Indian Spiced Squab Recipes

Steps:

• Gather all your ingredients and place around large work area, near stove.
• Pat meat dry and cut it into 3 or 4 portions, then thinly slice the meat into strips against the grain of the meat.
• Place a small skillet with seeds and peppercorns over medium heat and toast a minute until fragrant. Place in spice mill and grind. Combine with chili powder, garam masala and turmeric. (Ready-ground spices can be substituted but toasted whole seeds and peppercorns that are freshly ground are a little deeper and bigger in flavor.)
• Peel and chop red onion. Seed and thinly slice bell pepper. Thinly slice or chop the fresh chili peppers. Seed if you prefer milder food or leave seeds in for extra spicy. Grate or mince ginger and garlic.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add oil, 2 turns of the pan, and cook beef in single layer to brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and remove to platter. Add more oil, another turn of the pan, and add onions and peppers, toss 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and curry leaves and toss a minute more. Add beef back to pan, sprinkle in spice blend, toss to combine with peppers and douse with lemon juice, sherry or vinegar. Garnish beef with cilantro. Serve beef with rice or grilled naan, mango chutney and Mumbai Mule.
• Bring water (with or without aromatics) to a boil. Add rice and salt and cook in boiling water, 12 minutes. Rinse in strainer using HOT water, drain and remove aromatics if using.
• For the simple syrup: Heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan until sugar is melted. Add lavender and let cool. Store in refrigerator.
• For the mule: Run a fresh cut lime over the rim of a copper mug or rocks glass. Place rim of glass upside down into a saucer filled with chili powder to coat the rim. Fill glass with ice. Place vodka, lime juice, turmeric, ginger beer and 1/2 ounce lavender simple syrup into glass. Stir gently and garnish with a lavender sprig and lime wheel.

Steps:

• Combine the spices and the yogurt in a small bowl. Stuff the cavity of each squab with 1 piece of onion, 2 pieces of lime and 4 sprigs of cilantro. Dry the outside of the squab and rub the skin all over with the yogurt mixture. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the squab in a roasting pan and tie the legs together to close the cavities. Roast until the juices run slightly pink when pricked with a fork in the thickest part of the leg, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the string and place 1 squab on each of 4 plates. Serve with Basmati rice.

Steps:

• Remove heads and feet from squab. Insert a sharp knife through neck cavity and carefully split each bird down the back, keeping breast intact. Remove backbone, then carefully remove breastbone, cartilage and ribs. The bird should look like a butterfly, with only wing and leg bones attached.
• Place garlic cloves and ginger in the bowl of a food processor, and blend to a paste. Add aniseed, saffron, paprika, cayenne and lemon juice, and blend about 30 seconds to combine. Transfer blended ingredients to a mixing bowl, add chopped coriander and green onions and whisk in olive oil. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Place squab in a shallow ceramic or enameled dish, add spice marinade and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before grilling.
• Preheat broiler or outdoor grill to highest temperature. Sprinkle squab with salt. Grill squab, skin-side-up, for 4 minutes, and then turn to grill 3 minutes, skin-side-down. Baste frequently with marinade while cooking. Test for doneness: squab are best served rare. Suggested times are for a very hot fire. A home broiler will take longer than mesquite or charcoal briquettes.
• Serve with couscous, rice or a combination of bulgur wheat and rice, sprinkled with minced green onions and accompanied by a lemon wedge.

Steps:

• Using a hand blender or mini food processor, whizz marinade ingredients to a smooth paste, then season with salt. Lay the lamb in a ceramic dish and coat with the marinade. Cover in cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hrs or preferably overnight.
• If you are using a charcoal barbecue, wait for the coals to become white and glowing (light the barbecue about an hour before you want to cook the lamb). If using a gas barbecue, cook the lamb over medium heat. Lift lamb out of the marinade and barbecue, flesh-side down, for about 25 mins. Flip it over and give the fat side about 15 mins. When the lamb has a dark brown crust and is cooked to your liking, leave it to rest on a board for 15 mins. (If the weather forces you indoors, the lamb can be roasted at 220C/200C fan/gas 7 for about an hour for pink meat; the breads can be cooked on a very hot griddle).
• To serve, carve the lamb into thick slices and scatter with the coriander and some of the Pickled red onion (see below). Serve the remaining onion in a dish alongside the raita and breads (see recipes, below).