Tag Archives: Lamb

May 18, 2013

Atul Kochhar’s Sumatran Lamb Kurma

Atul Kochhar's Sumatran Lamb Korma

I’ve adapted this recipe from Atul Kochhar’s wonderful ‘Curries Of The World’ book. His introductory note to this very mild, but tasty, Sumatran Lamb Kurma, goes: ‘The korma, or kurma, is thought to have originated in India but such is Asia’s history that dishes have travelled and been adopted by other countries, where they often take on a new life.

‘So, while this seems to be an Indian-inspired recipe…it is also characteristically Indonesian because of the lemongrass, as well as the coconut, Whatever its origins, it all adds up to a fantastic korma.’

Serves 6

1 kg lean boneless leg of lamb, chopped into chunks
6 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
1 onion, finely chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp finely chopped lemongrass
5cm piece of cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
400g potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
250ml coconut milk
Salt

For the spice powder

Quarter tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
4 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
10 black peppercorns

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1. First make the spice powder. Lightly toast all the spices, one at a time, in a dry pan until fragrant. When they are cool, grind together to a fine powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder.

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2. Mix together the lamb, spice powder and some salt in a bowl. Set aside in a cool place for 20 mins.

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3. Heat the oil or ghee in a pan and saute the lamb for 4-5 mins until lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the lamb and set aside, then add the onion to the pan and sautre for 5 mins until softened.

4. Add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass and saute for 2-3 mins. Remove the mixture with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

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5. Discard the oil left in the pan. Return the lamb and onion mixture to the pan. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves and potatoes. Pour in enough hot water just to cover the ingredients. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then cover and simmer on the lowest possible heat for 45 mins.

6. Remove the lid and add the coconut milk. Add a little more hot water, too. Simmer, covered, for a further 15-20 mins or until the lamb and potatoes are perfectly cooked.

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7. Adjust the seasoning and discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Serve with rice, naan bread or chapatis.

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April 24, 2013

Moroccan Lamb Neck & Nectarine Tagine

Moroccan lamb neck & nectarine tagine

I’m not sure if I’m technically allowed to call this recipe ‘tagine’ because a tagine is actually a type of Moroccan cooking pot. However, ‘slow cooker lamb neck’ doesn’t sound half as exotic and nowhere near describes this delicious, melt-in-the-mouth fruity Moroccan stew.

This recipe has been inspired by Atul Kocchar, from his ‘Curries Of The World’ cookbook, but instead of lamb shoulder I’ve used neck, and in place of dried apricots, I’ve used dried nectarines, which might be a little sweet for some people’s tastes.

Serves 2-4

700g lamb neck, cut into chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves
05.cm piece cinnamon stick
2 tsp Ras el Hanout (Moroccan spice powder)
2 tsp ground ginger
Half tsp turmeric
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
50g unsalted butter, melted
500g lamb stock (I used a Knorr stock cube)
200g dried apricots or nectarines (I used nectarines, which I was sent by Carpo for review purposes), soaked in water for 1 hour to soften
100g blanched almonds
50ml honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt
Sprigs of coriander, to garnish

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1. Toss the pieces of lamb with 1 tbsp oil, then sear in a hot frying pan over a high heat until browned on all sides. Remove from the heat.

2. Heat a slow cooker on LOW and add the browned lamb, onions, garlic, cinnamon stick, Ras el Hanout, ginger, turmeric, pepper, melted butter and stock. Cook for 3-4 hours until the lamb is very tender.

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3. Drain the nectarines (or apricots) and cook in enough fresh water to cover, for 30-40 mins, or until reduced to a pulp. Fry the almonds in the salted butter until lightly browned.

4. Transfer the lamb from the slow cooker to a large saucepan and skim off any excess fat from the surface. Add the apricots, nuts, honey and ground cinnamon. Simmer for around 10 mins, then serve with cous cous, garnished with coriander leaves.

Lamb neck tagine with nectarines

 

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April 20, 2013

Thai Lamb Yellow Curry

Thai Lamb Yellow Curry

When my kids are old enough to do the grocery shopping, I want them to know that meat comes from animals, not from plastic-and-polystyrene packaging. I want them to know that an animal died for their appetites. And I want them to know that that animal had a decent life before it went to slaughter. Then again, perhaps they’ll become vegetarians, in which case, they won’t need to bother about any of the above. 

In the meantime, though, I take them to my local farmers’ market so they can see what meats looks like and find out where it comes from. And there is nothing quite like the experience of seeing the stuff freshly butchered in front of your eyes.

That’s the inspiration for this recipe. I wanted a half shoulder of lamb to make this Thai Lamb Yellow Curry with. There wasn’t one on display, so the butcher went into his van and brought out a whole lamb carcass (minus the wool and innards).

“Wow, Dad, that’s so coooooool,” said my eight-year-old.

“Is that a real lamb?” asked the five-year-old. “Did it go baa?”

‘Did’ – past tense.

Yup. Indeed it did go Baa. And it also frolicked and gambolled in open fields until it found itself in the sorry predicament it faced right now.

Anyway, pictures tell the story better than words, and I hope this recipe does justice to the life that was given for it. My wife loved it – and the kids loved it, too.

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Serves 4-6

2 tbsp sunflower oil
Half shoulder free-range lamb, trimmed of fat and sinew and cut into 2.5cm chunks
1 onion, sliced
4 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
100g green beans, trimmed

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb chunks all over. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Wipe the pan clean.

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2. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan and then the onion. Gently cook for 5-6 mins until tender. Add the curry paste. Stir fry for 1 min to release the aromas.

3. Return the lamb to the pan and stir through. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil, then transfer to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, until the lamb is very tender. (Or you could cook it in a lidded casserole dish, in a 160C/Gas 2 oven, for 2 hours). At this stage you can transfer the lamb to a container and let it cool, then leave in the fridge overnight.

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4. When you’re ready to eat, transfer the lamb curry to a large saucepan and heat through. Add the peppers and green beans and cook for around 15-20 mins, until the vegetables are tender.

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5. Serve with plain boiled Jasmine rice.

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March 20, 2013

Cooking For Kids: Sweetcorn and Pepper Fritters with Slow Cooked Lamb Steaks

Sweetcorn and Pepper Fritters

Colour and crunch. Crunch and colour.These are my buzz words for kids’ food. Colour = healthy ; crunch = texture, which in turn = good for teeth. Of course, these principles could also apply to a packet of sweets, but we know the score here, don’t we? We’re parents. Colourful and crunchy veg. That’s the score.

These Sweetcorn and Pepper Fritters are super-quick and super-simple to make. They can be eaten on their own as a vegetarian main, or as a different accompaniment than your bog standard potatoes to meat. I cooked these lamb steaks in the slow cooker after rolling them in a mixture of fresh herbs and garlic. They went down a storm.

Serves 3-4 kids

For the Sweetcorn and Pepper Fritters

340g can sweetcorn, drained so it is completely dry
Half red pepper, deseeded and diced
Half orange pepper, deseeded and diced
1 tbsp self-raising flour
1 whole egg
1 egg white
Knob of butter

For the lamb steaks

2-3 lean lamb steaks
Mixed bunch of herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp black pepper
300ml lamb stock (from a cube is fine)

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1. Make the fritters by mixing the sweetcorn and peppers in a bowl. In  another bowl, mix the egg and flour together. And in another, whisk the egg white until light and fluffy. Now add the sweetcorn and peppers to the egg and flour batter and stir together. Then with a metal spoon, gently fold in the fluffy egg white.

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2. Add the butter to a large frying pan and heat until it foams. Use a metal spoon to add dollops of the sweetcorn mixture to the pan. Leave to cook for 2 mins (don’t be tempted to move them) and then use a spatula to carefully turn them over. They should be light golden in colour. Cook for a further 2 mins. Drain on kitchen towel and serve.

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3. To make the lamb. Mix the herbs and garlic together and roll the lamb steaks in this mixture. Transfer the lamb and the stock to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours until the lamb is falling-apart-tender.

4. Remove from the slow cooker and drain the stock through a sieve. Serve with the fritters and a little of the cooking stock to moisten the meat.

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