at 23:31

Mutton (Goats Meat)/Lamb and Pomegranate Tagine served with Onion and Pomegranate Relish (Moroccan)

I have been meaning to make this dish ever since I saw the recipe on TV on one of Nigella Lawson’s Christmas food shows. Finally, I made it yesterday…. For the first time. I expected this dish to be different.. do not know how…. but different.

The dish is on the verge of being little sweet. It has dates so the sweetness is explained. However, I did not use as many dates as the original recipe asked for. Yet it is little sweet. The sourness of the pomegranate sorts of make up for it but somehow I am not very keen on sweet- savory dishes. Nevertheless, R really liked it. He thought it was rather unique.

But, I must say the onion and pomegranate relish was to die for. It was exactly what I imagined it to be.  Yummy! I loved the look and color of the dish.

I did not follow the recipe to the T and made my own twists. Added bit of chili, used very little dates. I am happy that I keep doing this kind of experiments. If you are the experimentative kind, then you might want to try making this one. It was nice with couscous though.

Ingredients for Lamb Tagine

650gm Mutton or Lamb’s boneless shoulder meat

2-onions thinly sliced

1/2 -teaspoon turmeric

1/2teaspoon cumin powder

1/2-teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/2-teaspoon ginger paste

1/2chili flakes (optional)

1/2-teaspoon ground all spice (optional. I did not use it but my ma would)

Pinch of black pepper (freshly done is best)

4- dates ( use 2 date I would say….)

1-cup pomegranate juice (packed 100% juice or made from fruit)

Salt to taste

1-tablespoon of oil

 Ingredients for Onion and Pomegranate Relish

1-red onions, thinly sliced

1/2-cup pomegranates

1-cup pomegranate juice

½-cup lemon juice

Salt to taste

 Method for the relish

1.    Soak the onions in lemon and pomegranate juice for 1 hour

2.   After an hour drain the onions dry

3.   Add pomegranate, and salt

4.   Combine and serve with mutton/Lamb Pomegranate Tagine

5.   Drink the lemon, salt and pomegranate juice, it is yummy

Method for Mutton (Goats Meat)/Lamb and Pomegranate Tagine

1.    Heat oil in a pan

2.   Add the onion and fry until soft

3.   Add all the spices  with onion and fry

4.   Add the mutton/lamb and cook for 10mins

5.   Add salt and the pomegranate juice, dates to the mutton/lamb

6.   Cook on low heat for 1 hour or just pressure cook it

7.   Before serving, garnish with onion and pomegranate relish and serve with white rice or couscous

For regular update from my blog, please visit my face book page pet pujo and adda and click ‘like’. Also, follow me at my blog . I am featured at Networkedblogs.  You can also leave your comments here. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. Hope to see you again!

 

 

at 02:00

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas, Squash (or pumpkin) & Apricot

Pumpkin and Apricot with chicken?!!!!.....Yes! yes.! You are reading and seeing  right.

Do not judge and shy away from making this wonderful one pot dish due to it ingredients. Let me assure you- it is a wonderful dish with lovely mixture of sweetness of the pumpkin and Apricot along with tanginess from lemon, which goes delightfully with chicken. Serve this with bread, couscous, or even rice and this will be a star. Today and always.

Traditionally Tagine is a North African Berber dish. The dish is named after the earthen pot in which it is cooked.  I cooked the Moroccan version of the Tagine, which is slow cooked in a earthen pot called Tagine. I did not slow cook for hours neither I used the Tagine. However, I cooked for around 30/50mins to reduce the gravy and until the pumpkin and chicken became tender. Nevertheless, you can slow cook the dish and then serve in a colorful Tagine

Ingredients:

6- piece chicken thigh (fatless and skin less)

2-onions, roughly chopped

2-garlic cloves, chopped

300g pumpkin or squash, cut into large chunks

1-teaspoon of ground cumin

1-teaspoon of ground coriander

½-teaspoon of ginger paste

1-large cinnamon stick

1-teaspoon of honey

1/2-teaspoon red chili fleck

Pinch of black pepper crushed

Large pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tablespoon of boiling water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

200g chickpeas

5/6-dried apricot

Small bunch of coriander

Salt to taste

2- Tablespoon oil

Method:

 1.    Heat oil in a large casserole

2.    Season the chicken and brown them and keep aside

3.    Add the  garlic the same oil and fry until you can smell garlic

4.    Add onions in the same oil and fry them until soft

5.    Add the pumpkin/squash and cook for 5 mins

6.    Add rest of the spices and cook for another 5 mins

7.    Now add saffron, honey and lemon juice

8.    Pour water and add chickpeas

9.    Add the browned chicken

10. Add apricot and salt to taste

11.  Cook for one hour or until squash/pumpkin and chicken is tender, the gravy thick

12. Stir through the coriander and serve with rice, bread or couscous  

 For regular update from my blog, please visit my face book page Pet Pujo and Adda and click ‘like’. Also, follow me at my blog. I am featured at Networked Blog.  You can also leave your comments here. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. Hope to see you again!

 

at 22:55

Winter Warmer Root Vegetables and Chicken One Pot Dinner

Well, after thousands of Christmas lunches, between shopping eating, endless New Year Parties and then of course the  Poush Sankranti eating extravagance- it is time for me to remember ( at least I am trying. So you are not allowed to laugh) that I had promised to eat healthy for my dinner.

I am not one of those people who think healthy food is essentially bad food or no food at all. I actually like my food to be light, easy to cook –something that does not make me sluggish after eating. I love eating vegetables, fish and chicken. At the same time, I do not like bland food. My food needs to have texture, flavor and the spices. A combination of sweetness from vegetables, that meaty taste of fish or chicken and the zing of Asian spices like little green chili, black pepper, mustard, cumin, coriander etc. And of course the color: it has to be inspiring.

I am cooking a one-pot dish today, which has everything that I like. Note:  I am using chicken for protein and as I like it so much. That is optional. You can use kidney bean (rajma), chickpeas (chana) or Paneer in case you want some protein in your food. Otherwise, you can make this dish with just vegetables and it tastes equally wonderful.  

 

Ingredients (Measured for Two):

100g-carrots cut into small cubes

100g-Swede cut into small cubes

100g-Parshnip cut into small cubes

100g-Potatoes cut into small cubes

6-small pieces of chicken (optional)

1-large onion, cut in to thick wedges

3-cloves of garlic, sliced

3-tablespoon of tomato puree/ketchup ( I used  no added sugar version)

1-tablespoon of whole grain mustard paste

½-cup red lentil, washed

1-teaspoon dried oregano

1/2-teaspoon red chili flakes
 

1-tablespoon oil

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

 Method:

1.     Heat a pan with oil and fry garlic until you can smell it

2.    Add onion and fry the onion until almost caramelised

3.    Add the chicken and salt

4.    Add black paper and fry for a while

5.    Add the washed lentil

6.    Add rest of the vegetables and fry for 10mins

7.    Add water and boil

8.    After 10 mins to add tomato puree,oregano and red chili flakes

,

9.    Slow cook until water has reduced, chicken cooked and gravy thickened

10. Add more water and add the mustard paste

11.  Cook until desired gravy achieved

12. Serve  hot as one course meal or with  a slice of bread

For regular update from my blog, please visit my face book page Pet Pujo and Adda and click ‘like’. Also, follow me at my blog. I am featured at Network bloggers.  You can also leave your comments here. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome. Hope to see you again!