Saturday, April 10, 2010

Raan Sikander Raan

No, nobody called Sikander is being chased by a screaming Bengali. In fact, its is the name of the new lamb recipe I attempted today.

Sikandari Raan (Marinated Whole Leg of Spring Lamb) is one of the signature lamb dishes of the Bukhara Restaurant in ITC Maurya. Though their Dal Bukhara (Creamy Black Lentil) and Murgh Malai Kebab (Creamy Chicken Kebab) are undoubtedly the most popular from their spread. Ask Clinton. No, not Hillary. The other one.
ITC_Bukhara_DelhiLike most of Bukhara’s dishes, Sikandari Raan is inspired by the traditions of the Northwestern frontier. Its the sheer scope and scale of this cuisine (essentially a mix of Afghan, Indian, Iranian, Pakistani, Central Asian and Middle Eastern) that makes it so inventive in its flavors.

Sikandari Raan is the sort of thing your kitchen can become famous for. And I am still craving for some fame. Maybe this time…

I traveled downtown to my butcher to get a leg of Spring Lamb. Supermarkets don’t do it for me, especially when I am making something so traditional. The leg of lamb I bought was about a kilo in weight. My butcher, a very affectionate lady at the Kensington Market suggested I take the front leg slash shoulder which has better marbling than the hind legs. She also cracked the bone at couple of places just so my marinade worked better. I knew she was right and let her.
IMG_7061At home, I scored the meat deep enough to reach the center bone from both sides. My butcher had already trimmed the extra fat.
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So here I am now, introducing to you the ingredients and process of making Sikandari Raan!

1 leg of Spring Lamb (about one kilogram)
One and a half teaspoon ginger paste
One and a half teaspoon garlic paste
Juice of one lemon
Half cup white rum
Half cup vinegar
Half teaspoon mace (javitri) powder
One teaspoon black pepper powder
Half teaspoon cardamom powder
Two teaspoons red chili powder
Vegetable oil for basting
Chaat Masala
Salt

Make a dry rub with red chili powder, mace powder, black pepper powder and salt. Rub it all over the lamb making sure it reaches the insides through the scoring you have already done. Now mix the juice of one lemon and the ginger-garlic paste. With the back of a spoon or a butter knife, spread this mixture all over the lamb. Its important you do the dry rub first and then the wet marinade so that the flavors infuse better. I let the lamb marinate in my fridge overnight.
IMG_7062 IMG_7064 IMG_7065 IMG_7066IMG_7067 I don’t like drinking rum, but I’d definitely like to eat it. That’s one of the two more ingredients I added next to my marinating leg. Half cup of white rum and half cup of vinegar to drench the lamb. I let the lamb stand outside for four-five hours before it went in the oven.
IMG_7068 IMG_7069Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the lamb for an hour turning at least two to three times. The Holy Grail for any barbequing or grilling is moisture. The rum and vinegar are the key ingredients which keep the meat from turning dry. Once you see that the liquids have cooked in the baking dish, baste the lamb with oil, and roast again for 30 minutes or till the meat is done.
IMG_7080You can sprinkle some chaat masala and serve the Sikandari Raan with onion rings and lemon wedges.
IMG_7089IMG_7091 I love the way the recipe does not confuse or overpower the meat with too many spices. Its kept at a minimum on the ingredients quotient and maximum when it comes to taste!

I served the Sikandari Raan with some jalapeño peppers stuffed with feta cheese, a couple of butter-broiled corn on the cobs, and little heads of broccoli and carrot sticks with some spinach and chipotle dip.
IMG_7087IMG_7079 IMG_7085 IMG_7092As for my Sikander (its actually the Hindi name for Alexander the Great), he was already eyeing the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, while I treated myself with some chocolate-filled cannolis. And we both ate happily ever after…
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9 comments:

Musings said...

love reading about it...cant help salivating...wow chef good job

Kalyan Karmakar said...

hey this looks awesome. You should open the Toronto branch of Bukhara.

Try it with Old Monk and Coke. Rum won't seem so bad

Uma said...

Hi Pree,
loved the step by step explanation through photos.
very tempting!

PreeOccupied said...

Thank you Anubha, Kalyan and Uma. :-)

Anonymous said...

Excellent! I'm sure my wife will love this blog :-)

Satya Raj said...

i wd definitely try this dish...thanks for giving us a new tip of how to not dry up the lamb....well done

Satya Raj said...

i wd definitely try this dish...thanks for giving us a new tip of how to not dry up the lamb....well done

Saurabh Das said...

This spicy tandoori lamb has been named after Shahenshah Sikandar. This is a royal dish which we can have for Lunch Or Dinner. You can prepare it for your special once. But this take 2 hours to prepare this dinner recipe. Treat yourself with this amazing and delicious Dinner Recipe. I tried this last weekend, i was tried but when i saw the smile on loved once face, i was very happy i tried this dish. https://livingfoodz.com/recipes/sikandari-raan-2491

Unknown said...

Old monk is fabulous but never heard of coke ? How much of each ?