GRILLED LAMB CHOPS…Tangy and tasty!!

‘The gentle art of gastronomy is a friendly one. It hurdles the language barrier, makes friends among civilized people, and warms the heart.’
Samuel Chamberlain
GRILLED LAMB CHOPS

This is a nice, feel-good, sort of dish (doubles up as finger-food too), which we like at home for a change from curries etc. The ingredients can be increased or decreased to suit personal tastes…we love the tanginess of the meat off the bone. I grill these sometimes, and at other times pan cook them. These can be served with mashed potatoes/oven baked fries, grilled veggies, a dip/chutney, green salad, dinner rolls or naan bread. The kids love the ease of nibbling chops…with a squirt of lemon!

Ingredients:
Lamb Chops – 750 gms (about 10-12 pieces)
Yogurt – 4 tbsps /thick
Ginger-garlic paste – 2tbsp
Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)
Roasted Cumin Powder – 2 tsp
Paprika – ½ tsp
Red chili Powder – ½ tsp (optional)
Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp (home-made)
Orange-red food colour – optional
Fresh coriander/mint leaves for garnishing
Wedges of lime

Method:

  • Wash the chops well, and pat dry.
  • Whip the yogurt in a large bowl till smooth.
  • Add all other ingredients except the chops. Mix well.
  • Add the chops and mix in well, making sure they are coated well and evenly.
  • Leave to marinade for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator (I usually leave them overnight). Take out from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
  • Cook them in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes on low heat. (times may vary from country to country according to quality/type of lamb etc).
  • Leave until cooled down a bit. Check if the lamb has cooked through and is soft. Dry any extra water if present.
  • Now grill them for 10 minutes on each side, turning once. Sprinkle with a bit of roasted cumin powder for a nice deep brown.
  • Serve immediately with garnished with fresh coriander and/or mint leaves, and wedges of lime…

Note: If you want to pan cook these, after cooking under pressure, turn them into a non-stick heavy bottom pan with all remaining marinade. Cover and cook gently on low till all the liquid has been absorbed, and they get a nice, golden colour. Turn about once in a while. Serve immediately.

Additional Note: Worthwhile mentioning “The lamb we get here can be cooked by just grilling for 10 minutes per side (no pressure cooking required)”…comment from Saju/US. I should have thought of that.

ACHARI CHICKEN CURRY…A tangy Indian chicken curry

“Happy and successful cooking doesn’t rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.”
Georges Blanc, Ma Cuisine des Saisons

ACHARI CHICKEN
This recipe is easy, full of flavour…and has no store-bought mixes. The kids enjoy this one a lot. I avoid these mixes because they have preservatives and additives. See the note at the bottom of the recipe in case you cant find the seeds!

Ingredients:

Chicken – 1 (700-800gms), cut into pieces
Onions – 3 / sliced fine
Tomatoes – 3 / chopped fine
Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp
Yogurt (curd) – 3 tbsp/thick
Kalonji – 1 tsp
Methi dana – 1/2 tsp
Whole Zeera – 1 tsp
Saunf – 1 tsp
Bhuna Zeera Powder – 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Haldi – 1/2 tsp
Green chilies – 2-3/ to taste
Lemon Juice – of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander (Hara Dhania) to garnish


Method:
  • Slit the green chilies and soak them in the lemon juice. Keep aside.
  • Heat about 4-5 tbsps of oil in a nice big wok (kadhai), and fry the onions till brown.
  • Add the kalonji + methi dana + Whole Zeera + Saunf. Mix well.
  • Add ginger-garlic paste and haldi…roast well.
  • Now put in the chicken pieces and roast on high flame till well browned.
  • On high flame, add yogurt and fry well, but gently…don’t want to debone the chicken!
  • Once it leaves oil, add the red chilli powder + roasted zeera powder + tomatoes..and roast well once again on high flame.
  • Once this also leaves oil around the edges. add about 1/2 a cup of water + salt to taste…and cook covered, on simmer for about 30 mins. Stir once in a while.
  • Once the chicken is tender, put in the chilies with the lemon juice and fresh coriander, and simmer for 5-7 minutes to enhance the flavours!

Serve hot with rotis, naan or rice. ENJOY!!

IMG 5803 Note: This is actually flavoured with the ingredients of an Indian pickle. Buy them only if you intend to use them, otherwise, its worthwhile to try the basic recipe without the 4 strange sounding seeds. You can even puree the tomatoes for a smoother gravy.

Phirini / Saffron Indian Rice Pudding … think spice, think SAFFRON!

“Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.”
Anonymous

PHIRINI/RICE PUDDING

Looks like it’s time again for ‘beyond baking’, and this time I’m hitting the saffron trail! This recipe has finally been typed and blogged thanks to Sunita’s World, who runs a really interesting spice event every month. I think it’s a pretty neat idea, and also a great learning experience. I missed the last few spices due to the ‘tension’ of trying to blog. I feel a little more confident now, and a bit more organised of course! Got a loooooooooooooong way to go, but am getting there.

Strands of Saffron…with the flowers of the Indian ‘Haar-Singaar’ tree

This months’ spice is ‘SAFFRON‘…the world’s most expensive spice by weight. I’ve just used a few strands, and they seem to work the magic. The recipe is for a creamy, delicious pudding/phirini made out of ground rice. A great vegetarian dessert option which can be set it in individual bowls too!! This is a recipe I have made over and over again, and is a firm favourite after dinner. A bowl of this was always reserved for a dear friend who LOVED it…but sans raisins. She is now in Babushka land for a while, and gets her bowl over the net!! The flavour of saffron is gentle and complements this dish beautifully. I make this with condensed milk too…another of my own recipes, which I will post another day.

Ingredients:

Rice – 3/4 cup (I use Basmati)
Milk – 1 1/2 litres (full cream/whole fat)
Cardamom – 5-6 (seeds ground in pestle & mortar)
Saffron strands – 1 pinch (soaked for 10 mins in 1 tbsp warm milk)
Raisins – ¼ cup (optional)
Almonds – ¼ cup
Sugar – ¾ cup (Start with ½ cup and increase if required)
Cream – ½ cup (optional for a GREATER tasting phirini /pudding)

Method:

  • Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and peel them. Reserve for later.
  • Wash the rice well, drain, and run in a blender with about 1 cup of cold milk.
  • Mix this into the rest of the cold milk, and put to boil. Stir constantly, to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
  • Once it comes to a boil, add the cream if using, reduce to low heat, and cook for about 30-45 mins till the rice is cooked, and the pudding starts to thicken. Stir now and then…
  • Meanwhile, crush the cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar to release their fragrance. Once done, add a few strands of saffron, and about 1 tbsp of warm milk (I took it out of the pan while cooking); grind gently, and then leave to soak. This enhances the flavour of the saffron.
  • Once the rice is cooked, take off the heat. When this isn’t very hot, run the hand-blender through it. This will grind the rice completely, and thicken the pudding too.
  • Put back on low heat. Add the saffron mixture, raisins and almonds, reserving some raisins and almonds for garnishing. Also add the sugar and adjust taste as required. At this point if you think the pudding is too thick, you can add some more milk.
  • Take off heat, and allow to cool for 15-20mins. Turn either into 1 big serving bowl, or individual bowls. Garnish with almonds, raisins, saffron strands, beaten silver parchment (chaandi ka vark) etc.
  • Chill well for 4-6 hours (or overnight) before serving.. (Keep covered with wrap/foil in fridge).

Note: Varieties of rice differ…one kind may have more starch than the other. If you want the pudding thicker (or if it doesn’t thicken enough), add a tsp of cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp of cold milk once the rice is cooked. Give it a rolling boil. Do remember though that the phirini/pudding will continue to thicken as it cools once done.

And yes, you guessed it! Am on the THINK PINK trail still…

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