LOL...appreciate the love! I can only grill and pretty much suck at everything else. I've never made scallops or monkfish, but will try to post a Tandoori shrimp recipe later on this week.
The OP dish looks pretty tasty. I had to post my all-time favorite lamb recipe. I had this at Vij's a few months ago. That whole meal was a revelation and kind of changed my palate in a pretty amazing way. We've been cooking more Indian food at home and definitely playing around with more of the spices. That meal was incredible, but I had their signature Vij's lamb popsicles dish, and that was far and away the best lamb I've ever had. We've made them a few times at home, and this dish is actually pretty easy to make. While it's best with rack of lamb, you could definitely get away with lamb chops or even a pork tenderloin. We love to serve this with Tumeric New Potatoes and Cumin Basmati Rice. I can't seem to find any pictures that we took, but here's one I found online. . We usually put the potatoes down in a platter then lay down the lamb popsicles before pouring the feungreek sauce over it. Rice is served on the side. The picture spoilertagged below is similar to how we do it at home, and pretty much how it looked at the restaurant. Spoiler Marinated Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry This is our signature dish at Vij’s – probably our most famous and most popular. The size of the lamb popsicles will depend on the rack of lamb you buy. If the popsicles are bigger, then four per serving is usually enough; if they are slightly smaller, then go with five per serving. Server these popsicles over Tumeric New Potatoes. Serves 6 Ingredients: For the popsicles: • 2-3 French cut racks of lamb (with the bone cleaned down to the chop) • ¼ cup white wine • ¾ cup grainy yellow mustard • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper For the Curry Cream: • 3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic • 3-4 tablespoons canola oil • 1 tesapoon turmeric • 4 cups whipping cream • 1 tablespoon dried green fenugreek flakes (not seeds) • 1 tablespoon salt • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper • ¼ cup lemon juice • 1 teaspoon paprika • ½ teaspoon cayenne Lamb: Combine wine, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add lamb and coat well with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Curry Sauce: In a large bowl, combine cream, salt, paprika, cayenne, fenugreek leaves, and lemon juice. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of canola oil in a medium pot on medium heat and sauté garlic until golden. Stir in the tumeric and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the cream mixture and cook on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until it is gently boiling. Finish Lamb: Preheat a stove-top cast iron grill or barbeque to high heat. Place lamb on grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. To Serve: Serve popsicles piping hot off the grill. Depending on their size, place 4 to 5 lamb popsicles on each plate. Pour the cream curry over the meat or ladle it into a small bowl and use it as a dipping sauce for the popsicles. Wine: We love the Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Betliner, which we always keep on our wine list. Tumeric New Potatoes We serve this dish at Vij’s with our meat entrees as an alternative to rice. If you can’t cut the potatoes as thin as the recipe calls for, just add a little extra water to ensure the potatoes get fully cooked without sticking to the pan. We like to add pre-washed baby spinach at the very end, but this is optional. Serves 6 to 8 Ingredients: • 2 pounds new potatoes • ¼ cup canola oil • 1½ cups chopped onions (1 large) • 1 teaspoon tumeric • 1 tablespoon salt • ½ teaspoon cayenne • ¼ cup water • 5 ounces baby spinach Wash and scrub the potatoes but do not peel them. Cut each potato in ¼ inch (or slightly thinner) rounds. Heat oil in a heavy frying pan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until golden. Add tumeric, salt, and cayenne. Stir well and cook for 1 minute. Add potatoes and water and bring to a light boil. Gently stir the potatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes. If the potatoes are sticking or burning, add another ¼ cup water. Gently stir the potatoes again. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked. These potatoes should maintain their shape and not get too soft. If using spinach, gently stir it in 1 minute before turning off the heat. Serve warm from the frying pan. If you need to reheat the potatoes, transfer them to a nonstick frying pan and heat them on low. Cumin Basmati Rice Once you know the water-to-rice rations for cooking basmati rice, you can lay around with various additions, which can turn plain rice into an entire meal if you wish. We always soak basmati rice in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. This ensures that the rice is soft and fluffy. You don’t need to drain the rice in a colander or a sieve, just pour off as much water as possible. You don’t even to add the cumin in this recipe--we’ve included it for flavor, but many Indian homes serve plain, salted basmati rice. Some brands of basmati rice are now cultivated in the United States. The real white basmati rice, however, comes from a specific region in the Northern India, in the Himalayan foothills. It has been growing there for thousands of years, and unless you have difficulty securing Indian basmati rice, we don’t see any reason for purchasing any other type. Nothing can beat the flavor, aroma, and texture of Himalaya-grown basmati rice. Serves 6 Ingredients: • 2 cups basmati rice • 3 cups cold water for soaking • ¼ cup canola oil • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds • 1 cup fine chopped onion (1 medium-large) • 3¾ cups water for cooking Wash basmati rice twice in cold water. Soak rice in the 3 cups of cold water for 15 minutes, or while are sautéing the cumin seeds and onion. Heat oil in a medium pot for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds, stir, and allow to sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until just the edges are brown (for a sweeter flavor), or for 3 to 4 minutes more, until brown (for a stronger flavor). Turn of the heat. Drain the rice as much as possible. Add the rice and the 3¾ cups of water to onions, and stir well to combine. Turn on the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling vigorously, lower the heat to just a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 18 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Take off the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Are you a chef? THat looks remarkable! I made some chops yesterday with more of an asian style os seasoning but mine pales in comparison to yours. Good Job!
ha! trust me, i'm no chef. i've thrown away countless dishes cause i didn't like the way they turned out. i'm just not gonna post about those on here. this dish i posted is pretty damn easy to make.
Have you been to Andina in Portland? Their rack of lamb and lamb shank entree's are off the hook. I've never had lamb anywhere else really so I can't say I'm a connoisseur in that department but you have to check it out next time your in Portland if you haven't been.
I haven't been there, but I'll have to check it out. The reviews sound outstanding. We live in Seattle and are actually planning a trip down to Portland soon. Park Kitchen and Little Bird are on the list already, but I think this will be our third restaurant. My wife is a top caliber chef, so we've eaten at some pretty phenomenal places and had stellar lamb across a number of different cuisines. I've had them French, Italian, Greek, braised, grilled, with truffles, and many other ways. For both of us, nothing compared with those Vij's lamb popsicles. That sauce and lamb preparation is super easy too.
Sounds good. I'm sure you and your wife's tastebuds aren't easy to please but since you are coming to Portland...Andina is a can't miss spot. It's definitely one of Portland's best IMO and it's always busy so make sure to make a reservation. Between the Lamb shank and rack of lamb I prefer the shank but the rack has better side accompaniments. Side note.. Order the sachsayhuamon sp* cocktail for the wifey and yourself especially for her though. It's pureed passionfruit and pepper vodka goodness. The best. Ever. Also, I've seen Kobe Bryant on 2 separate random occasions eating there. I'm thinking it's one of his main staples when he has a game in town. He looks like a picky eater/snob lol.
You can get tasty lamb shanks at various middle-eastern restaurants. I would appreciate recommendations for lamb chops. A lot of places I've eaten chops at tend to overcook it.
more lamb tonight. this might be the best lamb i've ever had. Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon coriander 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper pinch of clove toasted for a couple of minutes. add a pinch of turmeric and salt to the mixture. rub some vegetable oil on the lamb and spread the mixture grill approx six minutes on medium high
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HnjWZT3yWWc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Any relation?
