Simplest Mutton Fry

I mean it . This is probably the most simple (or simplest) recipe I have ever worked with, especially with meat. You don't even have to chop anything ... I mean how much simpler could it get. Well the garnish (some may say...) but that's optional , you don't "have" to do it ! So go ahead , try this recipe , I am sure you will love it.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Oil,
1 lb. lamb/goat/beef meat,
1 tsp. ginger paste,
1 tsp. garlic paste,
Salt, to taste
1/2 - 1 tsp. red chili powder, again depending on how spicy you want,
1/2 tsp black pepper powder,
Cilantro, for garnishing

Method:

Heat oil, add meat and fry till its no longer pink, add ginger , garlic pastes, salt, red chili powder, pepper powder and fry for few mins. Add enough water for the meat to cook. Cook on med- high heat till the meat is cooked and the water has evaporated. Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.

This is a perfect accompaniment for dal chawal. I don't make it too dry , I like to have some gravy so that it sticks to the meat.

This is my entry to Original recipe event hosted by Culinarty.

Tandoori Lasagna

Yes this is lasagna with a twist, a fusion of Indian and Italian cuisine.

I wanted to make a lasagna, spice it up, give it a "desi" (generally used to refer to Indian) touch, but was skeptical about the outcome. Well, the outcome was wonderful , it was a hit and liked by the ones I made it for. Though I could not take decent , "blog-worthy" pictures , the recipe was too good not to share.

Lasagna is made in stages, then assembled and baked, so the list of ingredients may seem pretty long but it actually is a very quick, easy, no-fuss preparation. Using no boil noodles also cuts on the cooking time and process.

Ingredients:

7-8 no boil lasagna noodles,
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese,
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese,
non stick spray, (optional)

For the meat sauce:

2 - 3 tbsp. oil,
1 medium onion, chopped,
1.5 tbsp ginger paste,
1.5tbsp garlic paste,
1.5 lbs minced meat, (lamb/beef/turkey/chicken),
3 medium tomatoes, ground to paste without using water,
6 tbsp. tandoori chicken masala, (I used 2 different brands, 3 tbsp. of "Shan" and 3 tbsp. of "Badshah"),
2 tbsp. tomato ketchup,
salt, to taste,
chili powder , to taste (optional)
4 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
3 tbsp. mint leaves, chopped,
juice of a lemon/ lime

For the ricotta mix:

1 15oz. container of ricotta cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten,
few mint leaves, chopped,
few coriander leaves, chopped ,
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese,
salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Cook the meat sauce, make the ricotta mix, assemble the noodles and bake.

To cook the meat sauce:

Heat oil , add onions and fry till translucent. Add the ginger , garlic pastes and fry for a min. Then add the minced meat and cook till its no longer pink. Add the tandoori masala, chili powder if you want it more spicy, salt , coriander and mint leaves and fry for some time. Now add tomato paste and ketchup and cook on low /med. heat until the meat is cooked. Add lemon juice and mix.

To make the ricotta mix:

Beat together all the ingredients .

To assemble and bake :

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F

Spray a 8"X 11" glass baking dish with non stick spray. This is totally optional, i like to do it to make sure the food does not stick and the slices come out easily . Pour some meat sauce and arrange the noodles. Pour some more meat sauce, then layer it with ricotta mix, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and repeat the layer one more time starting with the noodles . Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for an hour or follow the baking instructions on the box of noodles. Remove from the oven and let it rest for few mins. before you serve. Enjoy !

Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to a week, it does reheat beautifully.

The tandoori chicken masala is a real saver. I suggest even the vegetarians to keep a packet of this in their pantry. It can be used to flavor paneer, roasted vegetables,potato fries, chips, burgers, soups, sauces, curries, parathas, salads, nuts, vegetable biryani, breads/ rotis etc. etc.

This is my contribution to the following events :

Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Amy originally created by Ruth
and Original recipe created by Lore of Culinarty.

I am also sending this recipe as an entree menu to Yasmeens Health Nut Challenge where she asks us to prepare a heathy three course meal . My appetizer would be the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and for dessert its Healthy Choco Logs.

The Roundup- SOS Slow Cooker

Hi y'all , presenting the round up of the SOS Slow Cooker event. Since the time I announced the event I came across many good books featuring slow cooker reciepes and tips on how to enhance flavors and make the best use of your crockpot.

I would like to thank Yasmeen and Ivy for participating in the event and also all the fellow bloggers who were kind enough to email me and letting me know that they dont have a slow cooker so wont be participating.

Yasmeen of Health Nut shows us how to fuse health and taste with these recipes of 16 bean stew

and this mouth watering chicken shorba , dont forget to check out the dinner rolls too .

Ivy of Kopiaste.. made this yummy Pot Roast with Carrot Puree, Vegetables and Gravy



And finally my own entry - Kiwi Mutton

Hope you enjoyed your long weekend !

Kiwi Mutton

During our last visit to the grocery store we brought home the toughest meat (unintentionally) , wont cook even after being pressure cooked for nearly 7-8 whistles , I had few kiwis waiting to be eaten and I came across this useful tip... so presenting Kiwi Mutton my friends. This recipe is my contribution to the SOS Slow Cooker Event Hosted by me:)

I added some olive oil, onions, 2 pods of green cardamom , 1" piece of cinnamon, the meat, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, dhania powder, salt, crushed tomato, and finally a peeled n very finely chopped kiwi , all in the crock pot ,and all at room temperature and cooked it on high for 3hrs ....yep...I also sprinkled some garam masala powder and added a big hand full of fresh coriander and mint half an hour before turning the crock pot off.



It was delicious and looked cute. The black seeds from the kiwi gave it kinda like a polka dot look. I had used papaya as a tenderiser for meat before, but tried the kiwi for the first time. It works ! and just like the papaya it does not make the mutton taste sweet... Thanks for sharing the info Mona. Enjoy !