Lamb Mince Capsicum / Keema Capsicum … a one wok / kadhai dish which is certain to tantalise the taste-buds, keep you warm this winter, basically comfort food at its best. The dish has origins in India & Pakistan, a recipe that’s changed hands several times over. It’s quite different from how I used to cook a similar recipe earlier, and this one tastes loads better. It’s quite fuss free, a recipe I from an old aunt.Very often, you’ll find curries and lamb dishes that originate from the Indian subcontinent to have loads of ghee / clarified butter, fried onions, lots of ‘bhunoing‘ or roasting over low flame etc. Often too, the list of spices and ingredients are not everyday pantry ingredients. This Lamb Mince Capsicum / Keema Capsicum is different by way of process and also by way of ingredients. It uses simple everyday spices, the only exception being dried mint. That in any case is a great addition to any kitchen pantry and adds great oomph to food!I love that this is flavoured simply by 3-4 spice powders, coriander {dhania}, turmeric {haldi}, roasted cumin {bhuna zeera}and Kashmiri red chili {degi mirch}. Also, just two herbs here, the more fascinating of them being dried mint. Dried mint adds a certain earthiness and depth to the recipe, one that I haven’t experienced before. I usually use fresh mint since I have loads growing in my patch the year round. Dried mint was refreshing this time around!The rest of the ingredients are very common to Indian curries and stir fries … onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chilies, yogurt {Greek yogurt as that’s what I had in the fridge}, and an optional dash of lime juice. And the process is a no brainer too. Take a read!Just cook the mince over low heat for a while, add the spices and chopped ingredients, cover and cook, throw in vegetables if you like. I added capsicum since that’s all I had. Alternatively, you could use flat beans {sem as we call them here}, peas, potatoes, green chilies or even bitter gourd if you like. Towards the end, Greek yogurt, more fresh coriander {I like to add LOADS}, a dash of lime if you like tangy.Then just give it a squeeze of lime {optional}, slit green chilies {very optional} and a nice drizzle of clarified butter/ghee {MUST}… and enjoy!
I served the Lamb Mince Capsicum / Keema Capsicum with parathas one time, some toasted sheermal {sweetish Indian flatbread} another time. You could even give this a fusion and scoop them up with nachos for a snack with tea or drinks! More ideas … filling for lamb mince samosas!
Lamb Mince with Capsicum / Keema Capsicum ... a one wok / kadhai dish which is certain to tantalise the taste-buds, keep you warm this winter, basically it's comfort food at it's best. The dish has origins in India & Pakistan, a recipe that's changed hands several times over. The recipe uses simple pantry ingredients, is fuss free and gluten free as well!
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Ingredients
500glamb mince
1tbspclarified butter {ghee}
2large onionsfinely chopped
2tomatoesfinely chopped
5-6clovesgarlicfinely chopped
1piecegingerfinely chopped
2-3green chiliesfinely chopped
1small bunchfresh coriander, finely chopped
2tspdhania powder/ coriander powder
tsp½Kashmiri red chili powder / degi mirch
tsp½haldi powder/ turmeric
2tspbhuna zeera powder/ roasted cumin powder
Salt to taste
2capsicumsdeseeded, chopped
cup½Greek yogurtwhisked
Juice of ½ lime
Fresh coriander to garnish
1tbspghee to finish off
Instructions
Heat the glee in a heavy bottom wok. Add the lamb mince, stir well to break up any clumps. Allow to cook uncovered over low heat for 30-45 minutes until it cooks through and begins to change colour.
Add the onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilies, dhania powder, haldi, degi mirch and bhuna zeera powder. Mix well, season with salt, ten cover and leave to cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Stir in the chopped capsicum, then the whisked Greek yogurt. Cook again covered over low heat until the liquid has evaporated 15-20 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning, add the lime juice if desired, more fresh coriander if you like. Drizzle over a tbsp of ghee.
Serve hot with naan, parathas, sheermal or tandoori roti.
“Since Eve ate the apple, much depends on dinner.”
George Byron
It’s Sunday today, it’s been a race, & thankfully, it’s finally drawing to an end. Am sitting here quite exhausted because the day has been long & never ending. The son’s soccer league season began today, so virtually every Sunday for the next few months has been written off. With so much cheering & nonsensical yapping at the match, there’s hardly any voice left in me. But have to squeeze something important as Monthly Mingle for the month at What’s For Lunch Honey has reached the deadline, well almost. As usual, I’m back to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party like situation…‘I’m late, I’m late for a very important date…’. This is being raced off to the guest hostess this month, Michelle of What’s Cooking Blog, a blog dedicated to “cooking with kids for a better body, planet and community”. The theme for this month’s mingle –Healthy Family Dinners. We’ve just polished off this dinner a couple of hours ago. It was very delicious & healthy too. The recipe for the balsamic & herb marinated chicken is one from Marie @ Proud Italian Cook, which I’ve used before. This time I made the bell pepper & basil salsa too, & it does go beautifully with the grilled chicken, just as she says in her post. The pictures have been taken at night, so are ‘hued‘, & in a tearing hurry, & so not too clear.
BALSAMIC & HERB GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS
The recipe as taken from Proud Italian Cook Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts
2 crushed garlic cloves
Herbs of your choice; dried or fresh (I used oregano; Marie used oregano, thyme & rosemary)
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt & freshly ground pepper Method:
Whisk the marinade ingredients together. Place with chicken in a ziploc bag.
As Marie says, ‘marinating the chicken is the key here, so you’ll want to do it for at least 2 hours.’
1 tsp red wine vinegar ( I used the juice of 1/2 a lime instead)
Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
While your chicken is marinating grill your red peppers. Peel, seed, then cut them into a dice.
Place in a bowl along with some crushed garlic, lots of fresh basil, red wine vinegar/lime juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Let everything sit together at room temperature.
Spoon this salsa over the chicken once grilled, & enjoy the fantastic flavours. Amazingly enough, the kids enjoyed the flavours too. This salsa pairs really well with grilled chicken, just as Marie said.
