Meatballs & Potatoes in a Red Gravy

Ready made meatballs work just as well as homemade meatballs. All kinds of meatballs are available in the grocery stores these days - chicken, beef & pork, turkey - except lamb or mutton which need to be made from scratch.  Just make sure to use regular meatballs as opposed to flavored, such as Italian or Teriyaki meatballs.  

Ingredients:
25-30 frozen cocktail meatballs
1 russet potato, cubed
2 onions, quartered 
1 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. ginger paste
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 green chilies
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds (jeera or Shah jeera)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
salt to taste
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Blanch onions in one cup boiling water, strain and set water aside.
2. Puree onions, garlic, ginger, tomato paste and green chilies.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan, brown meatballs and set aside.
4. In the same hot oil, brown the potatoes and set aside.
5. In the same hot oil sputter cumin seeds, cinnamon and star anise.
6. Add pureed onions and season with salt to taste.
7. Turn heat down to low and simmer gravy until oil resurfaces.
8. Add reserved hot water, bring to boil and add meatballs & potatoes.
9. Simmer on low heat until potatoes are cooked.

Serve with hot rice, roti or naan.

Burmese Bamboo Shoots & Shrimp

Serves: 4
Here's one of those recipes that bring back memories of our life in Burma. Fresh bamboo shoots are available in the market, soaking in salted water. Here in Michigan, I found it in an Oriental store, marinated and packaged in packets.  They turned out to be very tender and succulent and pairs really well with green onions and shrimp.