June 19, 2016

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

Happy Father’s Day to not only the person who was responsible for my love of cooking but to all the great dad’s throughout the world. While growing up my dad took me on a bunch of foodie adventures and exposed me to a lot of different cuisines. But for some odd reason my favorite remains to this day the Mumbai street food. Not only is it tasty but it also brings back a lot of fond memories. These days it is also my inspiration to make new dishes like the classic american “SLOPPY JOES”.

Our family consists of farmers whose origins are in a tiny village on the western coast of India. Actually my dad was the first person who came to the big city of Mumbai in search of education and a better life. This meant he was living on his own and cooking was one of the things he absolutely had to learn since he couldn’t afford to eat out. Keep in mind this was in the 70s in old world India when cooking was considered a woman’s job. This was the beginning of his incredible passion for food.

He passed on the same love and passion for food to me from a very early age. There was a reason my mom felt confident leaving her young son behind and going on trips with her friends. She knew her son was in good hands since her husband was an equally good cook. I personally had a lot more fun when mom was on vacations like these since dad was more likely to take me out to explore the different types of food that Mumbai had to offer.

But growing up in Mumbai there is no way you are going to escape the vibrant street food culture that is prevalent in the city. Be it the samosas, vadas, or the pakoras and the chaats; there are roadside stalls selling these delicacies in every nook and cranny of the city. There is absolutely no better feeling than gorging on these treats with a bunch of friends without a care in the world. Now that I have my own blog, this food is an inspiration for things like “CHICKPEA TOSTADA” or these sumptuous “SLOPPY JOES”.

To be specific the dish I based this recipe is called “KEEMA” which is basically minced meat cooked with onions, tomatoes and variety of flavorful and aromatic spices.

The kheema is characterized by its traditional masala which gives it a distinct flavor. The recipes for the masala vary a lot. I have kept it fairly simple with just 4 ingredients; Bay leaf, Cinnamon, coriander and cloves. Just dry roast them and grind them to a fine powder. For me one of the joys of cooking is the smell of such a freshly made masala… There is absolutely no better aroma in this world!!!!

Now lets get down to the meat of the matter, SHALL WE???? Melt butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds. When they splutter add onions, the ginger garlic green chili paste and cilantro. Cook until onion turns translucent.

Mix in the chicken and cook until the color of the meat starts to change. Mix in the tomato puree along with the red chili powder, garam masala, coriander, 1 tsp of masala powder and mix well. I am a big fan of spicy food so I just added a little extra chilli powder. But y’all can adjust according to your taste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, lemon juice and cilantro.

The meat filling is ready to go. For added flavor you can add a little ketchup or a mint/coriander chutney on top. I added a sweet and sour tamarind-jaggery-raisin chutney. The sweet jaggery perfectly balances out the heat in the meat filling making this the perfect sandwich..

Sloppy Joes

Apply butter on the Kaiser rolls and toast them on a skillet. Spread a good amount of mixture on the bottom roll and dig in.

Sloppy Joes

Last but not the least I would like to give a big shout-out to my dad. All I can say is mom made the best food and you taught me to enjoy it!!!!

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Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

Rahul
Delicious ground chicken cooked in a rich tomato sauce served on a toasted bun.
5 from 3 votes
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound Ground Chicken
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
  • 10 Cloves
  • 2 small Cinnamon Stick
  • 1 small Onion chopped
  • 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Chili Paste
  • ½ cup Tomato puree
  • 1¼ tsp Red Chili Powder
  • ¼ tsp Garam Masala
  • ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
  • Salt – to taste
  • Kaiser rolls

Instructions
 

  • Dry roast bay leaf, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds and cloves until just fragrant. Cool and grind in a coffee grinder to a fine powder.
  • Melt butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds. When they splutter add onions, the ginger garlic green chili paste and cilantro. Cook until onion turns translucent.
  • Add chicken and cook until the color of the meat starts to change.
  • Mix in the tomato puree, along with the red chili powder, garam masala, coriander and 1 tsp of freshly roasted masala powder. Cook for about 10 minutes.
  • Season with salt, lemon juice and cilantro.

Assembly

  • Cut the Kaiser roll in half, apply butter and brown both halves on a skillet.
  • Spread a good amount of mixture on the bottom of the roll. For added flavor top off the filling with ketchup or mint/coriander chutney. I added a sweet-sour tamarind-jaggery-raisin chutney.
  • Cover with the top half and dig in.

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Filed Under: Street Food
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