Lamb Biryani

This  wonderful dish is often served for a celebratory meal or for special occasions. The  main ingredient can be changed for chicken, vegetables or prawn. There are versions of it all over India and will more often than not use mutton. Most of the recipes call for a couple of large pieces of meat or chicken, but I prefer a lot of smaller pieces.
The central ingredient is always rice and the spices and of course the fresh flavour of coriander.
It does take awhile to make, however after visiting southern India I am a convert to the pressure cooker for the lamb dish.
Every cooking class we had, pressure cookers of varying sizes were used. This makes sense when you are cooking many dishes as it cuts the time down by half. I do own a pressure cooker but as we are all guilty of, it it sits in the cupboard and you can forget you have it. Well it has been getting a lot of use lately. You don't have to run out and buy one you can also use a large pot with a tight fitting lid.
The recipe does take time so do it when you have a day at home and want to cook something special for the family or friends. All the work is done ! Perfect in this horrible weather



1 1/2 cups basmati rice
4 cardamon pods
1 piece of cinnamon about 2 inches 5 cmd long
6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 kilo diced lamb shoulder
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
2 teaspoons red chilli powder more if you like it hot or fresh chilli
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup of coriander
1/2 cup chopped mint
2 large brown onions thinly sliced
6 tomatoes chopped ( or approx 1 can of tomatoes )
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes
The cook for 5-6 minutes only and set aside.

Heat some of the oil in a heavy pot and cook the onions until brown and caramelised approx 15 minutes. Be carful not to let it burn. Set aside.

In the same pot heat some more of the oil and when hot add the cinnamon stick, cardamon pods and peppercorns. Cook for 30 seconds then add the bay leaf  and stir through. Next add the spices, garlic ginger, turmeric and garam masala and lastly the tomato . Continue to cook scraping the pan and try not to let it burn.
Add the lamb pieces and sauté for 2-3 minutes until meat has browned slightly.  Add only 1/4 of the onion and half the chopped coriander  with 2 1/2 cups water and some salt.
Cover and bring to the boil and cook for 40 minutes or until lamb is nearly cooked. It will be 10-12 minutes if you have a pressure cooker with 2 cups water.

If using a saucepan you may want to stir the lamb from time to time to stop it catching. Add some of the yoghurt after cooking and stir through.

For the final stage pour the remainder of the oil into a large pan with a lid. Spread a little less than half the rice on the bottom of the pan, then a layer of the fried onion, then the lamb mixture on top. Layer with more rice reserving a little for the top, fried onion and then the lamb mixture and the little remaining rice on top. Drizzle a little oil over the top and cover the pan tightly. Simmer on a very low heat for 15 minutes.

When you turn out the dish onto a platter the rice and lamb will combine. Garnish with mint and coriander. Serve with yoghurt or a yoghurt raita ( with cucumber )

Lamb Korma

The winter weather has arrived with full force this year and the temperatures have been the coldest I can remember  in years.
One tends to think of  hearty dishes to warm you up. Casseroles, stews, braises, curries and roasts come to mind. My go to dish for winter is a Lamb Korma easy for me because I have been making it forever. The heat is determined by you, so it is a great dish for all the family. A little bit of India.
Yes you can buy a jar of curry paste at the supermarket but the ingredients are all readily available and the taste is far superior if made from scratch. Once you have the spices you can churn it out as a regular winter meal.
Better made the day before, easily transportable and adaptable for the freezer. Serve it with a delicious chutney, yoghurt and poppadoms.
You can buy lamb already diced, but I buy small half legs and cut them myself into cubes.

approx 11/2 kilos lamb diced
2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon freshly chopped ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
raw almonds or cashews approx 1/2 cup
6 red chillies deseeded ( if you wish it be be not as hot add 2 at this point )
1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder ( again omit if you want it milder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 teaspoons salt
1 cup yoghurt
3 tablespoons oil
handful of chopped coriander leaves

Cut the lamb into cubes removing all the fat.
Place the onions, garlic, ginger, chillies and nuts into the food processor. Blend and then add half a cup of water and blend again. Add all the spices. This is your curry paste and should be as smooth as possible
Heat the oil in a large pot and add the blender contents. Cook until aromatic a couple of minutes and the oil is separating. Add another  1/2 cup of water to the blender and wash out the remainder of the paste and add the water to the pot. Cook a little longer.
Add the lamb slowly, a bit at a time until the meat is coated with the spice mixture and fry until it changes colour.
Add the salt and yoghurt and mix in evenly. Cover  and turn down simmering for 1 hour or until lamb is cooked.
Stir through fresh coriander in the last 5 minutes saving some for a garnish. Serve with rice and all the condiments.

Lemon and Herb Barbequed Loin of Lamb

Spring is in the air with a hint of summer ! I refuse to put on winter clothes again and am looking forward to a warm, rain free summer with lots of outdoor entertaining and a few drinkies of course.!
You may have guessed I love lamb and here is another little beauty. I find it never disappoints !
This lamb dish is very simple, can be increased easily if you have more guests or you can use boned legs of lamb. The loins are smaller and very tender, but it works just as well with the small boned legs that are readily available at Thomas Dux,  all good butchers and Woolworths.
Until the weather does get a little warmer serve the lamb with Roast Vegetables Greek style or the Couscous from my previous lamb recipe. I usually make extra to serve at the table.
Until I post some yummy salads with maybe a touch of Thai after my trip to Thailand.


leaves of 2 sprigs of thyme
leaves of 2 sprigs of rosemary
juice and rind, of a lemon
4 cloves crushed garlic
4 slices of ginger finely chopped
3 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons butter
2 boned loins of lamb
1-2 tablespoons Rylstone olive oil
salt and pepper

Put into the blender the herbs, juice, rind, garlic and ginger, honey, salt and pepper.
Reserve 1 tablespoon of herb mixture and mix with the olive oil
Add remaining herbs to the butter and reserve 2 tablespoons for later.
Generously spread the loins with the herbed butter and put together using cooking twine.
Score the loins and rub the herb and oil mixture into the meat. Put into a china dish, cover and refrigerate overnight. If you don't have time for this, it needs to be marinated for at least 4 hours.
Cook in a preheated oven 200C for 20 minutes. Cook for a further 15 minutes on a barbeque or
under a grill.
Carve into 2-3 cm slices and serve with the reserved herb butter mixture melted to a sauce.
Make extra to serve at table

Moroccan Meatballs

The humble meatball, loved all over the world, is also known in every language by a different name . The terms we are most  familiar with Kofta, Kefta, Albondigas are just as delicious made from beef, chicken, pork or lamb and also fish. The variation of spices and additives depend entirely on the cuisine of that country and how they serve their meals. The common thread is only that the main ingredient is minced meat or fish. They are easy, delicious, freeze well and always better the next day.
This little dish would probably be served as a tagine and part of a banquet, if we were in Morocco.
Serve with rice, couscous yoghurt and harissa.  Harissa, is a spicy chilli based condiment used all through Morocco and Tunisia. It is readily available these days in a tube, or can, and keeps very well for a long time. You can make your own and keep in the fridge with a cover of oil on top!
If you happen to be visiting New York go and visit one of the three Meatball Shops !


1 kilo lamb mince
1 finely chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/2 tablespoon cumin 
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon of harissa or  minced chilli ( if you are serving children or not sure of peoples tolerance to chilli you may leave it out and serve with the harissa on the side... experiment with the taste
1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

Mix all of the above in a large bowl and set aside, for at least an hour for the flavours to develop.

Tomato Sauce


2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 bottle of sugacasa or tomato puree
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped coriander
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon harissa or garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin


 Place all of the sauce ingredients in a  large saucepan or casserole pot and simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent catching on the bottom.

Shape the meat mixture into oval shaped balls, and place on a baking sheet covered tray in the oven for 10 minutes, on 175C. This will set the meatballs and release some of the fat from the lamb.Remove from oven and place in the hot tomato sauce and simmer gently for a further 15 minutes.
Serve with the rice or couscous, dollop some yoghurt on top, a teaspoon of harissa and garnish with chopped coriander .

Easy Entertaining Boned Marinated Grilled Lamb

The weather is glorious at the moment and getting a little cooler. Perfect for some outdoor entertaining over the Easter break. Try this very easy and adaptable lamb recipe for the barbeque, or if the weather turns nasty it can be done in the oven. It can be prepared the day or night before and is very yummy and sure to be a family favourite.
We like it with a couscous salad and when the crowd is a little bigger some crunchy wedges are also a hit and make the meal go a little further. If you are feeling lazy, buy frozen wedges, but real wedges aren't that hard to do in the oven. Par boil the wedges before popping them in the oven to roast, to finish sprinkle with some Maldon Sea Salt mmmm.

Tunnel Boned Leg of Lamb, Marinated & Grilled

A trim lamb tunnel boned leg, opened out flat. Serves 6-8

Lamb cutlets, or back strap may be used if having less than this or alternatively more people.

Devilish Marinade:

Worcestershire sauce

Hot English mustard

Tomato sauce or chilli sauce

3 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Ketjap Manis sweet soy sauce

Light olive oil

Make about a cup of the devilish marinade, balanced to your taste. I use approx 30-50 ml of each of the liquids with 3-4 teaspoons of hot English mustard. Place the meat in a double layer plastic bag or a ceramic covered dish and set aside (preferably overnight).

Save a generous amount for pouring over at serving time.  Preheat the BBQ grill and brush with oil. You may thread skewers through the lamb to hold its shape. Grill with the skin side down first, brushing with the marinade. Lower the heat and cook until the first side is browned, painting the surface at least 2 - 3 times. Turn over and cook the other side. This should take approx 45mins. At this stage the thinner parts of the lamb will be well cooked but the thicker parts should still be pink in the middle generating the most taste.

This lamb can also be cooked in the oven after first searing both sides on the grill. Be careful with the heat as it can get quite blackened on the outside from the marinade.

To serve cut longish thick slices across the grain. Drizzle with heated marinade set aside earlier. Serve with a couscous salad.

Cous Cous Salad: (This can be made hours before serving)

Small onion

Coriander

Toasted Almonds (approx. 100g)

Raisins 75g
Lemon or Preserved lemon

I love the new Gourmet Pearl Couscous (but you can use regular couscous, if using regular couscous simply put into a bowl pour over the hot stock and leave, fluff with a fork when stock is absorbed).Chicken Stock (see below)

Olive Oil

Chop 1 onion and sauté in olive oil approx 2 tablespoons, add couscous to pan. Cover in chicken stock, if using 1 ½ cups of couscous use 2 ½ of boiling stock and simmer on gentle heat for 8-10 mins stirring every few minutes until cooked. Add raisins in the last minutes of cooking. The stock shoudl totally absorbed, when cooked.

Add toasted almonds, finely sliced lemon rind or preserved lemon rind and chopped coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature (dress accordingly).