Indian Tandoori Cooking

Tandoori Chicken is cooked in a clay oven called the Tandoor. Tandoor is heated by the charcoal or wood which also provide the smoky flavor to it. Marinated chicken skewed on a skewer and cooked in Tandoor.
Photo: Wikimedia

Traditionally, tandoori dishes are cooked in a tandoor, an oval-shaped clay oven with a small fire in the bottom.  The heat rises gradually but ultimately reaches a much higher temperature than a barbeque.

A tandoor is normally used to cook naan bread, meats, and kebabs (meat or paneer).   The bread is stuck to the sides, the kebabs stood vertically and whole chickens rested on a grid over the fire.

For domestic cooking, a tandoor is not really convenient but the meat dishes can be reproduced on a barbeque or in the oven.  The bright red appearance of tandoori meats which you may see in Indian restaurants is produced by a food dye which really isn’t necessary to enhance the look of your tandoori dishes.

I have a great fondness for tandoori style food.  It has flavor, without being "hot" or high in calories or too filling.  In fact, it's an ideal dish summer or winter, if you fancy something a little different.  As a bonus, it doesn't take hours to prepare.  Of course, you can take all the effort out of it and use a pre-prepared mix, but I think they have less flavor and you can’t use them for anything else, whereas if you use the individual spices, you can make other dishes as well.

You can easily make tandoori chicken (whole), tandoori lamb chops (pork would be more unusual, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use it, if you prefer) and lamb tikka (kebabs) but my personal favourite is chicken tikka because it’s so quick so here’s my own recipe.

This recipe serves two people - multiply it for as many people as you want.

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts

1 small tub Greek yogurt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ginger powder

½ tsp chili powder (or to taste)

1 small clove garlic, crushed

salt to taste

1 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

Mix the spice powders and garlic into the yogurt.  You can use low-fat yogurt if you prefer.  You can also use fresh ginger or ginger paste from a jar rather than ginger powder but go easy on the quantity as it can be quite over-powering.  

At this point, you can also mix in the salt and lemon juice but if you do so, don’t leave the chicken to marinade for more than about 20 minutes or it will become very dry when cooked.  If you want to marinade it for a longer time, add the salt and lemon juice just before you cook the dish or sprinkle on to serve.

Thread the chicken onto skewers and either barbeque or cook on a grill using medium heat until the chicken is slightly browned and cooked through.

For a light meal, serve with salad, pitta or naan bread and lemon wedges or for something more substantial with rice and dahl.

Author: Liz Canham

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Cheer Up Your Window This Winter With A Garden To Grace It!

Photo: Wikimedia

When winter sets in soon and nip at your toes, don’t let the blues get to your love for gardening outdoors...simply bring it in indoors!

Yes, we recommend an indoor window garden to boost your spirits and keep the gloomy winter feel out in the cold with sensibly chosen winter plants - some fragrant and colorful, others edible and flavorful for enhancing your winter menus. Try this wonderful winter gardening remedy today:

Your windowsill is the perfect place for starting a seasonal indoor garden that will sustain your wintry

gardener’s soul and warm your heart with perfect seasonings for tasty, nutritious and wholesome soups, broths and stews if you plant timely, healthful herb when ushering out autumn.

Along with the versatile herbs like basil, compact dill, and Greek Oregano, you can also consider thyme and parsley beside coriander that readily takes to windowsill gardening and is likely to fill your winters with fragrance, greenery and soothing, medicinal value when added to soups!

These only require regular watering and a few hours of sunlight to grow and so are easy to grow even for those not blessed at birth with a green thumb.

Perhaps, some eye candy - in the form of fresh flowers that are regarded as winter blooms - can be your daily delight with just a snip of a seed packet, pre-prepared potting soil that has been treated for fertilizer mix and contains the necessary peat moss etc. for helping indoor plants nasturtiums, pansies

and calendulas.

Sure to bring a smile to your face and color to the room, flowering indoor plants in your window garden, when tended with a little bit of sunshine, water, and right soil-mixture, are the best bet for beating winter blues!

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Mouth Watering Memphis Style Pork Ribs

Smoked Ribs - Photo: Pixabay

The Memphis Style pork rib is one of the most popular and mouth-watering styles of rib preparation. One of the reasons for the popularity of the Memphis Style rib is its unique blend of barbeque tradition and flavorful seasonings.

The only sauce applied to Memphis Style ribs is mop sauce used for basting during the cooking process. Barbeque sauce is never used during the cooking process but rather served on the side with the ribs at the table. Because a barbeque sauce is not used, the mop sauce is an important component in keeping the meat moist. A Memphis Style barbeque sauce will be a tomato and vinegar based sauce that may also contain mustard. With this style, the quality of the meat is much more important than any sauce. The idea is to feature the meat rather than covering it up with a sauce. While some people can’t wait to dip the ribs in their favorite barbeque sauce, others enjoy the pure flavor of just the meat and rub seasoning.

Memphis style ribs are traditionally smoked and not grilled, baked or broiled. White oak and hickory are the traditional woods used however many other woods are now used. Other woods used include apple and cherry.

While the quality of the meat is extra important the Memphis Style, choosing which cut is up to the individual and the occasion. The most popular pork rib is the St. Louis Style Rib which comes from the pig’s rib section. The back rib, also known as the Baby Back Rib comes from the loin portion or back and is also quite popular. The St. Louis Style Rib is typically easier to work with and has more meat making it a favorite for the hearty eater.

However you decide to cook them, low heat and slow cooking will give you the best rib.

For the mop sauce

·1 1/2 cups cider vinegar 

·2 cups apple cider 

·2 bay leaves

·4 cloves garlic, finely minced 

·3 tablespoons hot sauce 

·1 tablespoon salt 

·3/4 cup BBQ Rub, recipe follows

For the rub

·1/4 cup paprika 

·1/4 cup dark brown sugar

·2 tablespoons black pepper

·1 tablespoon salt

·1 tablespoon celery salt 

·2 teaspoons garlic powder 

·2 teaspoons dry mustard 

·2 teaspoons cumin 

·1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparing the ribs - Wash the ribs and blot dry with paper towel. Place the ribs meat-side up. Cut the line of fat on the base of the ribs to remove the cartilaginous rib tips. Flip the meat over and cut off the flap of meat on the inside of the ribs. This is not essential but will help prevent them from burning. Remove the membrane on the back of each rack of ribs. You can use your fingers to pull it off but sometimes it’s easier to use a paper towel or a dishtowel to get a secure grip.

Combine the ingredients for the rub and mix well. Liberally rub the ribs on both sides with the mixture. Wrap each rib in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and let marinate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.

Preparing the smoker – Presoak your wood chips in water for roughly an hour. Place a drip pan in the center of your smoker with plenty of water. A charcoal chimney is best to get your coals started. Once you have hot coals spread them out and put a healthy amount of your chips down.

Smoking the ribs – Place aluminum foil on the rack before placing the ribs down and another loose piece on top of the ribs. Place the ribs on the smoker over the drip pan and cover the smoker. Start basting with the mop sauce after 30 minutes, basting every 20-30 minutes. You will need to replenish the coals and wood chips from time to time as needed. The ribs are done when the meat is very tender and it has shrunk back from the ends of the bones. At temperatures ranging from 200-250, your ribs should take roughly 4-5 hours, however, every smoker is different.

Cut each slab between the rib bones and serve with your favorite barbecue sauce on the side.

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The Wide Choice Of Indoor Plants

Maceta con begonias rosas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When it comes to choosing indoor plants there is no dearth of the variety you can select from. We will list some of the plants that can liven up your indoors and are easy to maintain.

It will pay, however, to keep in mind that any type of plant needs sunlight and will sooner or later begin to tilt toward the source of light. This will make them grow at an awkward angle and so you will need to rotate the direction so that the plant will grow straight up.

Some of the popular indoor plants include:

African Violets: These small potted plants are easy to grow and adapt well to the indoors. These plants blossom for about three weeks, however, they need a lot of sunshine, so keep them on a windowsill.

However, avoid the heat of the sun or they will wither. These plants also need special fertilizer made

especially for them. All greenhouse stores keep a supply of it.

Begonias: You will find three kinds of Begonias; Tuberous, Perennial and Semperflorens. The most common of the Begonias are the Semperflorens and come in everblooming and wax finishes.

Begonias are available in red, pink, yellow and white varieties and all have a very attractive yellow

center.

Ivy: This variety of indoor climber makes for a very attractive indoor plant. Though this plant can survive for quite some time in a dark corner of a room it will soon begin to demand its share of sunlight.

So if you plan to have this plant among your collection it is best to choose a place near a source of sunlight. Remember to add enough water to your ivy to make the water drip out of the bottom of the pot. Too little water will stunt the plant.

Some of the other popular plants are Cactus, Coleus, Amaryllis, Geraniums, Paper Whites, Poinsettia and a variety of rubber plants.

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Give Me French Fries with that Shake

French Fries - Photo: Flickr

What goes better with a juicy hamburger and a delicious milkshake than a plate of crispy French fries?

Nothing, that’s what. I bet you’ve had countless meals, especially hamburgers, with a side of fries. Now you’re looking to find some recipes that show’s you exactly how to make those tasty diners and fast food restaurant style French fries.

Well, you’re in luck because you can easily find out online how to make fast food French fries – like McDonald’s French fries, curly French fries, sweet potato French fries, oven baked French fries, or baked homemade French fries.

Cooking French fries the traditional way involves grease and you want to be sure to use low-fat cooking oil to cut down on the fat content. There are places online to find French fries makers where you can deep fry them at home in just a few minutes.

Many people enjoy the recipes for seasoned French fries that are baked in an oven and not a frying pan. Cooking seasoned French fries in the oven eliminates most of the extra fat and calories, without sacrificing that delicious French fries taste.

Making French fries to eat at home that tastes the same or better than the ones you have when you eat out is easy and fun with the right recipe, potatoes, oil, and seasonings. 

Author: Donna Monday

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The Secrets Of Winterizing Your Garden

Photo: Pixabay

If you’re like most people it isn’t the thought of winterizing your garden that gets you, it’s figuring out where to start. There’s just so much to do that it can sometimes be hard to know where to begin! 

Well, relax. The harvest is in and putting your garden to bed, so to speak, is one of the more fun parts of gardening. You have a nice full cellar and pantry. The hard work is done, and you can relish the idea of preparing for next year’s garden. 

Which is the perfect place to start winterizing your garden? One of the first things you should do is clean all the debris from your garden. Get rid of dead foliage, leaves, roots, stakes and row markers. The debris you clean from your garden can be added to your compost heap which will be a big help come spring. You want to be sure, though, not to add any diseased debris or pest infected dead leaves or stalks in your compost pile. You don’t want to accidentally spread a disease from this year’s garden to next year’s. 

And now that you’re in cleaning mode, get out the rake and attack those fallen leaves scattered across your lawn. Why is it so important to remove leaves from your lawn? Because the grass underneath the leaves still needs all light it can get. Raking leaves from your lawn also let adequate air and moisture get to living plants in your yard. After all, you don’t want any of your lovely grass and plants to suffocate! 

Winterizing your garden also means mulching. You want to spread a light layer of mulch, just a few inches of it, around your trees and shrubs. This helps keep the underground temperature more stable throughout the winter, as well as offers much-needed protection to roots underneath the surface. Careful, though, too much mulch will become a home for rodents, which is the last thing you want. Mice just love to chew on bark, so don’t give them a place to hide while they munch away. 

When winterizing your garden, you will also want to take the time to plan next year’s vegetable garden. After ridding your vegetable garden plot of debris, old leaves and roots, plan where you want to put next year’s vegetables. Take a pad with you out to the garden and make a sketch of where you want to put all your lovely vegetable plants in the spring. Doing this helps you make the most use of your garden area. No space goes unused if you take the time to plan—which means more delicious vegetables for you next summer and fall! 

You’ll also want to be sure you’ve taken proper care to winterize your garden equipment and tools. Drain the gas from your lawnmower’s tank, weed eater and other garden equipment. You may also want to put the battery from the lawnmower and any other garden equipment into storage where it will remain at a steady, above-freezing temperature. This will help lengthen the life of the battery, which is good because there’s nothing worse than getting ready or needing to mow only to find your lawnmower battery is dead. 

Take the time to put your tools and gardening utensils away for their long winter’s nap too. Make sure they’re stored where mice can’t nibble on the handles (they like all kinds of wood, you know). Also, make sure they’re all cleaned before you store them away. And yes, please throw away any tools that are worn out and replace them or start dropping hints to your family and friends about tools and equipment you need for gardening. This not only gives your family ideas for holiday gifts, it ensures that you won’t be all excited and ready to start next year’s gardening only to have tools breaking on your left and right, leaving you frustrated and having to make extra trips to the local home improvement store. 

Now that your garden tools are ready for winter, the next step in winterizing your garden is to hit the local bookstores (or favorite online gardening site!). Yes, you read that correctly. Once the work of winterizing your garden’s behind you, it’s time to curl up on the sofa in front of the fire with a lovely stack of gardening books beside you. Because the only thing that comes close to bringing you the same enjoyment that being in your garden does is being engrossed in a great book about gardening!

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Mom's German Potato Salad

Have you ever paused to ponder why fast fries and refined potato chips are so popular with the masses? If such processed and unhealthy junk can hold such appeal, can you imagine how much more real flavor this good old potato recipe all the way from Germany packs? I enjoy my potatoes as a great-tasting source of starchy carbohydrates too, so dig in friends!

Mom's German Potato Salad 

5 lb red potatoes

1 lg onion, chopped

1 t salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

8 sl bacon

1 1/2 c water

1 1/2 c vinegar

1 c granulated white sugar

4 eggs, hard cooked

Cook the potatoes in their jackets. When the potatoes are cool, peel and slice. Salt and pepper the potato slices. Chop the onions and add to potatoes. Cube the bacon and fry in a large fry pan until golden brown. Remove bacon bits from grease in the pan, add the water, vinegar, and sugar to the pan, then bring to boil. 

Place the potato mixture in the liquid, stirring occasionally. Add more liquid if so needed. Then add bacon bits and sliced or cubed eggs if desired. Serve warm and enjoy. Do not use Idaho potatoes though as the red ones are best.

Author: Luke Indran

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