Our friend Matt just turned 30. As our birthday present to him, we let him cook us dinner. We’re such good friends.
Matt grew up eating Indian food. Most of the time his dad used components of garam masala, like cinnamon, in his cooking, but he rarely used garam masala itself. A few months ago, Matt bought some garam masala to make two recipes; one was an Indian shrimp dish and the other was Indian eggplant. One night he decided to try it on steak quesadillas and it just seemed to work. Now, he uses it relatively frequently (once every week or so) and says it’s a great way to get a hint of sweetness in meat recipes without using sugar or honey.
Garam masala is spice blend that is a staple in many Indian dishes. There are many different recipes for garam masala, and they typically vary by region. It’s very aromatic and fragrant, and gave the steak a great flavor. The recipe below is from Indian Regional Classics, by Julie Sahni, and makes about 1/2 cup.
In this dish, the steak was rubbed with the spice blend and left to sit for several hours. The steak and quesadillas were cooked in the oven, as they would be typically.
This is the second in our series of “guest chef” posts. We’re going to try to do more, so stay tuned.
Garam Masala Steak Quesadillas
Ingredients:
Garam Masala
- 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons cardamom seeds
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon, broken up
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron (optional)
Quesadillas
- 1 pound skirt steak
- 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 orange pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces grated pepper jack cheese
- 12 8 inch tortillas
- salt and pepper
- guacamole and salsa for serving
Directions:
Garam Masala
- Add the cumin, coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon and cloves to a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the spices, stirring occasionally, until they turn several shades darker and gives off a sweet smoky aroma, about 10 minutes. Do not raise the heat to quicken the process, or the spices will brown prematurely, leaving the insides undercooked. Cool completely.
- Working in batches if necessary, transfer the mixture to a spice mill or coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Stir in the nutmeg and saffron.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.
Quesadillas
- Rub garam masala spice blend onto steak. Place in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cook steak for 20 minutes, flipping half way through. When done, tent with tin foil and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute peppers and onions until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- To assemble the quesadillas, place 1 tortilla on a sheet of tinfoil. Top with peppers and onions, steak and cheese. Place another tortilla on top. Wrap in tinfoil.
- Bake individually-wrapped quesadillas in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Cut into wedges and top with guacamole and salsa. Enjoy!
