Lamb and Cashew Biryani

I love rice and love Indian flavours as you all know.  Anything spicy always hits the spot with me.

Tonight's dinner was a very easy Lamb and Cashew Biryani - one could not fault the flavour.  My favourite part of this recipe - the recipe calls for Indian curry paste so the Biryani could have been what ever flavour paste you had on hand or fancied.  We used Tikka Masala Paste and while it was mild it was very enjoyable.

Although I did add extra vegetables to bulk it out it was a very and I mean very filling dish.  Topped with some greek yoghurt and fresh coriander this was a yummy mid week dinner.

Don't forget to enter our giveaway.

Lamb and Cashew Biryani

(Recipe adapted from taste.com)

 

Serves: 6

ProPoints per Serve: 9

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium brown onion, thinly sliced

400g lamb steaks, sliced

1/3 cup Indian mild curry paste

1 cup basmati rice

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 cup sultanas

75g baby spinach

300 grams frozen vegetable mix (carrots, brocolli and green beans)

1/2 cup no-fat plain Greek-style yoghurt

1/4 cup cashew nuts, toasted, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons small fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

 

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook for 10 minutes or until light golden.

 

Add lamb. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add curry paste. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add rice. Stir to coat in curry mixture. Add stock, cinnamon and sultanas. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until rice is just tender.

 

Stir in spinach and vegetable mix. Cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

 

Serve biryani with yoghurt, nuts and topped with coriander.

 

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Sirloin Steak with Tomato Kasundi and Potato Wedges and a Give Away

Once again it has been so long in between posts and I assure you (as always) I haven't given up... it's called being time poor!  But I finally have a meal to share and also a great giveaway.

 

Tonight we had char grilled steak cooked on the open flame of the Weber... Noel's favourite way of cooking steak.  I decided that I wanted us to have something different to accompany the steak and when I came across this recipe I knew it was that "something different" we were having tonight.

 

Kasundi is a spicy Indian relish and not only was it full of flavour - it was easier to make than I had imagined.  Considering the depth and range of it's taste, spicy and sweet,  the steps involved were very basic which of course is always a win in the kitchen.  All up on the table in under 1 hour.

 

We used scotch fillet steak with this recipe as that is what we had on hand and even though we barbecued our meat this made no real change to the meal itself.  I really enjoyed the Kasundi and found it an enjoyable side to accompany the steak.  I presume that it would be a nice element to add to various meats.

Oh keep reading below to see details of our fantastic give away........

Sirloin Steak with Tomato Kasundi and Potato Wedges

(recipe adapted from WW 1 Recipe 3 Ways Cookbook)

 

Serves: 4

ProPoints per Serve: 8

 

4 (680 grams) desiree potatoes, cut into wedges

cooking spray

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons turmeric

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup white vinegar

400 gram can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 x 150 gram lean sirloin steaks (or steak of your choice), fat trimmed

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius or 200 degrees Celsius fan-forced.  Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Place potatoes on prepared tray and lightly spray with oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 45 minutes or until tender and crisp.

 

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add mustard and cumin seeds and cook, covered, for 1 minute or until seeds begin to pop.  Add turmeric, chilli powder, ginger and garlic and cook stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add vinegar, tomatoes and sugar and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until kasundi is thick.

 

Meanwhile, lightly sray a large non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat.  Cook steak for 3 - 4 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking.  Transfer to a plate.  Cover steak with foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

 

Top steaks with kasundi and serve with potato wedges.

 

 

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Now for the giveaway......

The wonderful prize I have to giveaway is actually a Food Safety Supervisor's Course with the Australian Institute of Food Safety.  Many thanks to Australian Food Safety News for this fantastic food related give away.
 
Most food businesses in Australia have a legal obligation to employ a qualified Food Safety Supervisor on their team. Whether you are a business who needs to meet these requirements, or a food worker who wants to develop new skills and obtain a qualification, then this course is for you. Our course is nationally accredited and covers all of the key skills required to be a Food Safety Supervisor in today's food-handling environment.

This engaging and interactive course is designed to take you step-by-step through the food safety laws in Australia and help you understand what you need to do to ensure that food is handled, prepared, cooked and stored safely in your organisation. You'll also learn about the requirements of a Food Safety Plan.

 

Other information regarding this opportunity:

- International entrants are accepted

- Prize can not be exchanged for money 

- No entries will be accepted after Wednesday 12th June 2013 7pm EST.

- Winner will be announced Friday 14th June 2013.

- The winner will be enrolled in the Food Safety Supervisor course and receive instructions via email.

Course information can be found here: Food Safety Supervisor's Course.

This course is normally valued at AUS $249.95.

So how do you get the chance to win this fantastic opportunity:

Simply leave a comment on this recipe.  Easy right? 

Your comment should tell me why you would like to complete this course and how it will help you in your future whether it's in the food industry, volunteer work, personal life etc. In others word tell me why you want to undertake this training.

If you do not have a google account you can leave an anonymous comment but please leave your name.  Then send me an email to: houseofmurray@optusnet.com.au to advise your contact details just incase you are the winner.

Good luck and I am really jealous as this is a training course that I would love to win for myself... that however may look a little too suspect!