Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Main Dishes

Spicy Kheema Spaghetti

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Growing up I always had a deep craving for what was considered “White people’s food” – burgers, hot dogs, pasta. Now of course I had access to it, but eating zabihah halal, I was limited to only eating vegetarian and seafood unless of course my mom made it for me using halal meat at home.

But much to my disappointment, there was no way she was going to ever produce a hot cheesy lasagna or a crispy chicken parmesan, no matter how many times she’d seen it on Food Network. These were anghraizi food and my mother was not anghraizi and therefore was not about to make these things. If I was hungry I was going to have to be satisfied with daal chawal.

So when I did request my mother to make spaghetti for me as a kid, I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that she was going to pull out a block of parmesan or chop up a sprig of basil …these ingredients were foreign to her.

Instead she came up with this dish.

With spicy ground beef/lamb marinated in turmeric, fennel powder, and lots of garlic cooked along with onions, tomatoes, and chilies – this literally is the Indian version of a  spaghetti and meat sauce. And after trying some, I didn’t care if it wasn’t authentic Italian like the way I saw Giada make it; it was too damn delicious.

I recently asked my mom for the full recipe, did a bit of adjusting, and now I am sharing it here with you all.

I start off by marinating the kheema (ground beef) in turmeric, fennel powder, coriander, cumin, and lots of garlic – this makes the kheema super flavorful. I then add in onion, bell pepper, serrano chilies, and fresh tomatoes along with some water to make a thick meat sauce.

Instead or oregano or basil, I add in a generous helping of fresh cilantro and toss it in some pasta noodles such as spaghetti or linguini.

This is a wonderful comfort dish, an easy week-night meal, and super kid-friendly!

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Spicy Kheema Spaghetti

Ingredients

  • 1 lb spaghetti, linguine, or pasta of your choice
  • 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef or lamb (may also substitute with plant-based ground meat or diced mushrooms)
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp fennel power
  • 3/4 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 small onions
  • 2-3 jalapenos or serranos
  • 1 28 oz crushed tomatoes can (or substitute with 5-6 fresh tomatoes chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup cilantro (chopped)

Instructions

Spicy Kheema Meat Sauce

  1. Add your olive oil to a hot pan and begin to brown the ground meat.

  2. Add in your salt and seasonings, cook the meat through.

  3. Once the meat has browned, add in your diced onions and serrano chilies.

  4. Once the onion becomes translucent, stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes.

  5. Now add in your chopped tomatoes. Stir around. Add in about 1/2 a cup of water in order to attain the consistency of a sauce.

  6. The water will gradually evaporate and the meat sauce will thicken. Add in the sugar and taste and adjust for seasonings.

Pasta

  1. In a large stock pot, boil a quart or so of salted water. To boil faster, cover with a lid.

  2. Once the pasta water has come to a rapid boil, add in the pasta. Cook until al-dente. Should take about 10-11 minutes. (See package instructions.)

  3. Drain the pasta and toss in the meat sauce. Garnish with cilantro. Your pasta dish is ready to serve!

Chili Chicken

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Indo-Chinese is super popular in India; although I am not quite sure if it holds the same regard in China. In any case, this week-night chicken dish will knock your socks off. It’s savory, it’s bold, it’s hot, and the perfect thing to make when you are craving something that requires little effort.

Chili Chicken is actually an Indo-Chinese concept – you take the holy trinity of  traditional Indian marinade – ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, and chili powder – combine that with soy sauce and wok-cooking and boom! You’ve got yourself a match made in heaven!

I start off by chopping up boneless chicken thighs into bite-size cubes and marinating them in soy sauce, chilli powder, paprika, turmeric, and ginger-garlic paste. Since this is a chili chicken, be generous with the chili powder. If you are a bit of a wimp, you can of course decrease the ratio of chilli powder to paprika which will still give you intense color and flavor without the heat.

 

 

What makes my chili chicken different than some other recipes is that I also add in a finely diced bell pepper and serrano chilie. It adds a little bit of extra sweetness, plus sneaks in some veggies.

 

Next is ketchup. I know some people might find it weird and gross, but its sweetness balances out the rest of the flavors and it is in fact authentically used in several Indian street foods.

 

 

My secret ingredient is MSG. I always say, “A little MSG hurt nobody.” I know it’s got a bad rep but after doing some research, I am truly convinced that the negativity it has received has been truly overblown.

If you’ve ever watched “Ugly Delicious” on Netflix (if you haven’t, I highly recommend you do, it’s a great food docu-series) then you’ve probably seen the episode on Chinese food where David Chang completely rips apart the notion of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”  – a name given to attribute GI intolerance to supposed MSG used in Chinese cooking when the reality of the matter is that MSG is found in several products (such as chips, cheese, salad dressing) but people seem to only attribute it to Chinese food  – hence making you critically think about how racism has impacted the way we view ethnic food in American food culture.

After coating the chicken in the marinade, the rest of it is pretty straight-forward; you toss everything together and allow it to cook down until the coating on the chicken caramelizes, forming a lovely charred crust on the exterior of the chicken pieces.

 

 

 

And there you have it! An amazing Indo-Chinese chicken dish. You can eat this up with naan, toss it in noodles, or even roll it up in a paratha like I did here for a killer lunch!

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Chili Chicken

An easy to make Indo-Chinese chicken dish that combines the holy trinity of Indian cooking - turmeric, chili powder, ginger-garlic paste with soy sauce, msg, and wok cooking.

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Chili Chicken

  • 1.5 lb boneless chicken thigh and/or breast
  • 4 tsp soy sauce
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1/2 bell pepper (finely diced)
  • 1 small green chilie
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 3/4 tsp msg or to taste
  • 1-2 tsp lime juice (or to taste)
  • 2 1/2 tsp oil
  • 2 tsp hot sauce (such as Frank's) optional

Instructions

  1. Begin by marinating your chicken. Combine soy sauce, turmeric, chilli powder, paprika and add to chicken. Mix well. Let sit for 30 minutes or keep in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

  2. Add oil to a frying pan or wok on medium-high heat. Add and sautee the finely diced bell pepper for a few minutes. 

  3. Now add chicken. Toss and cook for a few minutes. Then add in ketchup. 

  4. Allow liquid to evaporate. With time, the ketchup will caramelize and form a nice charred coating on the chicken. This process should take about 15 minutes. 

  5. Add in your lime juice, hot sauce, and salt. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Dosa with Coconut Chutney and Tomato Chili Chutney

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When most people think of Indian food, they think of tandoori and butter chicken, channa masala, naan, and puris – and while those are all delicious dishes, they are primarily considered North Indian food and are not exactly representative of Indian cuisine as a whole which is incredibly rich and diverse. That’s why this week, I wanted to show a recipe that is from the South of India, a recipe not only visually magnificent, but also an explosion of complex flavors –  The Dosa.

Dosa is a paper-thin, crispy crepe made of fermented rice and lentils and served with an assortment of sweet, savory, and spicy chutneys; I served mine with the classics – a coconut cilantro chutney and a tomato red chili chutney.

In order to get a beautiful and light batter, the process must begin a few days in advance. You start off by washing lentils and rice and letting them soak overnight. The ratio of lentils-to-rice can very greatly depending on who you ask. I use 1 cup channa daal, 2 cups urad daal, and 1 cup of white rice. This is the way my mom makes it and less starch and more lentils means that it’s super healthy and great for diabetic patients.

 

 

After soaking the lentils and rice, I grind it up in the food processor in several batches. I add a little bit of water to help bring the mixture together. You’ll know when it’s done when the texture is smooth (no major pieces) and thick.

After my batter is made, I pour it into a large pot with a wide bottom and let it sit covered in a warm place (usually in my oven turned off). I let it sit for about 24 hours – this ensures enough time for the fermentation process to occur. Once your batter has fermented, you’ll be left with a lovely thick and airy batter similar to pancake batter.

 

For the cilantro coconut chutney AKA the green chutney, I start off by frying some de-seeded serrano chilies in a little bit of oil along with some curry leaves. This step mellows out the harshness of the serrano while the curry leaves add a lovely aroma. I then add the chilies and curry leaves along with some onion, tamarind, cilantro, garlic, salt into my food processor along with some water until everything is well combined.

 

 

The tomato and red chilie chutney is also incredibly simple to make. I drop a tomato, onion, piece of ginger into a food processor until completely liquified. I then cook up the pureed mixture over the stove-top in a little bit of oil to get rid of the raw flavor. I finish it up by tempering the chutney with some mustard seeds, giving extra depth of flavor.

 

 

 

I also made a potato curry to go inside. This is the same recipe I use in my halwa puri recipe which you can visit here –  https://www.fatimasfabulouskitchen.com/2017/10/16/halwa-puri/

 

To make the actual dosa, you’ll need a hot griddle or wide flat circular pan. I drop a ladle-full into my pan and move my ladle around in a circular motion from the center to the periphery, trying to make the dosa as thin as possible. After a few minutes, the edges will start browning. That’s when you know it’s ready.

 

 

 

Go ahead and fold it over and serve it up in a nice big plate. And there you have it! A visual magnificent South-Indian classic that tastes heavenly!

 

 

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Dosa with Coconut Chutney and Tomato Chili Chutney

Servings 5

Ingredients

Dosa Batter

  • 1 cup urad daal
  • 1/2 cup chana daal
  • 1/2 cup white rice
  • 1/2-3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Coconut Chutney AKA Green Chutney

  • 1 cup fresh coconut (diced into half-moons) *if you cannot find fresh coconut, you can substitute for dried coconut found in most indo-pak stores
  • 1/2 small onion (white or yellow)
  • 2 serrano chilies (chopped and de-seeded)
  • 2 tbsp curry leaves (about 8-10)
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1 tbsp tamarind (if you are using concentrate, decrease amount to 1/2-1.5 tsp depending on brand, be sure to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Tomato and Chili Chutney AKA Red Chutney

  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 small red onions
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 3 dried red chilies
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1.5 tsp jaggery (may substitute with palm sugar, brown sugar, or regular white sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp oil (for mustard seeds)
  • 3/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Potato curry (see halwa puri recipe! - https://www.fatimasfabulouskitchen.com/2017/10/16/halwa-puri/)

Instructions

Dosa

  1. Start off by making your dosa batter. You must start the process at least two days in advance in order to allow for proper fermentation. Rinse and wash your lentils and rice thoroughly and allow them to soak in a big bowl of cold water overnight or about 10-12 hours. (Do not add salt!)

  2. The next day, drain the water and grind your lentils and rice in a blender or food processor with water. In order to make it easier on your machine, do it in multiple batches. Add enough water (a few tbsp at a time) to allow for easy grinding. If you add too much water, your dosa batter will be too watery. You want it to be relatively thick - the consistency of banana bread. The texture will be a little sandy but should not feel heavy and gritty; if so whiz it through your machine a second time.

  3. Pour your batter into a pot with a wide bottom and high-sides. Cover with a lid and let sit in a warm place with no drafts for  24-48 hrs.

  4. When your dosa batter is ready, it will be light and airy. That's when you know the fermentation process has occurred. Go ahead and add in your salt and combine well.

  5. Warm up a non-stick griddle or a wide-circular pan. Once hot, lower the heat to medium-low.

  6. Take a ladle-full of dosa batter and add it to your pan. Spread around multiple times from center to periphery in a circular fashion. (This step takes practice, so don't fret if your dosa doesn't come out perfectly the first time!)

  7. Drop a few teaspoons of oil all around the dosa. Allow the edges to turn brown. This will take a few minutes.

  8. Using a non-metal spatula, gently remove the dosa from the pan. The underside should be lightly brown and crispy. Remove the dosa and fold over. Your dosa is ready to be served!

Coconut Chutney AKA Green Chutney

  1.  Start off by sauteeing your diced and de-seeded serrano in a little bit of oil along with your curry leaves.

  2. Once lightly browned, turn off the stove and add to your food processor along with the rest of your ingredients - tamarind, cilantro, garlic, onion, salt. (I am using fresh coconut, but if you can't find any nor want to go through the trouble of cutting open a coconut, then you can find prepared diced coconut at your indo-pak store. I am also using fresh tamarind from the block. You may substitute with tamarind concentrate, just make sure to add less and taste to adjust.) Whiz it all up with a few tbsp of water until everything is well combined.

Tomato Chili Chutney AKA Red Chutney

  1.  Wash out your processor from the previous chutney, and add in a tomato, onion, dried red chilies, and ginger. Whiz up with a few tbsp of water until it becomes a fine puree. Add to a small pot with a little bit of oil. Cook on medium high-heat, until it thickens.

  2. Add in your jaggery and salt into the chutney. (If you cannot find jaggery, you may substitute with any other type of sugar - palm, brown, or white.) Taste and adjust sugar and salt.

  3. In a small pan, add a little bit of oil and add in your mustard seeds. Once you hear them pop, remove pan from heat and add the mustard seeds directly into the red chutney. Your chutney is now ready.