Raan Masaledaar (Pakistan Recipe)

Ingredients :

1 Lamb Leg (5 lb)
2 oz Almonds (blanched)
1/2 lb Onions (coarsely chopped)
4 Green chillies (chopped)
10 cloves Garlic (peeled)
4 Ginger (1 inch cubes) (peeled and coarsely chopped)
1/2 tsp Whole cloves
16 Cardamom pods
1 Cinnamon stick (2 inch piece)
10 Black peppercorns
2 tbsp Cumin seeds (grounded)
4 tsp Coriander seeds (grounded)
1/2 tsp Cayenne peppers
3 1/2 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Garam masala
20 fl oz Plain yogurt
6 tbsp Veetable oil
4 bsp Raisins (sultanas) (for garnishing)
1/2 oz Almonds (blanched and slivered) (for garnishing)

Method :

Make sure that all the fat has been trimmed from the outside of the lamb leg and that most of the (parchment-like white) skin has been pulled off
Put the lamb leg in a baking dish made, preferably, of pyrex or stainless steel an add the almonds (blanched), onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies, and 3 tbsp of the plain yogurt into the container of a food processor or blender and blend until paste
Put the remaining yogurt into a bowl
Beat lightly with a fork or a whisk until it is smooth and creamy
Add the paste from the processor, the cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and garam masala and mix
Push some of the spice paste into all of the openings in the lamb
Spread the paste evenly on the underside of the leg (the side that originally had less fat)
Now, using a small, sharp, pointed knife make deep slashes in the meat, and push in the spice paste with fingers
Turn the leg over so its outer side (the side that was once covered with fat) is on the top
Spread a very thick layer of paste over it and again, make deep slashes with the knife and push the spice paste into the slashes
Pour all of the remaining spice paste over and around the meat and cover with a plastic cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours
Take the baking dish with the meat out of the refrigerator and let the meat come to room temperature then remove the cling film
Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium flame and when it gets hot, put in the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon and peppercorns
When the cloves swell - (this takes just a few seconds) - pour the hot oil and spices over the leg of lamb
Preheat oven to 400 F
Cover the baking dish tightly either with its own lid or with a large piece of aluminum foil and bake, covered, for 1 hour and 30 minutes
Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 45 more minutes
Baste 3-4 times with the sauce during this period and scatter, or arrange in a pattern, the sultanas and almonds over the top of the leg and bake for another 5-6 minutes
Remove the baking dish from the oven and let it sit in a warm place for 15 minutes
Take the leg out of the pan and set it on a warm platter
Spoon off all of the fat from the top of the sauce
Use a slotted spoon and fish out all of the whole spice in the sauce and discard the spices
Pour the sauce around the lamb leg (or serve sauce separately, in a gravy boat)

BIRIYANI RICE (India Recipe)

Ingredients :

Meat (lamb or chicken) 1 kg
Biriyani rice 2 kg
Onions 6
Coriander leaves 50 gms
Mint leaves 50 gms
Green chillies 8
Tomatoes 5
Ghee or dalda 300 gms
Garlic (pieces) 1/4 cup
Ginger (pieces) 1/4 cup
Milk extracted 1&1/2 coconut
Cardamon 12
Cloves 1 tbsp
Cinnamon 1&1/2 tbsp
Water 14 glasses
Salt (adjust to taste) 2 tbsp

Method :

Chop -Onion, coriander leaves, mint leaves, tomatoes and chillies
Grind - Garlic and ginger
Powder- Cardamom, cinnamon and cloves
Water quantity should be always double the amount of rice, including coconut milk and the water added for cooking the meat
Soak the biriyani rice in water for half an hour
Drain the water
Take a vessel, heat little ghee or dalda and heat the rice in a low flame for 10 minutes
Keep it aside
Sauté the onion, green chillies and tomatoes in a big vessel in dalda or ghee for some time
Then add the ground garlic and ginger and half the quantity of the masala powder
Add the chicken pieces, salt and cook for 15 minutes (if it is lamb meat cooking time will be 25 minutes), to it add rice, coconut milk, water, remaining masala powder, coriander and mint leaves, and close the lid
Keep it on a gentle fire till cooked dry
While serving decorate with fried onion, roasted cashew nuts and egg

Mushrooms and Prawn Stir-Fry (Japan Taste)

Ingredients :

2 tbsp Sesame oil
1 clove Garlic (crushed)
225 gm Fresh prawns (shrimps)
100 gm Mange-tout (cut in half diagonally)
100 gm Hon shemeji mushrooms
1 tsp Sesame seeds
3 tbsp Light soy sauce
75 gm Dried egg noodles
150 ml Stock
1 tsp Corn flour

Method :

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil, add the noodles and cook until tender
Drain and set aside
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic, prawns, mange-tout and mushrooms and stir fry for 3 minutes
In a small bowl, blend the corn flour with a little water, add to the prawn mixture and stir-fry for a further 3-4 minutes
Serve immediately

Bhud Prig Khing Mhoo (Thailand Recipe)

Ingredients :

2 cups Asparagus or green beans (sliced into 1 "inch lengths)

1 tbsp Red curry paste

10 oz Pork fillet (thinly sliced)

1 tbsp Fish sauce

1 tbsp Sugar (brown is nicer than white)

1-2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Method :

- Blanch asparagus or beans in hot water until tender but crisp (Alternately you can nuke them)
- Heat ½ the oil in a wok and cook the pork until the meat is cooked through
- Remove and set aside
- Heat other ½ of oil in wok and add curry paste
- Add sugar and fish sauce and stir until curry paste is broken up
- Add pork and vegetables
- Stir until ingredients are thoroughly coated and serve

Broiled Balinese Chicken ( Indonesia Recipe )

Ingredients :

1 whole Chicken (cut into pieces and rub with salt and pepper)

1 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Black soy sauce

1 stalk Lemongrass (bruised) (or grated lemon rind)

2 tbsp Limes (or lemon juice)

2 tsp Pepper

4 tbsp Oil

1 large Onion

2 cloves Garlic

3 Red chilies

1 Ginger (thumb size)

2 tbsp Tomato paste

1 tbsp Sugar

Method :

- Fry chicken pieces in oil until golden brown
- Remove and place on a rack
- Pound together onion chilies, garlic and ginger, fry them in remaining oil until fragrant
- Mix it with tomato paste, sugar and soy sauce and marinate chicken pieces in mixture for an hour
- Broil chicken on rack for 25 minutes, turning over once, basting frequently with marinade and bruised lemon grass
- Squeeze lemon juice over before serving

Ayam Kalio (Indonesian Cuisine)

Ingredients :

3 Onions (chopped)
4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
8 Chili peppers (chopped)
2 1/2 cm Root ginger (freshly chopped)
1 tsp Ground galangal (or 2 1/2 cm freshly chopped root)
2 tsp galangal
2 tsp Ground turmeric
2 tsp Ground coriander
430 ml Ground lemon grass (or 1 stalk lemon grass bruised)
4 Unsweetened coconut milk
Chicken joints (halved)
Salt (adjust to taste)

Method

- Place the galangal, turmeric, coriander and ground lemon grass if not using fresh (or contents of spice pack if using), onion, garlic, chillies and ginger in a food processor and process until quite smooth
- Place the pureed mixture in a large saucepan together with the coconut milk and bring slowly to the boil
-Add the chicken and bruised fresh lemon grass (if not using ground lemon grass), bring back to the boil, season with salt, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes
-Remove the lid from the pan and continue to cook, uncovered for a further 15 minutes
Serve hot