All posts tagged: Indian

Lamb Biryani with cashews and sultanas

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I was talking to the lady at the spice shop. The moment I told her I was making biryani, her whole vibe changed. Lamb biryani? Her favourite! I could almost see love hearts in her eyes. I don’t know if this recipe would also be her favourite but this is my favourite lamb biryani. I’ve eaten biryani with cashews. I’ve eaten biryani with sultanas. I add both cashews and sultanas to my lamb biryani because it tastes amazing. The lovely thing about cooking is you get to tweak the ingredients list and you get to be a bit extra. Lamb Biryani with cashews and sultanas 45 mins prep | Marinate overnight | 1 hour 30 mins cookDifficulty: Medium | Serves 6 INGREDIENTS1kg bone in lamb shoulder (or 900g boneless)1 cup greek yoghurt4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed4 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated2 teaspoons salt2 tablespoons vegetable oil2 onions, thinly sliced8 cardamom pods, gently crushed2 bay leaves1 tablespoon garam masala1 tablespoon ground Kashmiri chilli powder1 and ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, divided1 cup chicken …

Tasty questions with Dimple Girish, iVillage

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Dimple Girish is the chef / owner of IVillage at Victoria. Below are her answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment. Describe your restaurant’s food: Well presented, deliciously mouth-watering food. What is your restaurant’s signature dish: Tandoori Trio. Name your favourite comfort food: Roti and goat curry. What did you have for breakfast? Porridge or cereal. What is the most delicious thing you’ve eaten this week: Tandoori prawns. What is an underrated ingredient: Saffron. What are 3 sources of inspiration to you: Food, innovation, passion. Favourite restaurant: Indian Accent, Delhi, India, Chef: Manish Malhotra. What is your most memorable meal: With my family at home. Just for Restaurant Month 2 courses with wine for $40 IVillage’s Restaurant Month special is a 2 course dinner with wine for $40, options include plum infused tandoori prawns, lamb rogan josh with Kashimir chilies and Goan fish curry, and a glass of Pegasus Bay Riesling or Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc.  Available throughout August 2015. Images used with permission from iVillage. Street Eats IVillage will also be at popular Street Eats at Shed 10 on Saturday 29 August. One of …

Make Biryani

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Lamb biryani is my regular order when we get Indian food delivered. I was introduced to it a few years ago when an Indian co-worker brought in a huge pot of biryani for his birthday lunch. Even after almost crying due to a whole green chili I mistook for capsicum, I fell in love with the dish. The one bowl wonder is comforting, the mild blend of spices, the slow cooked, super tender meat very appealing. Sadly, not many restaurants offer this dish. I guess it’s because it’s considered peasant food, not restaurant food. It’s time consuming to make and probably not all that popular here in New Zealand. It’s the last week of winter so I’m trying to cross off my winter to do list and last week’s CSA box included both carrots and cauliflower. I decided to attempt a lamb biryani. I roughly followed the recipe from Cuisine Magazine which can be found online here. While the recipe generously suggests this will serve 4, I think it’s more like serves 6 to 8. Even with …

Will design for Dahi Puri

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I went for a walk yesterday during lunch and my curiosity had me peering into the window of a not-yet-ready-to-open new business. Freshly painted dark red walls. Luxurious fabric covered chairs. What’s this? A tell-tale shiny new sign resting across some chairs. It bears the name of one of my all time favourite restaurants. Delight! Excite! This restaurant is consistently considered one of Auckland’s favourite Indian restaurants and the place to go for south Indian food. They currently have 3 restaurants and this will be their 4th. Many years ago, The Koala lived behind their Hobson Street restaurant. This was in the early days long before I fell in love with cooking. We ate there a lot. When the family realised that The Koala was artistically inclined (the art in the alleyway gave it away), they requested help with a child’s homework project. Butter chicken was payment for artistic guidance. I wonder if times have changed?