Wednesday 01 / January / 2025
Recipes by Pooja Malik
1. Lamb Shanks
Lamb shanks is a very popular, widely enjoyed dish which can be cooked in myriad of ways and served with different side dishes. They can be suited to any palate based on spiciness, sauce base, and tenderness.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon butter
1 big pod of garlic cut in very fine pieces
Rosemary dried 1 tablespoon + fresh sprigs
1 sprig thyme
1 teaspoon sage
Salt and pepper to taste
4 lamb shanks
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions cut finely
2 small carrots cut or chopped in big pieces
8 mushrooms chopped
2 big tomatoes cut in pieces or pureed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or red vinegar
3 cups chicken or mutton broth
Preparation
Mix butter with chopped garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Put long cuts on the shanks to marinate. Rub the butter mix nicely on lamb shanks. Leave for half an hour to an hour for marination. Take a non-stick pan and put olive oil in it. Put the shanks in the pan and brown them on all sides. It will approximately take 10 minutes to do this. The shanks should look lovely brown by now. Take the shanks out in a plate. Some oil, garlic, and spices will be left in the pan. In the same pan add some more garlic, onions and sauté them brown. Add the carrots and fry them a bit. Also add the mushrooms. Now add the pureed tomatoes and sauté. Add the vinegar and stir for a few minutes, add chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil for five minutes and close the gas.
For oven recipe
Arrange the shanks in baking dish and pour the boiling liquid on them. Cover the baking dish with foil and leave it in the oven for 3 hours at 200 degree centigrade. Switch the oven off and let the shanks rest in the baking tray for half an hour. Soft and succulent shanks are ready to be served.
Indian way
Take a big pressure cooker. Big enough to settle all the shanks in it. Put the lamb shanks in. Pour the liquid from the pan along with carrots in the cooker. Simmer on low heat for five minutes. Then pressure cook for half an hour on medium flame. Close the gas and leave lamb in the cooker. Take a deep pan and sauté some mushrooms in butter. Then add all the contents from the cooker into the pan. Simmer for a few minutes till oil comes on top. Lamb shanks take long time to cook so make sure you cook it just enough. Incase the sauce /curry has a thin consistency remove it from the pan and reduce it in a different pan and add it when you serve the lamb shanks. Serve it with sautéd vegetables of your choice and baked potatoes.
2. Gosht Makhmali / Lamb a la Succulent
Gosht Makhmali or Lamb a la Succulent is a simple, quick to make and extremely delicious dish that has satiated the hunger of people for generations. It is soft and succulent meat with very unique flavour. It can be eaten both hot and cold, with breads and rice.
Ingredients
1 kg lamb
2 cups full fat milk
2 teaspoons cumin
1 big bay leaf
4 cloves
Small piece cinnamon
2 teaspoons black pepper whole
Salt
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Preparation
Put all the ingredients in a thick bottomed pan. Put it on low flame and let it simmer away till all the liquid in the pot dries and the lamb glistens. Slow cooking is important as it will keep the lamb moist. If you want to serve guests, cook till a little liquid is still left in the pot. Just before serving reheat it to get the look and moistness. Delicious and succulent mutton is ready to eat. Serve it with rice or bread and vegetables of your choice.
3. Shami Tortilla Wraps
Shami tortilla wraps are twist to the famous shami kebabs and equally famous tortillas. They are loved by all and are a very healthy and balanced combination of complex carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. They make a delicious and wholesome meal enjoyed anytime of the day. They can be used as snack or an accompaniment to main meals with breads. They can be made in advance and refrigerated for a week as well.
Ingredients
Wheat tortilla /roti/parantha
2 cups fresh spinach
1 + 1 white of egg
2 shami kebabs
2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped sun dried tomatoes
Preparation
Place tortilla/roti/parantha in microwave to warm a bit. Lightly grease a pan and add spinach to it and cook till wilted but dry then add eggs and cook, stirring often till it is set, about 2 minutes. Start by placing eggs in a row in the centre of the wheat tortilla. Crumble Shami kebabs on the eggs. Add crumbled feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes. To wrap start by folding one side and then the other. Serve immediately.
4. Kebabs
Ingredients
½ kg lamb/beef boneless cut in cubes
½ cup gram dal soaked in 2 cups of water
1 sliced onion
3 tablespoons garlic
2 inch ginger sliced
5 dry red chillies
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 big bay leaf
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 pieces small cinnamon
2 black cardamoms
8 green cardamoms
Preparation for kebabs
Mix all the ingredients together in a cooking bowl and add 3 cups of water (please remember that the gram dal soaked in water is added with the water, so water is about 5 cups in all). Cover the lid and cook on medium fire till the meat is cooked but there is a bit of water still left. Cool the meat by leaving it for some time, then grind it. All spices should have been ground with it. If bits of spices are left, take them out. The mince should be very smooth. The mince should be cool by now. Add one egg and mix it really well with hands. Add coriander leaves, onions for garnishing according to your taste. Cover it and keep it in the refrigerator for two hours. Make pattice and shallow fry them.
5. French Toast with Berries and Caramel Sauce
Berry French toast is one of my favourite morning meals. It is light yet, keeps the energy up and again is a very good mix of carbohydrate, protein, and vitamins. It is also a very satiating dish loved by both children and elders.
Ingredients
4 whole wheat buns
3 eggs
60g unsalted butter
½ cup thickened cream
2 teaspoons Demerara sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
To serve
Berries of all kinds
Vanilla ice cream
Caramel sauce
Nuts (sliced almonds/walnuts)
Preparation
Whisk all ingredients except for bread and butter in a bowl. Add butter to the hot pan and when it starts to foam up, dip buns of bread in egg and put it in the pan. Change sides when golden brown. Remove from pan and transfer to plate. Repeat with all buns. Drizzle some icing sugar on them and caramel on the buns. Serve them with dollops of vanilla ice-cream, blue, red and black berries.
6. Nutty Mango
Nutty mango is a delicious and refreshing summer drink to cool you off. It keeps you full for longer periods of time and is packed with nutrients to keep us healthy as well.
Ingredients
Mango pureed
Any fruit flavour or plain Greek yoghurt
Strawberry/raspberry pureed
Walnuts coarsely ground
1 teaspoon chia seeds
Preparation
Take a tall glass. Pour pureed strawberry at the base in a thick layer. Mix chia seeds with yoghurt and layer it on top of the strawberry layer. Follow it up with a thin layer of crushed nuts. Top it up with pureed mango. Delicious and healthy drink is ready to be served. —[email protected]
