Tandoori Lamb Two Ways

I'll admit, I've been a little lazy with the blog posting lately. It's not that I haven't been cooking, it's just that I haven't been making anything new. It's so easy to rely on past dishes, knowing they will be well-received. After spending the weekend with my husband, sister and her boyfriend, I fell back into old habits, preparing a variety of new dishes for everyone to enjoy!

My first dish back is a tandoori flavored lamb. I've been pretty obsessed with lamb lately and am on a mission to prepare it in as many mouthwatering ways as possible! Friday night, I prepared the lamb two different ways with help from two talented grill masters. -The first preparation were kebobs, which we threw on the grill and the second was prepared in a pan with olive oil which allowed the lamb to cook in its marinade. Both were really delicious and the evening's Indian theme means some great Indian recipes are on their way!

Ingredients

1 tsp each cumin powder, garam masala, onion powder

seeds from 3 cardamom pods

8 minced garlic cloves

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp sweet paprika

3 tbsp curry powder

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

2 tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper

1 lb boneless leg of lamb, cut into chunks

Start by heating the garam masala, cumin and cardamon in a dry pan over low heat for two minutes. When heated, they become insanely fragrant and will make your home smell like an Indian restaurant :)

Add the onion powder and garlic, and allow it to sit for another two minutes in the heated pan.

Transfer the spices into a bowl and add the yogurt, paprika, curry, cilantro, pepper and salt. Mix well.

Coat the lamb chunks with the marinade and let it sit for at least an hour so that the lamb can absorb all the flavors, particularly the sweet cilantro.

Either thread the lamb onto wooden skewers with vegetables and grill over medium heat until medium, or cook in a pan - about 2 to 3 minutes on each side- with two tbsp of olive oil.