Kheema (Mince Meat)

Kheema or minced meat is a traditional Indian meat dish usually made with peas and potatoes. This dish can be made with any type of meat and for all the non meat eaters, I have even made this dish with soya flakes and it turns out just as yumm!

I have used beef mince for making this dish. You can replace it with chicken mince, lamb mince or soya flakes as per your liking. My hubby prefers kheema without the peas so I have left them out but if you like, you can add 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen peas.  I have used kasuri methi(dried fenugreek leaves) in this recipe as well cos it gives a great flavour to the kheema.  Addition of kasuri methi is optional.

Kheema is a great side dish that goes with hot parathas, rotis or naans and sliced onions with lemon wedges on the side.

To make kheema you will need

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Cooking time - 25 minutes

Serves 3 people

Ingredients

500g mince meat (of your choice)

2 tbsps oil

1 onion - chopped

2 tomatoes - peeled and chopped

1 potato - peeled and cut into cubes

1 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp pepper powder

1 tbsp kasuri methi(optional)

1 handful coriander leaves

1/2 cup water

a pinch of garam masala

salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions to this and fry until a light brown colour. Add the mince meat to this along with ginger garlic paste and salt to taste. Sauté on high flame until the meat browns.

• Add potatoes and tomatoes to this and continue to sauté on medium flame until the tomatoes are blended in well and the potatoes are half done.

•  Add all the spices to this(chilli, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder) and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover. Let it cook on slow for 15 minutes.

• Open and add Coriander leaves, pepper powder, garam masala and kasuri methi and mix well. Let it cook uncovered for another 5 minutes. 

Serve hot with paratha or any bread of your choice. We enjoy eating it with a bit of lemon juice squeezed on top.

Notes

1. If you are making it with soya flakes - after browning the onions directly add the tomatoes and potatoes and follow the steps. Add the soya only once you add 1/2 cup water before covering. Soya takes less time to cook so its better you add it at a later stage.

Shabnam

Tuna Cutlets

'TUNA' the very word repels most people I know. I guess its the smell that puts most off. I was one among those people too, before I tasted these yummy cutlets. Fathima, a good friend of mine sent some over and they were all gone within 10 minutes!!! No kidding. 


After eating these absolutely delicious cutlets,I just had to get the recipe  and try them out for myself. Fathima was sweet enough to give me the recipe and I was delighted at how simple it was to make them. They became my most favourite snack to make for tea parties. As many times as I made them, people who tasted them for the first time always loved them and were surprised to know they were made with tuna.


Well, I guess I shall stop talking about it now and give you the recipe to these yummy bites because you have to try them out yourself to know what I'm talking about.


To make tuna cutlets you will need
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 15 minutes
Makes around 26 medium sized cutlets
Ingredients:

2 tbsps oil
a few curry leaves
1tsp mustard seeds
1 tin tuna steak/chunks (drained)
1 onion
1 boiled potato - mashed
1 tomato - peeled&chopped
1 1/2 tbsp pepper powder
salt to taste
Ingredients needed for outter coating
2eggs beaten well
breadcrumbs
oil to deep fry the cutlets
Procedure:

• Take oil in a pan and add the curry leaves and mustard seeds until they crackle.
• Add chopped onions to this and saute.Then add the tin of tuna and continue to stir. Add chopped tomato and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add mashed potato along with pepper powder and salt to taste.

• Mix well and let it cool. 

• Make small rounded balls with this mixture and dip each ball into the beaten egg and then coat it with breadcrumbs.

• Deep fry until golden brown

Serve hot with ketchup or mayo. Enjoy!!


Notes

1. You can try this recipe with  shredded chicken or beef too if you don't want to use tuna. The tuna tin was 150g so take the equivalent of chicken or beef instead. 

Shabnam

Pepper Chicken

My daughter and me thoroughly enjoy a hearty meal of daal and rice but being true Tamilians at heart, we do enjoy it more with something to 'tottify' at the side :)

I was wondering what to make as a tottifier for lunch today. I needed to make something quick and easy.  What had I not made in a while that was quick and easy and yumm!? Of course! pepper chicken! Since I had some left over pre boiled chicken from the spring roll filling I made, it hardly took me 5 minutes to make this dish.

I had boneless chicken so I've used just 250g. You can make it with normal chicken pieces as well ( it is actually much tastier with the bones) and use 500g instead. Also, I've added green chilli paste instead of slit green chillies for one simple reason -  when my husband sees whole green chillies in any dish he finds it extra spicy also if its not :) 

Pepper chicken is something made at my mom's as a usual tottifier with daal and rice or rassam sadam. That's where I got this lovely recipe from.

To make it you will need

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Cooking time - 5-7 minutes

Serves - 4 people

Ingredients

250g chicken cooked in 1tsp ginger garlic paste

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 tsp coarsely ground pepper

1/2 tsp green chilli paste or 2 slit green chillies

1 tbsp oil

Procedure

• Cut the onion and pepper into cubes and toss them in a pan with 1 tbsp oil and salt to taste. Sauté for 2 minutes and add the coarsely ground pepper and green chillies to this.

• Continue to sauté further until the onions are translucent. Add chicken to this and sitr well.  

• Stir so all ingredients are blended well together. If you dont want it too dry then you can add 2-3tbsps of water at this stage and bring it to a boil. Remove from flame and serve hot with daal and rice or anything of your choice.

Enjoy

Note

1. You can make this dish with fish, lamb or any vegetable of your choice

Shabnam