Saturday Fare

Lamb with Spinach (Palak Gosht): Recipes by Mridula Baljekar

Sentinel Digital Desk

Lamb with Spinach (Palak Gosht)

Preparation Time: 20-25 Minutes

Cooking time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Serves: 4

Each serving contains:

Kcals: 325; g fat: 16; g saturated fat: 7.5

Ingredients:

675g boneless shoulder or leg of lamb, cut into

2.5cm cubes, plus a few bones

55g low-fat plain yogurt (saadi dahi)

1 tablespoon Garlic Puree (lahsun ki puree)

1 tablespoon Ginger Puree (adrak ki puree)

1 tablespoon ground coriander (peesa hua dhaniya)

1½ teaspoons ground cumin (peesa hua jeera)

2 x 5cm pieces of cinnamon stick, halved (dalchini ki dandi aadhi)

6 green cardamom pods, bruised (kuta hua elaichi)

½ teaspoon ground turmeric (peesi hui haldi)

½-1 teaspoon chilli powder (mirch powder)

225g Boiled Onion Puree (pyaaz ki puree)

1 tablespoon tomato puree (tamatar ki puree)

1 teaspoon salt to taste (namak swaad anusaar)

300ml warm water (gunguna garam paani)

225g fresh spinach, finely chopped, or frozen leaf

spinach, thawed and drained (bareek kate hue palak)

½ teaspoon Garam Masala

Garnish:

1 tpmato, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method: . Put the meat into a non-stick saucepan and add the bones. Add the yogurt, garlic and ginger purees, ground coriander, cumin, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, turmeric and chilli powder. Place over medium-high heat and stir until the mixture begins to sizzle. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Cook until all the liquid evaporates, stirring frequently.

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a further 3-4 minutes. Pour in the warm water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the spinach and stir until the leaves wilt. Cook, uncovered, over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes. Transfer the dish to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped tomato. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve immediately.

Spiced Minced Pork with Mushrooms (Kheema-Khumb Masala)

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes, plus marinating

Cooking time: 22-25 Minutes

Serves: 4

Each serving contains:

Kcals: 200; g fat: 8.5; g

saturated fat: 2.9

Ingredients:

450g lean minced pork

2 teaspoons Giger Puree (adrak ki puree)

2 teaspoons Garlic

Puree(lahsun ki puree)

½ teaspoon ground turmeric (peesi hui haldi)

½ teaspoon chilli powder (mirch powder)

55g low-fat plain yogurt (saadi dahi)

1 teaspoon Ground Roasted Cumin (peesa hua jeera)

2 teaspoons Ground Roasted Coriander (peesa hua dhaniya)

225g Boiled Onion Puree (pyaaz ki puree)

1 teaspoon salt to taste (namak swaad anusaar)

225g button mushrooms, quartered

1 tablespoon tomato puree (tamatar ki puree)

½ teaspoon garam Masala

1-2green chillies, seeded and cut into julienne

strips (lambe kate hue hari mirch)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander

leaves (bareek kate hue dhaniye ke patte)

Method: In a mixing bowl, combine the minced pork, ginger and garlic purees, turmeric, chilli powder and yogurt. Mix thoroughly, cover and set aside. Put the mixture in a non-stick sauté or frying pan at least 25cm in diameter. Cook over medium high heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is dry. Add cumin and ground coriander. Continue to cook for 1 minute, then add the onion puree and salt, and cook for further 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons water over the mixture and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure that the contents do not stick to the bottom of the pan. If dry, add a little more water. Stir in the garam masala, chillies and fresh coriander leaves. Cook for 1 minute, then serve immediately.