Description (Some HTML is OK)
Traditional Indian aromatic curry. Unlike anything I've ever had from a takeaway or restaurant, this curry simply blows away everyone I've ever served it to.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- Main
- 680 g diced lamb
- 1 onion
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 120 g full fat plain yoghurt
- 3 fresh red chillies
- 2 tbls sunflower oil
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 240 ml hot water
- Spice paste
- 15 g fresh ginger
- 10 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 tbls coriander seeds
- 6 cloves
- 12 peppercorns
- 15 g dessicated coconut
- 15 g flaked almonds
- 7 cardamoms
- 1 tbls sunflower oil
- Garnish
- ½ tsp garam marsala
- Fresh parsley or corridander
Preparation
Prepare the Spice Paste:
1. Roast the coriander seeds - either in a hot pan or under the grill until they start to make a popping sound. Put to one side.
2. Roast together the poppy seeds, cumin seeds, almonds, cardamoms, peppercorns and cloves. Put to one side.
3. Roast the dessicated coconut - keep turning it and watch it carefully as it can easily burn.
4. Grind the above roasted spices. If using a mortal and pestle it's easier to grind the coriander separetely first.
5. Crush the garlic and ginger into a paste.
6. Mix together the roast ground spices, the garlic and ginger paste with the single tablespoon of oil.
Cooking
7. Finely chop the onion and red chillies.
8. Gently fry these in the sunflower oil in a large heavy pan or caserole dish without browning.
9. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chilli powder, tumeric and above spice paste and stir.
10. Return to the heat and gently fry on a medium heat.
11. Add the yoghurt a little at a time stirring it in as you add it. This will stop it curdling. Don't be tempted to use low-fat yoghurt as it will separate and ruin your curry.
12. Add the copped tinned tomatoes, stir in and cook for 5 mins.
13. Add the diced lamb and cook to seal the surfaces or the meat.
14. Add the hot water, cover and cook in an oven at 180 deg C for 1.5 - 2.00 hours. Check it after 1.5 hours, stir and if it still has liquid remove the lid for the last 0.5 hour. It should be a rich thick meaty sauce when done so extend your cooking time as necessary.
15. Sprinkle with garam marsala and serve with freshly chopped parsley (my preference) or coriander.
Comments
I'd never seen a spice paste using those ingredients before so I had to try it. It tastes absolutely awesome. What a great recipe!
Turned out really tasty even when I cooked it! Will the paste keep long if prepared in advance?
I can't see why not. It would keep in the fridge for a couple of days and you could even freeze it. Madhur Jaffrey (my hero) recommends making garlic and ginger paste in advance and freezing it in ice cube trays. There's nothing in the spice paste recipe that would stop that being possible here too.
The recipe sounds wonderful. I am wanting to make it but can anyone clarify whether poppy seeds feature in the recipe? They are mentioned in the cooking guide but don't feature in the ingredients list.
just made this curry and it was a great recipe will use this again and again , great curry
You mention poppy seeds in the instructions, but not in the list of ingredients. Should there be poppy seeds in this too, or is that a mistake?
This curry is the real deal Multiplied it by 10 for a big party. Went in a flash and everyone talked about it. I forgot to buy yoghurt though, so substituted some mascarpone cheese that I had in the fridge. Excellent.
Brilliant recipe !- I added some Asofoetida 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp mustard seeds. Cut down the cooking time to 20 minutes using a pressure cooker.
For those of you wondering about the poppy seeds it should be 1 tsp. Sorry about the omission and the months it's taken me to correct it! All being fair though, they aren't necessary.
Cooking this now. Smells amazing!
Made this several time now and boy do all my friends love it...the lamb tender and the taste awesome....and the smell running through the house top draw
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