Lamb Kheema

Lamb kheema is a dry-style Indian curry using lamb mince (although you could try using beef or chicken mince if lamb mince isn't available). This is one of my favourite curries and I always serve it with naan bread and a gingery tomato chutney.



Lamb Kheema
Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
8cm piece of ginger, grated
1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3 bay leaves
500g lamb mince
1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tspn ground turmeric
1 heaped tbsp of tomato paste
2 heaped tbsp natural yoghurt
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 tspn garam masala
1 small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently saute the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and bay leaves until the onion is translucent and the mixture is aromatic. Add the lamb mince and gently brown it.

Add the ground coriander, cumin and turmeric and mix it well into the lamb mince. Cook for 2 minutes and let the spices infuse the meat. Stir in the tomato paste, then stir in the yoghurt and cook the mixture for another 2 minutes. Add half a cup of water, stir it in, then cover the pan and leave the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the peas and garam masala, season well with salt and pepper, cover the pan and leave to cook for 5 minutes. If, after this, the mince still looks a bit watery, leave it to simmer with the lid off to evaporate some of the excess moisture.

Remove the pan from the heat, remove the bay leaves, stir in the chopped coriander and serve hot with a tomato or mango chutney and any form of Indian bread.

Prosciutto, pea and lemon pasta

It's spring here in Australia and the weather is well and truly warming up after a (not particularly) cold and (definitely not!) rainy winter!

This is a simple pasta dish to make with only a handful of ingredients that reflects the return to warmer weather.



Prosciutto, pea and lemon pasta
(Serves 4)

Olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
8 slices of prosciutto, chopped
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup frozen peas (add more or less depending on how much you love peas!)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
400g tagliatelle
75g grated gruyere cheese
2-3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

Heat some olive oil in a saucepan and saute the onion and prosciutto (you want the prosciutto to get a bit crispy around the edges!)

Add the chicken stock, frozen peas, lemon zest and juice and simmer for a couple of minutes until the peas are tender and the stock has reduced.

Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle until al dente then drain well and add to the sauce with the gruyere cheese, the fresh parsley and plenty of cracked black pepper. Stir well then serve and devour!

Indian Potato Cakes

In India, potato cakes or patties like these are usually served as a snack or part of a light lunch or breakfast and often served with chutney. The patties can be served hot or cold but personally, I prefer them hot.

While I made these as finger food for a party, the next time I make them I'll probably make larger patties and serve them with some pan-fried fish and salad to turn this into a main meal.

Aloo Ki Tikki
(Makes 25)

500g potato
100g canned chickpeas, rinsed
150g fresh or frozen peas
Vegetable oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cm piece of ginger, grated
1 tspn chilli paste
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn ground cumin
1 tspn ground corinader
1/2 tspn garam masala

Peal and chop 500g of potato then boil it with the chickpeas until tender (be careful not to overcook it, as potato becomes waterlogged and unpleasant quite quickly.) Mash the potato and chickpeas well.

Blanch the peas briefly in boiling water then add them to the mashed potato and stir the mixture gently (so as to not mash the peas.)

In a non-stick pan, add a little vegetable oil and saute the onion until it has softened. Add the ginger, chilli paste and ground spices and fry for a minute to release the aroma of the spices. Mix this into the potato and add salt to taste.

Get a golf ball sized portion of the potato mixture and shape into a pattie. Fry in an oiled non-stick pan for 3 minutes each side, or until golden and crispy.