Indian Night...(sort of)

I heard this wonderful interview with an Indian woman about cooking on NPR last week. She talked about food in a way that made me thing of senses-color, texture, flavor, smell. I could listen to her talk forever. If I could eat what she described, it would be even better. She talked about the history of tandoori and described flavors as "gorgeous." That's someone I want to know.

Here's what I concocted as a result:


Ingredients:

Ground Lamb
Onions and Jalapenos, sliced thinly and sauteed in olive oil
Spice Mixture: heavy on the curry, cinnamon, garam masala, chili powder, and a dash or two of garlic salt
2 TBSP Teriyaki Sauce
Cooked Smoky Basmati rice, made with garlic salt and chili powder


I sauteed the onion and jalapeno in olive oil--apprx 1/4 cup--on medium heat until the onion was soft and translucent. Toss in apprx. a TBSP of the Spice Mixture for flavor. Remove from saute pan, add ground lamb. Cook thoroughly, mixing and stirring constantly. Add rest of Spice Mixture (apprx. 1/8 of a cup). Once mostly brown and cooked, turn heat to high to crisp meat crumbles. Continue stirring, and add onion/jalapeno and cooked rice to mix in meat and oil. Stir until all ingredients are hot and slightly crispy.

I found that the final result needed teriyaki sauce to add a bit of flavor. The amount of Spice Mixture is based to taste, based on your preference. I found I wanted more chili powder and cinnamon over curry powder. I'd like to try this with cardamom in the future, as that was a featured spice in the Indian cook's descriptions.