toasting the whole spices (cardamon, cinnamon, cloves) on a skillet and then grinding them into powder. However, store bought hot spice powder will do fine. The store bought mix usually includes powder of cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, fenugreek, and mustard seeds.

Beef Stew with Panch Foron

Panch Foron is a mix of five different whole spices. It comprises of Cumin (jeera), Nigella (kalojeera), Mustard seeds (shorshe dana), Ajwain/caraway seeds (radhuni), and Fanugreek (methi). Usually panch foron is used for adding a distinct aroma and taste to vegetable dishes and pickles (mango pickle etc). Some also use it in fish. I have tried my version of beef stew with panch foron and the result was brilliant. Panch foron comes as a mix, and you can find it in any Indian/Bengali or authentic food stores.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

• Beef - 3 lb (1.5 kg), cut into small stew pieces
• Onion - 1 lrg, thinly sliced
• Salt- 1/2 tsp
• Potatoes - 2 lrg, cubed (optional)
• Cinnamon stick - 1.5 inch
• Whole Cardamon - 4-5 pcs
• Whole Cloves - 4-5 pcs
• Bay leaf - 1, med
• 
  
• For the Marinade:
• Panch Foron - 2 tsp
• Salt - 1.5 tsp
  
• Chili powder - 1.5 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Whole pepper corns - 1 tsp
• Plain Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Methods:

• 1. Wash and drain the beef. In a bowl mix in all the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the beef overnight in the refrigerator.
• 2. On the day of cooking, let the beef come to room temperature for about 1/2 hour before cooking. In a non stick pot (I prefer a dutch oven) heat 2 tbsp of oil.
• 3. Add the bay leaf, cardamons, cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns. Be careful, as they will start to pop as they infuse the oil. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute till the onions are nicely golden.
• 4. Add the beef along with the marinade to the pot. Stir to combine, and 1/2 cup of hot water.
• 5. Simmer on low-med heat for about 1.5- 2 hours, stirring occasionally for the flavours to blend. Add 1/2 - 1 cup of hot water every 15 min, to make sure there is enough juice for the beef to be cooked without burning.*
• 6. Nearly at the end of the cooking time, check a piece of meat to make sure it is tender to pull, then add the cubed potatoes. Simmer till the potatoes are cooked through. You might need to add a bit more water when you add the potatoes, so that they will absorb all the flavours from the gravy.
• 7. Serve with a side of garden salad and rice or flat bread.

Hints:
*Do not be lazy and add a whole quart of water all at once. By adding small amount of water frequently will allow the beef stew to develop a strong and gourmet flavour which you will not achieve if you drown the beet with a lot of water at the very start.
** Some people like adding beef stock to their stew. However, my version does not require that, as it already possesses an infusion of great flavours.

Flame Grilled Beef Burgers

Servings: 4- 8

Ingredients:

• Ground Hamburger meat/ Beef (73/27)* - 2 lb (1 Kg)
• Onion - 1/2 med, chopped finely
• Italian/ flat leaf Parsley - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Pitted Olive - 1/2 cup, chopped finely
• Garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Soy Sauce - 4 tbsp
• Worcestershire Sauce - 2 tbsp
• Chili Powder - 2 tsp
• Black Pepper - 1 tsp
• Ground Cumin - 1 tsp
• Ground Coriander - 1.5 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl mix in all the ingredients with the ground beef. Make sure you mix everything evenly but without over working the meat. Set to rest for about 1/2 hour, sealed, in the refrigerator.
• 2. Prepare your BBQ and have fire going on a steady rate.
• 
  
• 3. Take the meat out of the fridge, divide into 8 equal portions and form them into round balls.
• 4. Place them on a foil and press with your palm to create the patties. Cut the foil around the patties, so that you can easily place them ont0 the BBQ without a fuss.

• 5. Cook for 4-5 min on each wide, or depending on how you like them. I like mine well done.

• 6. Serve on a bread roll with any salad of your choice as a sandwich. You can also serve the beef patties, as a main dish with a drizzle of Honey BBQ Sauce and with the salad as a side.

Hints:
* 73/27 means that the ground meat consists of 73 percent meat and 27 percent fat content. You can also use a more leaner version or ground sirloin. However, I prefer the fat content when barbecuing, since the fat usually melts and drains off while cooking on the fire.