Irachi Chor

Ingredients :

1. Beef  - 1/2 kg with bones cut into medium sized cubes
2. Jeera rice / kaima rice - 3 cups
3. water - 6 cups (you might not need all of it depending on the beef gravy)
4. onion - 4 sliced
5. green chilly - 3 slit
6. ginger - 1 inch piece chopped
7. garlic - 6 cloves 
8. ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
9. curry leaves - 1 spring 
10. coconut oil - 3 tbsp
11. curry leaves - 1 spring
12. corriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
13. mint leaves - 1/4 cup
14. vinegar - 1 tbsp
15. yogurt - 1/2 cup
16. chilly powder -1 tsp
17. corriander powder - 1 tsp
18. turmeric powder - 1 tsp
19. fresh ground meat masala - 1 tbsp (2 cardamom, 2 cloves,5 peppercorn,1/2 tsp fennel seeds,1 cinnamon stick,1 bay leaf  

Method :
add the beef , 2 chopped onions ,chopped ginger , garlic cloves ,green chillues ,1/2 tsp turmeric powder , vinegar , curry leaves ,salt and 1/2 tbsp meat masala into a small pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles .Allow the steam to release by itself and then open the cooker .(cooking time will vary on the cut of beef you use - increase or decrease as needed)
wash and soak the rice in water and set aside .
In a pan add the coconut oil and sliced onions and saute until it starts changing color .
add in the ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell is gone .
add in the chilly, corriander,turmeric powder and remaining meat masala and saute for a minute .
add in curd and stirfry until the oil starts separating .
add in the corriander and mint leaves and mix well.
Add the cooked beef pieces into this masala and mix well, let it cook on low flame for 5 minutes .
measure the beef gravy and keep aside.
meanwhile drain the rice from soaking water and add to the meat that is cooking .
pour in the measured gravy(leftover from cooking the beef in the pressure cooker )
measure and add remaining water (gravy + water should come up to 6 cups )
add salt to taste and mix well.
bring to a boil and then reduce the flame to low , cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.about 15 minutes .
serve with raita ,pickle , pappad and chutney

Double Baked Potatoes with Taco seasoned Beef

Ingredients :

1. Medium large potatoes - 4
2. Potatoes - 2 boil and peel and mash and keep aside
3. Butter - 4 tbsp
4. cream - 2 tbsp
5. milk - 1/4 cup
6. salt - to taste
7. Ground beef - 250 gms
8. chopped onion - 2 tbsp
9. chopped garlic - 1 tsp
10. chopped green chillies - 1
11. Taco seasoning - 2 tsp ( dry roast and coarse grind 1 tbsp corriander seeds,1/2 tsp fennel seeds , 1/4 tsp cumin ,1/2 tsp black pepper )
12. chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
13. oil - 1 tbsp
14. grated cheese - 2 tbsp
15. corn flour - 1 tsp dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Method:
wash and scrub the potatoes .
Bake or steam the potatoes with the skin until cooked well but not falling apart .
cut into 2 lengthwise and scoop out the flesh leaving a thin layer attached to the skin so that the potato skin acts as a vessel to hold the beef and potato filling.
make a mash with the scooped flesh plus 2 boiled mashed potatoes by adding cream ,milk , cheese and butter with salt and pepper to taste.
Keep the mash aside.
Heat oil in a pan and saute the chopped onion,garlic and chilly.
Add the ground beef and stir .
add in taco seasoning and salt to taste.
stirfry until the beef is cooked.
pour in the cornflour water and cook until thickened and dry.
turn the flame off
Add a layer of beef mixture to the potato shells .
Spoon over mashed potato and shape it with a spoon to a mound covering the beef mixture .
Set your over on microwave to the grill setting and grill for 10 minutes until the top is slightly golden.
Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Crumbled Beef with Rice & Salsa

Ingredients :

for beef

1. Ground beef - 250 gms
2. onion - 2 tbsp chopped
3. garlic - 2 cloves chopped
4. chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
5. whole spices - 1/2 tsp corriander seeds, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds,1/4 tsp black peppercorns,cumin seeds - a pinch.
6. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
7. corn flour - 1 tsp mixed in 1/2 cup water 
8. oil - 1 tbsp

for salsa 

1. ripe tomatoes - 2 chopped into small pieces
2. onion - 1chopped fine
3. cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped
4. lime juice - 1/2 tsp
5. salt - to taste 
6. gereen chilly - 1/2 tsp chopped fine

for rice 

1. sona masuri/shortgrain white rice - 1 cup
2. water - 2 cups
3. lime juice - 1 tsp
4. cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped
5. salt - to taste.

Iceberg lettuce - 1/2 of a head

method
Place all the  whole spices on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1 minute . you can dry roast on a pan aslo.
Crush it to a coarse powder and keep aside.
heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and saute the chopped onion and garlic in the beef section.
After a minute add the ground beef and break into small pieces stirring constantly until the beef starts to brown and releases some of its fat.
cook the beef for 5 minutes.
add the dry roasted powders and season to taste with salt and vinegar.
Now add the cornflour water to the pan and sirfry until it has thickened and coated the beef.
turn off the flame and keep aside.

To prepare salsa - mix all ingredients in salsa section and season to taste.

for the rice - cook 1 cup of washed and drained rice in 2 cups of water until the water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
once it cools down slightly , add the lime juice,salt and cilantro and fluff with a fork until mnixed well.

To serve - add a layer of rice
top with a layer of crumbled beef,
sprinkle salsa on top and serve with lettuce .

Stirfried Beef with oyster Sauce

                     

Ingredients : 

1. Tender cut of beef sliced thin - 2 cups
2. Red and Green chilly - 2 each (reserve few as rings for garnish and finely chop the rest)
3. Onion - 2 medium sliced in the same size as beef strips
4. low sodium Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
5. Oyster Sauce - 2 tbsp
6. Garlic - 8 cloves chopped fine
7. Ginger - 1 inch piece julienned
8. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
9. Spring onion - 1 tbsp chopped
10. Oil - 2 tbsp
11. Chicken or Beef Stock - 4 tbsp

Method:

Heat a cast iron pan on high heat .Add in the oil and heat .

Add the garlic,ginger and chopped chillies and stirfry on high heat for 1 minute.

Add the beef slices and fry on high heat until it gets a char on the outside (about 2 minutes)

Add soy sauce and fry for a minute.

Add in the onion slices and stir fry for 30 seconds.

Add in vinegar,spring onion and oyster sauce , mix well. fry until beef is cooked (steak cut thinly sliced will only take few minutes to cook)

Remove the stirfry to a serving dish .

Add the stock to the pan and deglaze it.Add this sauce back to the reserved stirfry .

Serve with white rice , fried egg and cucumber slices.

                        

Home made Puffs

Ingredients :

1.     Maida - 250 gms
2.     Dalda - 125 gm (50-75, divided)
3.     Salt - 1/2 tsp
4.     Sugar - 1/2 tsp
5.     Water - About half cup to make dough.
6.     Extra flour for dusting.

 For the filling :

1. Beef - 250 grm chopped fine (use a steak cut ,else cook in pressure cooker and chop into tiny pieces)
2. Onion - 1 chopped fine
3. ginger - 1/2 tsp chopped
4. garlic - 5 cloves chopped
5. green chilly
6. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
7. coarsely crushed fresh black pepper - 1/4 tsp
8. soy sauce - 2 tsp (low sodium) 
9. corn flour - 1 tsp
10. corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Cumin powder - a pinch
12. Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

 Make the meat mixture and allow to cool while you prepare the puff pastry.

Add a tsp oil to a frying pan and add in the chopped ginger,garlic,onion,green chilly and saute well.

Add in the corriander powder and cumin powder and saute for a minute

Add in the chopped raw beef and stir well to form crumbles .

Allow the meat to cook for a minute

Add in the soy sauce, vinegar and pepper powder and mix well.

stirfry on medium heat until the beef is cooked (steak cuts only take 2-3 minutes to cook) 

The meat will give out enough juices and there will be some left after the meat gets cooked.

Add in the tsp of corn flour and mix well. This will thicken the juices and provide a sheen to the meat .It also keeps the mix from drying out while baking.

If you are adding cooked beef , you might have to add the juices that you get from the beef while cooking .

Taste for balance of flavour and keep aside to cool .

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Add flour into a large bowl. Add salt and 50 gms of dalda. 

Rub the shortening into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the flour, add water slowly and knead into a soft dough.

Put the 75 gm of shortening in a small bowl and soften it nicely without any lumps. 

Then, divide this approximately into three parts.

Dust the counter with flour and roll out the dough into a rectangle of approximately (8x16).

Spoon one portion of the 75 gm shortening on the rolled out flour and spread it leaving 1/2inch off all 4 sides.

Now you need to fold the dough into a 3 layer fold.

Lay the rectangle in front of you and fold the end towards you half way and then fold the end near you over it. You get a square shape dough now .

Then again roll into a rectangle and repeat the same two more times with the remaining shortening. 

It is important not to thin out the dough and give much pressure, handle the dough when rolling gently.This is what creates the layers in the pastry . We are not giving the dough enough time to cool and rest , so to ensure that you get perfect layers ,the dough needs to be handled gently so that the layers between the flour and shortening stay as is.

Finally roll out into rectangle and cut into 8 neat squares or your preferred shape. 

Fill the pastry with the meat filling and slowly cover with the other end and bake until done.

Do not press the edges to flatten it  after you add the meat filling.

You should make puff immediately after the dough is ready , do not keep aside to rest.

Apply egg wash on top of the pastry and bake for 30 -45 minutes until the outside is a nice golden brown.

Instead of the beef mixture , you can use any filling , mixed veg ,boiled egg and masala , chicken etc.

NOTE : The recipe for the puff pastry sheet was made following the recipe on -http://www.nisahomey.com/2014/11/puff-pastry-recipe-homemade-puff-pastry.html

Beef with Holy Basil/ Tulsi

Ingredients :

1. Beef - 250 gms
2. Garlic - 8 cloves chopped fine
3. Ginger - 1  inch piece julienned (thin cut)
4. Green Chillies - 5 sliced on the diagonal
5. Oyster Sauce - 2 tbsp
6. Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp /to taste
7. Fish Sauce - 1 tbsp
8. Tulsi/Holy basil- 1 cup loosly packed washed and tender leaves and shoots
9. Onion - 1 cut into thick slices (optional)
10. Green Onion - 4 tbsp chopped
11. Oil - 2 tbsp

NOTE : Use a cut of Beef that you would use for steak , it should be tender and a cut that cooks quickly . Its easier if you have the Beef pieces cut to the size of a deck of cards and then slice it as thin as possible against the grain . Freezing for a bit will help do this easily. I have used the beef sold as "undercut" in India .

Use a large pan for cooking , only then you will get the fried effect on the beef , else it will steam and boil. Dont crowd the pan , cook in batches if required.

Method:
Heat oil in a large frying pan /wok - heat it to high
Add the chopped garlic , 1/2 of the chilies and ginger and stirfry for 30 seconds.
Add in the sliced beef and stirfry on high heat until the meat changes color and starts searing slightly. Use a big pan and dont crowd the meat.
Add in the soy sauce  and stirfry , when its almost dry add in the fish sauce and oyster sauce followed by the sliced Onion and green onion.
taste for salt , add more soy sauce if required.
add in the remaining sliced green chilly and holy basil and stir .
spoon the stirfry along with gravy into a serving dish .
Add few tbsp of water to the frying pan and swirl around . Bring this water to a boil - It creates a pan sauce with all the flavors of the beef and sauces as well as adds more gravy to the dish . Pour this over the stirfry .
Served this over the Rose brand Kaima rice from Kannur . Its an absolute delight.
I have added some steamed Broccoli at the end of the cooking process.

Beef Stew with Potatoes & Carrots

Ingredients:

1. Beef - 1 kg ( I have used bone in beef)
2. Carrots - 2 medium sized scraped and cut into big pieces
3. Potatoes - 2 medium sized peeled and cut into big cubes
4. Thick coconut milk - 2 cups
5. Green chillies - 7 slit + 1 cut at a diagonal
6. Onion - 3 sliced 
7. Ginger - 1 inch piece chopped
8. curry leaves - 1 spring
9. Garlic - 1 pod peeled and chopped
10. Corriander powder - 1 tbsp (optional - I have used it )
11. Vinegar - 2 tbsp 
12. salt - to tatse
13. whole spices - 4 cardamom, 4 cloves, 2 pieces cinnamon stick , 1/2 tbsp whole peppercorns, 1 star anise , 1 bay leaf
14. crushed black pepper - 1 tsp
15. Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat a frying pan and add the oil and onion,ginger,garlic,green chillies that are slit and curry leaves and stirfry until the onions ate translucent.
Add in the Corriander powder if you are using it now .
Stir well , and add in the beef pieces , salt to taste and vinegar .
Mix well and cook - you can pressure cook it for 1 whistle and then open the cooker and add the potatoes and carrots (Adding it at the same time as beef will overcook the veggies)
If not using pressure cooker - cook it covered in a frying pan , check in between if it gets dry add 1/2 cup of water and cook until meat is cooked , then add the carrots and potatoes and cook until they are cooked too .
You can cook up to this point and then refrigerate  the curry for later use .
Before serving - add the coconut milk and the diagonally sliced green chilly and crushed black pepper and bring to a slight simmer ( Do not boil after adding the thick coconut milk)
Taste for salt and sourness - add more salt or vinegar and crushed pepper as needed .
Serve with Appam, puttu,bread,idiappam etc.

Beef with Chinese Potato

Koorkka or Chinese Potato is a root vegetable that is very popular in kerala.Unlike the regular potato that has a mild flavor chinese potato has a distinct flavor/taste that can help it stand on its own or added to other ingredients.Koorkka is prepared in many different ways - the simple stirfry being the most popular.

Cleaning koorka is a tedious process and it stains the hands too , but the taste makes up for all the trouble you had to go through.I have added Koorka to beef .Beef or Pork with some fat is perfect to cook with Koorka , the tuber absorbs the flavor of the meat.

In some parts of Kerala meat is almost never cooked alone.Potatoes, raw bananas, coconut slices, breadfruit,chow chow,Tapioca , carrots or some other vegetables are added to meat.Different people have different reasons for adding vegetables with meat .
1. it is a good way to get kids to eat vegetables.
2. You can reduce the consumption of non vegetarian food for health reasons.
3. It is a good way to stretch a dish when you have a large number of people to feed.
4. The vegetable adds some flavor to the dish .

There is a joke that goes around in Thrissur. Usually meat is almost always cooked with some accompaniments in the Thrissur region.when beef with raw banana was served , there were hardly any beef pieces in the dish and it was mostly raw banana .The folks had a tough time searching for meat pieces - the comment " This looks like a cow just ran through the Banana crop ". The meat to vegetable ratio is not fixed ,but it is better to keep it at a 3:1 ratio 3 parts meat to 1 part additive.

Ingredients:

1. Beef - 1 kg (preferably with some fat)cut into cubes.
2. Koorka - 1.5 cups cleaned and cut into slightly big pieces (keep it immersed in cold water until ready to use or it will turn brown)
3. shallots - 10 chopped
4. coriander powder - 3 tbsp
5. chilly powder - 2 tbsp (mix of kashmiri plus regular)
6. vinegar - 2 tbsp
7. turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
8. meat masala - 1/2 tsp (crushed pepper,cardamom,fennel,cinnamon,cloves)
9. salt - to taste
10. curry leaves - 2 springs
11. ginger - 2 tbsp chopped
12. garlic - 2 tbsp chopped
13. coconut oil - 4 tbsp

Method:
Add the washed and drained beef along all the rest of the ingredients except Koorka and oil into a pressure cooker and mix well.
Close the lid and cook for 5 whistles (indian beef , if you are outside India this step should not be done in the pressure cooker since the beef will get overcooked)
Leave it aside for 15 minutes until the pressure escapes by itself.
Open the cooker lid and if there is too much gravy ,cook on open flame until the gravy is thick .Add the cleaned koorka and mix well.
Add more salt if needed and close the cooker lid and cook for one whistle.
Turn the flame off and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
Open the cooker and mix .
The koorka should not be overcooked.
heat oil in a pan and add the cooked eat and koorka mix and stirfry until it is slightly brown.
It should not have much gravy and it should not be too dry as well.
Serve with rice

Whole Wheat Soft Tacos with crumbled meat

An Indo-Mexican version of the Tacobell soft tacos.Verdict - It is pretty good , the ground beef that you get here in India seems to have a lot more flavor, and the whole wheat chappathis that were used instead or corn tortillas were tastier and more healthy.The cheese I got could have been better and I used garlic mayo instead of sour cream , which was ok .

Ingredients:

1. Chappathis - 10 (make poori sized chappatis)
2. Ground beef - 1/2 kg
3. Taco seasoning - 2 tbsp
4. Iceberg lettuce - 2 cups chopped
5. Tomato - onion salsa - 5 tbsp
6. grated cheese - 2 tbsp
7. sour cream or mayo - 2 tbsp

To make the taco seasoning you need

1. corn flour - 2 tbsp
2. chilly powder - 1 tbsp
3. black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
4. cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
5. garlic powder - 1 tbsp ( or use finely chopped fresh garlic while cooking)
6. salt - to taste
7. Oregano - 1 tsp
8. coriander powder - 1 tsp

Mix all the seasonings together and you taco seasoning is ready.

To make the tomato onion salsa you need

1. ripe tomatoes - 1 chopped fine
2. onion - 1 medium chopped fine
3. Lime juice - 1 squeeze
4. salt - to taste
5. cilantro - 1 tsp chopped

Mix all the indgedients and the salsa is ready

To make the crumbled meat :
Heat a nonstick frying pan to medium high.
Add in the ground beef and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon .
Let the meat cook for 5 minutes ,stir well and let it brown slightly.
Add in 1/2 a cup of water and 2 tbsp of the taco seasoning and stir well .
lower the flame and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes until the beef is cooked and the cornflour has thickened.

To assemble the tacos :
Lay one chappathi flat on a plate , add a tbsp of ground meat , lettuce , salsa , cheese and mayo .
Fold and serve.

Beef Ribs and Potatoes

Ingredients :

1. Beef Ribs - 1 kg
2. Onion - 3
3. Green chillies - 2 slit
4. Ginger - 2 inch piece chopped
5. Garlic - 1.5 pods peeled
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. coarsely Crushed black pepper - 1 tsp
8. Chilly powder - 2 tsp heaped
9. Coriander powder - 3 tsp heaped
10. Crushed Meat masala - 1 tsp (cardamom , fennel, cinnamon, cloves and pepper )
11. curry leaves - 3 springs
12. vinegar - 2 tbsp
13. Oil - 2 tbsp
14. Potatoes - 2 peeled and cubed

Method:
The Beef in India takes pretty long to cook , so I have precooked it before making the masala.
Precooking the beef with minimal spices makes it versatile enough to to cooked in larger quantities and stored in the fridge or freezer. This can then be made into stews, gravies, frys , masalas etc.
Wash and drain the beef and add to pressure cooker.
Add in 1 onion roughly chopped and 1/2 of the garlic cloves and 1/2 of the ginger plus the green chillies and crushed peppercorn.
Add the vinegar, turmeric powder and salt to taste and mix with a spoon.
Do not add any water. Cover and pressure cook for 1 whistle.Once the pressure is filled lower the flame and cook for 2 minutes.
Turn the flame off and let the meat sit in the cooker undisturbed until the pressure is released by itself.Meanwhile make the masala.
Heat oil in a frying pan and add the remaining onions thinly slices, ginger and garlic chopped, curry leaves and salt to taste and saute until the onions start to brown.
Add in the chilly and coriander powder and the meat masala and stirfry untl the raw smell is gone.
Open the pressure cooker and add the beef and gravy to this masala , add in the cubed potatoes and simmer for 30 minutes or until the beef and potatoes are cooked.
Serve with roti or Ghee Rice.

Country Style Beef Roast

Ingredients :

1. Beef - 1 kg piece , get a nice square/cube pice which you can cut into slices
2. Oil - 5 tbsp
3. Onion - 3 sliced
4. Green CHillies - 5 slit
5. Tomatoes - 2
6. sugar - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt - to taste
8. Vinegar - 3 tbsp
9. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
10. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
12. pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
13. chilly powder - 1.5 tsp
14. soy sauce - 4 tbsp

Method:

Prepare the Beef by trimming off excess fat and then prick it thoroughly with a fork.

Add the ginger garlic paste , vinegar , soysauce , chilly , turmeric, cumin, pepper powder and sugar to a zip lock bag of large container that that hold the beef piece and add the beef to it and let it marinate for few hours uo tp overnight in the fridge.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan that will hold all the ingerdients .Add in the onions and saute until slightly brown .Add in tomatoes and saute until tomatoes start to soften.
Add the beef along with the marinade into the pan and cover and cook until the beef piece is almost cooked through .
Take the meat out , reserve the gravy and place beef on a plate or cutting board and slice into 3/4 inch thick lsices.
Heat remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the beef slices and keep aside.
You can saute some vegetables to go with teh beef Roast in this same oil .I have fried semi cooked Potato slices ,Slit marinated Green Chillies and Tomatoes .
Into the remaining oil add the gravy and simmer until it turns dark brown and oil starts to separate from the gravy.
Add the fried beef slices into the simmering gravy and warm thoroughly.
Serve garnished with sauteed vegetables.

Note :If the beef is tough and takes a long time to cook ,you can do the saute process in a pressure cooker and then add the meat and pressure cook for 1 whistle

Home made Crispy Beef Tacos

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety. Tacos is generally eaten without utensils and is often accompanied by garnishes such as salsa, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, tomatoes, onions and lettuce.
This post seems longer than usual since I have added steps on how to make your own Taco seasoning and Crispy Taco shells at home .If you choose to buy those ingredients from the store , a Taco is something that you can put together in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1. ground beef - 1 lb
2. fresh salsa - 1/2 cup (finely chopped tomatoes, onions,cilantro,green chilly , vinegar and salt)
3. shredded cheddar cheese - 1 cup
4. shredded lettuce - 1 cup
5. small corn tortillas - 12
6. oil - to fry tortillas
7. Taco seasoning mix - 2 tbsp
8. sour cream - 2 tbsp (optional)

Method:
Heat a frying pan to medium and add the ground beef to the hot pan (You dont need any oil , since the meat has enough fat).
Use a spoon and breakup the ground meat into small bits and continue stirfrying until the meat starts to brown slightly.
Sprinkle enough taco seasoning on the meat and mix well.
Fry for another minute.
Add a cup of water to the meat mixture and bring to a simmer.
The corn starch in the seasoning will thicken the sauce , turn the dlame off when the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
If you are using fresh onion and garlic , add it along with the meat and fry before you add rest of the taco seasoning.

To assemble the Tacos:
Add ground beef mixture into the taco , top off with shreaded lettuce, salsa , cheddar cheese and sour cream.

To make your own taco seasoning mix:

1. onion powder - 4 tbsp
2. garlic powder - 2 tbsp
3. chili powder - 2 tbsp
4. paprika - 2 tsp
5. dried oregano - 1.5 tsp
6. pepper - 1/2 tsp
7. cornstarch - 2 tbsp
8. ground cumin - 1 tsp
9. salt - 1 tbsp

Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients together and store in a clean bottle.Use as needed.
If you do not have onion powder and garlic powder ,you can substitute with finely chopped onions( 4 tbsp) and minced garlic (2 tbsp)

To make your own crispy taco shells at home:
Making crispy taco shells at home is not difficult at all.You can even make the crispy taco bowls at home in a much healthier way that the restaurant version.Taco Bowl is for another post, but here are the steps to make crispy taco shells at home.

You need home made corn or flour Tortilla or store brought soft tortilla.
Heat oil in a frying pan (pan should be wide enough to hold the tortilla.There should be an inch of oil in the pan.
Place a tortilla in the oil, after a minute or so, flip it.
Use a fork to hold the bottom half of the shell down in the oil and use another fork to fold the tortilla in half. Hold the top half over the bottom half and allow the shape to set as it cooks.
Turn the shell over in the oil after about 30 to 60 seconds. The half of the shell that was out of the oil is now submerged and the part that was in the oil is now out of it. Continue to use the forks to hold the shape of the shell as well as to hold the bottom half under the oil.
, then take it out. You'll have to experiment to see how crispy you like your shells, the longer you cook them, the crispier they will get. If you make them way ahead of time, don't make them too crispy, then you can warm them in the oven just before you're ready to eat without them getting too hard.
Place your shells on a paper grocery bag or a bunch of paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

Kadachakka Irachi / Beef with Breadfruit

Ingredients:

1. Beef – 2 lb cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used bone in shank - a tough cut of meat with some fat)
2. Ginger – 1 inch piece chopped
3. vinegar - 1 tbsp
4. Green chillies – 3 slit
5. Shallots – 3/4 th cup sliced
6. Garlic – 8 cloves chopped
7. Salt – to taste
8. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
9. Breadfruit – 1 package frozen ( 1 lb)
10. Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
11. Tomatoes – 1 medium chopped
12. Meat masala powder – 1 tbsp
13. Chilly powder - 1 tsp
14. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
15. Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
16. Garam masala – 1 tsp
17. Oil – 2 tbsp
18. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Add the ginger, garlic,green chillies, pepper powder , 1 spring of curry leaves, salt to taste, 1/2 of the chopped shallots ,vinegar, turmeric powder and beef to a frying pan and cook covered until the beef is 3/4'th cooked.You can do this step in the pressure cooker if you want to.
In another pan add the breadfruit pieces and 1/2 cup water with salt to taste and cover and cook the breadfruit until it is 3/4'th cooked. If there is excess water just pour it off.and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, add in the remaining shallots and curry leaves and fry iuntil the shallots are light brown.
Add the tomatoes and fry till oil separates.
Add the meat masala powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala and saute until raw smell is gone. Add the cooked beef along with gravy into the pan and also add the cooked bread fruit.
Mix well and close with a lid. Let it simmer for 10 minutes till the gravy is thick.

Grilled Chuck Steak

Chuck steak is a cut of meat that comes from the shoulder of the cow.Since this is a well exercised part of the animal the meat tends to be tough and fatty. Chuck cuts are inexpensive, which make people believe that they are of inferior quality and avoid this very delicious cut of meat.In reality it yields some of the most flavorful and economical option.It is best suited to slow cooking but you can grill it with great results.

If you decide to grill it, make sure you marinate it overnight , the marination process makes the meat really tender, moist and flavorful.The chuck contains a lot of connective tissue, including collagen. Collagen melts during the cooking process making the flavor intensely strong.Avoid over marination specially if you are adding acidic ingredients like lime juice or vinegar, you could marinate overnight with the rest of the ingredients and add the acidic ingredient an hour before you are ready to grill the meat.

Ingredients:

1. Chuck Steak - 1.5 to 2 lb piece
2. Garlic - 3 cloves crushed and finely chopped
3. Coarsely ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp
4. Onion powder - 1 tsp
5. Crushed red pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp
6. Dried rosemary - 1/4 tsp
7. Dried Thyme - 1/4 tsp
8. Dried Oregano - 1/4 tsp
9. Crushed fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
10. Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
11. Lime juice - 1 tbsp (add only an hour before cooking the steak)
12. Soy sauce - 2 tbsp

Method:
Wash and pat the steak dry with a paper towel and apply all the ingredients except the lime juice on the steak and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
An hour before grilling - take the steak out of the refrigerator and apply the lime juice to it .
Heat a cast iron skillet on high - when it is almost smoking place the marinated steak on the pan and grill undisturbed for 4 minutes.
Flip it over and grill for an additional 3 minutes.Transfer the steak to a plate and let it rest for few minutes before slicing .
Serve with grilled vegetables, seasoned rice,mashed potatoes etc.

Grilled Skirt Steak and Roasted Veggies

The term skirt steak refers to a cut of beef steak, that comes from the area between the ribs and hip or a cow - It is the diaphragm muscle which lies between the abdomen and chest cavity.A long, flat cut that is prized for its flavor rather than tenderness.To minimize their toughness skirt steaks are either grilled or pan-seared very quickly or cooked very slowly.Because of their strong graining - skirt steak is sliced across the grain for maximum tenderness. To aid in tenderness and flavor, they are also often marinated.
This is a cut of steak that holds up to a good marinade and is very flavorful.The trick is to cook it very quickly or go the other extreme and braise it for a long time, otherwise it will be pretty tough and chewy.For a medium rare steak it takes about five minutes on a hot cast iron skillet , maybe six; cook it until it doesn’t feel soft any more. Let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.

Ingredients:

1. Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
2. Garlic - 2 cloves chopped fine
3. Red pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp
4. Lime juice - 1.5 tsp
5. soy sauce - 2 tbsp
6. vegetable oil - 1 tsp
7. Italian herbs - 1/2 tsp (optional , I used dried Oregano and Parsley)
8. Skirt Steak - 1 - 1.5  lb piece leave it whole

Method:
Add all the ingredients into a ziplock bag or sealable container and allow to marinate for few hours or overnight.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator an hour before cooking it.
Heat a cast iron skillet on high until it is almost smoking.
Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil and spread it around.
Remove the steak from the marinade and place it on the hot pan and grill for 4 minutes without disturbing.
Flip over and grill for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
Let it rest for few minutes - then slice against the grain and serve with roasted vegetables.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:

For Sauce:

1. Canned Tomatoes - 1 28 ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes in juice(drain the juice and reserve it and chop up the tomatoes)
2. Butter - 4 tbsp
3. Onion - 1 chopped
4. Italian seasoning - Parsley,thyme,Oregano and Bay leaf to taste

For Meatballs:

1. Fresh bread - 1 slice
2. Ground Beef - 1 lb (you can use a mix of ground beef and pork for more flavor)
3. powdered Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
4. Egg - 1
5. garlic - 2 cloves
6. Onion - 1/2 small chopped fine
7. Cracked black pepper - 1 tsp
8. Soy sauce - to taste (use instead of salt)
9. Fresh Parsley - 2 tbsp
10. Milk - 1/4 cup

For Pasta:

1. Spaghetti - half of 1 box
2. powdered Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
3. Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
4. Fresh Parsley - 1 tbsp

Preparing the sauce:
Heat 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onions and saute for a minute.
Add in bay leaves and herb mix.
Add the chopped tomatoes with the juice and bring to a simmer.
simmer uncovered for around 35- 40 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
You can refrigerate the sauce for a week and use as required or freeze it.

Preparing the meatballs:
Combine bread and milk in small bowl,stir until bread is moist and broken up.
Place beef and pork in large bowl and break up into small chunks- do not knead the meat and compress it you need it light and airy for good meatballs.
Add the Parmesan cheese,garlic,onion,beaten egg,parsley, soy sauce, and pepper to the meat mixture.
squeeze milk from bread and add it to meat mixture.
Blend everything very gently until all ingredients are combined (do not overmix).
Refrigerate the mixture for an hour.

Cooking the meatballs:
Bring required amount of sauce to simmer and roll the meat mixture into small balls and add to the tomato sauce in a single layer and cook on medium low heat until meatballs are cooked (about 15 minutes) If the sauce gets too thick add in few tsp of water as required.

Cooking the spaghetti:
While the meatballs are cooking , bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain and risne with cold water .

Remove the meatballs from the sauce and keep aside.
Add the drained pasta into the sauce , add in the Olive oil and toss to combine - simmer until the pasta is reheated.
Sprinkle the cheese and fresh Parsley on top.
Serve with meatballs.

Beef Masala

Ingredients:

1. Beef - 2 lb cut into 1 inch cube(I used beef shank which is a tough cut of meat with some fat in it that can hold up to some long cooking time)
2. Onion - 1 large chopped
3. Tomato - 1 large chopped
4. Green chillies - 2 slit
5. Ginger - 1 inch piece chopped
6. Garlic - 8 cloves chopped
7. Curry leaves - 2 springs
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Vinegar - 1 tbsp
10. Oil - 2 tbsp
11. Meat masala - 4 tbsp (I used Eastern meat masala - it contains all the spices including coriander,chilly,turmeric,pepper etc)

Method:
Add the meat, turmeric powder, salt to taste ,ginger, garlic,green chillies and vinegar to a pan and cover and cook until the meat is 3/4'th cooked (About 15 minutes)Keep this aside.The beef will give out enough water ,but if you feel it is getting dry add just enough water to keep it moist.
Heat oil in a frying pan and saute the curry leaves , onion and tomatoes.
Add in the Meat masala and stir fry until it is mixed well.
Add the cooked beef along with any gravy into the frying pan and mix well.
Cover and cook until the beef is tender(about 15 minutes) and the gravy is thick.
Serve with Rice , chappathi ,puttu , appam etc.

Pressure cooker Beef Biriyani

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice - 2 cups
2. Beef - 2 lb cut into large pieces
3. Curd - 3/4 cup
4. Water - 2 cups
5. Whole spices - 4 cardamom,2 cloves,1 bay leaf,1/2 inch cinnamon stick ,5 whole peppercorns
6. Onion - 2 medium large sliced thin
7. Tomato - 1 large sliced thin
8. Ginger - 1 inch piece crushed to coarse paste
9. Garlic - 1 pod crushed to coarse paste
10. Green chillies - 7
11. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12. coriander leaves - 1 cup chopped
13. Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
14. salt to taste
15. Ghee - 3 tbsp
16. Biryani masala - 1 tbsp (crush together cloves,cinnamon,cardamon,Fennel)

Method:
Marinate the Beef with 1/2 cup curd , and 1/2 of the crushed Ginger and garlic plus 2 slit Green chillies and turmeric powder.Add salt to taste and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Soak the Basmati rice for 20 minutes while the meat is marinating - drain and keep aside.
Heat Ghee in a pressure cooker and add the whole spices and  saute for a few secs.
Add sliced onions and saute until they start turning color about 8 minutes.
Add the remaining ginger and garlic and saute until raw smell is gone.
Add in the marinated meat and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes are cooked.Add in the biriyani masala and remaining curd and the mint and coriander leaves and stir well.
Add in 2 cups of water and salt to taste and bring to a boil.
Add the drained Basmati rice and cover the cooker.
Once the steam starts forming put the weight on and keep on flame for 4 minutes (2 -3 whistles).
Turn the flame off and leave the cooker undisturbed for 25 minutes.By then the pressure would have released .Open the cooker and serve the biriyani hot with Salad, pickle and chutney

NOTE : The Beef we get in US takes very little time to cook.Adjust cooking times according to the type of meat you use.If you are using Goat meat you will have to precook the meat for 30 minutes (until it is 3/4'th done) before adding rice and pressure cooking.

Cottage Pie / Shepherds Pie

Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton. In the United States it is typically made with beef. The English, Australians and NewZealanders call the beef version a "cottage pie". Naming conventions aside, Shepherd's Pie is a layered casserole dish .The bottom layer has cooked meat and vegetables and the top layer consists of mashed potatoes.This is then baked until the top is slightly browned.Unlike standard pies, cottage or shepherd's pie does not include a bottom pastry crust.

Ingredients:

1. Ground beef - 1.5 lb (substitute with ground lamb or mutton if desired)
2. Yellow onion - 1 chopped
3. Vegetables - 1.5 cups (carots,peas,corn,bell pepper,mushroom etc can be used) I used cauliflower,mushroom,carrots and bell pepper and spring onion.
4. Butter - 1 tbsp
5. garlic - 3 cloves chopped fine
6. Worcestershire sauce - 1 tsp
7. Soy sauce - 2 tsp
8. Steak seasoning - 1 tsp (optional)
9. Chilly powder - 1 tsp(optional)
10. Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Mashed Potatoes - made with 2 lb potatoes

1. Potatoes - 2 lb
2. Butter - 5 tbsp
3. Cream/Milk - 1/2 cup
4. Garlic powder and Onion powder - 1/2 tsp each (Optional)
5. salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
Drain the potatoes and put it back on the stove to dry up any remaining mositure.
Turn the flame off and add the garlic/onion powder , butter and cream and mash well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of butter and saute the garlic, when it becomes soft add the chopped onions and then the vegetables according to cooking time.Adding the ones that take longer to cook initially.
Add in the soysauce,Worcestershire sauce , crushed pepper, chilly powder and steak seasoning and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add ground beef and sauté until it is no longer pink.Cook this for 10 minutes , if the mixture starts getting dry add in few tbsp of water or stock.
Take an oven proof baking dish and add a layer of the beef mixture at the bottom and pat it into a flat bed.
Distribute mashed potatoes on top and smooth it with the back of a spoon dipped in water.
Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks. When broiled the tips of the peaks should brown up and give it a rustic look.
Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Set the oven to Broil mode and finish it up under the broiler for the last few minutes.

Beef and Potato balls

This dish was made with some leftover beef that I had from the meat packet recipe.You can use any dry preparation for this like chicken , cutlet mix, vegetables etc.

Ingredients:

1. Prepared Meat - 2 cups
2. Boiled and peeled potatoes - 2
3. Bread crumbs - 1 cup
4. Egg whites - 2 beaten
5. Oil - to deep fry

Method:
Mash the boiled potatoes with a fork and add the prepared meat mixture and mix well.
Taste for salt and spice.
Form into small lime sized balls.
Heat oil on medium high.
Dip each ball in egg white , roll in breadcrumbs and fry until browned.
Serve with ketchup.