Turkish Lamb Pilaf

·         400g lamb mince

·         2 tbsp breadcrumbs, dried

·         ¼ cup rice bran oil (peanut oil)

·         1 medium onion, finely chopped

·         ½ eggplant, cut into 1cm pieces

·         2 garlic cloves, crushed

·         1 tsp ground cinnamon

·         2 tsp ground cumin

·         1 ½ cup basmati rice

·         3 cups chicken stock

·         ½ cup currents

·         ½ cup shelled and roughly chopped pistachios

·         ½ cup Greek style natural yoghurt

·         1 ½ tbsp tahini

·         ¾ cup chopped coriander

·         1 medium tomato, finely chopped

1.       Combine mince and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and shape mixture into 16 meatballs. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Cook meatballs, in batches, for 4 – 5 minutes or until brown and cooked. Transfer to a heatproof plate and cover.

2.       Heat remaining oil in a pan. Increase heat to moderately high. Add onion and eggplant; cook and stir for 3 – 4 minutes or until golden. Add garlic and spices and cook; stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add rice; cook and stir for 1 minute or until coated in spices. Add stock; bring to the boil, reduce heat to low; cook covered for 10 – 12 minutes or until stock is absorbed. Remove from heat.

3.       Add half the meatballs, currents and pistachio to the rice, mix well. Stand covered for 10 minutes.

4.       Whisk yoghurt and tahini in a small bowl. Add ½ cup of coriander to the rice; stir to combine. Serve pilaf topped with remaining meatballs and tahini yoghurt. Garnish with remaining coriander and tomato.

Mongolian Lamb

1½ cups (300g) White long grain rice

2 tbsps Peanut oil

600g Lamb strips

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

1cm Fresh ginger, grated

1 Medium brown onion, sliced

1 Medium red pepper, sliced

1 Medium Courgette, sliced

¼ cup (60ml) Soy sauce

1 tbsp Black bean sauce

1 tbsp Cornflour

2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar

6 Spring onions, sliced

1. Cook rice in a large saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, until just tender; drain. Cover and keep warm.
2.  Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a wok; stir-fry lamb, in batches until browned all over, remove from the pan.
3.  Heat remaining oil in the wok; stir-fry garlic, ginger and brown onions until softened. Add the pepper and courgette; stir-fry until the veg is tender.
4.  Return the lamb to the wok and add the cornflower, black bean sauce and soy sauce. Stir-fry until the sauce boils and thickens slightly.
5. Remove from the heat, stir in the spring onion and serve with rice.