I must admit, there was a time that I avoided Indian food.  Not because I did not like it.  In fact, at that point, I had not ventured to try it.  Growing up, I was exposed to the usual Chinese restaurant or Teppan grill as was in vogue at the time.  Beyond that, my only ethnic food experiences were the dishes my own Hispanic family prepared.

My first foray into Indian food was attending the birthday party of a friend.  It was held in a rather popular Indian restaurant.  I have a memory of picking up and smelling the various sauces and raitas on the table and felt out of my zone. What were they for?  It’s not as if we were presented with a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa.  There was no clear directive.  The aromas of the food, my inability to identify what was in the dishes , the heat that soared in my mouth and my belly as I took my first bites, weren’t unpleasant, but didn’t exactly evoke any feelings of want.   I left that first venture vowing to never eat Indian food again.  And I didn’t…for a very long time.

The next foray was years later with a friend and I had applied some lessons I learned from my previous adventure.  I ordered what I now think is innocuous and reeks of mediocrity; chicken tandoori.  It’s like ordering chicken teriyaki when you find yourself in a sushi restaurant; the act of a person that lacks adventure.  It was all very pleasant, but nothing extremely memorable.

So, we come to the visit that cinched it…  And perhaps it was cinched due to conditions, but it cinched it nonetheless.  A friend had talked me into what was known as the best Indian buffet in town.  As we were both a bit hung-over from the previous night’s activities, the smell of spice and the vision of curry potatoes and piles of naan seemed like a godsend.  I was more than eager and more importantly, starving.  There we were 11:00 on Sunday morning with glasses of ice cold beer and mounds of Indian food on our plates.  It was beyond delicious.  I was a goner.

However, unlike many ethnic foods, economical options for Indian food are sparse.  I went back to the buffet a few more times, but to be honest, I was not a fan of the ambiance or lack thereof.  After my initial infatuation subsided, I realized that when I ordered beer, the server would not speak but rather point to an oddly high shelf above the buffet that housed the ‘beer list’. In fact, barely a word was ever spoken.  It was a very utilitarian process. Show up, tell them how many, they point to a table, we sit down, they bring out water and walk away.  If we wanted beer, we had to flag someone down so they could point to that shelf and we point out our choice. We would then plod our way to the buffet for one of many trips. When our bill came, it consisted of the symbol “X” and the number of people in our party.  If beer was ordered, an additional” X “was added and the price of the bottle.  The first time and only time we asked for a bill total, they were rather reticent to comply.  This was a no fuss, no muss establishment.  Not exactly my favorite way to eat.

Since I prefer the ambiance of my home, I decided to learn some Indian dishes.  It wouldn’t be spot on, but I could focus on what dishes I enjoyed and even tweak the recipe to my tastes.  I ended up buying a copy of Easy Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani.  One of my favorite dishes from this book is Ground Beef with Peas, otherwise known as Keema Matar.  I prefer to use ground lamb and serve it with cumin scented basmati rice, naan, and a simple cucumber-mint raita.  I have also swapped out the naan for butter lettuce leaves for an Indian twist on a lettuce wrap.

Keema Matar

2 TB vegetable oil

2 pounds of onions chopped (7 cups)

2 pounds of ground lamb (preferably ground from the leg)

1 ½ TB of minced ginger root

1 TB minced garlic

3-4 tsp of minced serrano chilies

1 TB ground coriander

1 ½ tsp of ground cumin

¾ tsp cayenne pepper

¾ tsp turmeric

1 ½ tsp salt to taste

1 (28 ounce) can of chopped tomatoes including juice

1 (10 ounce) bag of frozen green peas

1 tsp garam masala

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Sauté onions until beginning to color; 10-12 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium and sauté until dark brown, 25-30 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking to the pan.  If necessary, deglaze periodically with 2 TB of water.

Add ground lamb, ginger, garlic, and chilies.  Brown well, stirring frequently, 15-20 minutes.  Continue to deglaze with water as necessary.

Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and salt.  Mix well.  Sauté; stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes.

Add tomatoes with juice, mix well.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Add frozen peas and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with garam masala.  Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir mixture. Finish with the chopped cilantro before serving.