cronies and foodies unite

i had some visitors this weekend.
rob, my brother
and maddi, my sister.

it is her birthday next week so we wanted to make it uber fun.
[please, not like it wouldn't be anyway. look at these peeps!]

saturday night,
[whilst we fancied ourselves to the 55 inches of my cousin's QB face
in the first UCLA game of the season,]

we made some seriously yummy food

chicken tikka masala
and naan

(recipes from allrecipes.com - i love that site!)

my cousin made this for us a few weeks ago
and i admit that this is the second time i have made it already

so so good. if you are not the spicy type (i am totally the spicy type)
go easy on the seeds of the jalapeno cause the first time it was a bit spicy for my guests...

this time was perfect.
it usually makes just enough saucy stuff to live in the rice the way you want it,
but i think i will just add more to it to have more on the rice.

and please, if you have the option, use basmati rice when making indian.
it begs for it.

we make our naan on a panini maker so don't shy away if you can't get to the grill.
in fact, we like it thin and then we paint it with lots of butter, garlic, and parsley to give it a little hint of yum.

cause i have been cravin it and it is just too much work for two,
we also made

gyoza

* 1lb ground meat (traditionally it's just pork, but i have used a mix with beef, and pork sausage is my favorite to use cause it cooks up nice and has a kick to it.)
* 1/2 head of cabbage (the green kind)
* about 3/4 cup green onion finely chopped
* about 1tbs fresh minced ginger
* about 1tbs fresh minced garlic (or the minced stuff - no powder though...)
* 2-3 tsp sesame oil
* 2-3 tsp chile oil
(both of those you get in the "international section")
* 1 lbs soy sauce
* (optional) a beaten egg
* salt and pepper
* white vinegar
* won ton wrappers
(usually these are near the produce section -
you will use at lease 1 pck,
sometimes you will need more though, so get two)


my asian friend taught me how to make this years ago and it is always fun to make with rob cause he lived in japan for a while and he's kind of a purest

between the two of us, they were pretty naughty.

put the ground meat in a bowl
rinse the cabbage, pull apart, and then boil it until it is soft.
finely chop the wet cabbage, and squeeze all the water out before adding to the bowl.
give it a few minutes before making fun of the man you gave that job to, but then give it a go.

add green onion, garlic, and ginger, soy sauce, and the egg if you want to.
(the egg is to help keep it all together - i never use it, but rob does.)

add the freshly ground pepper until the surface is covered.
mix it up with your hands.
yes, your hands.

drop about 1 tsp of the mixture in the center of the wrapper,
close them by putting water on two sides (or half if they are rounds)
and pinching them together. drop em on a floured cookie sheet.

throw about 15 or so (lots can fit) in a frying pan with only about 1 tbs of oil
after the gyoza brown up a hint, drop a small amount of water in the pan and immediately cover to steam. (i like em more on the fried side so i only steam em for a minute.)
one of the reasons you boil the cabbage is so that it will cook as fast as the meat. it should only take a few minutes per batch.

the dipping sauce is about equal parts soy sauce and white vinegar.
just taste it until you like it. i like mine more vinegary than soy saucy...

hope you enjoy!

long-winded movie review #2 — Slumdog Millionaire

i am going to preface this one by saying that i truly do not want you to feel pressure in any way to do anything by way of my strong and possibly overly passionate feelings toward the following movie...

slumdog millionaire—

if for nothing else, this film should be nominated for cinematography. it is photographically stunning. if you could whip out your cute little nikon d80 every 10 seconds and capture color and movement the way this man does you would/could/should be a millionaire. period. at least 80 frames that are modern art museum worthy.

it isn't the pictures alone though. it is almost sensory overload. they said, "figure out what will kill them, then back it off a little bit". the first moment pulls you in with large african banging drums and flashes of movement. sort of like a bourne movie almost kind of but not quite. the music throughout is so fun. some of the best indian pop i've heard in a while.

the story, you reality-tv-ers will like: a young boy who gets on "who wants to be a millionaire" in india. only, he's from the hood and shouldn't know all the answers—but he does. the film takes you through his history and how he serendipitously knows the million-dollar answers because of his 2 dollar life. again—brilliant.

the director is american, making it an american film, but in most other ways it is a bollywood classic. the actors are all fresh indian faces (these two here are just beautiful humans...) that make the story feel more culturally rich and sound. if you have ever read a kalid hosseini book, it reads something like that.

which brings me to another point: the rating. you are thinking: oh, but that is rated R. sure it is. i would say that is mostly because it is culturally gritty. it tells of somewhat vulgar living circumstances and therefore presents images of a violent nature. not necessarily bloody, but i am sure the production staff knew that it was just adult in content and wanted to advertise to the older crowd. i would say i wouldn't take your immature teens to it, but

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 5/5
owner or renter? tough question. i might need to own it, but you might not...

again, if you see it, let me know what you thought- always interested to know!