Sunday 25 July 2010

Day 25 ... Lamb Paella

 
We had LAMB PAELLA for dinner tonight.
A simple rice dish with meat and vegetables, 
all cooked in one heavy-based frying pan.

In anticipation of a heavy dinner, 
I took 2 shakers of The Green Drink today
for breakfast and lunch. Juices. Fruits. Water.


Step 1 : Prepare Stock
Saute garlic, ginger and onions in olive oil.
Add red chillies and tomatoes.
Add seasalt, pepper, rosemary, basil, thyme and coriander.
Add some filtered water in. Bring to boil.
Turn off fire. Blend the stock.


Step 2 : Prepare Lamb
The lamb was marinated overnight with seasalt, pepper, basil, thyme,
brown rice vinegar and olive oil (last), to lock in the moisture.
Saute garlic and onions at medium heat.
Add the pieces of lamb. Stir-fry.
Add fresh mint leaves, coriander leaves.
Put the lid on, turn to low fire and 
allow meat to slowly cook for awhile.


Step 3 : Add On
Add vegetables.
Tomatoes, young corn, carrots, oyster mushrooms.


 Add the blended stock.


Scatter the grains of rice over. 
Use a ladle to work the rice into the stock and
slowly mix the combination up.
Bryan used a shallow pan for photo purposes. 
He says, easier to see. 
I say, but difficult to cook.
We were both right. :D
Easy but difficult ...

Waiting Period ...
While waiting for the Paella to cook, 
we had mangosteens that Carol bought from Penang. 
She and our mother went for a day trip up north yesterday 
to attend St Anne's Feast Day in Bukit Mertajam.


Taking Forever ... 
The rice was taking like, forever, to cook. As you can see, the contents are about to spill over any minute now. The last time Bryan cooked this wonderful dish, it was for 3 pax. Today was for 5 pax - So one more cup of rice, and one more cup of water. He wasn't able to cover the pan with the lid. So we had to improvise, by closing the kitchen windows and doors instead, to retain the heat. Have You ever heard of anyone shutting all the windows and doors of the kitchen to retain heat for the food to cook faster? 

Well, now You have ... :D


  The Wait Continues ...
We continued with the mangosteens, cherries, strawberries 
and grapes while waiting for the rice to cook. 


Oooh, Finally ...
The wait is over. 
Bryan brought out the pan and everyone exclaimed their excitement. 
Forgot to say prayers. Forgot to take photo. 
The aroma took our breath away.
The dish looked a little too moist,
so Bryan started to kacau (stir) the rice for a more even spread.
As a result, the Paella looked even more heavenly. <3
Oh Yes, now I remember why I didn't snap a photo of the pan ...
Bryan removed all the decorations onto his plate 
before he worked the rice.


Lamb Paella
See how carefully Bryan cuts the chilly and spring onion?
Burppp ...
We finished every grain of rice, even scrapping the crusts along and on the pan. 
The rice was so, so tasty and delicious. The lamb was juicy, tender and filled with flavour. 
The carrots were notably sweet and  the oyster mushroom was truly yummy with the rice.
This dish which has quickly become a family favourite, is nutritious and easy to prepare.

Side Dish ...
We had a side dish (diced onions, yogurt, lime juice, pepper, salt, olive oil) 
which complemented the Paella very well.


To Sum Up 
2 shakers of The Green Drink & 1 meal
Juices. Fruits. Water. 

Time of Posting : 9:51pm