Alternative uses for an IKEA high chair. Also, Lamb biryani.

rodsislandlife

I am meant to be in London having lunch with a work colleague and plundering Uniqlo for some new clothes. Instead, I am at home with wasted ferry tickets, a was-vomiting-but-is-now-fine EEROD and and over-eater of a baby. I have given the kids over to the TV and discovered a wonderful (and yet probably completely unsafe) use for the infamous IKEA high chair. It makes a fabulous TV chair for a baby – just remove the legs…..

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There are some days when I am just over parenting. Now, about that biryani…

Lozza’s Lamb Biryani

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Lozza’s (Lorraine Pascale) Lamb Biryani – excellent!

I made this last week in a fit of enthusiasm following the first blog posting of 2016 and then haven’t actually found the time to write it up. I will admit the recipe caused me much confusion. I don’t cook a lot of Indian food (or eat much for that matter) but I do like a yummy biryani and at first glance the recipe seemed straight forward. I needed to add to my spice cupboard but had most of the essentials. The issue came as the recipe is written in such a way that it doesn’t make it clear what to do with the meat once it has browned. You will see below (directly lifted from the book) that there is in fact no mention of the meat following the browning process. I had to do some internet research to find out how others interpreted the instructions and decided that Lorraine really does mean cook it all in one pot…..

Ingredients:

Equipment: Medium pan with tight-fitting, serve
Vegetable oil
2tsp garam marsala
2tsp ground turmeric
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp hot chili powder
1 bunch of spring onions
500g lamb steaks (I used Tesco’s lamb steaks which at 3 packs for £10 are a steal and good)
350g basmati rice
400 tin of coconut milk
100ml water
small handful of fresh coriander
50g raisins
knob of butter (optional)

Method:

Put a drizzle of oil in a medium pan on a low heat. Add the garam marsala, turmeric, cumin and chili powder and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While this cooks, trim and finely slice the spring onions (both the green and the white bits) and then chop the lamb up into bite-sized cubes. Turn the pan heat up to high, add a little more oil and add the spring onions and lamb. Brown the heat all over for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so nothing catches on the bottom.

*This is where the recipe is confusing as the next sentence indicates you should use a different pan but you don’t – all in one. I have corrected the English*
Meanwhile, put the rice in a pan with the coconut milk and 100ml of water.

Once the meat has browned, add in the rice with the coconut milk and 100ml of water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, bring to the boil and then turn it down to a very gentle simmer and leave to cook away for as long as the rice says on the packet, do not stir the rice.

Once the rice is cooked, stir in the coriander and raisins. Let them heat through for a moment or two.
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All in one pot – less washing up for COD
Taste the rice, adding any salt and pepper if it needs it and even a knob of butter to make it extra creamy.
Serve! I treated COD to a pile of (shop-bought) poppodoms and some Mrs Balls Chutney and Tzatziki dip. Scrummy, yummy. Apparently you can use any sort of dead animal in this recipe. Assume you could also use chunks of butternut and other robust veg for a vegetarian take on it. Also, I thought the spices could have been a bit stronger so would use a smidge more next time…..
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Serves 4 (I halved it to serve 2 and still had another portion left!)

In other news:

  • Chocolate and pistachio nuts do not go together. I know this because COD and the girls gave me a Chocolate Apothecary bar of dark chocolate and pistachios. Despite me not really liking it, I have just eaten half the bar without breathing – it’s been that sort of day
  • I am starting to think about curtaining our new house. Every curtain needs to be 3.8m long. I am physically scared of the amount of fabric needed.
  • My list of projects is long. I have a friend who has a project jar and every project is written on a piece of paper and put in the jar (a mix of stuff for fun, stuff for her and actual housey stuff) and she can only start the next project when one is complete. I think I need a project jar
  • I am phasing out boob juice. In a month or so, I might actually have my boobs back. Forever. It’s a bit weird to think babies will be something I did in my 30’s…..

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