My Take On Keema

Yesterday I wrote about Tejal Rao's variety of Indian dishes she had published in The New York Times Food section. One stood out to me -keema, spiced meat. I had to try it but I added my own spin on it.

Ms. Rao's recipe called for a variety of spices including garam masala and chopped ginger. i modified it to just curry powder, cumin and chili powder.

As far as adding onions, they're really not liked in my house  so I subbed in chopped scallions.

These were cooked with olive oil and the spices. I used four Better Boy tomatoes instead of the called for Roma kind.

The recipe calls for pureeing these ingredients in the blender after cooking for a few minutes. I felt it would be too soupy so I just mashed everything with a potato masher which worked nicely.

I used only two cloves of garlic instead of the recommended five, finely mincing them.

Then it was adding 13 ounces of Gardein'

s meat crumbles and a cup of water. More curry, chili and cumin were added along with a good dash of salt and freshly ground pepper. Ms. Rao recommends

serving it with rolls or the Indian bread roti. I made brown rice which worked with it.

I would make this again , possibly using the Hyperabadi recipe that calls for peas along with adding the fresh ginger for heat. Maybe I'd also add potatoes and lentils too. You can also sub in ground beef, turkey, chicken or lamb for a more traditional taste.

Keema or spiced meat is a great way to introduce yourself and your family to Indian cooking. It's tasty and can be adapted to your tastes and likes. Try it today.

Tasting The Trends

After writing about avocado toast yesterday, I had to try it.I had all the ingredients and it was an intriguing recipe. I was also curious about the taste,especially on toasted bread.

First I started with the bread.Toasted Italian drizzled with olive oil was the best bet for this this breakfast turned dinner.

IT was cut in half  and I drizzled the oil on top.It went into the toaster oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.Meanwhile I cut up the avocadoes.

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Coarsely chop the avocadoes, add some olive oil to make it workable.

Then one sliced and diced tomato.

I used a potato masher to mash them together.Avocado topping has to be coarser and C hunker than guacamole.

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It was spooned on the hot toast.

How was it. It's an interesting departure from guacamole which I like better.I think the mash  and the bread  were at war with each other flavorwise. It must be  intense when the avocado and an egg are combined. I think any toasted bread is better with tomato not a cousin of guacamole.Still it's what trending.