Indonesian Goat Rendang

Bored of always making kosha mangsho I decided to try out something new which is when I stumbled upon the recipe for Rendang.I once had lamb rendang at a Malaysian place and liked it a lot. Typically I don’t eat lamb, because I can’t stand its overpowering smell but this dish didn’t stink at all and I gobbled up quite a bit of it. At home I decided to substitute lamb with goat and also made a few adjustments with the ingredients according to what I had in store.
Ingredients:
Goat meat – 1 lb
Onion – 1
Garlic cloves – 2
Grated ginger – 1 tsp
Red chili – 2
Brown sugar – 1 tsp
Lemongrass stalk – ½ (lower part only, thinly sliced)
Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Garam masala powder – ¼ tsp
Lime juice -- ½ a lime
Lime zest – ½ tsp
Light coconut milk – one 14oz can
Canola Oil

Procedure:
Though the recipe book I was following didn’t call for any marinating I am a bit wary of goat being a bit tough and chewy so I marinated the meat overnight in lime juice, turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala powder, cumin and coriander powder.

In a food processor make a paste of the onion, ginger, garlic, chilies and lemongrass.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil and add the brown sugar and let it melt. Now add the onion paste and fry the mixture until it is browned.

Add the meat and lime zest and fry for another minute or so.

Now add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 1-1 ½ hours until the meat is tender and the liquid reduces considerably. Check from time to time so that it does not stick to the bottom. If more liquid is necessary add water or more coconut milk.

Sprinkle lime juice on top and serve with steamed rice.

Goat Biryani

I had a fair amount of leftover goat meat, so I decided to make use of it in the form of biryani. Watching the sunset and having biryani on the patio – Friday night dinner couldn’t have been better.

Ingredients:
Goat meat – 1lb
For goat meat ingredients and recipe see kosha mangsho
Basmati rice – 1 cup (washed and soaked for half an hour)
Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Green chili – 3-4 (chopped)
Bay leaf -- 1
Cardamom -- 2-3
Clove –3-4
Cinnamon stick – 1
Nutmeg
Saffron – 1 tbsp (soaked in warm milk)
Whole black peppercorn -- 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil

Procedure:
To a pot of water add the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and peppercorn and bring to a rolling boil.

Now add the soaked basmati rice and cook until rice is al dente. Drain very well and keep aside.

Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown.

Preheat oven to 375F.

In an oven proof dish arrange a layer of rice. Sprinkle some of the fried onions and saffron milk. You can add a drizzle of oil or ghee (I do not.) On top of the rice arrange a layer of meat. Now repeat the process again. Finish it off with a layer of rice and fried onions on top. Add a dash of grated nutmeg. You will have two layers of meat and three layers of rice.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in oven for 50-55 minutes.

Mix meat and rice and serve hot with raita.

Grilled Lamb Chops

Finding a gift for a guy has always been a difficult task for me starting from friends to father to brother to husband. And with all the hoopla surrounding Valentine’s Day I was at a loss to decide on a gift. Since both of us are foodies I decided to cook a special V-day lunch for hubby darling. And making lamb chops was the perfect way to do it. And the best part was it was a surprise for him. Since I don’t eat lamb, it was beyond his imagination that I would cook it. That was my gift to him. Now for his gift to me -- a French dinner in San Francisco. I love V-day :)
Ingredients:
Lamb chops – 1 lb
Garlic – 1 (finely chopped)
Spanish onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Lemon zest – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Fresh thyme – ½ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Red wine vinegar – 1 tbsp
Spanish olive oil – ¼ cup

Procedure:
In a non-metallic dish mix the garlic, onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, cumin and coriander powder, vinegar and olive oil together until thoroughly combined.

Now add the lamb chops to this marinade and coat well.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours, turning once in a while.

Heat a grill pan.Brush the grill pan with a little oil.

Remove the lamb pieces from the marinade.Drain and reserve excess marinade.

Place lamb chops on the grill pan, turning frequently and brushing with the marinade, for 10 minutes or so, or until the chops are tender and cooked to your liking.

Garnish with lemon slices and serve immediately with rice pilaf and/or grilled vegetables.

Kosha Mangsho -- Slow cooked goat curry

I learnt to eat goat meat after my marriage. Before that I was more into chicken, and the few times I had goat I was kind of overpowered by the smell, just as I am overpowered by the smell of lamb now. The first time I cooked goat was at my in-laws’ with help from my mom-in-law. Since my husband is a red meat gorger (he doesn’t consider chicken to be in the non-veg category!) and my in-laws also prefer goat I learnt to cook goat. My aim was to get rid of the smell so that I could eat it too and I found that marinating the meat in all sorts of spices helped. I’ve seen my friends and relatives cook goat meat in either a pressure cooker or a slow cooker. Since I don’t have any (the pressure cooker which I have is too small for the amount of meat I cook) I use my stove top. Works just as well.
Ingredients:
Goat meat – 2 pounds
Ginger paste – 2 tbsp
Garlic paste – 1 1/2 tbsp
Onion sliced – 1 cup
Bay leaf – 2
Cinnamon – half a stick
Cardamom – 2 cloves
Whole black pepper – 1 tsp
Cooking oil – 3-4 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Sugar – 1 tbsp
For the marinade:
Yogurt – 3 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1tbsp
Chili powder – 1/2 -1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1 tbsp
Mustard oil – 2 tbsp
Procedure:
Clean the meat and pat dry. Place meat in a large bowl.

To the meat add all the ingredients under marinade and mix well.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 2-3 hours. If you can keep it overnight, even better. The more you let it sit in the marinade the better but not more than 24 hours.

In a heavy bottomed pan put oil and heat it.

When oil is heated enough add the sugar and let it melt until it reaches a dark brown color.

Now throw in the bay leaf, whole black peppers, cinnamon and cardamom. Be careful, the whole peppers will sputter a bit. Stir for a minute or so.

Add garlic paste, ginger paste, and onion to the pan and fry until the mixture takes up a brownish color, approximately 15-20 minutes.

When oil starts coming out from the masala put in the meat and coat evenly with the masala.

Add salt (according to taste), and water so that the meat is just above the water surface.

Put on a lid tightly and let cook on low to medium low for two hours, by which time the meat will be fork tender. Just check once in a while so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
You can add a few drops of rose water if you like.

Garnish with sliced boiled eggs.

Serve hot with steamed rice/ polao/ luchi or paratha.