A Conversation with Rabbi Matatia Chetrit

This evening at 10:00pm (Eastern Time) on The Kosher Scene’s Radio Show, our guest will be Rabbi Matatia Chetrit. Rabbi Chetrit iscurrently the President of president of Ohr Binyamin; he received an MBA from NYU Stern Business School and was Director of Marketing for a very successful software company in Switzerland, in the early 90s.

Having come to the conclusion that his soul thirsted for far more than just becoming a CEO, he took a leave of absence for one year and enrolled in Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim in the US, and in Israel, for almost 15 years under the tutelage of Rabbi Zecharia Mines.

In Israel he started a magazine – called Jerusalem Life– a magazine  and now a website – jerusalemlife.com. It’s purpose is to help a person discover him/herself through Judaism  He now serves as Board Member of several Jewish Organizations. The magazine eventually gave him the push to start Ohr Binyamin – a non-profit organization that helps people realize their potential through Judaism.

We will talk about the Pursuit of Happiness, through Spirituality and Judaism’s eternal truths.

Meanwhile in case you missed it, please listen in to our Conversation with Ami Nahari, for some good kosher wine talk.

Please, don’t forget to tune us in this evening at 10:00pm (Eastern Time) on The Kosher Scene’s Radio Show, our guest will be Rabbi Matatia Chetrit. We’ll be wait’n for ya!

CS

Kashmiri Lamb – Rogan Josh

Exotic, delicious, Indian dish with just enough spice to keep it interesting:

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 1 0nion roughly chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 lb lamb, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 10 cardamon pods, slightly crushed
• 1 1/4 cups water

Directions

1. Put the garlic, onion, ginger root, ground spices, salt, tomato paste into a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish, add the lamb and cardamon pods. Fry over high heat to brown the meat on all sides.
3. Add the blended paste and cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Pour in the water and simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
4. Serve over rice with some warmed naan bread.

Indian Style Rice

(from: simplyrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 8 cups water
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• One 2-inch piece of cinnamon
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp dark mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp chile flakes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp turmeric

Directions

1. Place rice in a sieve and run cool water through it to rinse it until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in cool water for 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Bring 8 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the rice and stir. Add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the rice, and test if it is done to your taste; rice can take more or less time to cook depending on how old it is. If still too firm, cook a few minutes longer
3. When the rice is cooked to your liking, drain the rice into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop if from cooking. Remove the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and discard. Set the rice aside to drain.
4. In a pan large enough to hold the rice, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and the chile flakes. Cook until the mustard seeds start popping, then add the onion. Sauté until the onion begins to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and mix well. Sprinkle the turmeric over the rice and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS