lamb curry - dish two

With dish one a success and still no harissa, I caved to my dads desire for naan goodness and decided to use the final pound of lamb to make a curry. My standard go-to in this case is Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni, so that is where I went.


There are a few options for lamb in the book, but as I had cubed meat, my options were a diminished a bit. I prepared the dish the day before, as Julie Sahni has noted, many Indian dishes develop their flavor more the day after. Plus this way you can cool the dish to skim excess fat before serving. The lamb was super tender after it's 2 1/2 hour simmer and it went well on a bed rice with fresh naan from Maurya Palace. Two lamb dishes down, and two successes!

With only a pound of meat, no lamb bones, and not wanting to add potatoes. I modified the recipe as such.

Mutton Kari
adapted from Classic Indian Cooking

4 tbls oil
1 pound of cubed lamb
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 teas minced garlic
1 tbls minced ginger
1 teas coriander
1 teas turmeric
1 teas cayenne
2/3 cup finely chopped tomato
1 teas kosher salt

Brown the lamb in a hot, heavy bottom pan and remove to a paper towel.
Add the onions and brown nicely over medium heat - make them dark
Add garlic and ginger and fry for a minute
Add spices and fry until fragrant 15-20 seconds
Return the meat, along with salt, tomatoes, and 1 cup 1 1/3 cups of bowling water
Bring to a boil before lowering to a simmer - let it simmer for a few hours.
Cool and refrigerate over night.
Skim fat before reheating and serve over rice.

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lamb souvlaki - dish one

When Liane Faulder mentioned on her blog about a good supply of Alberta Lamb, I knew I would stop by and check it out. I find it odd that we have such a steady supply of New Zealand lamb here, but struggle to find our very own. We have such pride in Alberta for our beef, but where is the lamb loving. But I digress. I picked up two pounds of cubed lamb and started looking for some recipes. I found a great tagine style dish here, but after some tireless searching I gave up. I just couldn't find harissa. So in my slumber, I clicked the lamb tag attached to the post and discovered a nice sized collection of lamb dishes over at Closet Kitchen.

Deciding to try two separate meals, who eats two pounds of souvlaki....a man can only eat so much. Dish one was a simple matter of mixing the lamb with the zest and juice of one lemon, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. I let it sit together for an evening to mingle and then fired it on the grill. The dish couldn't be simpler and tasted great right off the skewer as well as a salad topper! A definite keeper.

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hajar's halal meats

hajar's halal meats
11320 134 ave
780.406.2225


I've been meaning to pick up some lamb lately, so the timing was perfect when Liane Faulder mentioned a local supplier on her blog a few days back. I drove up to Hajar's Halal Meats this morning to check things out and along with 2 pounds of fresh Alberta lamb, I snapped a couple of pictures.


The store is tiny but what space they have is jam packed with meaty goodness. I know Liane is planning an article, so it'll be interesting to hear what she has to say. I mentioned to Mr. Hajar that I read about the store online, and he declared I was the first customer to come in after his interview and mention it. He was friendly, and quite happy that I drove all the way from the south side.


There was a great neighborly vibe; he mentioned I should stop in next door and check out the treats at Paradiso Bakery. I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures because the goodies looked amazing and could probably push your blood sugar level to new highs!

I also walked into Elsafadi Bros Super Market next door for a quick peak, and walked out with 8lbs of strawberries for $5. So here I am; full of berry goodness and planning my lamb meal!

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culina millcreek - edmonton, ab

culina millcreek
9914 89th avenue
780.437.5588


Before I asked last week for birthday suggestions, I had mentally narrowed my birthday dinner search to Red Ox Inn, Wildflower Grill, and Culina. Having been away from Edmonton for a while and looking for somewhere out of the norm, I knew these three options would easily fit the bill. I mean with delicious reviews like this, this, this, and this how could any of them disappoint. What pushed me over the edge? Well, you and your suggestions.


As my days start relatively early I was glad to get a 5:30 reservation, as I’m usually chomping at the bit for supper at this point. The three of us showed up to a completely empty restaurant and were greeted by two welcoming ladies. As we had all taken a gander at the online menu, we were pretty much decided; the hardest decision being whether to start with the calamari or the scallops. The scallops won out and our order was quickly dispatched. Before you know it we had 5 absolutely gorgeous scallops in a ginger-butter sauce and bacon gremolata in front of us. Needless to say, we made quick work of these babies.


I ordered the slow braised lamb shank in spanish tomato sauce on a bed of green lentils, while my dinning companions had the brome lake duck breast on roasted local potatoes in a white balsamic and cherry reduction and moroccan vegetable tagine with grilled flatbread. The lamb shank was fantastically tender, pealing away from the bone with nary an effort. The perfectly cooked lentils and tomato sauce combined wonderfully with the lamb. My only request would have been a bit more sauce, as I ran out before the other two components were finished.


While not the best duck I've tasted, it was a little too cooked for me, the balsamic and cherry reduction was what we all agreed made this dish a success.


The real surprise was the moroccan vegetable tagine. It was the most delicious blend of eggplant, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, and tomatoes in a perfectly spiced curry. I kept sampling this dish, and started questioning my choice after a few bites. The generous amount of grilled flatbread had a light dusting of spices and sesame seeds; a fantastic side to the dish.

We finished the meal with coffee and, thanks to foodie suz's excitement, sesame banana fritters with coconut gelato. The bananas showed up with a candle, in honor of my birthday, which I thought was a great touch. I am definitely on the band wagon for this dessert. The mix of coconut gelato, warm ripe bananas, and crisp coating was a perfect topper to the end of our meal.


I really, really enjoyed my birthday here. We were able to relax nicely for an hour and a half, received great attentive service from two lovely ladies, and dined on 5 successful dishes. I do think Culina is a little liberal with their casual dinning statement, as I see this as more of a destination restaurant than random drop by. I definitely recommend Culina MillCreek for your next special dinner; unless of course money is no object, in which case I suggest you keep going back until you have sampled all the dishes. At least that is what I would do!

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