The Dramatic Hollywood Rabbit

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

  Starting from outer top: Black Peppercorns, Cinnamon Sticks, Poppy Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Star Anise, Cloves, Mace, Nutmeg, Green Cardamom, Black Cardamom, Coriander Seeds, Dried Red Chillies, Starting from inner top: Tej Patta (similar to bay leaf), Dried Ginger Powder. Before discussing Menus that I use for North Indian dinners I first need to discuss ingredients for those who will want to cook at home.  The first time I went shopping for the spices needed for all the recipes I had planned to cook, I nearly had a heart attack.  The only access I had was the spice aisle at my local Kroger Store.  Even if I used their Kroger brand I was still looking at a huge bill and that was even before I got the main ingredients.  Luckily Hubby took me to an Indian Grocery Store and I was able to get the basic spices at a better price, but it is definitely a sticker shock the first time trying to have a well stocked spice cabinet. If you are starting your spice cabinet, I would recommend only purcha

Fondue for four.   Getting together with friends and family, whether it is for a happy or sad event or just getting together to catch up, nearly always requires food and drinks. Even growing up in a house with limited budget guests were always welcome at the table or to whatever was in the cabinets.  Almost all cultures that I have come across require the host to feed any guest well, whether it be family, friend, or stranger.  While my children were growing up their friends were welcome to anything in the kitchen except for carbonated drinks. There was always nimboo pani (Indian Lemonade), iced tea, cold coffee (Indian cold coffee is made with instant coffee, milk, ice, sugar), Kool-Aid (I would bring 300 packets of unsweetened Kool-Aid back from the US, grocery store clerks loved me). I honestly don’t know what I was keeping them from when I said no carbonated drinks, but that was the house rule.  Growing teenagers needed a lot of calories, so the kids’ crew had their house favorit