Minced Lamb With Coriander (Dhaniya Keema)

I love eating Indian food and we often get Indian takeaway when the cooking fairies are taking a break. Luckily for me, my husband also loves to cook Indian food. When he says that he's going to prepare a meal for the week, there's a big chance its going to come out of our well worn Indian cookbook! With splatters all over it, the pages almost open to this dish by themselves!

This recipe for minced lamb with coriander is one of our absolute favourites. It's quite easy to make and doesn't require too many different spices. Being a dry curry, it doesn't have a gravy, so we just serve it with papadums, roti or naan to scoop it up with. I like to have mine with a dollop of natural yoghurt or Dahi on top as well.

If you love the flavour of fresh coriander and have a lot to use up, then this recipe is for you. It's also great to make a day or two ahead for the flavours to infuse. Just make sure you only add the coriander when you are about to serve it, to keep that lovely fresh taste and beautiful green colour.

The recipe suggests 2 green chillies, but this time we used one red and one green to add a little bit more heat. If you prefer a more mild flavour, only use the green chilli which isn't quite so hot.

This is one meal I can never have too much of. I'd love to try an authentic version to see how it compares, but you rarely see this on the menu of your local Indian. Hint hint to any of my Indian friends :-)

I hope that you enjoy this as much as we do. It might become a regular in your household too!

Minced Lamb With Coriander

700g lamb mince

3 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1/3 cup oil

300g onion, finely diced

1 cinnamon stick

3 cloves

3 green cardamom

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 tsp ground turmeric 

3/4 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

2 tomatoes, finely diced

Salt to taste

1 cup of coriander leaves, finely chopped

Boil the mince in 2 cups of water with 1 whole garlic clove and bay leaves for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Finely chop the remaining garlic.

Heat oil in a saucepan. Fry the onion over low heat for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, ginger, garlic and chilli. Cook for 2 minutes then add the mince and sauté for another 5 minutes. 

Add the turmeric, cumin and garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir every minute or so to stop the mixture sticking.

Add the tomatoes and salt to taste and cook for another few minutes.

Add 2 cups of water and cook, uncovered, until the liquid has almost evaporated.

Stir through the fresh coriander and remove from the heat.

Serve the mince in bowls with papadums, roti or naan and a dollop of natural yoghurt or Dahi, if you like.

Enjoy!

Hungarian Stuffed Capsicums

After a delicious Mother's Day dinner, cooked by my lovely husband, of crispy duck breast, roast fennel, potato galette and herbed mushrooms, washed down with a bottle of pinot, it's time to get back to regular eating!

I think I've mentioned before that my dad is Hungarian, so we often will have dishes that reminds me of my childhood. Nothing fancy, just good, tasty comfort food. These stuffed capsicums are one of my favourites.

The soup is tinned tomato, with a mince and rice filling to the capsicums. They are simple, quick and delicious! Top the capsicum with a dollop of natural yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkling of paprika and serve with some fresh bread or toast for mopping up the soup.

On a cold afternoon, the fantastic aroma from simmering the soup is wonderful. It brings back so many happy memories!

Hungarian Stuffed Capsicums

4 small to medium red capsicums

2 tins of tomato soup

500g pork mince

1/4 cup uncooked rice

1 tsp paprika, plus extra for serving

1 small onion, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Sour cream or natural yoghurt, to serve

Toast or bread, to serve

Cut the stalks from the top of the capsicums using a sharp knife and remove the seeds and membranes.

Wash the capsicums and drain upside down while you prepare the filling.

Combine mince, rice, paprika, onion and salt and pepper in a bowl.

Using your hands, stuff the capsicums 3/4 full with the filling. As the rice cooks, the filling will swell, so you don't want them too full.

Any extra filling can be made into meatballs.

Tip both cans of soup into a large saucepan and then rinse each can with a full can of water. You should have four tins-full of liquid. Stir to combine. 

Add the capsicums and meatballs and simmer gently for about 40 minutes, or until the mince is cooked and the capsicums are tender.

Serve in bowls with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, a sprinkling of paprika and some fresh bread or toast.

Enjoy!