Goat.....the other red meat.

Ok....calm down. Breathe. It's gonna be alright. Are you calm? Goat meat is nothing to be feared. Yes I did say goat. Please don't be alarmed. It tastes much better than lamb and is a lot healthier. Goat meat is low in fat and cholesterol compared to beef and lamb. Now that you have officially been introduced, let's get into it.

So. Stew.

©Raj Rao

A simple word that has almost a thousand possibilities. Almost every culture in the world has some sort of a stew. Be it vegetarian or otherwise.


So a few weeks ago, I decided to make lamb stew. A nice, easy all-in-one meal with some tender, juicy lamb.  After driving around to few grocery stores I could not find any decent lamb. I decided to call an audible and switch over to goat instead. This is pretty easy to do. Despite the minimal popularity of goat meat on this side of the hemisphere, it is relatively easy to find. Your local Indian or Middle Eastern markets are bound to have some goat meat.

So I picked up some goat, a package of baby bella mushrooms, some beef stock, red potatoes, carrots, fresh thyme (don't skimp and go for the bottled stuff, fresh is always better), an onion and a nice bottle of decently priced Pinot Noir. Now, you don't have to be a wine connoisseur to pick out a good wine, just read the label.

©Raj Rao

Almost 2 hours later I was enjoying a criminally delicious bowl of homemade goat stew. The Pinot definitely added more body to the stew. The goat meat was very tender and absorbed the wine like a sponge. That's a good thing. The carrots were still al dente and absorbed the flavour of the stew and the fork-tender potatoes added a mild sweetness to the dish. The baby bella mushrooms had the perfect meaty texture and the fresh parsley added an extra freshness to the dish. All in all, your guru made a kick-ass goat stew that was a last minute improvisation. Don't be concerned because, after all I am a food guru. But trust me, this is very doable, even for goat virgins. Minds out of the gutter please.

So please be daring and go to your local butcher and get some goat and make the stew. You will not regret it. Oh, don't  forget to get some hard bread to go with the stew. 

Ciao.....           

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds goat meat

1/4 cup of flour

1 onion

2 cups Pinot Noir

7 baby bella mushrooms

1 cup beef stock

1 tsp fresh thyme

3 carrots

4 to 5 medium red potatoes

Fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

©Raj Rao

Method:

First season the flour with some salt and pepper in a large zip up bag. Cut the goat meat into bite sized cubes and add into the bag. Shake it up until meat is fully coated. Take goat out and shake off excess flour and put the meat on a plate.


Heat up a Dutch oven, when it is hot add two tablespoons of oil. Add the meat and sear it for about four minutes. Add onions and sweat the onions. Then add the carrots and quartered potatoes and sauté it all together at medium heat. After another two to three minutes, add the beef stock and scrape the bottom of the pan. Then add the Pinot.


Increase heat to high and bring it to a quick boil. Reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms. Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Open the pot and stir it up and make sure it it coats the back of a spoon to ensure the right thickness and make sure potatoes are fork-tender. Add some rough chopped thyme and stir. Remove from heat. 


Right before serving, chop up some fresh parsley and top it off. Serve with French baguette and enjoy!

Pollo Loco!

©Raj Rao

Let's talk fried chicken. Being born and brought up in Malaysia, my choices for where I could go for some fried chicken were pretty limited. It was either hitting up some mom and pop shop or rely on good ole KFC... Kentucky Fried Chicken that is. I am still amazed at how many people have no idea what KFC stands for. Now, even though the menu items are pretty similar, I think KFC in Malaysia tastes much better than the KFC here in the States. Sorry, the food guru has spoken. Oh and Malaysian KFC doesn't freak out when I order sky juice*. I'll give you a moment to work that one out, Ace.

©Raj Rao

Anyway, I digress. I recently discovered a fried chicken joint that has the colonel beat and it's called Pollo Campero. This Guatemala-based restaurant has been around since the 70's but did not venture into the US until 2002.


The fried chicken has a rich latin twist with well coated spices and seasonings. The skin has that perfect colour and crispness while the meat underneath remains moist. It's a taste that you will not forget. 

They serve corn tortillas with each order. You can be like me and make your own lil taco with the chicken and some of the home made salsa that they have at the store.  The best part about this place besides the chicken are the sides. They include yucca fries which are made from thick cut yucca root that has been fried to a rich golden brown. You can also get fried plantains which have the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness or you can opt for spanish rice or beans. True to their Mexican roots, they serve flan for dessert.

©Raj Rao

When it comes to beverages you can either get soda if you are boring and every-day, or you can be a Maverick and get your choice between Jamaica© which is an hibiscus-based drink that is mildly tart and sweet, or Tamarindo© which is a tamarind-based drink.

Take my word for it and look for a Pollo Campero around your area and go now. If you like fried chicken you will definitely love this place.

Food guru is never wrong.....

**Sky Juice is plain water.