Delhi Style Yogurt Marinated Lamb With Nut Crust Recipes

DELHI-STYLE YOGURT-MARINATED LAMB WITH NUT CRUST

Steps:

• For marinade and lamb:
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, 14 minutes. Add garlic and next 7 ingredients; stir 2 minutes. Scrape mixture into processor. Add 4 cups yogurt. Blend until mixture is coarse puree; transfer to large bowl. Mix in 2 cups yogurt and lemon juice.
• Place 1 cup yogurt marinade in small bowl. Cover, chill, and reserve for topping. Place 3 cups marinade in medium bowl; mix in remaining 1 1/2 cups yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Cover, chill, and reserve for sauce.
• Place lamb in large roasting pan and shape into rectangle approximately 12x6 inches (some thin layers may overlap). Sprinkle with 2 1/4 teaspoons salt; spread with half of remaining marinade. Carefully turn lamb over. Sprinkle with remaining 2 1/4 teaspoons salt; spread with remaining marinade. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
• For topping:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend almonds, cashews, sugar, salt, and 1 cup marinade reserved for topping in processor until nuts are coarsely chopped.
• Remove plastic and scrape most of marinade off top of lamb. Cover pan with foil and roast lamb 1 1/2 hours. Uncover; spread nut topping evenly over. Roast lamb uncovered until topping is golden and lamb is tender, about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Transfer lamb to platter. Serve, passing reserved sauce.

GRILLED YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon Tabil Spice Blend, and 1 minced garlic clove in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Whisk remaining 1 cup yogurt, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons Tabil Spice Blend, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp. salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add lamb; turn to coat. Cover and chill overnight, turning occasionally.
• Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Grill until meat is cooked to desired doneness, 10-15 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill lemon halves, cut side down, until charred, about 5 minutes. Thinly slice lamb against the grain and arrange on a platter; garnish with lemons. Serve with reserved yogurt sauce.

YOGURT-MARINATED ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Marinade: Use a spoon to peel the ginger. Peel garlic and onion. Roughly chop onion and ginger, followed by half of the parsley and cilantro, including stems. In a blender, add the ginger, onion, garlic, herbs, ⅓ of the yogurt, and salt. Purée until smooth. Add the remaining yogurt and purée again to combine. Set aside.
• Lamb: Place lamb on a flat surface. Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the lamb at 1½-inch intervals; this will help the lamb absorb the marinade. Flip over and repeat on the other side. Fit a brining bag into a large container (or the roasting pan you'll be using, if it fits in the refrigerator). Then place the lamb into the bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb so all of the meat is covered, then seal the bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 days (longer marination will yield more tenderized lamb).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the lamb and all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Lay parchment paper over the lamb to cover, then cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour. (Total roasting time will be 3 hours.)
• After 1 hour, remove lamb from oven. Gently remove foil and parchment. (The yogurt will have separated into curds and whey, which is normal.) Use tongs to flip the lamb over, then cover with parchment and foil again. Place back into the oven for 1 hour. After the second hour of roasting, flip the lamb again and place back into the oven, uncovered, for 1 final hour.
• After a total of 3 hours of roasting, remove lamb. Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife to check for doneness. If there isn't a lot of resistance, it's done. Flip lamb over, spoon yogurt solids on top, and let rest, 30 minutes.
• Almond Relish: Roughly chop the almonds, place in a medium bowl, and set aside. Pick the leaves off the remaining cilantro and parsley, bunch together, and finely chop. Add herbs to the almonds. Add enough olive oil to cover, about ½ cup, and mix. Juice 3 of the 4 lemon halves into the relish, mix, and add salt to taste. Use the juice of the remaining lemon half to taste.
• Assembly: Use tongs and a meat fork to transfer lamb to a serving platter. Spoon relish over the lamb, and serve.

YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• 1. In a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the yogurt, olive oil, mint, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the lamb, turning to coat evenly, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the lamb fat side up in a roasting pan and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 145° for medium rare, about 1 1/2 hours. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

HYDERABADI BIRYANI (YOGURT MARINATED LAMB)

Steps:

• Place lamb in a bowl, coat with yogurt, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Begin preparing rice by soaking in water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Prepare masala 1 by grinding together in a food processor the garlic clove and ginger to a fine paste.
• Prepare masala 2 by grinding coriander seeds, fennel seeds and poppy seeds then make a fine paste by adding the red chiles through the feed tube of a food processor followed by the dry ground spices.
• Prepare masala 3 by grinding together coconut, cashew nuts and yogurt (in that order) through the feed tube of a running food processor.
• To begin cooking the lamb, heat 4 teaspoons ghee in a wok and swirl to coat inside surface. Add 3 cloves, 3 cardamom pods, and 3 cinnamon sticks, and "toast" briefly in the wok. Then, add chopped green chiles and onion and fry until mixture turns golden brown (be careful not to burn). Add masala 1 and stir well, cooking for a few minutes. Add masala 2 and stir well, cooking for a few minutes to integrate flavors.
• Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer marinated lamb to wok and also add cilantro and mint leaves. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup water and salt. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, then stir in masala 3. Cover and cook until the sauce becomes thick.
• Heat 3 teaspoons ghee in another wok or saucepan and add cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cumin seeds, and fry for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir for about 2 to 3 minutes to "toast" the rice. Add the 3 1/2 cups water and salt, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. When rice is done, remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• The biryani will be layered in a dish. A 13 by 9-inch ovenproof dish (such as the type used for lasagna) or something similar would be suitable. Divide rice into 3 parts and the lamb mixture into 2 parts. Grease the dish and arrange 5 alternate layers of rice and meat, beginning and ending with rice.
• Dissolve the saffron threads in the 1/4 cup milk and spoon it over the top layer of rice. Cover the biryani with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.
• Transfer to a serving plate to reveal layers. Garnish with fried onions, cashew nuts, raisins and hard boiled eggs.