Indian Kheema
In a world where I do most of my shopping online and am used to a thousand choices on brands and flavors I’ve never quite seen life like this. The only other time I have to compare it to was when Hurricane Sandy hit. Our little beach town in central New Jersey was devastated. Its always uncomfortable when life changes abruptly. We typically reach for something familiar that gives us a sense of security and inner peace. We do a little soul searching, re-prioritize, and get back to basics and the things we truly love. Maybe we even appreciate things a little more. Food, to me, is one of those gifts. Food is something that brings me comfort, and cooking is in some ways therapeutic (most of the time). I will insert a short disclaimer: I do get upset if I’ve made a new recipe, and its a complete flop. That might ruin my next 1/2 hour or so (or until I at least pour another cocktail). And then there are the times I manage to cut or burn myself in the kitchen just because, like I said in my about page, I’m not a expert. It happens (all too often), but that’s ok. Other than that, food is my sanctuary, and during this past week, it’s particularly helped me cope through this uncertainty.
As I planned our menu for this week, I wasn’t sure what I’d find at the grocery store. Kurt and I’ve been working from home and also homeschooling Drew since Monday. We haven’t been out, and I knew I needed to stock up on some food. I took a couple recipes with me and figured I’m make whatever I could find. This is what we had for dinner last night. If you like ground beef and peas, you should look up Indian Kheema. I make mine in the Instant Pot, but you’ll also find recipes on the stove top. It’s quite simple, yet packed with big flavor. I’ve made this a handful of times, and where I really love it, the guys kind of just tolerate it. Well, as we’ve been trying our best to go with the flow all week, that’s what I did with this recipe. They had everything at the store but the ginger it calls for. Hum, I’ll just leave out the ginger and maybe double up on the garlic. I knew I’d like it, but guess what? Drew went ecstatic over it, and Kurt enjoyed it more too. Drew even had seconds.
Making the best with what we got. It’s a bit of a motto of mine. Through good times and bad. It’ll never let you down. So as you’re planning and making your meals during this time, don’t get sad if you’re missing an ingredient or two. Make the recipe anyway. You might discover you like it better that way!
Some notes on the recipe itself. I’ve always used the recipe for the Instant Pot, but one of these days I’ll try it on the stove top. When it says 3-4 pieces cinnamon, I use 3 whole cinnamon sticks. I pull both the cinnamon sticks and the cardamom pods out just before I add in the ground beef. You can adjust the heat on this by using more or less cayenne pepper. I like using the 1/2 teaspoon the recipe calls for, but when I take it down to a 1/4 teaspoon, Drew thinks its just right.
