Many are wary of lamb and avoid cooking any dishes from it. All due to the fact that there is an opinion that this category of meat is very oily and smells unpleasant. But oriental cuisine traditionally includes many dishes from it. Properly cooked lamb meat will delight the delicate and juicy taste of any gourmet. What dishes are traditionally prepared and what kind of lamb seasoning is used?
About meat
Lamb is considered a dietary product. Compared to pork, it contains virtually no fat. If we talk about the unpleasant odor, which is often associated with this type of meat, then it is characteristic of an old animal. While usually on the shelves of stores sold meat of lamb or a one-year-old animal.
Of the useful elements contained in meat, you need to highlight the fluorine necessary for healthy teeth. Lecithin stimulates the pancreas, which is the prevention of diabetes.
In addition, mutton contains amino acids, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and iron. All these components are necessary to maintain the body in a healthy state. Lamb meat contains virtually no cholesterol. People who prefer it, rarely suffer from atherosclerosis.
But, despite the benefits, lamb has a number of contraindications. It is better not to eat it to people who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver. It should be excluded from the menu for those who suffer from arthritis. And excessive consumption can lead to obesity. And also it is not worth it to eat young children and the elderly.
The secret to delicious food
That the meat did not disappoint, it is important to choose not only seasoning for lamb. The taste of the food depends on the meat itself. To get a quality piece, you need to carefully examine it. Fresh meat of a young animal contains white fat, is elastic to the touch. The meat itself has a light red tint and a pleasant smell.
Spice
In addition to the quality of the meat itself and the correctly selected method of heat treatment, you need to know which seasonings are suitable for lamb. They will give the meat a special flavor and help the body digest it faster, especially if the dish is sufficiently fatty. Arsenal is largely dependent on the recipe chosen. The main ones are lava leaf, pepper, garlic, dill, parsley and salt. Such a set of spices, as a rule, is at hand for every housewife.
Since meat has an unusual taste, in order to drown it out, you need to use fragrant and spicy peppers. You can buy a bag or jar with a ready-made mixture of peppers.
On this type of seasoning for lamb does not end there. Oregano, saffron, mustard (seeds), and thyme go well with meat. The main thing is that there are not too many spices, otherwise they will clog the taste of the meat itself. An interesting taste of the dish is obtained by adding lemon.
If you wish, you can purchase a wide variety of Asian spices in the market. One of the most famous is the Suneli hops.
Little tricks of a good mistress
It is known that when two women cook the same dish, it will turn out different in taste. This is not surprising, since each of them applies its own little tricks. For example, if after baking a piece of meat in the oven before serving it, smear it with a mixture of seasonings for lamb, mustard, garlic and chopped herbs, you get a spicy dish to taste.
To give a magical flavor, before you put the meat in the oven, it should be cut in several places and put garlic in these places.
Ten Spice Meat Recipe
There are many ways to cook meat, and the set of products used may vary. What mutton seasonings can I use? For one of the recipes you will need ten spices: one teaspoon of ginger, curry, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and coriander; half a teaspoon of turmeric; two anise stars six cloves of garlic. They must be crushed in a mortar. Take two tablespoons of olive and butter and place them in one pan. When the mixture of oils boils, put in it the grinded seasonings for mutton for stewing, which should be fried for seven minutes. One kilogram of lamb must be cut into small pieces and fry over a fairly high heat for several minutes. Then you need to pour half a glass of white wine and turn on the maximum fire. As soon as the moisture evaporates, the meat must be poured with hot water and put on a small fire. It should be stewed for an hour. This dish goes well with steamed rice and a glass of red wine.
Barbecue
Lamb is a traditional meat used to make delicious kebabs.
There are a great many recipes, but not a single one can do without seasonings for lamb shish kebab. In order for the dish to turn out delicious, the meat must first be marinated. Of spices you will need: one teaspoon of dried dill, cilantro, ground zira; one tablespoon of dried barberry. In addition to them, you will need the following ingredients: five pieces of tomatoes and onions, six tablespoons of Tkemali sauce (preferably spicy), 50 g of chicken fat. It is also worth adding to the taste of black pepper and soy sauce. Proportions are based on one kilogram of meat.
First you need to chop the onions into thin half rings, combine with chopped tomatoes and Tkemali sauce. Then add all the necessary seasonings and melted fat tail fat. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed, and lamb pieces are placed in the resulting marinade. They should be well mixed with marinade. The meat must be infused for three hours at room temperature, after which it can be strung on a skewer and fry until cooked. To barbecue evenly cooked and not burned, it is necessary to turn it from time to time.
Kebab marinades
The minimum time for soaking the meat is two to three hours. But it is recommended to do it for a day. One of the pickles can be a combination of lemon, salt, pepper, rosemary, barberry and thyme. They should be mixed with mineral water. Then the meat is put in the resulting mixture.
You can prepare the marinade of their grated almonds, lemon juice and salt. There you should add a head of garlic and a little rosemary.
Fans of spicy foods will like Adjika-based marinade with cinnamon, red pepper and chili.
Lamb will turn out very tender if it is marinated in yogurt or kefir. Cilantro, spring onion and parsley are added to the fermented milk product. As well as turmeric, salt and pepper mixture.
Shurpa
This is a common dish in oriental cuisine, which can be attributed to the category of soups or thick stews. According to the classic recipe, shurpa is prepared from lamb. In addition to it, the basis of the dish is onions. Potatoes and carrots can be identified as commonly used ingredients.
The main condition is that seasonings for mutton shurpa must be used in large quantities. Including you should not save on greens. The more tarragon, oregano, basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, thyme, arugula, the better. The taste should be quite spicy and spicy dish. Depending on the resulting density, it can serve as the first or second dish.
The most common recipe for cooking is shurpa with potatoes.
Of the ingredients you will need: lamb meat (600 g), onions (4 pcs.), Potatoes (6 pcs.), Fat tail fat (100 g), tomato paste (2 tbsp.), Chilli peppers (1 pc.) .), greens (100 g), ground pepper, bay leaf, salt.
Cut the washed lamb into medium-sized pieces. Fat tail fat is placed in the cauldron when the lard is melted, pull out the greaves and put the meat in it, fry until a crust is obtained.
Onions are cut in half rings, potatoes in large pieces. Vegetables are placed in a cauldron for meat and also fried until browned. Then you need to add spices, tomato paste and about two liters of water. When it boils, the fire must be removed to a minimum and left to cook for an hour. Washed and chopped greens, bay leaves are added at the end of cooking.
Sauces
A good addition to a meat dish will be a variety of sauces. The taste of lamb can vary greatly depending on the products used. What seasoning is added to lamb? A good dressing option is a combination of turmeric, white pepper and chopped green cilantro. The sauce is prepared on a yogurt basis.
If you need tomato sauce, then you will need tomatoes, peeled from skins and seeds, parsley, shallots, coriander.
Lamb goes well with mustard. It is very simple to make such a sauce. You will need to finely chop the onions and fry it a little, add shallots and white wine to it. When the wine has partially evaporated, add mustard, cream, white pepper and salt to taste. Cook over low heat until cooked.
Pilaf
Cooking the right and tasty pilaf is a whole art. Its main components are rice, lamb and vegetables.
To make the dish tasty, pilaf is prepared with a certain order of laying the ingredients. First, vegetable oil is pumped over. Then it fried meat and vegetables. Then rice is put, water is added. When the dish begins to boil, it is cooked with the lid on high heat, after a while the fire needs to be slightly reduced. In the end, so that the pilaf is evaporated, it is covered with a lid.
Seasonings for pilaf with lamb can be very diverse. Their assortment can be chosen according to the taste of the cook. Red pepper, aggon and barberry are well suited. But you can buy a ready-made mixture of spices.
Lamb meat can be extremely tasty. You just need to choose a good one and cook it correctly by adding various seasonings.