Category: lamb

Durban-style Lamb and Cabbage Curry

This is another favourite amongst South African Indian families. It’s a great dish for a wintry Sunday like it is here in Sydney today.

The sweetness of the cabbage permeates this dish and the resulting curry is somehow more fragrant and lighter than most lamb curries. Flavouring the oil through the gentle frying of the fenugreek, cummin and nigella seeds along with the cinnamon and curry leaves provides the basis for this.

The addition of fresh and dried chillies add an extra warming spicy element but by no means is this required if you prefer a milder sweeter curry.

The curry sauce is thinner than usual as well so rice is the best accompaniment, and Mint and Peanut Chutney is a delicious alongside it. I suppose this is the Indian version of Norwegian Farikal or Irish Lamb and Cabbage stew.

Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:

750g lamb cut into chunks, or for best results lamb chump chops with fat removed and diced keeping bones in
1 large onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 dried chillies and/or 2 fresh red chillies left whole(optional)
5 cloves garlic and equal amount peeled ginger, crushed into a paste
3 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil
2 sticks cinnamon bark
1 teaspoon cummin seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
Handful of fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon cummin powder
1/2 teaspoon fennel powder
1 teaspoon salt or salt to your taste
1/2 a whole cabbage sliced finely
2 cups chicken stock or water
Coriander chopped for garnish

Method:

1. Heat vegetable oil over medium heat in heavy based casserole pot.

2. Add cinnamon sticks, cummin and nigella seeds and curry leaves and heat through until fragrant, taking care not to burn spices. (This process flavours the oil)

3. Add onions and cook slowly over medium heat until transparent.

4. Add ginger and garlic paste and cook for 1 minute,stirring through onions.

5, Add turmeric, chilli, cummin and fennel powder, as well as salt, and stir briskly to mix well into onion mixture heating spices but once again taking care not to burn.

6. Add chopped tomatoes, died and fresh chillies if using, and lamb, stirring to coat lamb well in spices and to brown/seal the meat, before adding enough chicken stock or water to cover lamb.

7. Bring to the boil, the lower heat and simmer gently for 35-40 minutes until lamb is almost tender.

8. Add sliced cabbage and cook for 10-15 minutes until cabbage is tender and sauce reduces. (If you do want to thicken sauce you can add 2 teaspoons of cornflour mixed into a smooth paste with some water and simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring well)

9. Taste to see if additional salt is required.

10. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with basmati rice.

Shanthini6 Comments

Persian inspired Lamb Shanks with paprika, saffron and rosewater

This is my version of Persian lamb shanks slow cooked in a mixture of lime juice, orange juice, rosewater, saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, paprika, pepper, thyme, garlic and saffron. The combination of spices and citrus permeates the lamb and the resulting dish is fragrant and delicious.

Don’t be scared off by the long list of ingredients, the end result is worth the preparation and slow cooking.

We had these with a spinach salad with orange segments and pomegranate seeds which complemented the flavours of the lamb perfectly. It would also go well with Caramelised Brussel Sprout, spinach and pomegranate salad.

A definite new favourite winter comfort food dish!

Preparation time: 1.5 hours Cooking time: 2-2.5 hours

Ingredients:
4 frenched lamb shanks

Powdered/ ground spices:
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Fragrant mix:
2 teaspoons saffron threads
1 teaspoon rosewater
Juice of 2 limes
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of half an orange
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup warm water

Braising ingredients:
1 litre chicken stock
4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 large onion finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 bunch thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil

Garnish:
Chopped mint, parsley and/or coriander, and extra orange zest

Method:

1. Place lamb shanks in a large bowl and add powdered and ground spices. Using rubber gloves thoroughly rub spices into lamb shanks and allow to marinade for at least and hour.

2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

3.Put saffron threads in seperate bowl and add 1/2 cup warm water, rosewater, lime juice, orange juice and let this infuse for at least ten minutes.

3. Chop onions, finely slice onions, and strip thyme leaves off stems.

4. Heat oil in large casserole pot, brown lamb shanks 2 at a time ensuring a nice “crust” forms and set aside.

5. Remove excess oil from pot, leaving only a thin layer of oil to cook onions and garlic in.

6. Sautée onions and garlic over medium heat, adding salt to mixture, cook until soft and translucent.

7. Add bay leaves, thyme, orange and lime zest and add back lamb shanks and mix through.

8. Cover lamb shanks with hot chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer on stovetop for 10 minutes.

9. Cover pot with lid in pre-heated oven for 2-2.5 hours until lamb is tender and falling off the bone.

10. Remove lamb shanks from pot and set aside in cooling oven.

11. Strain stock mixture that is left in the pot and return strained sauce to pot to reduce to a thick jus.

12. You can serve shanks as is with jus poured over or shred the lamb and serve with jus on the side. Garnish with parsley or coriander and serve with rice and/or couscous and salad.

Shanthini4 Comments

Lamb Xacuti – Goan curry

Cooking this recipe was inspired by the beautiful story and recipe posted by The Storyteller’s Kitchen Chicken Xacuti but I made it tonight using lamb. It was certainly very delicious and is easy to make but does involve quite a number of steps for the three seperate spice mixes involved.

I didn’t have any mace so just gave it a miss but the original recipe calls for it to be included in the masala (dry spice mix).

I have added extra coriander and curry leaves and was pleased with the result.

I have also divided the recipe up into the different components into groups to help follow the recipe. Hope it helps!

This is almost like an Indian version of Indonesian rendang except sharper tasting through the use of green chillies and lots of fresh coriander. We had a tangy cucumber, tomato, carrot and spinach salad with it and plain basmati rice. A very More-ish dish!

Prep time: 35 minutes Cooking time: 60 minutes Resting time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Coriander Spice Marinade:
8 garlic cloves
1.5 cm piece of ginger
6 small green chilies
1/2 bunch of coriander
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon turmeric

Coconut and onion paste:
1/3 cup of desiccated coconut
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil

Spice Masala:
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
7-8 cloves
7-8 black peppercorns
1 star anise
7-8 dried red chillies
2 small pieces cinnamon bark broken into bits
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder

Meat:
1kg lamb on the bone – I use 5-6 lamb chump chops with the fat removed and diced into small chunks with the bone left in

Braising mixture:
3 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
Handful curry leaves
1 large onion finely diced
1 tomato roughly chopped
2-3 cups water
1 cup coriander leaves ground to paste

Garnish:
Coriander chopped
2-3 small Green chillies chopped

Method:

1. Chop all ingredients for marinade, then grind ingredients into a paste, chop meat, add marinade to meat and marinate for 30-45 minutes

2. Dry roast dry spices for Masala in a small non-stick pan over medium heat until fragrant, allow to cool then grind to a fine powder in spice blender or coffee grinder – set aside

3. In the same pan, dry fry desiccated coconut over gentle heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning, until golden brown. Then add 2 tablespoons oil and fry 1 diced onion until browned. Allow onion and coconut to cool, then grind together in mortar and pestle until onion is melted into coconut into a thick paste. Set aside

4. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy bottom casserole pot with a lid, then add curry leaves and fry until just fragrant, then add diced onion and fry until golden brown stirring to ensure onion doesn’t burn. Add tomato and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes have disintegrated and oil reappears.

5. Add lamb mixture and additional ground coriander paste and 1 cup of water to onion and tomato mixture and boil for 15 minutes.

6. Add Masala mix and coconut-onion paste and another cup of water and simmer for another 25 minutes until lamb is really tender.

7. Take off heat, allow to rest for 30 minutes, garnish with coriander and green chillies and serve.

Shanthini6 Comments

Irish Lamb Stew for St Patrick’s Day

This is an old family favourite stew made extra delicious by the addition of crispy fried bacon and the use of white pepper. I love lots of fresh thyme in it as well.

Perfect way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day no matter where you are in the world🍀🍀🍀

IMG_5484
Irish Lamb Stew

Ingredients
5-6 lamb neck chops,with some of the meat cut into smaller chunks off the bone
1 tspn salt
1 tspn black pepper
1 tspn white pepper
½ cup flour
½ cup water
Vegetable oil and butter
4 cloves of garlic crushed
2 onions sliced into thickish rings
Chicken stock
2 carrots chopped into medium size chunks
2 desiree potatoes chopped into quarters
Half a bunch of thyme leaves stripped from stalks
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine

Method
1. Place bacon in frying pan and cook until crisp and fat has rendered into pan
2. Put lamb, salt, black pepper and flour into mixing bowl and coat lamb evenly
3. Brown lamb in batches on high heat in frying pan – might need to add butter to pan which helps brown lamb when bacon fat runs out
4. Once finished with frying pan deglaze it by adding a cup of water and keep pan juices aside
5. Place a thin layer of oil in the casserole pot, then add garlic and half the onion and sauté until onions become golden and transparent
6. Add bacon pieces, lamb, white pepper, thyme and bay leaves to casserole pot and cover with wine, deglazed pan juices and chicken stock – simmer for 40 minutes-1 hour.
7. Taste to see if extra pepper and/or salt is needed
8. Add potatoes, carrots and rest of onion to lamb and simmer for 20-25 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender
9. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve with irish soda bread

Shanthini5 Comments

St Patrick’s Day at The Roger and Molly’s Bar NYC

Arrived in New York after 26 hours of travelling from Sydney at 4.30pm on St Patrick’s Day.

We were staying at The Roger, a boutique hotel on the Corner of Madison and East 31st, in the area still known as Nomad(north of Madison park). I remember staying in mid-town years back when I visited New York and it is certainly changing with many more trendy bars and restaurants and a much more vibrant and a far less grungy atmosphere.

Warm, stylish and welcoming foyer at the Roger NYC
Foyer bar at The Roger, NYC

The rooms are very spacious by New York standards and ours even had a seperate walk in wardrobe. Anyway, impressed as we were with our digs, we wanted a true New York Irish experience to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. After some quick online research, Adrian suggested Molly’s Bar about 15 minutes walk down in Gramercy, on 287 3rd Avenue just down from East 23rd st.

 

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Queues to get in at Molly’s Bar in New York on St Patrick’s Day

The tiny bar,established in 1960 and known to be New York’s most authentic Irish bar in New York, with sawdust on the floor and a log fire, was packed to the rafters with New Yorkers of Irish descent and every other descent celebrating St Pat’s Day – raucously! As loud as it was, we got there around 8.30pm and managed to avoid any queues and even to get a booth. Somehow  the noise seemed to diminish when we sat down and it was still fine to talk and enjoy our delicious meal of Irish favourites – corned beef served with cabbage, vegetables and mash and of course, Irish Lamb Stew.

Traditional Irish Food on the menu at Molly’s Bar in New York
Paddy’s party atmosphere at Molly’s Bar in NYC
A booth at Molly’s Bar in NYC for St Pat’s Day dinner

We knew we were in the US of A when the gigantic main  courses arrived, but just like the noise, the size of the dishes diminished when we tucked in! Both meals were delicious and served with complimentary traditional Irish Soda Bread. (Excuse the poor quality of the food pics but it was pretty dark in the booth!) Accompanied by Irish Harp Lager and a delicious glass of red wine from Washington State. Prices for meals and drinks are reasonable and tallied up to about $80 including tip for 2 of us, without an entree(appetiser) or dessert, but including more than 1 round of drinks!

Great green atmosphere on St Pats Day but I think it would be just as much, or even more fun, on a normal evening.

 

Shanthini2 Comments
Hunters style Indian roast leg of lamb

Indian Hunters style Roast Leg of Lamb

This is my version of the traditional Jungli Maas – the roast meat cooked by hunters using game. The original version of this recipe does not include ginger, garlic or curry leaves but I’ve adjusted the recipe to add further depth to the flavours. Delicious with a cooling cucumber and tomato kachumber salad or a green salad, and roast potatoes – even better as leftovers the next day. Don’t be scared off by the number of chillies they provide flavour rather than too much heat unless of course you decide to eat them which I wouldn’t advise for any other than those with serious chilli tolerance. The juices left in the pan are rich, spicy and delicious in moderation. Ghee is essential.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 2.5-3 hours
Ingredients:
1 2-2.5 kg leg of lamb, with bone in, that will fit in your largest casserole dish with a lid or get your butcher to cut in half
35 dried red chillies, preferably Kashmiri
200g ghee
Handful of curry leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons ginger and garlic crushed into a paste
1 tsp salt
250ml hot chicken stock
Coriander or parsley for garnish

Method
Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees celcius
Remove seeds from 25 of the chillies, slicing them in half (wear gloves or ensure you wash your hands well after)
Make deep incisions with a sharp knife
Rub lamb well with the ginger and garlic paste, massaging the paste into the incisions (those gloves are probably advisable at this point too)

Put the ghee in the casserole dish and melt over medium heat

Add the cinnamon and curry leaves to flavour ghee
Add the lamb and brown all over
Add chillies and salt to the pot, then carefully add hot stock as the mixture might spit when adding to ghee
Bring to simmer, cover with the lid and put carefully into oven
Cook for 2-5-3 hours until lamb is falling off the bone

Hunters style Indian roast leg of lamb
Hunter style Indian roast leg of lamb

You will need to baste the lamb every half an hour and add more boiling water if the mixture is getting too dry
Rest the lamb for 15-20 minutes
Pull the lamb off the bone and serve with juices spooned over the top
Garnish with coriander or parsley

Hunter style Indian roast leg of lamb
Hunters style Indian roast leg of lamb pulled off the bone

 

Shanthini6 Comments