Lamb and Chick Peas over Rice

Submitted by shakerpenguin Wikified by Drimble Wedge

Ok, so here's a little recipe that I made a couple times before, with the actual recipe, before it got left with an asshole ex. So this is from memory, meaning, I have no measurements or anything....so, you'll just have to deal.

If my memory serves me correctly, this was a Punjabi style Indian dish, but I make no claims to it being authentic anymore.

Ingredients:

• Lamb - preferably ground, about a pound.
• Chick peas/garbanzos
• Diced tomatoes
• Peas
• Rice (I used brown basmati...mmmmmmm)
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Onion
• Chiles
• Cilantro
• Whole cloves
• Cinnamon sticks
• Coriander
• Tumeric
• Bay Leaves
• Cumin

To begin with:

Drain your can of tomatoes, and POUR THE LIQUID INTO A BOWL. Add enough water (or lamb broth) to make about 2 1/2 cups. Add 6 cloves and a cinnamon stick, and nuke that stuff for 3-4 minutes. You want it to steep with the spices, like a tea. Leave it till you're ready to use it, but make sure it steeps for at least 15 minutes.

I started my rice now, since it's a brown rice and it takes about 45 minutes. So, start your rice at the right time, a'ight?

Dice up your onion, and chop or grate your ginger and garlic. A note on the lamb: Ground is the easiest and best lamb to use, also cheap. They didn't have ground at my grocery store today, and no fucking butcher to grind any, either, so I ended up getting neck pieces because they were cheap. I had to simmer them for about an hour and a half in order to shred the meat and minimize the fat and sinew and crap. Pain in the ass, but I got a nice lamb broth out of it, which I used earlier instead of water for a richer flavor.

If you have ground lamb, first, brown that up in a large skillet, then add the onions, garlic, ginger and bay leaves. (My lamb is already cooked and shredded)

Saute on medium heat for about 8 minutes until you get a little color on the onions and the meat.

Drain the chick peas and add them to the pan, along with the tomato broth stuff (COUNT YOUR CLOVES and try and use large ones, or just take them out at this point) about a cup and a half of the diced tomatoes, the chiles, coriander, tumeric, cumin and salt.

Now, all you have to do is simmer this down till it's mostly dry. While it's doing that, play with your pets.

OMG I HAVE CRABS

When it's almost ready, adjust your seasonings, then add a handful of frozen peas and a bunch of chopped cilantro.

Look at that tomatoey, chick peaey, clovey goodness. Don't forget to pick out the cloves and cinnamon stick. Biting into a clove is just about the nastiest thing ever.