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.

Bernard Madoff House Arrest - A travesty!

Can someone explain how a person convicted of Grand Theft Auto gets to sleep in a cold prison cell but someone who embezzles $50 Billion gets to live in a $10 Million penthouse? Who then transfers assets to friends and family. Is this a travesty of justice? Do we live in a society that has two sets of rules. One for the Bernard Madoff's of the world and another for Tyrone? Will someone with balls, please stand up and put this man in jail.

Har Ek Ghar Me Diya Bhi Jale Anaaj Bhi Ho

In these turbulent times I am reminded of this beautiful poem written by Nida Fazli, one of my favorite poets. Please take a read down this amazingly written nazm.

Har Ek Ghar Mein Diyaa Bhi Jale, Anaaj Bhi Ho -2
Agar Na Ho Kahin Aisaa To Ehatjaaj Bhi Ho -2
Har Ek Ghar Mein Diyaa Bhi Jale, Anaaj Bhi Ho

Hukumaton Ko Badalnaa To Kuchh Muhaal Nahin -2
Hukumatein Jo Badaltaa Hai Vo Samaaj Bhi Ho -2
Agar Na Ho Kahin Aisaa To Ehatjaaj Bhi Ho -2
Har Ek Ghar Mein Diyaa Bhi Jale, Anaaj Bhi Ho

Rahegi Kab Talak Vaadon Mein Qaid Khush-Haali -2
Har Ek Baar Hi Kal Kyun, Kabhi To Aaj Bhi Ho
Agar Na Ho Kahin Aisaa To Ehatjaaj Bhi Ho
Har Ek Ghar Mein Diyaa Bhi Jale, Anaaj Bhi Ho

Na Karte Shor Sharaabaa To Aur Kyaa Karte -2
Tumhaare Shahar Mein Kuchh Aur Kaam Kaaj Bhi Ho -2
Har Ek Ghar Mein Diyaa Bhi Jale, Anaaj Bhi Ho
Agar Na Ho Kahin Aisaa To Ehatjaaj Bhi Ho

Nida Fazli

Ehatjaaj = Revolution, Rebellion

Is baar Nahin - Mumbai Terror Poem by Prasoon Joshi

Lyricist Prasoon Joshi wrote this poem after the Mumbai terror attacks.
Says the ad guru and film lyricist, “I believe it should reach as many people as possible because it is our collective pain and voice”.


Is baar nahin
Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas apni kharonch le kar aayegi
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga
Panapney doonga uski tees ko

Is baar nahin
Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale
Dard ko risney doonga,utarney doonga andar gehrey

Is baar nahin
Is baar main na marham lagaoonga
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankhein band karlo,
gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav

Is baar nahin
Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga,chatpatahat dekhoonga
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake

Is baar nahin
Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar
Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat
Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par
Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe
Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon
Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang
Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar
Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye

Is baar nahin
Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
Gaur seThoda lambe wakt tak
Kuch faisleyAur uskey baad hausley
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai
… Prasoon Joshi

Jaane tu ya jaane na

Jane tu ya jane na

What a great song collection. A.R. Rehman has done a superb job and I can't say enough about Rashid Ali. I am floored by his rendition on Kabhi Aditi Zindagi and more so on Kahin to Hogi with Vasundhara Das. Fabulous composition, fabulous singing and great Lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Here are the lyrics to Kahin To Hogi followed by the list of songs with singers and lyricists etc. I am not sure about the movies itself. Would like to go see it soon.

Kahin To Song Lyrics - Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na

Kahin to.. kahin to
Hogi wo,
Duniya jahan tu mere saath hai..

Jahan mein, jahan tu,
Aur jahan, bass tere mere jazbaat hai,
Hogi jahan subah teri,
Palko ki, kirano mein,
Lori jahan chand ki,
Sune teri baahoin mein..

(Jaane naa kahan wo duniya hai,
Jaane naa wo hai bhi ya nahi,
Jahan meri zindagi mujhse,
Itni khafa nahi..) - 2

Saasein kho gayi hai kiski aahon mein,
Mein kho gayi hu jaane kiski baahon mein,
Manzilon se raahein doodhti chali,
Kho gayi hai manzil kahin rahon mein..

Kahin to, kahin to,
Hai nasha..
Teri meri har mulaqaat mein,
Hoton se, hoton ko,
Chumti, o rehte hai hum har baat pe,
Kehti hai fiza jahan,
Teri zamin aasmaan..

Jahan hai tu, meri hassi,
Meri khushi, meri jaan…

(Jaane naa kahan wo duniya hai,
Jaane naa wo hai bhi ya nahi,
Jahan meri zindagi mujhse,
Itni khafa nahi..) - 3

Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na List of Songs... MP3

Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: Rashid Ali
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 3:41

Pappu Cant Dance
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: Blaze, Mohd. Aslam, Tanvi, Anupama Deshpande, Benny Dayal, Tanvi, Darshana, Satish Subramanium
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 4:27




Jaane Tu Mera Kya Hai
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: Runa Rizvi
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 3:41



Nazrein Milaana Nazrein Churaana
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: Swetha Bhargave, Naresh Iyer, Satish Chakravarthye, Tanvi, Darshana, Benny Dayal, Anupama Deshpande
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 3:57



Tu Bole Main Boloon
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: A R Rahman
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 4:36



Kahin To Hogi Ho
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: Rashid Ali, Vasundhara Das
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 5:05



Jaane Tu Meri Kya Hai - 1
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: Sukhwinder Singh
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 5:44




Pappu Cant Dance - Remix
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Music Label: T-Series
Singers: Anupama Deshpande, Benny Dayal, Benny Dayal, Blaze, Tanvi, Darshana, Satish Subramanium, Mohd. Aslam
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala
Music Director: A R Rahman
Choreographer:
Picturised on:
Genre:
Duration (mm:ss): 4:27

Blues

I have always been a big fan of Blues Music. Last week while driving on my way home I was listening to "All things Considered" on the radio. Little did I know that I was in for treat. I am sharing the link here for those who may have missed it. You can listen to the episode on the NPR website and also listen to the album on Rhapsody.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92423408


What was so great you might ask? Well, for one the Blues players are 16, 14 and 9 years old and are siblings. The 9 year old plays the drums and she is fabulous. The guitars are made out of mufflers of cars. You have to listen to the piece and listen to the music to believe it. I was floored by their sheer talent. I think these youngsters will achieve much acclaim in their life and I am so happy for their parents.

Graduation Note for Kanika

Under normal circumstances children come into their parent’s lives, but in our case, we both came into each other’s life about 12 years ago. If you begin to search, you will find many stories, movies, books that have been written about stepfathers and stepchildren, but standing here today, I can safely say our relationship does not fall under any of the stereotypes. A lot of that credit goes to you. I stood here this very day last year and spoke about Priya during her graduation and how much I had learnt from her. You Kanika have also enriched my life in ways you will probably never realize. Your demeanor, your maturity and the poise with which you handle yourself is something for you to be very proud of. I have said this before and I will say it again, if there is anyone in this house who knows how to best handle me, it’s you.

Those of you who know Shibani’s dad, he has always made fun of regular DNA testing of various members of the family to check the integrity of parenthood. Well, I can safely say that if they ever checked your DNA, they will never find my genes in your blood, but I don’t think for a moment that our relationship needed a medical validation. I feel that you are no less my child than Priya. You have an amazing way to uplift people around you. I will miss your smile, your humor, your positive attitude and our conversations. I will not however miss your messy room and the trunk of your car, which reminds me of vagrant bag ladies.

I don’t have much words of wisdom to give you other than this line that I read a while back in a book. “Remember, The person who you’re with most in life is yourself and if you don’t like yourself you’re always with somebody you don’t like”.

You are about to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing, but what you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself.

Good Luck and always remain happy.