A Strange Dichotomy

I have often wondered if it is harder being a patient or is it harder being an observer/caregiver. In all honesty, I don't know albeit I have often felt that I would rather endure the pain than watch your loved one wrestle with it. Having a child with a congenital disorder can be a lifelong teaching lesson and it does not get any easier over time. You might get used to the procedures and terminology but you pay a heavy emotional toll on every episode. Yet, I sit here and watch with admiration the many people around me with kids who have ailments that you may have never heard of and their stoic parents who toil day and night to care for their children. It is a humbling experience to say the least.

Last week, I got a chance to meet a mom with a toddler in tow. They were being driven back to the Holiday Inn from Cincinnati Childrens Hospital in the free taxi that the hotel provides (amazing how generous can people be). The little girl was the cutest thing and reminded me of little Priya of 18 years past. Well, we had a nice conversation with the mom and found out that they were regular visitors from New Mexico and the little girl is Hanna and her wonderful story is chronicled on the Ronald McDonal website. Take a gander if you want to read a true heartwarming story. I guess there is so much depth and beauty among so much pain and there are stories like this everywhere. I am watching life unfold in front of me and I smile and cry at the same time. http://www.rmhcincinnati.org/family-stories-details.aspx?ItemID=138

Of two places?

There are times when you hear a line and it resonates with you so much that it permeates your thoughts for days. It brings to the forefront the sentiments that you have been carrying inside you for a while. On a recent drive home from work, I was listening to Terry Gross interview Anthony Shadid where he spoke a line that has stuck with me since. “It is hard to be of two places”, Anthony said when asked about his grandparents home in Lebanon, where he has decided to rebuild and live. I can’t say how true that is and perhaps for many first generation émigrés to USA.

Next year will mark the 25^th anniversary of my arrival in the US. I could perhaps write a book about my experiences here in the US but not a day goes by when I don’t find myself to be of two places and how hard that has been. There is a daily struggle between the two you. One that is Indian to the core and the other that lives in America. It is almost like your body is in once place and your soul is stuck on the guava tree that you used to climb on hot sunny afternoons. 

Then all of a sudden you see your 3 children who were born and brought up here and you envy them, because they are really not of two places. They may understand where you come from but they never grew up where you did. It’s hard to explain but not very hard to understand.

The recent uproar over the mismanagement of commonwealth games has created an opportunity for a lot folks to demonize India as it highlights the inadequacies and exposes the ugliness, greed and ineptness of some but you don’t hate your mom just because she is imperfect. She is someone who gave birth to you and you carry those imperfections whether you like it or not.

I am as guilty as anyone who has moved overseas at a young age to scoff and shake my head at the daily misery that people endure whenever I visit home and swear that I will never return, yet I am the first one to catch a flight back home to absorb the culture, the richness the realness of the people. Some call it “Khoon ki Pukar” (call of your blood), some dismiss it as a need; “you have family and roots”. I have to confess, I miss the closeness, I miss the culture, I miss the holidays, the marriages and every other cultural event good or bad. It is an entirely different feeling to light the diya’s around diwali back home than do it in a synthetic community center in San Jose surrounded by people who wear their silky kurta’s and sari’s that came out of an attic the night before smelling of mothballs or look over your shoulder during holi and wonder what your neighbors will think. It’s hard to be you. I am lucky to be working at a very diverse place where our cultural differences are easily understood but yet you somehow feel like a guest.

  

Chili Cook off at the Clos La Chance Winery

It is no secret that I like to cook, however there are certain dishes I have never attempted. Chili being one of them. Somehow deep down in my bones, I have always felt that I could do a decent job with Chili. Having spent my formative years in India, Chili was not a dish that I was familiar with until I came to the USA. I was introduced to Chili in Van Nuys of all places. Original Tommy's Burgers with Chili on them!! Oh my, what a revelation. This tiny joint (a large company albeit) on the corner of Victory and Van Nuys has left an indelible mark on my psyche and needless to say my taste buds!! Which brings me to the Chili Cook off. There I was sitting at my desk and out pops a email notification from Clos La Chance inviting folks to participate in a Chili Cook off fundraiser at their scenic winery. The temptation was too hard to resist. A couple of email exchanges later, I was officially entered into the contest. As usual, I had fabulous support from my better 3 quarters who has always encouraged me to try new things. Thanks babe.

In doing some research, I found much to my dismay the same outline for making chili in many recipes that I reviewed. A few variations here and there but most of the recipes follow the same tired path. How does one then, make their chili stand out? Let me tell you, it's not an easy task. No wonder the same basic recipe is used over and over again. So the quest for a good chili started with an experiment or two or three and then finally it dawned on me that I should be myself and not follow recipes. Below is what I did to create my chili. I didn't win, but I did get many compliments and I do know what I need to do the next time to change a few things to make this better. Your mileage might vary. Here is what I did.

KJ's "Finger Less" Chili with Sour Cream Avocado Sauce and toasted Cumin 

Serves 8 to 10 people

2  Pounds Ground Chuck (please, no lean meat, you need fat)

1 Pound Chorizo (but you could use Linguica as well)

6 Roma tomatoes

4-5 Tomatillo's

2 Anahiem Chili's

1 Large red onion 

6  Jalapeno's

1 Habanero

10 cloves of Garlic

2 tablespoons Ancho Chili Powder

2 tablespoons Pasilla Chili Powder

1 tablespoon Roasted Cumin Powder

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 Cups Chicken broth

1 ham hock

1 bay leaf

2 bottles of dark ale or stout

1 large can of any beans you like (kidney, cranberry etc)

1 can tomato sauce (good quality organic sauce)

5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Shots El Patron

Sour Cream Sauce (Optional)

2 Avocado's 

2 Cups Sour Cream (mexican sour cream)

1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro

1 tablespoon Roasted Cumin Powder

1 tablespoon Honey or Maple Syrup

Juice from 2 limes

Salt to taste

Preparation

Light a grill. When the grill is hot enough, put tomatoes, 4 jalapeno's (keep 2), garlic (wrapped in foil), tomatillo's and Anahiem Chili's on the grill. Char them like their mother's hated them. Take them off the grill and let them cool. Keep the grill on and grill the chorizo or the linguica. Remove from grill and chop.

Put 3 tablespoons of Olive oil in a large pan. When the oil is hot enough, put the ground beef and brown the beef. While the beef is being cooked, chop onions and coarsely chop the roasted garlic. 

Remove beef from the pan by draining it. Leave the oil in the pan. Heat the remaining oil and add the other 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil to it. Add the chopped onions and saute them for 3/4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and bay leaf. Saute for another few minutes. Add the Ancho Chili, Pasilla Chili and Roasted Cumin powder to the pan. Saute for about another minute and add 1 bottle of the dark ale. Drink the other bottle. 

Let the sauce reduce to almost a paste consistency. While the sauce is reducing. Add charred tomatoes, peppers, tomatillo's and the Habanero pepper in a blender and mix and make a puree out of it. I don't remove the skin from the peppers or the seeds. I like the texture with them in the sauce. Set aside.

Add cooked beef and chopped Chorizo or chopped Linguica to the reduced sauce in the pan.Mix thoroughly. Add the tomato and pepper puree to the pan and 2 cans of good quality chicken broth and the can of tomato sauce. Stir and slide in the the ham hock.Tell the women and children to leave the house and put on some nice music and take 2 tequila shots. Thank you Bill Hassell for this tip :-) Simmer the mixture for about 45 minutes making sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Drain the beans and add to the pan. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Check for salt, heat and sweetness, adjust accordingly. Remove the ham hock from the chili carefully with a tong and cut the meat from the hock and shred with a knife. Put the shredded ham hock meat removed from the bone back into the chili. 

At this point. Your chili is ready.

For the Avocado sauce. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and make a paste. Check for salt before removing from blender and if the paste is too thick, add some water but be careful not to make it too thin.

Serve the chili with a dollop of Sour Cream Sauce and some Corn Tortilla Chips

Enjoy!!!!! 

Our tendencies towards star athletes!!

A funny thing happened right as the Lakers were starting to celebrate their 16th NBA championship. Someone asked Ron Artest about his performance during the final and on National TV, Ron in his exuberance thanked his therapist who helped him overcome anger. Normally, such a statement would raise few eyebrows only for the fact that it is unusual for a professional NBA player to boldly proclaim this in front of an audience of millions. For those who are not aware, a few years ago, during a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Ron Artest was involved in a major on court brawl while playing for the Indiana Pacers. Ron went after a spectator who had apparently thrown diet coke at him during the game. Ron was suspended for 70 games by the erstwhile NBA commissioner David Stern and lost about $7 million in salary that year.

Fast forward to the Lakers and this episode. The day after the championship, the airwaves were abuzz over Ron's comments. Radio sportscasters were asking listeners to call in and comment on the on air admission of therapy. I usually don’t listen to sports radio talk show but I had tuned on to the radio to catch a world cup soccer score and instead, what I heard was a constant mockery of what Ron said and other comments about Ron’s admission of drinking Hennessy during half time of games in the years past. I want to make something very clear. I am no big fan of Ron Artest and hardly know anything about the man but I did spend some time reading about Ron’s history, his upbringing and the trouble he has been in over the years. The media today focuses on labels. Ron Artest has been labeled as the “bad boy” of NBA and that label is likely to stick with him for the rest of his career. Never mind that he has upped every team’s performance that he has played for and his defensive intensity is an envy of many players. Why then does the media, specially the Sports Radio talk show hosts spend so much time on putting someone down who has the gumption to take steps in improve himself and admit openly that he has had problems and chooses the biggest stage to announce that his therapist has helped him. Isn’t getting help supposed to be a good thing? Half the men I know don’t have the courage to admit their wrong doings much less admit seeing a therapist. Hell, most men I know feel that going to a therapist a sign of weakness.

In the Celtics series alone, there were many instances where Ron was being baited to get into an altercation so that perhaps he could get technical fouls or better yet be ejected, but he showed poise and proved the Celtics wrong by making clutch shots and being instrumental in helping the Lakers win their 16th Championship.

I think our society likes to see people who are talented and successful, fail. Somewhere deep down inside, we take pleasure when the likes of Tiger, Ron or Kobe for that matter, stumble. We tend to forget that players and artists are human beings just like us and have weaknesses much like we do. We should instead try to remember that there is much to learn from them, such as their determination to get better and make amends. 

Bobby Flay Throwdown. Pulled Pork Recipe

Oh my!! Was watching the show today and this recipe looks just mouth watering. I am going to try it as soon as the weather permits.













Ingredients
Dry Rub:

* 1 cup ancho chili powder
* 1/3 cup Spanish paprika
* 3 tablespoons ground dried oregano
* 3 tablespoons ground coriander
* 3 tablespoons dry mustard
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 teaspoons chile de arbol
* 1 (6-pound) pork shoulder
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Chicken stock, if needed

Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce:

* 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 2 teaspoons honey
* 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
* Salt
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola/olive oil blend
* Water, if needed

Green Onion Slaw:

* 1 cup coarsely chopped green onions
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* 2 serrano chiles
* 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup pure olive oil
* 1 head purple cabbage, finely shredded
* 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
* 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
* Hamburger buns, for serving
* Special equipment: lump charcoal, wood chips soaked in water for 15 minutes, smoker or charcoal grill

Directions



For the Dry Rub:

Add all the dry rub ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.

For the pork shoulder:

Place the pork, fat side up, on a clean baking sheet. Season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper then rub the dry rub all over the pork, pressing into the meat. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for 7 hours.

Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce:

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until emulsified. Add water if the sauce is too thick.

Green Onion Slaw:

Place the green onions, vinegar, chiles, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and oil into a blender and blend until emulsified. Place the cabbage and red onions in a bowl, add the dressing and stir until combined. Fold in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the pork shoulder:

Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Following manufacturer's instructions and using lump charcoal and 1/2 cup drained wood chips for a smoker, or 1 cup for a barbecue, start fire and bring temperature of smoker or barbecue to 225 degrees F to 250 degrees F. Place the pork on the rack in smoker or barbecue. Cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork reaches 165 degrees F. Turn pork every 45 minutes, about 6 hours total. If using the smoker, after 2 hours place the pork into the smoker pan and fill halfway with chicken stock. (This is to prevent the shoulder from drying out.)

Add more charcoal, as needed, to maintain 225 degrees F to 250 degrees F and more wood drained wood chips (1/2 cup for the smoker or 1 cup for the barbecue with each addition) to maintain smoke level.

Transfer pork to a clean rimmed baking sheet. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Shred into bite-size pieces. Mound on platter and toss with most of the Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce, reserving the rest for drizzling the bun. Pour any juice from the baking sheet over the pork.

Chef's Note: This can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer the pork and any juices to a baking dish. Cover with foil and chill. Before continuing, re-warm pork, covered, in a 350 degrees F oven for about 30 minutes.

For assembly:

Drizzle the sauce on the top and bottom of the bun. Top the bottom bun with the meat, another drizzle of sauce, Green Onion Slaw and finish with the top of the bun.

Panasonic TH-42PD25 Image Push 1/3 off the screen fix TNPX25JIG

I purchased my Panasonic plasma tv several years ago and started experiencing the problem described on the title above. I was lucky enough to order the TNPEEP jig a part that panasonic has stopped selling, it is also referred to as TNPX25JIG. I can rent it out to you for a nominal fee if you are having this problem. Send me an email or post a note with your email address.

I provide this information for those that are qualified and trained to do TV repair work. Entering or making changes in service mode by untrained persons can cause significant and permanent damage to your television. If you are not qualified to service your television, please DO NOT ENTER these service menu codes.

To sum up the instructions:

1) Remove one screw in the back of the plasma in the top left to access connector PA23.
2) Plug in the EEPROM (the part # above), and turn on the unit.
3) Go to serviceman mode (see instructions below)
4) Go to EEP "AREA" and press "OK"
5) Press > cursor button twice to slect "15 9C FIX", press "OK"
6) Select EEP "EX > IN" and "15 9E _____" will begin flashing yellow/purple once data transfer starts. (about 30 seconds)
7) When EEPROM data update is done, the unit will turn off and back on.
Wait for it to power itself back on. (about 30 seconds)
FOR SOME FOLKS THE POWER DOES NOT COME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY. IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU DON'T PANIC. USE THE POWER BUTTON ON THE TV TO TURN IT BACK ON AND NOT THE POWER BUTTON ON THE REMOTE.
8) Do some self checks if you like
9) Disconnect AC cord, remove JIG, and turn it on.


Serviceman Mode for
PA25UP / PD25UP / PX25UP :


* Using the remote control:
* Press the {MENU} button.
* Set "Antenna A" to "Cable".
* Select "Timer" menu and set sleep timer to 30 min.
* Press {OK} twice to exit menus.
* Tune to channel 124.
* Press and hold {VOL -} button ON THE PLASMA TV.

(You will also see an AREA selection at the bottom of the screen which you will use when you go to fix the 1/3 screen problem)

"CHK" appears in on top-left corner followed by 5 letter/numbers
(which are the cumulative hours in hex numbers)

* While the "CHK" is displayed, press the {OK} and {VOL+} buttons
ON THE TV simultaneously to toggle between Modes:

— Red "CHK" for Serviceman — Yellow "CHK" for Aging —

* Press the {POWER} button on the remote to select one of the six
Serviceman Adjustments Modes.

A. MTS ADJUSTMENT
B. CLOCK ADJUSTMENT
C. VIDEO ADJUSTMENT
D. HDEF ADJUSTMENT
E. VDEF ADJUSTMENT
F. DAF ADJUSTMENT
G. OTHER ADJUSTMENT

* Press {CH+} {CH -} on the remote to select the settings
on each of Service Adjustment Modes.

Write down the original values before modifying anything.
It's easy to erroneously adjust the wrong item.

* Press {VOL+} {VOL -} on the remote to change values.
* Press the {POWER} button on the TV to exit the service menu.
10) Enjoy, your plasma is fixed!!!


Please do not curse, yell, scream at me if you don't follow the instructions properly. You are doing this at your own risk.

Habanero-Garlic Grilled Shrimp

This is a Bobby Flay recipe which has been slightly changed. Amazing crowd pleaser.

Habanero-Garlic Grilled Shrimp

1. 8 garlic cloves
2. 1/2 cup pure olive oil, plus more for brushing
3. ½ or 1 habanero chile, seeded and chopped  depending on how spicy you want the sauce
4. 5 tablespoons chopped cilantro
5. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
6. 1 tablespoon honey or I prefer Maple Syrup (Pure)
7. Salt and freshly ground pepper
8. 2 Pounds 26-30 shrimp (size), deveined and shell removed

Wear Gloves. Soak Skewers in Water and handle the Habanero Very Very Carefully. In a small saucepan, combine the garlic and 1/2 cup of the olive oil and simmer over low heat until the garlic is golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the garlic to a blender and pour the oil into a glass measuring cup. Let the oil cool slightly. Add the habanero chile to the blender with 1/4 cup of the cilantro, the lime juice and honey/maple syrup and puree. With the blender on, slowly add the garlic olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. You can make this sauce ahead of time and even refrigerate for a few days.

Brush the shrimp with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Skewer the Shrimp Grill over a hot fire until lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. Remove shrimp from skewers and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve.

Smoked Turkey in a Brinkman Water Smoker

Here we go again but without pictures this time. Will have to wait till Thanksgiving for photos. As you may already know, I love to smoke meats in the Brinkman Water Smoker. I have been smoking Turkey for Thanksgiving for the last 4 years and I can safely tell you that this is the best way to cook a Turkey. The key is to find the right size Turkey that will fit in the Smoker and the time you take to Brine the Turkey for 12-24 hours before cooking. I have used Diestel Free Range Turkey which has not been frozen. A 12lb Turkey fits nicely in the smoker but you could go up to 14-15 lbs. You can also safely use this recipe for brining chicken, just reduce the amount of water and salt and other ingredients appropriately.

Ingredients:
One 12-14  lbs Turkey (don't use Kosher or self basting turkey since they already contain salt.)

2 Gallons Non Chlorinated Water
1 Bottle Reisling
2 Tablespoons Juniper Berries
4 Tablespoons Black Peppers
2 Tablespoons Colored Peppers
1 Celery Stalk Coarsely Chopped
1 Yellow Onion Coarsely Chopped
4 Medium Carrots Coarsely Chopped
4 Bay Leaves
1 1/2  Cups Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Bunch Sage

Directions:

The hardest part for me to brine the turkey every year is how to store the Turkey. Fortunately, last year I found a large pot similar to a clam bake pot that I can fit inside the fridge. If you don't have a large pot, you could try to put the turkey in a large cooler or a 5 gallon paint bucket but make sure you can fit that in your fridge.

Pour the water and the Reisling in the pot. Mix salt in the water until completely dissolved add sugar and mix it well. Wash and clean the Turkey and get rid of the giblets. Dump all of the chopped vegetables in the pot along with the other ingredients. Drop the Turkey carefully into the brine and put it in the fridge for about 12-24 hours.

Remove Turkey from the brine at least 30 minutes prior to putting it in the smoker to bring it close to room temperature. When your smoker is hot and ready to go, simply place the Turkey on the top shelf of the smoker and cook for 4 hours. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer for a reading around 160 to 165 degrees. Remove the Turkey and rest it for 10 minutes prior to cutting it. Enjoy the most delicious, moist Turkey you would have ever had. The day after Thanksgiving, you can wear gloves and remove the meat from Turkey by hand and shred it with your hands or chop it with a knife. Mix some mayonnaise and chopped red onions, cilantro and seeded green chili's. Season with salt and pepper and put the mix on a Crostini or Crackers and enjoy with a nice glass of Pinot Gris.

Happy Smoking

Smoked Baby Back Ribs

Hello Folks,
This recipe has been requested by many friends so doing my best to reproduce it. There are literally thousands of sites with thousands of recipes for baby back ribs. You can take this recipe and modify it to your taste by adding ingredients to the Rib Rub. This recipe and the techniques will provide the basic foundation for smoking ribs and meat in a Brinkman Water Smoker. I received the smoker as a gift on my 40th birthday 4 years ago and yesterday the smoker finally broke down after being manhandled for so long. This smoker will last forever if you take good care of it. I didn't. It was left out during Summer, Winter, Rain, Hail etc. You can go to this excellent site on how to modify the smoker to use less charcoal. I will be buying another smoker soon and will certainly modify it according to the directions on this site.
http://brinkmansmokermods.com/default.aspx

Happy Smoking!!

Ingredients

• 2 whole slabs pork baby back ribs

Dry Rub:

• 8 tablespoons light brown Sugar tightly packed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder or adjust if you like more or less spicy
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or adjust if you like more or less spicy
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground juniper berries (optional)

Directions

In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

Remove ribs from the fridge at least an hour before you start your smoker . Take a chimney coal starter (please, please don't use lighter fluid). Fill the bottom part of the chimney starter with newspaper and fill the top portion with charcoal briquettes or mesquite. Light the newspapers on fire. Wear gloves to prevent your hand from getting burnt. I put my chimney starter on my smoker. See photo.

While your charcoal is getting started, take the water pan from the smoker and add about 5 bottles of beer (cheap ones are fine). You can use water if you like but I like the flavor I get from beer. After adding beer in the water pan, add coarsely chopped onions, celery, carrots, garlic and whatever else you like. I have added apples, oranges etc. Experiment and let me know what worked better for you.

By now your coal should be burning and ready to go. Pour the charcoal in the smoker pan and add more charcoal as this fire will need to burn for at least 4 to 5 hours.

Put the cylinder on top of the charcoal and drop the water pan into the cylinder. Put the round grill on top of the water rack. Your first set of ribs are ready to be placed on the grill.

Put the second grill in the cylinder for your second set of ribs.

Now your lid is ready to go on the smoker and it's time for the ribs to cook in the indirect heat for at least 4 hours. The beauty of this smoker is that you can practically never over cook the ribs. The longer you cook them the better they taste and literally fall of the bone. There are some folks who suggest that an hour or two before removing the ribs from the smoker you should baste them in BBQ sauce or other mops with apple juice etc. I am not a big fan of it but you can try it out if you like.

The temperature gauge should start showing ideal in about 15-20 minutes. Now throw in some wood chips of your choice that have been soaked in water through the aluminum door on top of the burning charcoal every 30 minutes. I love applewood chips but you can use alder, mesquite, hickory or whatever else you like. Again, experiment with different flavors.

Your labor of love is about to be paid off. You can at this point serve the ribs right away or you can put them in foil and reheat them later on your gas grill or oven. Enjoy and please ask me any questions or if you have any feedback.

My dog is ready for some ribs!!!

Smoky Glazed Asparagus

I used this marinade of this recipe on other veggies as well. If you like you can substitute Mayonnaise with Sour Cream and you will get pretty much the same result.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4. 1 garlic clove, crushed
5. 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
6. 2 teaspoons kosher salt
7. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (I like to lightly crush them in a mortar pestle or coffee grinder)
   
8. 1 pound thick asparagus, trimmed
9. 2 tablespoon Mustard (gray poupon) or 2 tablespoon Black Mustard Seeds Crushed ** Added by me*** Not in the original recipe

Directions

1. Light a grill. In a shallow dish, whisk the mayonnaise with the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt and cumin. Add the asparagus and toss; let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, turning, until tender and blistered in spots, 6 minutes; serve.

Chicken Tikka Recipe

Ingredients

6 Pounds Chicken Thighs (Boneless) (Do Not Substitute with Breast meat)

¾ Cup Minced or Shredded Ginger

½ Cup Minced Garlic

1 Pound Sour Cream

50g Shan Tandoori Chicken Masala (available at all Indian Spice Stores)

100g MDH Tandoori Chicken Masala (available at all Indian Spice Stores)

3 Tablespoons Garam Masala (available at all Indian Spice Stores)

4 Tablespoons Amchur (Dry Mango) Powder (available at all Indian Spice Stores)

3 Tablespoons Black “Kalonji” Seeds (Optional)

4-5 Tablespoons salt or according to taste

3 Tablespoons Red Chili Powder according to taste

4-5 Tablespoons paprika for color or you can use red/orange color instead

DIRECTIONS:

Wear Gloves. Soak wooden skewers in water. Wash and pat dry chicken thighs. Drying the chicken is an important step as it allows the marinade to bond to the chicken. Cut chicken into bite size pieces that will fit on the skewers (not too small otherwise they fill fall off the skewer). Leave some fat on the chicken as it contributes to tenderness of the meat.

Put chicken pieces in a large bowl. Mix all ingredients together in the bowl with the chicken. Skewer the pieces of chicken and marinate overnight (at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours).

Grill the skewers on either a gas or a charcoal grill until the chicken is cooked through.

Please control the heat level of the Red Chili Powder according to taste. If you want your chicken spicier, you can increase the number of teaspoons of chili.

KJ Salsa Rojo Y Verde

KJ Salsa Rojo Y Verde


8 Roma Tomatoes (not too firm)
6 Cloves Garlic peeled
I bunch green onions
1 Large White Onion
½ Can Organic Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
3 Anaheim Peppers
2-3 Jalapeno Peppers
1 Tsp Cumin Powder (roasted if possible)
2 Limes
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chili powder (optional)
½ Bunch fresh cilantro

Light a grill. Put 6 Roma tomatoes stem side down on the grill. Wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil and throw on the grill. Put the Anaheim chili’s and jalapeno’s on the grill. Char the tomatoes, chili’s and put the green onions on the grill for 5 minutes before you take out all the ingredients as the green onions cook really fast and tend to burn instead of char if left on grill too long.

Let the entire grilled items cool for a bit and remove stems from the Anaheim Chili’s and Jalapeno’s and add all grilled items to a blender once cooled. Blend and add chicken stock intermittently. Use caution to prevent salsa sauce from overflowing out of the blender. Pour the sauce in a large container. Chop white onions and the remaining 2 tomatoes. Add to the salsa sauce. Chop cilantro and add to the salsa sauce. Add salt, cumin powder and squeeze lemon juice in the salsa. Add salt and taste to make sure that the salsa is spicy enough. If the Jalapeno’s are not spicy enough, add red chili powder according to your taste preference. Let cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to serving.

You can use Tomatillo's instead of tomatoes. Make sure you soak the Tomatillo's in water (with the husk) before you put them on the grill.

You can add grilled corn to this recipe as well.

Filmfare Awards – An Insult to our sensibilities?

The 54th Filmfare awards ceremony was held on the 28th of February, 2009 in Mumbai, India. The annual show is ostensibly the Oscars of Bollywood, however the comparison between the two is immature at best. The awards are given by a commercial magazine called Filmfare and the process of nominating the films and the voting is opaque at best. Oscars on the other hand have a rigorous nomination process that has been in place for 7 decades and relies on the voting of Academy Members who have been or are involved in the film industry. Furthermore, the counting of the ballots is done under the auspices of Price Waterhouse Coopers an independent audit firm.
Every year the awards are handed out to the commercially successful films. Perhaps the title of the awards should be changed accordingly. Best Film? Can someone describe the criteria for selection? Take the nominations for this year as an example.
1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
2. Dostana
3. Jodha Akbar
4. Ghajini
5. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
6. Rock On!
Can someone please explain the absence of some terrific films that were produced this year such as Welcome to Sajjanpur, Ramchand Pakistani or Khuda Kay Liye? How about A Wednesday? Does at least one best film in the nomination list must have Shahrukh Khan in it?
Best actor nomination for Shahrukh (Ruk Ruk) Khan for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is an insult to the average viewer’s sensibility. When is Filmfare stop going to pander to the biggest stars and award actors based on performances, not popularity.
Pick almost any category and you will find a complete travesty of art and cinema. Top that up with the show itself. We saw a slew of artists from Slumdog Millionaire being worshipped on the stage for a very well deserving performance but had this movie been made in India under an Indian banner it would not have made the Filmfare awards nominee list. Our actors and actresses have shed the traditional Indian outfits to don western designer clothes but have not shed the double standard that is carried in this show. Ashtosh Gowarikar and the movie Jodha Akbar won several awards but none of the small banner films even got the nod from the magazine. It is time for India to wake up and appreciate art in its entirety and not just commercially successful films and please dispense with the hip gyrating dances, even with pants on only one leg, they are still the same lame dances that are presented in every cheap show on Indian Television.