Alia's Creative Life: 2013

Hello all you beautiful people out there.

How are you all?? It's been a long time since I posted anything! Sorry for that! :(

Well, I thought of sharing a recipe with you today. It's a recipe for Minced Meat Curry-Indian Style

Minced Meat Curry (Indian Style)

Ingredients:

Minced Meat - 1.5 Pounds (I used Goat meat and my meat was hand chopped. I don't know why but my mom prefers Hand Chopped Mince
Sliced Onions - 3 Medium Sized
Red Chili Powder - 1.5 Teaspoons (You could also use 4 Dried Red Chilis-I prefer Dried Chili to Chili Power)
Garam Masala Powder - 3 Teaspoons (You could use the ready made versions that are available in the market or you could refer to this link for the recipe http://aliascreativelife.blogspot.in/2011/06/recipe-for-perfect-indian-garam-masala.html)
Turmeric Powder - 0.5 Teaspoon
Yogurt - Half a Cup ( I know, I use weird measures, Sorry!)
Coriander Seed Powder - 1 Teaspoon, Dry Roasted
Ginger Paste - 2 Teaspoons
Garlic Paste - 2 Teaspoons
Tomato Ketchup - 3 Teaspoons
Salt - To taste
Cooking Oil - 5 Tablespoons
Frozen Peas - Half a Cup, Blanched in Hot water for 5 Minutes
Meat Tenderizer - Optional

Method:

The first step is to Caramelize the Onions. Heat the oil in a Deep Dish/Wok. I used a Traditional Indian Cooking pot made of Hindalium. Here's a sneak peek.
Fry the Sliced Onions. When they turn Golden Brown, drain them and put them on a cool plate. Turn off the stove. Let the oil stay in the pot. We'll use this to cook our Minced meat. Let the caramelized onions cool down for 10 minutes. (I don't know why the onion doesn't look golden enough in this picture. Bad lighting I guess!)
Grind together the following ingredients to make a fine paste-
Caramelized Onions
Yogurt
Turmeric Powder
Red Chili Powder/Dried Chili
Garam Masala Powder (2 Teaspoons)
Coriander Powder
Ginger Paste (1.5 Teaspoons)
Garlic Paste (1.5 Teaspoons)
Add some water to make a fine paste
Heat the oil again (The same oil that was used to fry the onions). Add this paste and saute well for about 5-7 Minutes. Keep stirring. Soon you'll see the oil separating from the Paste.
By this time the paste is almost cooked. Add the Minced meat and the Peas.
Add some salt. Do not add any water at this stage as the meat will shed some of its own. Stir well and cover.
You could use some Meat Tenderizer if required. One of the best Meat Tenderizers is Raw Papaya (Both the skin and pulp). It is so good, people swear by it and of course it's natural and healthy. I did not use any tenderizer in this recipe but you could use one. The meat takes lesser time to cook and becomes softer.
So now basically at this point of time you just need to let the meat cook. Cook it covered. Stir it occasionally. As I said earlier, the meat will shed some of its own liquid. Keep stirring from time to time and let it cook while covered.
When the meat is almost cooked, sprinkle 1 Teaspoon of Garam Masala, Half a Teaspoon of Ginger paste, Half a Teaspoon of Garlic Paste, add 3 Teaspoons of Tomato Ketchup and stir well. If the meat is dry, add some water, stir and let it cook. If there is too much liquid in the meat, let it cook without the lid, it will dry off.
When the minced meat is cooked, turn off the stove and serve hot. Garnish with Caramelized Onions and/or Chopped Coriander Leaves and/or Curry Leaves.