Taj Kebab Recipe

When I was first offered the Haute Potato project a year ago, I was asked to come up with 75 gourmet potato dishes. On that very same day, I probably already had hundreds of recipes lined up in my head. I tried featuring potato dishes from around the world, but as you can imagine, a lot were left out of the final product. So today here's a potato dish that would have been in the "Spicy" chapter.

I learned this dish from Mina, my husband's cousin. It's called "Taj kebab" and if you like meat and potato as much as I do, you will love this one. This potato dish consists of layers of spiced ground beef, sliced potatoes, and thick fresh tomato slices.  The recipe was developed in Agra, just where the Taj Mahal is, and it will transport you to one of the seven wonders of the world!

Aloo Korma Recipe (Beef and Potato Curry)

I've prepared this Indian curry called korma countless times since I got married. I learned this dish from my husband Lulu's aunt (I call her Phoopi). It's a very flexible dish that allows for many combinations of meat and vegetable. Chicken, beef, goat, potato, taro and  various vegetables (peas, carrot, broccoli) are commonly used. The spicy gravy is what's constant.

The gravy is made of fried onion paste and yogurt and is flavored with ginger-garlic paste as well as several Indian spices. This version contains beef but you can easily omit the meat if you're preparing a vegetarian version.

I had initially planned to include aloo korma ("aloo" is Urdu for "potato") in my first cookbook, Haute Potato: From Pommes Rissolees to Timbale with Roquefort, 75 Gourmet Potato Recipes, but finally went for other Indian dishes such as kheema cutlets (Indian-style meat-filled pancakes), panipuri (bite-sized, crispy South Indian masala potato-filled appetizers) and aloo bonda (spicy potato fritter) to name a few.

Spicy Beet Pizza Appetizer Recipe

Here's a fusion version of pizza made with spicy beets. The pizza dough is baked separately then topped with Indian beets and dal. It's perfect for vegetarians since it's packed with protein. 

I usually serve them as appetizers. They would also be a great addition to a party platter because of the pop of color and exotic flavors.

Indian-Inspired Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Tart Recipe

If you love aloo gobi, which is an Indian potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi) dish, I'm confident that you will adore this Indian-inspired savory tart. When I first got married, my husband's grandmother taught me a lot of Indian dishes. The traditional dishes on their own are great, but I also enjoy playing around with them, and incorporating elements into French dishes. I find that the aesthetics of French cuisine works very well with the bold flavors of Indian food.

This particular recipe combines a French onion tart with my twist on the aforementioned aloo gobi. I created a homemade fine-herb tart shell and filled the bottom with onion compote topped with a flavorful Indian cauliflower and sweet potato preparation. The two elements are connected by the natural sweetness of the onions and sweet potatoes. A little Munster cheese on top finishes the dish, though you can substitute with any mild, melt-able cheese.

Hakka Noodles in Lettuce Cups

We just purchased the tickets for our next trip to Paris. My best friend Alexia is getting married and I wouldn't miss it for the world. For this reason, my husband Lulu and I have committed ourselves to looking good and being healthy for the occasion. I've controlled the portion size of our meals and we work out as often as we possibly can. This morning, Lulu woke up early to play football with friends and while he was busy during his game, I whipped up a light meal for him.

I tossed hakka noodles (vegetarian wheat noodles made without eggs) with mock ground meat, julienned carrots, bell peppers and yellow onions. I served them at room temperature in lettuce cups and added sweet potato shoestrings as a crunchy garnish. Whenever I make a dish, I try to balance the textures and colors, which I find key to the success of any meal. The sweet potato shoestrings, in particular, are extremely versatile and can be used as the crunchy element in many savory dishes. They didn't quite make my first cookbook, Haute Potato, but I still highly recommend trying them. You'll end up eating them by the handful!

As I mentioned last week, I will be posting a vegetarian dish on "Meatless Mondays" and a scrumptious dessert for the weekend. I figure one will cancel out the other. Last weekend I shared a Meyer lemon mousse in wonton cups, and this week, well you'll just have to come back on Friday and see!