Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

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Shredded Lamb Sandwiches

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My pulled lamb sandwiches are an assembly of meaty and cheesy goodness consisting of shredded lamb spiced and cooked in classic Indian flavors yet packaged in such a classically American way.

For the pulled lamb I fall back on my killer talava ghost recipe. Talava ghost translates in hindi as fried meat and this lamb is nothing short of succulent and juicy. I start off by marinating boneless lamb pieces in chili powder, turmeric, salt, and quite a bit of garlic. I find the easiest and quickest way to cook the lamb is in a pressure cooker – but if you don’t have one you can of course use a crock-pot, or regular pot (it will just take longer).

I then caramelize some onions and add in the shredded meat along with some fennel powder, garam masala, and nutmeg. The fennel powder gives such a wonderful out-of-this world flavor and the onions add an underlying sweetness.

Sandwiches are incredibly versatile – so feel free to put whatever you want in them.

I opted for making something similar to a chimichurri sauce which usually consists of cilantro, parsley, garlic, and olive oil. I decided to also add some roasted serrano chilies into the chimichurri which worked wonderfully in the sandwich and gave some serious salsa vibes.

I also found these cute ancient orange peppers at the supermarket. I grilled them over the stovetop, then after they cooled – peeled off the charred bits and cut them into slices. They are colorful and sweet and balance out the meatiness of the sandwich. (If you can’t find them, you can of course use orange, yellow, or red bell peppers.)

I also decided to slow-roast the tomatoes – roasting them accentuates the flavor and is an especially great technique to utilize when you find grocery store tomatoes bland.

Okay if your mouth isn’t watering already, did I forget to mention that this sandwich is technically a grilled cheese

Oh yes. I added a few slices of mozzarella in each sandwich.

Seriously, what could be more satisfying than cutting and pulling apart layered stacks of bread oozing with cheese?

Other condiments that would work wonderfully in this sandwich are tomato chutney, mayonnaise/aioli, spicy giardiniera…mix and match whatever you fancy!

And there you have it! A fabulous meaty sandwich that will make you die and come back to life!

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Pulled Lamb Sandwiches

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 10-12 slices sandwich bread

Lamb

  • 1.5 lbs boneless lamb pieces
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 6 garlic cloves (chopped)
  • 1/2 large onion (or 1 medium onion)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp fennel powder
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 3-4 tbsp oil

Sandwich Toppings (feel free to substitute with whatever you like)

  • 10-12 slices mozzarella/pepperjack cheese
  • 2 bell peppers (to be sliced and roasted)
  • 3 tomatoes (to be sliced and roasted)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro

Other Condiments

  • mayonnaise
  • achaar
  • giardiniera

Instructions

Shredded Lamb

  1. In a bowl, marinate your lamb. Add the turmeric, chili powder, salt, and chopped garlic and combine. Let sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

  2. In the meantime, dice your onion.

  3. In your instant pot or pressure cooker, add in your oil on medium-high heat. Then add your onions and allow them to brown.

  4. Now add in your lamb with about 3/4 cup of water. Cover the lid tightly and cook for about 20-30 minutes or so. (***Cooking time may vary depending on your pressure cooker and how big your pieces of meat are.)

  5. Open the instant pot or pressure cooker. If there is water remaining, put the pressure cooker back on the stove and evaporate (if using instant pot, press sautee button). If the meat is still thick and not shredded, put the lid back on and let it cook for some more time.

  6. Add in the fennel powder, garam masala, and nutmeg. Then add in your shredded meat. Combine and cook for a few minutes. Add in a squeeze or two of lime juice.

Sandwich Toppings

  1. Oven-roasted tomatoes: Slice up your tomatoes. On a baking tray, add a little bit olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast them in the oven at 300 F for about an hour or until lightly browned.

  2. Roasted bell peppers: You can roast them either in the oven under the broiler (500 F) or on your grill pan until charred. Remove the black skin.

Assembly

  1. Take a slice of bread and spread a thin layer of achaar and/or mayo on both slices. Now add your cheese slices to both slices of bread. Now add your pulled lamb, followed by your roasted peppers, roasted tomatoes, and cilantro. Top with the other slice of bread.

  2. In your grill pan, cook sandwich until cheese has melted and both sides have nicely browned. If you don't have a panini maker, you can press down with a plate or spatula.

Cardamom Pistachio SemiFreddo

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I absolutely love ice cream and all of its variations – gelato, kulfi, frozen yogurt, vegan ice cream – you name it. And that includes semifreddo. A cross between ice cream and custard, semifreddo in Italian means “Semi-frozen”. It’s luscious, rich, and unbelievably easy to create.

What’s convenient about this recipe is that it does not require an ice cream machine at all. (Although I honestly think it’s high time that I do invest in one. After all, I claim to be an ice cream aficionado amongst my friends.)

The base consists simply of egg yolks and sugar whisked vigorously in a double broiler until a lovely pale yellow custard is formed.

The second item required in a semifreddo is fresh whipped cream. This gives the semifreddo extra creaminess and allows you to forgo the churning process altogether.

Along with vanilla bean and almond paste, I wanted to add a bit of a South Asian twist to this Italian classic – so I added in some cardamom and ground pistachios.

 

Semifreddo is usually made in a loaf pan; thus giving it a signature shape.

 

Finally, I topped the semifreddo off with Rooh Afza – a bright and brilliant rose-flavored syrup with an aroma unique to the region of Pakistan. You can usually find it at any Indo-Pak grocerty store.

To cut the sweetness, I added a squeeze of lemon juice before adding to the semifreddo. (In a future Ramadan blogpost, I’ll show you guys how to make Rooh Afza lemonade.)

And there you have it – a show-stopping Italian-Indian fusion dessert. Make this for a spring-time dinner party and your guests will surely be impressed!

 

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Cardamom Pistachio Semifreddo

An Indian twist to an Italian semifreddo

Servings 5

Ingredients

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond paste or extract
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp chopped pistachios (divided)
  • 2-3 tbsp Rooh Afza syrup
  • 1-2 squeezes lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Set up a double broiler. Add a few inches of water to a pot and bring to a simmer. Find a clear bowl that fits on top of the pot. Make sure the water doesn't hit the bowl.

  2. In the bowl add your egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Whisk until well combined.

  3. Bring the bowl over the pot and whisk vigorously for about 10 minutes. Make sure the eggs do not scramble and that the water does not touch the bowl.

  4. The custard should turn pale yellow. Remove from double broiler. And allow to cool.

  5. In the meantime, using a hand-held mixer or standing mixer, beat the whipping cream until you create soft peaks. An easy way to know you're done, is to flip the bowl upside down. If nothing falls out of the bowl, then your whipped cream is ready. If it's a little runny, keep beating. Make sure you do not overbeat or else you will make butter!

  6. Combine the custard and whipping cream. Add in your vanilla and almond pastes/extracts, cardamom powder, and 2 tablespoons of ground up pistachios. Save the remaining tablespoon for garnish.

  7. Take a loaf pan and line it with plastic wrap. Add your custard mixture into the loaf pan and cover. Place in freezer for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.

  8. Before serving, take your Roohafza syrup and add a few squeezes of lemon juice.

  9. Take your semifreddo out of the freezer and drizzle over the Roohafza. Top with the remaining pistachios.

Chicken Manchurian Noodles

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Indo-Chinese is a classic fusion pairing. From Manchurian to Chili Chicken, the flavors of South and East Asia work harmoniously together to create mouth-watering savory dishes.

This noodle dish came out of my 2nd mystery box challenge I did for Instagram. It’s a play off of classic Indo-Chinese noodles and Chicken Manchurian – a fusion dish made with deep-fried chicken covered in a sweet and spicy sauce.


For the protein, I used chicken but shrimp, tofu, or fish work perfectly fine. I cut the chicken into cubes and marinate it in true Indian fashion – with some ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, and turmeric.

I then coat the chicken pieces in whisked egg and cornstarch and fry them until they become a lovely golden brown.

The stir-fry sauce is robust yet incredibly simple –  I use soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, and brown sugar. The ketchup is actually pretty traditional in most Indo-Chinese dishes.

As for the noodles, I was feeling pretty ambitious and so I decided to make them from scratch using flour, eggs, salt, and water. I kneaded the dough in my standing-mixer and then allowed it to rest for a half hour. I then divided my ball of dough into two pieces and rolled each one out. Flouring the surface generously, I folded the dough over itself multiple times until I reached the end and then cut the log into thin slices. I slowly unraveled each little pinwheel until I got a nice long noodle.

If you simply do not have the time nor the patience to make them from scratch (which I definitely do not blame you if you don’t), any good quality noodle such as lo-mein or udon will do.

For my veggies I used onions, carrot, bell pepper – but feel free to use whatever you want!

After cooking and tossing everything up in the wok, I topped the dish some green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

And there you have it! A comforting carb-loaded fusion dish that is going to drive your taste-buds wild!

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Indo-Chinese Manchurian Noodles

A spicy fusion noodle dish

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs udon noodles

Chicken *** (may also substitute with tofu, shrimp, or fish)

  • 3/4 lb boneless chicken (cut into cubes)
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1 egg

Stir-Fry Sauce

  • 4 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • lime juice (to taste)
  • 1 Tbsp crushed red chili flakes (or to taste)

Veggies

  • 1/2 bell pepper (jullienned)
  • 1-2 carrots (jullienned)
  • 1/2 medium onion (sliced)
  • 1-2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

Garnish

  • 1 green onion (or cilantro)
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
  • 1 lime (quartered)

Instructions

Chicken Manchurian

  1. Combine the chicken pieces, ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, chili powder, cornstarch and egg together. Set aside and let it marinate in the fridge for thirty minutes or so.

  2. In a hot wok add enough oil to fry your chicken pieces. Add them to the wok and fry until golden brown. Set aside on a paper-towel lined plate.

Stir-Fry Manchurian Sauce

  1. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili flakes, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Noodles Stir-Fry

  1. Now take your big stir-fry wok and add some oil. Allow it to get nice and hot. Add in your veggies. After a few minutes add in your garlic.

  2. Ensure veggies retain their crunch. Do not cook for too long. Now add in your noodles and then your sauce and fried chicken. (Make sure to cook your noodles as per package instructions) Toss and make sure everything is coated.

  3. Top with green onions or cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.