Tips on Cooking Lamb

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Hi everyone

I just wanted to ask the experienced cooks here about ways to make the lamb soft tender and fall apart. I’ve only cooked lamb twice so far and both times the poor lamb is hard and very chewy am i over cooking it?

also does anyone have a good recipie for Keema chawal or even mattar chawal? :chai:

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

meat tenderizer?

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

I feel like Goat is easier to cook - you don’t like Goat?

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Tips on Cooking Lamb

Pkgrl - what is that :eek:

Muniya - I do but prefer lamb :@:

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

I prefer to use pureed unripened green papaya as a meat tenderizer.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

Can someone please enlighten me about this whole meat tenderizer? :chai:

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Tips on Cooking Lamb

I’ve never cooked with lamb, goat only :hmmm:

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

Meat tenderizers are anything that speed up the breakdown of the membranes of the meat. It’s mostly used on tough or gamey meats like lamb.

You can use meat tenderizer (it’s labeled meat tenderizer on the bottle, found in any store) or papaya paste found in desi stores which also serves as a meat tenderizer. If you’re trying to make leg of lamb, for example, you trim the lamb to your liking, mix the marinade spices with the papaya paste, and smother it all over the lamb. After marinating, you bake it on a low oven temp for a couple hours (cover the dish to seal in the steam) and it should be falling off the bone tender.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

I feel like lamb is gamier in taste and yes the prep work is harder.
I do hear people marinate it before hand in lemon ginger garlic and let it sit in the firdge apparently the acidity from the lemon juice is really helpful.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

looks like they sold you mutton instead of lamb. try getting a shoulder cut rather than the leg. cook it longer, or use a pressure cooker.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

yes, and use masala as well. let it marinate at least overnight [preferably 24 hours]. cooking in a tandoor [oven clay is the best…you may take your prepared leg to any Indian restaurant and they will roast it for you for a fee]… yummm yummm!!! :slight_smile:

oh yes, one more very important hint: make shallow slits or poke the leg with a knife before applying masala batter.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

what if i’m not cooking lamb leg, what if its in bits some on the bone and some off bone? :chai:

Muniya do you make goat the same way as you would lamb? or is that a stupid question?:halo:

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

^^ with goat I usually don’t have to do so much prep work. I do use a pressure cooker and its about 10 minutes to be tender.

So for a curry or what not; I’d make the regular salan base add the meat - let it fry for a minute until all the pieces are coated with masala. Put the lid on the cooker for 10 minutes. Once I re open it usually tender; at this point i fry until the oil is seperated - to kill any smell or anything and make sure everything is cooked.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

ahhhh!!! i think im going to give goat a try :phati:

what about sheep ? :smack:

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

Well I have cooked lamb and goat both. I use pressure cooker for both. Sometimes it also depends on age of the animal. Over aged animals’ meat have smell and they tender with difficulty. However even for lamb I have never used any meat tenderizer, just pressure cooker whenever making any normal curry. However I prefer goat as I cant stand the smell of lamb. Initially upon my relocation I could not find goat but now I have found so im sticking to it. However there was no difference for me in the time to tenderize both type of meats they both take 10-15 mins in pressure cooker.
However with lamb you have to bhoonify it more as it has a specific smell that goat does not have. sometimes even excessive bhoonifying and adding of garam masalas was not that helpful so i have quit eating lamb

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

If it’s cut in smaller pieces you may be able to get away with less marination, but you can roast it in the same manner.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

Use a pressure cooker! I cook lamb very frequently and I use a pressure cooker. Never had an issue.

I have also roasted the leg of lamb, it also comes out soft and tender.

I have never used meat tenderizer.

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

ok thank you everyone for the feedback :chai: Lusi how long in the pressure cooker do you cook it?

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

I cook lamb most of the time because my hubby loves it. I cook it in pressure cooker. It softens in 10 minutes. I wonder why its taking time at your end. I dont use any tenderizer neither I would recommend tenderizers to anyone as its harmful. Instead one should use raw papaya paste… more safer.

Anyways, as someone said here, yes depend kerta hay, lamb kitne daant ka hy :smiley: like age!!

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Re: Tips on Cooking Lamb

I have heard a lot of people saying this but I dont know why, I cant resist the smell of goat… whereas when I cook lamb… usme se heek nahin aati!!