Lunch at Chautara

Lamb palungo

I had the pleasure of lunching at Chautara recently. I'd heard they were closing in July, so I was determined to get there before they left. From the waitress, I learned that they'll be closed for 6-9 months, but then are moving into the Shakti space next door. This was a welcome discovery since I'm very fond of Chautara. Their fish dishes are especially lovely.

I had the lamb palungo, and one of my dining companions had the special, which was grilled chicken and vegetables with ginger and garlic over rice. Palungo is Nepali for spinach, but I was unable to find an exact recipe. This is a similar one from a forum on Nepal and Nepali. If you added tomatoes and lamb, you'd probably come pretty close. Also, despite the name, Chautara's version seems rather light on the spinach.

Grilled chicken + vegetables with ginger + garlic

Lamb korma

The other dining partner had the lamb korma. If you're interested in giving it a whirl yourself, here's a recipe for it from The Spice House in Milwaukee:

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Jill Norman's fabulous spice book, "Herbs and Spices: The Cook's Reference." It's the best book on spices and herbs we've seen yet, and it has great recipes as well.

Ingredients

• scant 2 cups thick plain yogurt
• small piece fresh ginger, chopped
• 4 hot green chili peppers, seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 3 blades mace
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, or black cumin seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil, or ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 pounds lean, boneless lamb, cubed
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron, soaked in 1 tablespoon water
• to taste, salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Serves / Yields

Serves 6-8

Preparation Instructions

Set a fine strainer over a bowl and strain the yogurt in it for 1 hour. Discard the whey in the bowl. Blend the ginger, chilies, garlic, and water to a paste. Grind together the almonds and all the spices.

Heat the oil or ghee in large, heavy pan and fry the onion until golden. Stir in the ginger paste and the ground almonds and spices, and fry for 2-3 minutes more. Add the meat and stir well to coat it with the spices. Add the yogurt and saffron, season with salt, and cover the pan lightly.

Simmer over very low heat for 1 1/2- 2 hours, until the lamb is tender. Stir frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If necessary, add a little water. Garnish with the cilantro.