My Alley (and "Indian-Style" Chili)

There have been days when I have treated the alley behind my house like the streets of Mogadishu, and I'm Tom Sizemore in "Black Hawk Down." I barrel down full speed in my blue Subaru Outback. No stopping. There are low flying birds, double parked cars, recycling bins, and my stupid neighbor hauling God-knows-what into his garbage. Simon (my son) has lost it about a half mile back. He ate his last saltine cracker. I'm digging for any lint covered snack for him at the bottom of my purse. It's a treacherous ride and I'm agitated. I need to get into my garage and into my house as soon as possible or I'm going to have to call in some Black Hawks to clear the way. For a new parent, getting through your daily routine can seem as daunting as a late-afternoon assault in a lawless city.

And you certainly don't have to be a new parent to have days where you feel a little like Sizemore. You might not be up against road blocks of burning tires and helicopter debris, but the lady at the CVS counter trying to locate a coupon in the black hole she calls a purse is giving you a nervous twitch.

On days like this, I need to eat dinner on my couch sitting next to my husband. I must be able to eat with one utensil (spoon or fork, no knife) and it ought to be served in a large bowl so that I can be utterly clueless about portion size.

I've made this recipe dozens of times. It's like an Indian chili, full of spicy and earthy flavors. There are a lot of ingredients, but don't let that deter you. And if you need to go out and buy cumin, coriander and garam masala, do it! You will be making this recipe again and again. I can promise that.

I adapted the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Quick & Easy Indian Cooking" by Madhur Jaffrey.

1 small-medium onion, roughly chopped
2 inches of fresh ginger, finely chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 medium-sized tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 lbs ground lamb or ground chicken. I used ground turkey (dark meat) last time, because that's all that had at Whole Foods.
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garam masala (you can definitely get this at Whole Foods, but most grocery stores have it too)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small hot green chili, finely chopped (jalapeno will do great, and you can remove seeds if you don't want it too hot. I did.)
6 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
1 cup peas (frozen will do great)

Heat up oil in nonstick pan. When oil is hot add onion, ginger and garlic. Cook until light brown. Add cayenne, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and turmeric. Stir. Add tomatoes and yogurt and cook until tomatoes soften. Add meat, salt and garam masala. Stir and break up meat for 5-8 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Cover and turn to low for 25 minutes. Then add lemon juice, green chili, cilantro and peas. Bring back to simmer then lower again covered for a final 10 minutes.

Serve over white or brown rice.