We adapted this curry to our own tastes based on two famous Indian recipes: Lamb Rogan Josh and Butter Chicken. The results are fabulous and you may just love it as much as we do. It’s the perfect winter fare!
Indian Lamb Curry
Course: MainCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Moderate6
servingsIngredients
Sunflower or canola oil
1,2 kg Boneless lamb stewing meat (not too fatty)
Salt
10 Whole black peppercorns
6 Cardamom pod seeds
4 Whole cloves
10 ml Coriander seeds
5 ml Cumin seeds
5 ml Fennel seeds
5 ml Dried chili flakes
2 Bay leaves, coarsely broken into bits
15 ml Ground cinnamon (trust us!)
10 ml Ground turmeric
2,5 ml Ground nutmeg
250 ml Plain yogurt
1 Large onion, sliced
6 Garlic cloves
3-Cm piece of ginger root, sliced coarsely
1 – 2 Whole red chilies, coarsely sliced (see Hint)
15 ml Beef garam masala
410 Can Can tomato puree
Sprinkling of sugar, to taste
Handful of curry leaves
Coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large pan and lightly brown the meat in batches, seasoning it well with salt as you go along. When the meat is browned, place in a glass or plastic bowl and set aside.
- Heat a frying pan and add the peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cloves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, chili flakes and bay leaves. Toast the spices for 1 – 2 minutes until they’re fragrant. Transfer to a small blender or mortar and pestle and grind until fine.
- Add the spiced mixture to the meat together with the cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg and yoghurt. Toss well, cover and set aside on the counter for an hour or for up to 4 hours in the fridge.
- Now process the onion, garlic, ginger and red chili until smooth in a processor, adding a little water if necessary to create an almost-smooth paste.
- To cook the curry, heat a little oil in a large saucepan and add the onion mixture with the garam masala. Sauté lightly until golden.
- Add the meat with its marinade and stir in the tomato puree and a sprinkling of sugar. Sprinkle in the curry leaves, season with more salt if necessary and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer slowly for 90 minutes or until the meat is tender enough to your liking, stirring every now and again.
- If the curry is too saucy for you, remove the lid, increase the heat and cook rapidly until the sauce has reduced sufficiently – but watch it though, it could burn.
- When cooked to your liking, remove from the heat, stir in the coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice or naan (or both) and a variety of sambals.
Serves 6.
Chef’s Hint
- If you do not want too much heat, remove the chili ribs and seeds before slicing.
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