Can't you just smell that? Spices, meat, smoke....yum. One of our favorite proteins on the grill is lamb. Mixed with some Greek yogurt, Indian spices, and expertly grilled by my husband - this stuff is heavenly. When I was pulling together the ingredients for this meal I knew I would have to be flexible, finding paneer (Indian cheese) can be tricky. But I've seen it at trader joes a thousand times, they'd have it this time, right?
Wrong. Hmmm...after circling the cheese section I decided to take the easy way out, the freezer section. Within 30 seconds I had paneer masala and channa masala in hand. Dinner would come together a bit easier that night.
Ingredients: feeds 3 hungry adults and a kid w/ 1 serving of leftovers - 1 boneless leg of lamb - 16oz container of greek yogurt, I like 2% - spice mix: 1 tbsp garam masala, 1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 5 cardamom pods (cracked and seeds removed, discard shells) - 1 lemon, juiced - 1 lime, juiced - 1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil - salt & pepper to taste - 3 packages of frozen channa masala (this is the most delicious way to eat garbonzo beans) - 3 packages of paneer tikka masala w/ spinach basmati rice - 2 packages of frozen brown rice - naan bread - butter - mango chutney (if this isn't already a kitchen staple, make it one.)
Method: - prep your grill & make the sauce combining all of the individual ingredients listed above (yogurt through salt) in a large bowl - prep your lamb, remove from package, pat it down with paper towels, then submerge in the sauce. Marinate for 60-120 minutes. - when you get the lamb on the grill, preheat your oven and cook the masalas according to the directions. There is a microwave alternative, but I prefer the oven...I'm taking enough shortcuts as it is! - when the lamb is done, grill up the naan. It is delicious with a bit of butter and some mango chutney. - plate everything up and enjoy.
This meal is a crowd pleaser. There's definitely a kick to the channa masala, but it is easily mellowed with some sweet mango chutney. This is such an easy and fun way to embark on new cuisines with the family. And I am in the thick of it with my 4 year old....thankfully he's abiding by the try it once rule and liking what's on his plate! As you can see in the pictures below, there were many noses twitching at the aroma of grilled tandoori lamb - we almost lost the dinner (twice) to Miss Long Legs!
