Afghani lamb with spinach is a traditional Afghan dish with tender lamb, aromatic herbs, and fresh spinach. It is a perfect blend of flavors and textures, making it a popular choice for special occasions or everyday meals. The dish is typically prepared with lamb shoulder or leg cuts, marinated in a mixture of yogurt, spices, and herbs. The lamb is then cooked slowly until it becomes fall-off-the-bone tender. Spinach is added towards the end of the cooking process, adding a vibrant green color and a slightly bitter flavor that complements the richness of the lamb. This article will provide you with a step-by-step guide to prepare this delicious Afghani lamb with spinach dish, ensuring you create an authentic and flavorful meal in the comfort of your own kitchen.
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AFGHAN LAMB WITH SPINACH
Other greens may be used instead of spinach, but cooking time will have to be adjusted. From "Diabetes Cooking for Everyone", by Carol Gelles. Exchanges:2 3/4 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1/4 milk, 2 1/2 fat.
Provided by zeldaz51
Categories Stew
Time 2h20m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Dust the lamb cubes with the flour.
- In a 3 quart nonstick ovenproof pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and cook until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. This is best done in batches, as if the pieces of meat touch they will not brown properly. Remove meat from pot and set aside.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the spices (turmeric through pepper), then stir in the tomatoes and water and bring to a boil. Return the lamb to the pot. Cover and place in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lamb is soft.
- Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the spinach until it is wilted. Stir in the yogurt, lemon zest, and slat.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 234, Fat 14.3, SaturatedFat 5.4, Cholesterol 62, Sodium 78.9, Carbohydrate 8.2, Fiber 1.7, Sugar 2.6, Protein 18.1
AFGHANI LAMB WITH SPINACH
Steps:
- Sear lamb in the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onions; saute them for 2 minutes; then add the garlic and saute it for 1 minute. Put in the turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, crushed red pepper and cinnamon and saute the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes more, being careful not to burn the onions or garlic. Add the tomatoes and veal stock and stir. Cover the dish and bake at 350 F. for about 1 hour, until the meat is tender and begins to break up. Remove the dish from the oven and add the spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted and blended in. Allow the stew to cool slightly. Add the yogurt, lemon peel and salt to taste. Sprinkle with roasted pine nuts. (You can also add some potatoes to the dish as well.)
LAMB WITH SPINACH SAUCE (SAAG GOSHT)
Steps:
- Heat a heavy non-stick pan over high heat. Add the lamb and 3 tablespoons of oil. Sear the meat, turning and tossing, until nicely browned all over. Transfer meat to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the onions are browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper, paprika, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, meat, salt, and enough water to fully cover the meat, about 1 1/2 cups. Bring contents to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is cooked and very tender. Fold in the spinach and garam marsala. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.
SABZI (SPINACH AND LAMB STEW)
Sabzi is one of the traditional dishes served during Afghan Nowruz, the celebration of the new year and vernal equinox, and Durkhanai Ayubi included this recipe from her mother, Farida Ayubi, in their cookbook "Parwana: Recipes and Stories From an Afghan Kitchen." The rich green hue of this dish symbolizes the arrival of spring and new life. In the book, Ms. Ayubi uses a pressure cooker for the lamb - you can as well - but the stovetop version below doesn't take very long. Either way, the lamb becomes tender in an intensely flavorful broth of onion, garlic and chile. It then simmers in cooked spinach, fragrant with fried cilantro and garlic chives. This soul-affirming sabzi, along with its traditional accompaniment of challaw, a spiced Afghan rice dish, is a welcome way to celebrate the reawakening of nature.
Provided by Naz Deravian
Categories dinner, soups and stews, main course
Time 2h30m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In a large Dutch oven or similar pot, heat 1/2 cup oil over medium-high. Add the onion, garlic and chile, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Push the vegetables to one side and add the lamb to the other. Cook until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 8 minutes total. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt or fine salt) and 4 cups water, then stir and bring to a gentle boil, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until the lamb is tender, 1 hour and 5 minutes to 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a kettle or a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil, and keep at a simmer.
- In a very large skillet with a lid, heat the remaining 1/2 cup oil over medium. Add the cilantro and garlic chives, and fry, stirring occasionally, to bring out all the flavors, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.
- Place the same skillet over medium-high heat (no need to wash), add the chopped spinach and the just-boiled water, and cover partially. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is gone, about 20 minutes.
- Add the lamb, 1 cup of its cooking liquid (any remaining broth can be refrigerated or frozen for another use) and the cilantro mixture to the spinach. Stir to combine well, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until all the flavors mingle, about 15 minutes. Taste, season with salt if desired and serve with challaw.
AFGHAN SPINACH
I have always loved to eat spinach at Afghanistan restaurants. After several tries at making it, here are my results, which are easy and quite good served with fresh basmati rice.
Provided by Andtototoo
Categories Vegetable
Time 30m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Wash the green onions and cut off the very ends (both ends). roughly chop and put into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
- Put the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the heat is hot, add the green onion and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop 1/2 bunch cilantro (fresh green coriander) and pulse it in the food processor until finely chopped.
- Add the cilantro and spinach to the frying pan and stir for a minute until everything is well mixed.
- Add all the spices and stir again.
- Add the water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Check to see if the spinach is very tender, if not, recover and cook 5 more minutes.
- Remove cover and continue to cook over medium heat until all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Good seved with fresh basmati rice. I also like to eat this with lamb.
Tips:
- For the best flavor, use high-quality lamb. It should be fresh and have a good amount of fat.
- If you don't have ground lamb, you can use lamb cubes or slices. Just cook them until they are tender before adding them to the spinach.
- To make the dish more flavorful, add a teaspoon of garam masala or curry powder.
- If you don't have spinach, you can use another leafy green, such as kale or chard.
- Serve the dish with rice, naan, or yogurt.
Conclusion:
Afghani lamb with spinach is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is also a great way to use up leftover lamb. The dish is full of flavor and is sure to please everyone at the table.
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