keema matar

Well it's finally that time of the year again - it's getting pretty damn cold outside. Not Canada cold of course but after living in Georgia for awhile, my cold tolerance has disappeared. Weather like this calls for warm, comforting dishes and for the past 2 weeks, curry has been my answer to the weather.

I like all types of curry - Japanese, Thai, Indian, etc. I think they're all awesome. They taste great and shh don't tell but they're easy to make as well. If you can make mac & cheese out of a box, you can make curry! Not only do the combination of fragrant spices and aromatics have a warm, soothing effect, many of the ingredients used to make curry have health benefits as well.

This keema matar (keema = ground meat, matar = green peas) uses a combination of curry powder, chili powder, garam masala, bay leaves, garlic and ginger to give it a delicious aromatic flavor. The slight heat from the chili powder (and dried chili as you'll soon see) helps clear up the sinuses. Bay leaves act as a digestive/anti-oxidant/anti-biotic. Garlic is a well-known health food that can help regulate blood sugar levels, act as an antibiotic and help in digestion. Ginger is known to be good for digestion, nausea, colds, and inflammation although further study of the latter 2 are required.

Oh and contrary to popular beliefs...not all curries are mouth scorching hot. This is a serious misconception that I want to clear up. Yes, there are hot varieties but there are mild and sweet ones as well. If you've never had curry before, do give them a try on your next opportunity.

Keema Matar

Original, Serves 4 (or 2 hungry people)

Ingredients:

- 1 lb ground beef (you can substitute with ground lamb, chicken if you'd like)

- 1 onion, diced

- 3 dehydrated red chili peppers (or 5 fresh ones, diced fine)

- 2 large bay leaves

- 3 cloves of garlic, grated

- one 0.5" slice of ginger, skinned and grated

- 1 tablespoon of tomato puree

- 1/2 cup tomato sauce

- 1.5 cups of water

- 1 cup frozen green peas

- 1.5 tablespoons curry powder

- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1) In a hot pan, add a neutral oil (canola, vegetable, safflower, etc.) and add the onions, bay leaves and chilis. Season with salt and pepper. Caramelize the onions over low/medium-low heat.

2) Once the onions are caramelized, add in your curry powder, garam masala and chili powder. Dry roast the spices for a minute or so until fragrant. Dry roasting the spices helps intensify the flavor.

3) Make a well in the center of the pan and cook the tomato puree to get rid of any bitterness. About 30 seconds.

4) Raise the heat to medium-high/high and cook off the ground beef until browned throughout. Make sure you're browning at a high heat or you'll get gray, anemic meat.

5) Once the meat is browned, add the tomato sauce, water and frozen peas. Give it a stir to mix evenly and add in the grated ginger and garlic. (I used a Microplane but if you don't have a grater, just mince it finely)

6) Bring the curry to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. It'll take about 10-15 minutes. Add a little more water if you need it to prevent scorching.

7) Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper before serving.

8) Serve over rice. This goes great with naan as well...or by itself.

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Just tell me what your guilty pleasure food is and you might win an Earth Fare bag filled with goodies on 12/14/09.

*Top Chef Note: naturally, I'm rooting for Kevin but I was really sad to see Jennifer go this week. She's shown a lot of finesse, passion, creativity and talent this season. Sure she needed Xanax before some of the challenges but she's shown everyone how talented she is. Great job Jen!