RecipeReplica:Curried lamb in Pepper Gravy

For this recipe, I hopped over to Akal's Saapadu(= A Sister's Feast), a bilingual blog that is a treasure trove for multi-cuisine recipes. There were plenty of recipes that I have bookmarked but I chose the scrumptious "Lamb Pepper Fry" recipe that drove me into a frenzied shopping for some succulent Australian lamb shanks and try the recipe soon after. Rather than doing a dry version, I liked mine with a bit of gravy to go with steamed rice. So yummy it was, we ate almost all and I didn't have much to photograph.

Ingredients:

• Lamb with bones - 2.2 pounds, cleaned and cut into bit size pieces
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Olive Oil - 3 tbsp

For the Marinade:

• Onions - 2, large, coarsely chopped
• Tomato - 2, medium, cut into chunks
• Ginger - 1/2 inch, chopped
• Garlic - 3-4 cloves
• Dry Red Chillies - 3
• Peppercorns - 1 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - a pinch
• Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, cleaned and coarsely chopped
• Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

• In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and add the Onions, Garlic, Peppercorns and dry red chillies. Saute until the onions are browned.
• Add the turmeric, ginger to the pan and follow-up with tomato after a couple of minutes. When the tomato begin to lose shape, add the cilantro and switch off the stove.
• Cool the mixture and grind.
• Pour the lemon juice, spinkle some salt into the ground mixture.
• Marinate the lamb chunks in the ground mixture for about an hour.
• Pressure cook the lamb along with the marinade for about 2-3 whistles. Switch off.
• Grind the fennel and cumin seeds coarsely in a mortar/pestle.
• In a deep saute pan, add the remaining oil and the add the ground spices plus the bay leaf.
• Transfer the pressure cooked mixture to the saute pan and cook until a desired consistency is reached.

Enjoy!

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GastronomicGallivant: Irish Lamb Stew

Brutal wind gusts and incessant rain most part of the weekend has pushed me into making a big batch of spicy lamb stew to ward off the chill that I could feel in my bones.With St.Patrick's day just a couple of days away, I decided on making an authentic Irish Lamb Stew. The latest edition of Costco Connection magazine came to the rescue with, you guessed it, Irish Lamb Stew recipe by Illinois based food columnist Kathleen Furore. According to her, Irish Stew should be very thick and creamy and not swimming in juice.I modified the recipe a bit by marinating the lamb in Yogurt and pepper overnight(The Lactic acid in the Yogurt acts as a natural meat tenderizer),included certain ingredients, added a little bit of curry powder to jazz it up and ended up with a thick stew that I had with Couscous.Well, with the additions I made, I ruined the authenticity but not the taste. So here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Lamb - 1 pound
• Potatoes - 2, large, cut into chunks with skin-on
• Carrots - 2, medium, skinned and sliced
• Shallot - 1, small, fine diced
• Red Pearl Onions - 12#s, skinned
• Thyme - 1/2 tsp
• Parsley - 1 tbsp, for garnish
• Curry Powder - 1 tbsp
• Cracked Pepper - 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt for taste
• All purpose flour - for dredging
• Yogurt - 1 tbsp
• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

• Cut the lamb into fairly large chunks and marinate overnight in a tbsp of yogurt and 1/2 tsp of cracked pepper.
• Pressure cook the lamb until its 80% cooked. Drain the excess fat and set it aside.
• Heat Olive oil in a deep skillet and add the minced garlic and shallots.
• Dredge the lamb in all-purpose flour and add it to the pan.
• Add the carrots, potatoes, pearl onions, thyme, pepper powder and salt.
• Saute until the meat, veggies are browned.
• Add the reserved fat(from pressure cooking the lamb) and some water and simmer for an hour, checking periodically for an hour.
• Serve the stew hot with crusty bread, or even top a couscous.

Note:

• No Pressure cooker? No Problem. Use a slow cooker and eliminate the second step all together.

Enjoy!

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FromFamilyNFriends: Minty Lamb/Mutton Biryani

Want to know what Biryani is, or what the difference between a Pilaf and Biryani is? Click here to see the answers from one of my previous posts. This is a recipe for Minty Mutton(Lamb) Biryani that has been passed on from a dear friend of mine whose version tops my Mutton Biryani List. I mean, no one does it better than her. Everyone has a favorite and this one is mine. Every time I go to her place, I request/plead her to make this..not that she doesn't ace in other dishes..but this is her best one yet.I made this for lunch yesterday and there wasn't any left for a second helping. Thanks for sharing this with me, Ms.Prabhu.

Ingredients:

• Short Grained Rice(Sona Masuri, Ponni) - 4 cups, soaked in cold water 30 minutes prior to pressure cooking
  
• Lamb/Mutton - 2 pounds, with some bones, cut into bite sized chunks
• Onion - 1, medium, finely chopped
• Tomatoes - 2, medium, chopped
• Olive Oil  - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  

For Grinding1:

• Cinnamon - 1 stick
• Clove - 4
• Marati Moggu(dried fruit of the caper tree) - 2
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp

For Grinding2:

• Garlic - 1 head, skinned and cloves separated
• Ginger - 1 1/2 inch
• Mint - 1 small bunch
• Hot Green Chili - 16#s

Tools:

• Pressure Pan

Procedure:

• In a saute pan, dry fry all the spices and grind its finely.
• Blend all the ingredients under "Grinding2" to a coarse paste with very little water.
• In a pressure pan, heat the oil and throw in the ground spices. Fry for a minute and then add the onions and tomato.
• Saute until the onions are browned. Pour the ground paste and fry until it loses the raw smell.
• Add the lamb chunks and saute for a couple of minutes. The paste should evenly coat the chunks. Add the turmeric and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
• Drain the soaked rice completely and add it to the pressure pan. Pay attention to the liquid inside the pan. If there is plenty if liquid then water to rice ratio of 2: 1 doesn't apply. Pour 6 cups of water and pressure cook for 3 more whistles.Let it rest for 10 minutes prior to opening the pan.
• Serve hot with cold Onion-Carrot Raita.

Makes ~5-6 servings.

Enjoy!

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Lamb & Vegetable Kebab With Broccoli Lime Rice

Kebab is traditionally a middle-eastern food but popular in Turkish,Central Asian, South Asian and some of the African cuisines, consisting of grilled or broiled meats threaded on skewers. For this recipe, I used the oven instead of a BBQ grill and substituted lamb and vegetables instead of beef and served it on a bed of Broccoli Lime Rice.

Ingredients:

For the Kebab:

• Boneless Lamb - 1/2 pound, cut into 1 inch cubes
• Yellow squash - 1,small, cut into 11/2 inch thick discs
• Green Squash - 1, small, cut into 1 1/2 inch thick discs
• Button Mushrooms - 18-20 #s, small, cleaned
• Red Onion - 1, small, cut into big chunks
• Green Pepper - 1, cut into big chunks
• Wooden Skewers - 6
• Garlic - 3 cloves, grated
• Ginger - 1 inch, grated
• Mint - 3 stalks, stalk removed and diced (optional)
• Lime - 1, juiced
• Black Pepper - 1 tsp or more, cracked
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Tikka Seekh Kabab BBQ Mix - 1 - 11/2 tbsp ( I used "Shan" Brand from Indian Store)
• Salt - A dash , for taste
• Olive Oil - 4 tbsp (2tbsp for marination and 2 tbsp for basting)

For the Rice:

• Short grained rice - 1 cup
• Lime - 2, juiced
• Onion - 1, small, diced
• Broccoli - 1, small head, cleaned and cut
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Split Black Gram - 1 tsp
• Olive oil - 1tbsp
• Cilantro - For Garnish
  

Procedure:

• In a glass bowl, mix the ginger, garlic, lime juice, mint, salt, pepper, turmeric powder, BBQ mix, 2 tbsp oil.
• Check for taste and throw in the vegetable and lamb.
• Marinate for at least 2 hours(overnight marination is preferred).
• Soak the wooden skewers in water for 30minutes - 1 hour to avoid burning in the oven.
• Cook the rice as per package directions and cool.
• In a deep saute pan, heat oil, add the mustard seeds and black gram. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the onions and brown it.
• Add the rice and give a gentle mix.
• In a cup, mix the juice of a Lime with turmeric powder and salt. Pour that into the pan and mix gently for a minute. Switch off the stove. Garnish with chopped Cilantro.
  
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Line a 11inch X 9 inch pan with aluminum foil.
• String the vegetable and lamb alternatively with little space in-between and baste them with oil.
  
• Sit the skewers on the rim of the pan so that the juice and fat is collected in the pan.

• Place the pan on the lower grill of the oven for 25-30minutes. Baste with oil once or twice during this time.
• Remove from the  oven when the tips of the lamb begins to get charred. 

• Serve on a bed of Lime Rice.

Makes 2 Servings.

Enjoy!

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Succulent Curried Lamb Stew

This is yet another comfort food for me..especially during winter season when  all I crave is for something hot and spicy.According to me, lamb Stew with Crusty or Naan Bread is a sure thing to beat the wintry blues.

Ingredients:

• Boneless Lamb - 2 pounds, cubed
• Frozen or Fresh Carrot - 3, crinkled or thickly sliced
• Yukon Gold Potato - 4 medium,halved and then quartered
• Mint - a handful, coarsely chopped
• Coriander Powder - 3 tbsp
  
• Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
  
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cracked Pepper - 1 tsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Bay Leaf - 1
• Cloves - 3
• Cinnamon Stick - 1
• Salf for taste 
  

For Grinding:

• Onion - 1 large, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 8 cloves
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Poppy seeds - 2 tsp (optional)
• curry leaves - 2 sprigs (optional)
• Dry Red chilli - 4-5 (or less for less heat)

Procedure:

• In a pressure pan, add the cubed lamb chunks with half the cracked pepper, salt, turmeric powder, a few chunks of cut onions, a clove of garlic and a little water to partly cover them.Pressure cook for 10-12minutes(4-5 whistles).The resulting lamb should be tender. Save the fatty liquid.
• Fry all the ingredients under "Grinding" in a tbsp of oil and grind to a fine paste.
• In a pan, heat the remaining tbsp of oil.Add the cloves,bay leaf and cinnamon.
• Throw in the potatoes, carrots and saute for 2 minutes. Follow up with mint leaves and the cooked lamb chunks and further fry for 3-4 minutes.
  
• Pour the ground mixture plus the saved fatty liquid, chilli powder, coriander powder,remaining pepper and lastly the salt.
• Cover and cook for 30minutes on low-medium flame or until the oil separates.
• Serve hot with Crusty Bread or Indian flat bread(Naan).

Enjoy!

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