Minty Minced Lamb

I first cooked this dish over a decade ago and despite it being so well received by family and friends, I haven't really served this up as often as some would like me to... So sorry. But here it is for you all to try at home yourselves, whether you are entertaining or simply feeding the masses, this dish is filling and full of aromatic flavour. This recipe will generally serve a family of 4-5 and depending on portion sizes, you might be able to stretch that number to 6 people.

For the lamb, you will need:

• 500g of fresh lean minced lamb
• 2 medium sized white onions, skins peeled and diced
• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced in a garlic crusher for best results
• 5 cardamom pods, remove shells and keep the seeds
• 1 heaped teaspoon of dijon mustard
• 1 heaped teaspoon of pureed lemongrass
• 1 teaspoon of madras powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of fenugreek, a very important ingredient for your store cupboard (essential for curries).
• 1 red chilli, seeded and diced
• 1 green chilli, seeded and diced
• 2 cups of fresh carrots, cubed small
• 2 cups of frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon of mint sauce
• Juice of half a lemon
• Juice of half a lime
• Salt and black pepper to taste

NB There is no need for any oil with this recipe. As you will see, plenty of naturals oils will be released from the lamb.

1.  In a non-stick pan, gently begin cooking your minced lamb. You will notice the colour of the meat turning pale brown. You should add in you onions, garlic, cardamom, mustard and lemongrass, now. Allow it to cook for five minutes on a medium heat.

2.  A decent amount of natural oils and juices will be released from the meat. This is fine. At this point you should add in your madras powder, ground cumin, fenugreek, mint sauce and the red and green chillies.

3.  Stir thoroughly and ones the mince has been evenly seasoned, you can add the carrots and peas. Turn the heat down low and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

4.  Drizzle over your lemon and lime juice and season with salt and black pepper.

Serve your minty minced lamb with some flavourful boiled basmati rice. I will be sharing the recipe to my perfectly complimentary style of aromatic rice in my next post, so keep an eye out (by following my page on Instagram) and check-in soon.

My Child-Friendly Chicken Saag (Saagwala)

Traditionally a South Asian recipe eaten in the Pakistani and Indian regions of Punjab, saag (or saagwala) is a green leafy based dish, usually made from spinach (the preferred option in this recipe), collard greens, mustard leaves, etcetera. It can be eaten on its own or made with various meats (gosht) of choice, potatoes (aloo), or cheese (paneer). I have used chicken in this recipe and to make it that little bit more filling we are eating our chicken saag in accompaniment with a choice of plain boiled basmati rice or boiled baby potatoes.

For the chicken saag, you will need:

• 3 filleted chicken breasts (without skin), diced into small child-friendly pieces
• 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 cardamom pods, cracked to release flavour
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground fenugreek
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1.5 teaspoons of garam masala
• a thumb sized piece of freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 a cup of plain yoghurt
• 700g of fresh spinach leaves, chopped (or 1kg of frozen spinach can also work just fine)
• 330g of baby plum tomatoes, halved as in this recipe or 2 large ripe tomatoes, quartered lengthwise and core removed
• 2 medium sized white onions, roughly chopped into large chunks
• sea salt (to taste), for seasoning
• pinch of black pepper for seasoning
• coriander and sliced lemon for garnishing

*Remember, You will want to pick out the four cloves and cardamom pods at the end. There is nothing pleasant in biting into one of those, trust me.

This recipe is not made the 'traditional' way as I do not use oil for frying/browning the meat. The fun in cooking and creating your own takes on various cuisines is that you get to experiment and discover your own takes on different dishes. Often, you will find that you've created something far superior to the 'traditional' original. I prefer my variation as it feels lighter whilst filling and not greasy.

Here's how to make my chicken saag:

Once you have your ingredients and portions prepared to one side, begin by placing you diced chicken into a non-stick wok along with the yoghurt, garlic, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, fenugreek,cumin, ginger and garam masala. Mix these together well with a wooden spoon, making sure to coat the chicken well.

Turn on the heat and cook the chicken until the the yoghurt starts to cook off; it will leave behind enough liquid to help wilt the spinach, which you should add to the pan at this point. Mix well on a generous heat for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and onions. Stir, lower the heat and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, checking halfway through cooking.

Your chicken saag should be ready to serve with basmati rice, potatoes, roti or even eaten on its own. Either way, it won't last long.