Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th annual Hunger Games begin — and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Hi, I’m Ben. I’m a huge fan of The Hunger Games and I wanted to share a short book note before my mom, Paleo Spirit, shares a related recipe: Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums.
The Hunger Games takes place in Panem, a future North America dominated by a Capitol and surrounded by twelve districts, each responsible for producing specific goods. Each year the Capitol forces every district to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to compete in the televised Hunger Games, where the tributes must fight to the death for the nation’s entertainment.
Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old hunter from District 12, supports her mother and younger sister Prim by hunting outside the district’s boundaries. When Prim is chosen for the Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. During the pre-Games festivities the tributes are treated lavishly, and Katniss discovers that her favorite dish served then is a lamb stew made with dried plums and wild rice.
Overall, The Hunger Games is a gripping read. I always tell people: “This book is not appropriate as a bedtime story for young children.” That line captures how intense the story is. My parents haven’t let me see the film adaptation because it’s rated PG-13, but the novel is paced so well that it’s hard to put down. The plot moves cleanly with few confusing gaps or needless repetition. It’s an engaging story — and the lamb stew in the book sounds delicious.
Below is the recipe inspired by that meal.
Hunger Games Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons fat suitable for high-temperature cooking (bacon fat, lard, or similar), divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups carrots (about 6), roughly diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup dried plums (prunes), preservative-free, halved or quartered
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the fat with the turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cardamom and salt. Mix until you form a paste.
- Add the lamb to the bowl and toss to coat each piece evenly with the spice paste.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of fat in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the lamb and brown well, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining lamb until all pieces are browned.
- Add the onions and carrots to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook another 5 minutes until fragrant.
- Return the browned lamb to the pot and add the lemon zest and chicken stock. Stir to combine.
- Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is very tender.
- Add the quartered dried plums for the final 30 minutes of cooking so they soften and meld into the sauce.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro just before serving.
- Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve hot.
In the novel the lamb stew is served with wild rice. Wild rice is actually a grass rather than a true grain, so it pairs nicely with this stew. If you’d like a side, try wild rice with pistachios and cilantro — a complementary recipe that highlights similar flavors.
Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums
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Lamb stew inspired by The Hunger Games novel.
- Author: Lea Valle
- Category: Main