Saturday Delights

Saturday Night Lamb Dinner

In keeping with my New Year's Resolution to use my Indian cookbooks and make at least 3 dishes a month, I decided to make Royal Lamb with Creamy Almond Sauce (Rogan josh), Rice Flavored with Cumin Seeds and Kheer (rice pudding).

Royal Lamb
I went to CostCo to buy my boneless leg of lamb - it was the best price and I had the largest selection of lamb. It took me about 45 minutes to trim all the fat and cube it in to the right size to cook, but it was completely worth it! Once the onions were all diced and the spices measured, it did not take long to cook the dish; the longest cook time was to allow the dish to simmer for an hour. The Royal Lamb melted in my mouth and the sauce was creamy and seasoned perfectly. The next night we had the leftovers and those were even better since the lamb marinated in all the spices for an extra day. Definitely serve this dish with rice and naan!

Ok, so I cheated again when it came to the naan and samosas. Instead of Safeway, this time I went to Trader Joe's and checked out their freezer section. I ended up purchasing frozen vegetable samosas and frozen plain naan (I also got some fresh garlic naan from the bakery isle for Sunday's dinner). The vegetable samosas took 15 minutes to cook and were delicious. They were crispy and not oily and the mashed potatoes inside held the seasoning - they were easy and tasty! The naan (both frozen and fresh) was also quick and yummy! I melted some butter, added some parsley and brushed the naan with it. I am still planning on making my own naan in the future.

Basmati RiceI stuck with the same rice that I made before, but this time I had all the right spices and I also modified the recipe slightly. By the way, this rice is incredibly easy and very forgiving - I am a big fan of this recipe!

2 cups water
18 ozs (2.25 cups) basmati rice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 whole cloves
4 cardamon pods
2 bay leafs
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt

1. Wash the rice in several changes of warm water and let it drain in a colander for at least 20 minutes.
2. In a large pan, heat the oil and add the cloves, cardamon pods, bay leafs and cumin seeds. Cook until the cumin seeds begin to crackle.
3. Add the rice to pan and toast it until the oil coats all the grains (a minute or two).
4. Add the salt and water; stir well and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to simmer, stir again and cover. Allow to simmer until all the water is completely absorbed (about 10 minutes).

Serve and enjoy - it is that easy! It also reheats well to go with any other leftovers.

Please see my post on Wednesday for my write up on Kheer!