4 eight ounce sirloin steaks
1 tablespoon ginger puree
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard seed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Grind coriander and cumin in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Combine with ginger, onion, garlic, cayenne, salt and mustard seed.
2. Marinade the steaks in this spice mixture overnight.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade add them to the pan, cooking for about 7 minutes per side until browned and almost cooked through to center.
4. Remove from heat and allow meat to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve on a bed of rice.

Makes 4 servings

1/2 small cucumber, seeded
1/2 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small tomato, diced
1 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted
salt

1. Salt the cucumber and allow some of the liquid to drain off. Pat dry and dice.
2. Combine all of the ingredients with the yogurt and allow to sit in the refrigerator until well chilled and flavors have a chance to meld, at least an hour.

Makes 4 servings

8 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger puree
2 teaspoons curry powder
3 tablespoons ghee
1/4 cup coconut milk or yogurt
water

1. Boil water in a large pot and add carrots, cooking until just tender.
2. Meanwhile, melt ghee in a large skillet over medium heat and add garlic, onions, ginger and curry.
3. Stir in coconut milk and cook to form a thick sauce. Add carrots and coat with sauce. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

I've been having fun with the cheap bulk sirloins we purchased, trying to break away from previously having not much interest in steak. Tonight I made Indian Spiced Steak which really hit the spot. It was not too spicy or extremely flavored, but you could still really tell what it was seasoned with. Every bite was infused with a mild curry sort of flavor. I sliced it up on a bed of Tomato Rice mixed with hot sauce.

To cool this down a bit I mixed up some Cucumber Tomato Raita. Every recipe for raita that I've ever seen relies heavily on mint, but this recipe doesn't use mint, it uses cumin. I'm not sure if that even makes it raita at all. Since I didn't know what raita actually translates to, I'm going to assume the emphasis is on the cucumber and yogurt and not on the actual flavor. Either way, I thought this was good, but I still prefer mint or dill with cucumber ala traditional raita or tzatziki. The cumin gave it a smoky flavor, which was rather odd combined with yogurt, but it worked with the cumin in the steak. Maybe this is some sort of Southwest-Indian fusion raita.

On the side I made a simple dish of Curried Carrots. I think carrots and curry go together quite well, and this dish could easily be made into a soup by pureeing it with chicken stock and some extra coconut milk and topped with a bit of fresh cilantro (or not). The carrots also mix quite well with the raita, if your curry powder is especially hot.