This month we feature our mate Chef Michael Slavin of Houlihan’s restaurants. His cast-iron Aussie Lamb Dirty Rice plays with the New Orleans classic with an Indian twist. Lamb is a long-time friend of Indian flavors, and in this case, a welcome upgrade from the traditional chicken livers – good call chef! It’s a one-pot wonder that works on its own or as a side dish that brings something definitively new to the table. Tasty!
“I really like respectfully blending nontypical culinary applications with cooking techniques,” says Slavin. “In this case, Indian flavors with a spin on Creole dirty rice. Both are grounded in building depth of flavor and rich color using the single pot cooking method.” - Chef Michael Slavin
He first browns ground Aussie lamb in a cast-iron skillet, then sautés fragrant, heady, bold ingredients together: ginger, garlic, turmeric, harissa, Kashmiri chile and tikka masala powders, salt and black pepper. “The rendered fat from the ground lamb activates and blooms the dried spices nicely when they are toasted in the pan—this is a big driver of the desired final color and flavor,” says Slavin. Flavor building continues with the addition of trumpet mushrooms, onion and pepper, and the assertive, familiar flavors of India—cloves, cinnamon, cumin and cardamom. The base of Slavin’s dish is a combination of baby Dutch potatoes, jasmine rice and black rice. Fresh mint and cilantro garnish the dish. As a final flourish, he adds eggplant crackling, a dramatic tangle of super crispy eggplant peel.
OK, now we’re hungry. Thanks Chef!
This dish is part of the Kitchen Collaborative project with Flavor & the Menu. Tune in to Flavor & the Menu and right here for more dishes to keep your creative juices flowing.