Lamb with Spinach and Bell Peppers

Posted on | April 12, 2010 | 16 Comments |

Lamb-1

Recently there was an article on Bon Appétit called 3 Reasons You Should be Cooking Lamb. The reasons listed were Nutrition, Flavor and Versatility. Those who like lamb already know about the last two points, but I’ve never paid much attention to the nutrition part before. The article says:

Lamb is an excellent source of protein (one serving provides 50 percent of your daily value), vitamin B12 (45 percent of your daily value), and zinc (30 percent of your daily value), and the leaner cuts of lamb have only around 72 to 85 milligrams of cholesterol, which is comparable to chicken.

In India, lamb (goat really) is a staple for most non-vegetarians. In fact if I had to define the “different tiers” of meat eaters in India, I’d do it like this. This is just my observation, correct me if I am wrong. Tier 1 folks eat just chicken, tier 2 eat chicken & mutton, tier 3- chicken, mutton & beef and tier 4 – chicken, mutton, beef & pork. Tier 3 might eat either beef or pork based on their religious believes; beef is taboo for Hindus while Pork is a no-no for Muslims. But if your religion allows meat, then chicken and mutton are common for everyone.

It is a different case in the United States though, at least that is what I have observed. Many Americans I have come across – I am talking about the non-foodie kind – are not into lamb. They consider it some kind of a foreign meat, only the adventurous types venture into lamb eating, others are normally happy sticking with their steaks. I was really surprised by this discovery especially because most steak houses and other American restaurants I’ve been to offer lamb chops in the menu. Anyway, that’s why I think BA had to go and write an article on why people should cook lamb.

Personally, I prefer goat to lamb in Indian cooking. I get lamb rib chops and shoulder chops for non-Indian preparations. But since I am on SBD, this time I went with lamb, as it seemed to be much leaner than goat. I picked up a boneless leg piece, thinking of roasting in the oven, but it is a time consuming process, so I decided to just make it the Indian way. Since the smell of lamb is not something I am too fond of, I sautéed the lamb pieces in oil till brown, this took care of the smell as well as added some burned texture to the dish, which works well in most meat recipes. Along with all the veggies added into the dish and some cucumber raita on the side, it made a filling Phase 1 meal for me.

Ingredients

Leg of Lamb, boneless –1.5 lbs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp oil
2 whole star anise
1” piece of cinnamon
1 cup diced onions
1 tbsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup fat free/low fat yogurt
4 cups fresh spinach
1 large bell pepper, diced (I used red, but green or other colors will work too)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Wash the lamb and drain well, and use paper towels to remove the water.

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil and add the star anise and cinnamon. The add the lamb pieces, sprinkle some salt and keep sautéing for 8-10 minutes till the lamb pieces turn brown. This might have to be done in batches if there is a lot of lamb. Don’t crowd the pan, as that will release the moisture and the lamb won’t brown. Remove the lamb pieces with a slotted spoon as these gets browned and transfer to a pressure cooker.

Add a bit more oil to the pan if there isn’t any left (there should be enough). Add 1/2 of the diced onions and sauté till soft. Add the red chili, black pepper and turmeric powders and continue sautéing on medium heat till the spices are cooked through. Switch off the stove and add the yogurt to the pan, mix well with a spoon and pour this spice mixture into the pressure cooker. Add a little bit of water to the pan to get all the last bit of the masala into the pressure cooker. Use a large spoon to combine the ingredients, so that the lamb pieces are well coated with the masala.

Close the pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes after the first whistle (that’s when the pressure cooker builds up maximum pressure) on medium high heat.

When the lamb is getting cooked, wipe of the pan with a wet towel and return to the stove. Add a bit of water and the remaining onions. Sauté the onions till soft. Now add the diced peppers and continue sautéing for 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and switch off the stove as soon as the spinach starts to wilt.

Once the pressure cooker is cool enough, open it. If there is a lot of liquid in the cooker, continue cooking on an open flame till all the gravy is absorbed. Once it is dry enough, add to the sautéed veggies in the pan and mix well to combine.

As I mentioned before, I had it with cucumber raita as my SBD Phase 1 dinner, but it goes great with rice or can be used to fill a wrap.

Category: Dinner Recipes, Lamb or Goat, Phase 1

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Comments

16 Responses to “Lamb with Spinach and Bell Peppers”

smitha
April 12th, 2010 @ 7:57 pm
Reply

love goat but for some weird reason lamb is just not my cup of tea ;> although abhi loves it so i just might try this recipe for him
Radhika Vasanth
April 13th, 2010 @ 8:43 am
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I haven’t tried lamb so far, but this is good reason for me to buy lamb . This dish looks outrageous and yumm
Mamatha
April 13th, 2010 @ 1:48 pm
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The colors just pop out in this picture Sig. Beautiful shot.

For Indian style curries, I prefer goat to lamb. But for dry, non-Indian dishes, I prefer lamb, probably because I’ve never tasted non-Indian goat dishes. Another reason to choose lamb, when eating out especially, is that lamb in the US is generally hormone/antibiotic-free.
sunitha
April 13th, 2010 @ 3:11 pm
Reply

Awesome to say the least. The picture is perfect.
Chris
April 14th, 2010 @ 7:59 am
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We haven’t made lamb in a bit, it’s time to return!
sra
April 14th, 2010 @ 8:40 am
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Yep, I’m one of those who doesn’t eat beef, and pork only in the form of sausages. Your dish looks v good, my gran used to make something we called capsicum mutton, a gravy, but I remember the capsicum we got as kids were much, much more flavourful – they weren’t as hybrid as the monstrosities we get now!
Silvara
April 14th, 2010 @ 8:35 pm
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Totally the opposite here in Australia – lamb is almost a staple meat besides the traditional steak – slap it onto the barbie with some sausages and it’s perfect for summer It’s a great salad meat as well as have chops grilled with a salad for a phase 1 style dinner

I don’t eat beef so I use lamb a lot – mince for making a bolognaise sauce or for making hamburger patties. Love it
H
April 15th, 2010 @ 7:42 am
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Sig, I have a question for you: is chayote (chow chow in India) okay in SBD phase 1? Is there any nutritional measurement that helps judge if a food is okay or not for SBD? (Thanks for all the links and info you have on SBD! really helps!)

B’ful pic is all i can say since am not a non – vegetarian
Rajitha
April 15th, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
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Okay…i am not staying on topic as you asked…but i think you will not mind .
Nothing to comment on the dish being a hard core veggie…but the pic looks great. And that brings to to my point …i think you have an SLR camera right…which one do you have? I am in the market for an SLR and thought i would get some input from you. Have been researching on Amazon..but i am easily distracted
Rina
April 16th, 2010 @ 9:20 am
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Cool post..Sig..Like ur description of the 3 tiers..I usually add sweet peppers to beef..rib eye or eye of round cuts..should try with lamb too..thanx for yet another SBD phase 1 recipe..
H
April 16th, 2010 @ 4:35 pm
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Hey thanks a lot Sig! I was coming back here expecting a reply and just saw that you had replied long back.. Appreciate that info! It’s only 3 days into SBD and it is already so hard! You’re god I should say, for dieting 40+ days before.. :O
Miri
April 17th, 2010 @ 9:21 am
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I can’t digest red meat (along with fibre rich foods which makes up a laundry list of stuff to stay away from), but when I do have a little it is usually biryani or a preparation where the meat is cooked till it is really really tender. and yes,its usually goat meat as compared to lamb which turns out like that.

The dish you have made looks superb!!
Lazycook
April 22nd, 2010 @ 10:11 pm
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Mouthwatering recipe …
FoodieAnn
June 14th, 2010 @ 10:04 am
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Hi Sig..when I saw this pic I couldn’t resist it…the pic is so tempting that I went ahead and made it but with chicken…since I belong to that Tier 1 category ..

Thanks a lot for posting the recipe…