Cook Like A Pro: Try This Recipe From Newbie Cardamon Street

Recreate dishes from Hong Kong’s top culinary talent at home!

We’re constantly on the lookout for cooking inspiration and are always swapping ideas in the office, which is why we’ve started a regular recipe post featuring chefs from some of our favourite eateries across the city. Every month, we’ll ask one restaurant to pick a dish to share with our readers. This time it’s the turn of Elgin Street newcomer, Cardamon Street. The contemporary Indian restaurant is the brainchild of Tiena Sekharan, who’s also behind popular Wan Chai haunt, Masala Train. We persuaded Chef Nishu Bajaj (who is a veteran on the Hong Kong restaurant scene, having worked at top restaurant groups across the city for the past three decades) to share the recipe for his delicious Lamb Quinoa Biryani, which has been tried, tested and loved by Team Sassy.

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He explained what inspired this creative dish:

I’ve always believed that food should be nutritious. Given that quinoa has more protein and dietary fibre than even brown rice, it is an excellent ingredient to enhance the biryani.

He’s very confident it will be a hit with Sassy readers:

This dish is made for internationally aware and health conscious eaters who are not shy of bold flavours. That describes the Sassy reader perfectly.

Lamb Quinoa Biryani from Chef Nishu Bajaj

Ingredients

200g yoghurt
4 cloves
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder
500g boneless lamb leg (cut into pieces)
2 large white onions
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp salt
100ml vegetable oil
300g quinoa
1 tbsp Garam Masala
1 tsp curry powder
2 bay leaves
50g butter
50g coriander leaves
1 pinch saffron

Method

1. Mix together the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, Garam Masala, turmeric and chilli powder, and marinate the lamb pieces in this mixture before chilling for at least 4 hours in a refrigerator.
2. Fry the onions until golden brown and keep aside.
3. Fry the lamb until browned. Add the onions (reserving some for garnish) and the cinnamon stick.
4. Add 3 cups of water and simmer for 1½ hours until the lamb is tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Wash the quinoa and boil it with the curry powder and bay leaf.
6. Add the cooked quinoa to the lamb mixture, and add butter and saffron.
7. Cook for 20 minutes on a low heat. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with fried onions and coriander, and serve with cucumber raita

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