The Dramatic Hollywood Rabbit

  Seekh kabab on flatbread In Delhi, once the monsoon is over and the nights begin to turn cool.  Many households begin to crave Indian BBQ.  In my house we like to order a large variety of kabobs and finish the meal with Biryani, Black Dal, Raita,  and Naan.  The stomachs may ache from eating too much, but it is definitely worth it.  Since we live in a flat we usually order in for our BBQ nights, but if you live where you can grill out, I highly recommend trying to make some of these items at home, when you are getting together with close friends. Between Dusserha and Diwali many Indians play cards regularly.  It’s an invitation for good luck throughout the new year.  The game is usually Teen Patti, otherwise known as  3 card poker.  Often friends and family will meet up around 9 or 10 pm and play until the early morning.  The host will keep serving heavy snacks until after midnight and then will lay a simple dinner, quite often Biryani, Dal Makhani, a vegetable, and Raita and a coupl

This was ordered in to my son's house.  I normally don't photograph my normal dinners, only special occasions like Christmas or Thanksgiving.  One reason is that Indian food rarely photographs well, the required gravy dishes just don't 'pop' like dry items can in photos. 1983, I met Hubby and discovered Indian Food.  Up until then the most exotic food I had ever had consisted of Korean food at a friend’s house.  I nearly died while eating kimchi as the cabbage piece was so long that when I swallowed, one end was in my stomach and the other end was still in my chopsticks, because I couldn’t bite it off.  (My friend had to pull it out, I can still feel that kimchi sliding up my esophagus as I tried to breathe).   The only other non “American” food was a birthday dinner at the Magic Wok,  a Chinese restaurant, where I mispronounced the word lichi so bad the waiter had to ask several times what I wanted for a sweet dish. That was pretty much it, except for my Granny’s s

Outer circle starting from top: Black Peppercorns, Cinnamon Sticks, Poppy Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Star Anise, Cloves, Mace, Nutmeg, Green Cardamom, Black Cardamom, Coriander Seeds, Dried Red Chillies.  Inside circle starting from top: Tej Patta, Dried Ginger Powder, Fennel Seeds. Garam masala, a blend of roasted spices that have been powdered. While many branded versions can be found in the market, many houses prefer to make their own. Think of garam masala similar to taco seasoning, you can add all the spices separately, but sometimes you don't have the time or perhaps you need to add a little oomph to your dish. At the absolute basic a Garam Masala should have cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper, green cardamom, and cinnamon. (As stated in my recipe, I roast and powder coriander seeds at home and use it heavily, so it isn't added in my recipe, but it is added to many Indian dishes.) As much as I hate saying to experiment and use any garam masala as a starting point. E