Lamb Balti

 

This lamb balti curry is a great example of a homecooked  British Indian balti. It's fresh and tangy with plenty of aromatic spices and a good kick of chilli heat. This recipe made with fall apart tender lamb and delicious aromatic homemade curry sauce. If you love Indian restaurants curries, you will definitely enjoy this lamb curry.

This balti curry is one of the most popular British Indian Restaurant dishes and also known as Balti Gosht. Balti means bucket and Gosht means red meat, lamb, mutton or beef. Balti curry originated in Northern India and Pakistan and is recreated in Britain. 

Ingredients:

• 500g boneless lamb; lamb leg or shoulder
• 3-4 shallots
• 4 cloves garlic, pounded finely
• 1 tbsp finely pounded ginger
• 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 cup water , add more if needed
• 3 tbsp yoghurt, full fat
• 3-4 green chili, cut half lengthways
• handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp garam masala, add in the finishing

Spices:

• 2-3 bay leaves
• 4-5 green cardamoms
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
•  ½ tsp coriander powder

Method:

Heat the large heavy-bottom pan into a medium heat, drizzle vegetable oil . Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaves, cardamoms, cumin seeds and sauté for a few seconds.

Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Follow with the pounded garlic, ginger and stir well until the onions are slightly brown.

Next add the lamb pieces and continue stir until the meat is no longer pink.

Then add the spices, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt to taste.

Cook for another 1-2 minutes and add the chopped tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes are soft and reduced.

Next pour in the water and bring it to a simmer. Close with lid and cook on low-medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the lamb is soft and tender. Give a good stir occasionally. 

Now stir in the yoghurt and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle ½ tsp of garam masala, chopped coriander and fresh green chillies. 

Limoncello & Raspberry Semifreddo

This Limoncello & Raspberry Semifreddo is good anytime of the year but it does suggest spring when Limoncello "is in season" Lemons and therefore limoncello suggest the freshness of spring.

Semifreddo needs at least 4 hours to set in the freezer.

Found this recipe on BBC Goodfood.

Ingredients:

• 100g fresh or frozen raspberry
• 85g golden caster sugar
• 284ml double cream
• 4 tbsp limencello
• 2x200ml crème fraiche

For the coulis:

• 225g fresh or frozen raspberry
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp limoncello
• extra raspberry for decorations

Method:

Line the base of a 1kg loaf tin with baking paper. For the semifreddo. mash the raspberries and half of the sugar in a bowl with a fork.

Whisk the cream, the rest of the sugar and the limoncello to soft peaks. Beat the crème fraiche briefly so it is in soft peaks like the cream. Gently fold the cream mixture and crème fraiche together.

Pour the mashed raspberries into the cream and give a few stirs only, just enough to swirl it through the creamy mix. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and smooth the top.

For the coulis: Mash the raspberries, sugar and limoncello with a fork, then push through a sieve.

Open-freeze the semifreddo then cover with cling film and foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Pour the sieved coulis into a rigid container and freezer for up to 1 month.

To serve, thaw the coulis in the fridge overnight. Thaw the semifreddo in the fridge for 1 hour. Remove it from the tin and peel off the lining paper. Drizzle with a little of the coulis and scatter some raspberries over the top. Serve in slices with the rest of the coulis.

Prawn Masala

 This prawn curry is super simple to make and you will love this amazing Indian flavours. Prawns are cooked in spicy and fragrant masala made with onions, tomatoes, Indian spices and herbs. It goes well with plain steamed rice, dosa and flatbreads like naan, roti or chapati.

Ingredients:

• 20 raw king prawns
• 1 tsp fennel seeds 
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 inch ginger, finely pounded
• 5 cloves garlic, finely pounded
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ¼ cup water
• salt to taste
• 3 tbsp oil
• coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Add fennel seeds and curry leaves. Let them sizzle a bit. Add the sliced onions and fry until fragrant.

Add the finely pounded ginger and garlic. Let them fry for a few minutes. Followed by chopped tomatoes and cook them until slightly soft.

Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Sauté them over medium heat until the raw masala cooks. Fry until the oil separate to the sides of the pan.

Add the cleaned and deveined prawns to the masala. Cook until pink, add water and salt, cover with lid for a few minutes.

Remove lid and cook over medium high heat to thicken the masala. Moved from the heat and garnish with coriander leaves. 

Serve with rice as side.

Mint Raita

 This is a quick and easy mint raita that is perfect with papadums, onion bhaji, pakoras or almost everything!

Clean flavours, bright, tasty, super easy to make and versatile. There is not a lot not to like about this. 

Ingredients:

• 200g yogurt
• ½ cup fresh mint leaves
• 2-3 tsp water
• ¼ tsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp roasted cumin powder
• ½ tsp chaat masala
• salt to taste

Method:

Take the yogurt in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Keep covered in the fridge until you make the mint leaves paste.

Rinse ½ cup of fresh mint leaves, then place them in a small grinder. Add 2-3 tsp water to grind to a fine or semi-fine paste.

Add the mint paste along with it's juices to the curd.

Add the spices powder; ¼ tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp roasted cumin powder and ½ tsp chaat masala. Also add salt to taste.

Mix everything very well. Then check the taste and add more spices or salt if needed.

Serve & enjoy!

Sweet Tamarind Chutney

 Tamarind chutney is a spiced, sweet and tangy sauce served with Indian chaat snacks or fried snacks like samosa, kachori or pakoda. This sweet and tangy tamarind chutney is extremely flavourful and tastes delicious. A well prepared Tamarind Chutney elevates the taste and flavour of chaats and snacks.

Ingredients:

• 70g seedless tamarind
• 2¼ cups water, divide
• 1 tsp oil
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• ¾ cup jaggery, if you don't have, can be replaced with brown sugar
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp kashmiri chili powder
• ½ tsp kala namal, or black salt
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ginger powder
• ¼ tsp red chili powder

Method:

Add seedless tamarind in a pan and add 1½ cups water to it.

Put it on heat and bring to boil. As soon as it comes to boil, turn off heat, cover the pan with a plate and let it remain like that for 30 minutes.

Then transfer the mixture to a blender and blend to a fine paste.

Sieve the mixture using a strainer to get rid of all the fiber. Add additional ½ cup water while sieving the mixture.

Now heat the oil in a wok on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let the cumin seeds splutter.

Add in the prepared tamarind paste and mix well.

Add jaggery, sugar and mix until the h=jaggery and sugar dissolve, around 2-3 minutes. Then add cumin powder, kashmiri red chili powder, kala namak, salt, ginger powder and red chili powder. Mix everything well.

Simmer the chutney on medium heat for around 6-7 minutes until the chutney thickens. Taste test and adjust sweetness accordingly. Also you can simmer more for thicker chutney. 

Let the chutney cool down and store in a airtight glass container in the refrigerator. Serve sweet tamarind chutney with samosa, chaats, etc.

One-Pot Tomato Chickpeas and Orzo

This is the perfect dish for a busy weeknight dinner, yet it is elegant enough for a relaxed weekend lunch, next to a bottle of wine. Either way, this is the kind of dish that's going to fill your body with so much goodness.

The main ingredients in this recipe is Orzo. If you are not familiar with orza, it is a type of pasta that looks like tice, but indeed it is a pasta that's made with drum wheat. Truly, one of the most versatile ingredients ever.

Orzo and a couple of cans of chickpeas are cooked together in a simple garlic and onion-infused tomato sauce until it results in a creamy dinner that is almost reminiscent of risotto yet firmly its own. The only thing left to do is top bowls with chopped basil and plenty of grated Parmesan and dig in .

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2½ cups of orzo pasta
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• ¼ cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil leaves

Method:

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the broth, tomatoes and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently so that the orzo doesn't stick, until most if the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes or according to package instructions. If the pasta isn't completely cooked at this point, add another splash or two of broth or water to the pot and continue to simmer until it has cook. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the chopped basil and additional grated cheese, if desired.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cardamon

Has some home grown rhubarb and I was thinking of making something different from my usual which is a crumble. Decided to browse the web and came across this recipe. When I finished reading the recipes, thought why not give this recipe a go. Sounds easy and I have all the ingredients in my larder !

This recipe comes from: 

https://thelemonapron.com/strawberry-rhubarb-cardamom-louise-cake/

Ingredients:

Cake layer:

• 125g butter, room temperature
• 100g sugar
• zest of one lemon
• 3 large egg yolks,  whites will be used in the meringue
• 125g plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp cardamom
• ¼ tsp salt
• 20g desiccated coconut
• 1/3 cup full fat milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Fruit layer:

• 450g combination of chopped 1 inch lengths of rhubarb/quartered strawberries
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Meringue:

• 50g sliced almonds
• 3 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 185g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cornflour

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven.

Spread the sliced almonds for the meringue onto a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool.

For cake layer: Increase the oven to 190ºC/170ºC for fan assist oven. Line the base and sides of a high-sided 8 inch (20cm) square or a 9 inch (23cm) round springform pan with baking paper.

Cube the butter and place it into a bowl of a stand mixer, along with the sugar and lemon zest. Use the paddle attachment to beat on medium high until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks one at a time and beat till combined.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt together in a bowl. Add the coconut to  the mixture and stir through.

With the machine running on a low speed add the dry ingredients gradually, alternating with the milk and vanilla.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake in the centre of the oven till fully cooked and a skewer comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack until ready to be filled. Check after 20 minutes, just in case your oven bakes things faster.

Reduce the heat to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven.

For fruit layer: Combine the chopped fruit in a bowl with the sugar, cardamom and vanilla. Set this aside while you work on the meringue.

For the meringue layer: Place the egg whites and salt into a clean bowl. Use a whisk attachment to beat them on medium high speed for one minute. Soft peaks should have formed.

Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat on high speed until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Add the vanilla extract, vinegar and cornflour, whisk them through. Finally, fold in the toasted almond slices.

Assemble: Spoon the fruit over the baked cake, close together.

Scrape the meringue over the fruit, and spread it out evenly. Swirl the top to get rough waves and peaks.

Place the pan on a baking sheet and place this into the oven. Bake until the meringue has formed a firm crust and is beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Depending on your oven, this could take longer or shorter. If the meringue starts browning before baked through, cover with foil loosely over the pan towards the end.

Remove to a wire rack to cool. After 30 minutes you can remove the sides of the pan and peel away the baking paper. Let it cool a bit longer if necessary before serving.

This is best on day one, but can be stored in a sealed container for 2 days in the fridge.