I made lamb curry the other night and posted a note on Twitter about it. A few folks asked for a recipe. So...below is my recipe for this particular version of a basic lamb curry (I have four of them). Where there are ranges, you must decide how much to use given your personal preferences. I used the max for each, but I tend not to measure, so they are kinda very edumicated guesses at the max. REMEMBER, while it is not optimal (the frying brings out more spice flavor through extraction of oils than just adding later) you can start with a smaller initial amount and add more once it cooks for a while to experiment. The essence of cooking is knowledgeable experimentation.
A basmati rice & peas recipe is below all this to keep the ingredients from being confused with one another.
This recipe is designed to serve 6-8. That's just how I roll.
The main bits:
- 1 5-6lb lamb leg
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 onion (not huge, but slightly bigger than what you get if you buy them bunched in a bag)
- 3-6 whole cloves of garlic
- 3.0 tbsp Gourmet Garden Ginger Spice Blend (do not give me a hard time about this...3 kids at home and full-time job. I am not cutting, peeling and chopping ginger for as much as I use it :-)
- 1.0-2.0 tbsp brown sugar
- 1.0 tbsp pure cane sugar (I probably use a bit more)
- 3.0 tbsp ghee or peanut oil (real chefs use ghee, don't be a poseur)
- coarse kosher salt (to taste)
For the curry powder:
- 1.0 tbsp ground coriander
- 0.5-1.0 tbsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tbsp ground turmeric (I probably end up using more, tho)
- 0.5 tbsp fenugreek (I would not make the curry without this)
- 0.25 tbsp ground mustard
- 0.25 tbsp paprika
- 0.5 tsp (yes, teaspoon) nutmeg
- 0.0-1.0 tbsp of chili powder (this is the kick, so consider yourself warned)
- 3-6 whole cloves
- 2-8 whole green cardamom pods
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1-2 tsp of powdered ginger
(NOTE: I will not mock you if you use 3.0-4.0 tbsp of Simply Organic Curry Powder instead of mixing your own...Well, not much, anyway. Purists take whole spices, roast and grind, so I am already taking a shortcut)
I'm a pretty big believer in miz ɑ̃n plas, so we'll cover the recipe that way. You should have a number of decent-sized and small holding bowls/ramekins. These work well. I use stainless steel ones.
Mix coriander, cumin, turmeric, mustard, paprika, nutmeg, giner & chili powder (if any) in a small prep bowl and set aside. Notice that the fenugreek is not in this list.
Trim as much of the fat as possible from the lamb leg and remove the bone. (I roast the bone and give it to our golden retriever...your dog will love you forever, trust me). Remove all traces of tendon from the meat as it will make the lamb tough unless you slow-simmer the curry for hours. Cut the remaining lamb meat into smaller than you think it should be bite-sized pieces. Dust the meat with some kosher salt and set aside in a larger bowl.
Peel and cut onion into small enough pieces to put into a food processor (and then put them in the food processor). Toss in garlic and ginger. Make it into a fine paste with almost no lumps. The lumps will be large pieces of garlic or onion and your guests will despise you if they bite into it. It's not like you are doing the chopping or grinding. You're just pressing a button. Set this mixture aside in a bowl or the food processor container with the lid off.
Heat the ghee in a decent sized pan/pot (I use this) on medium heat and put in the paste you just made. It will probably splatter a bit, so just take that into consideration. Stir it constantly (you'll end up dedicating a spoon to curry if you use wooden ones) and let it turn just a hint of brown. This releases sugars that are quite yummy and also helps break down the garlic for those that are more sensitive to it (like me).
Toss in the whole cloves & cinnamon stick, then press the cardamom pods with your fingers and add them too. Stir this mixture for about 2 minutes.
Add the curry powder you made, lower the heat a bit and stir for 4-5 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes and mix together thoroughly.
Put the heat back to medium and add the lamb. Stir the mixture until everything is evenly covered. When the curry starts to bubble, reduce the heat and add the sugar and fenugreek.
Cover with a lid and stir occasionally. This can sit for as long as you like (or until the rice – below – is done). It is safe to eat when the lamb is cooked through (the volume of liquid will increase as it is released from the lamb). This will depend on how small you cut the lamb, tho.
If you can find it, adding a small amount of asafetida powder when you remove the dish from the heat will really bring out more flavor.
When you serve it, you can take out the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick if you like. Or, you can make it a nice hide-and-seek game for your guests.
You can reduce prep time further by substituting Gourmet Garden Garlic Blend for the garlic cloves and just use the Simply Organic curry powder. It will come out almost as good.
Final warning: I read through this four times after all edits, but check back for updates (I'll note them) and offer up suggestions/corrections/results in the comments.
For the rice:
- 3.0 cups of basmati rice
- frozen peas (as many as you like!)
- 1.0-2.0 tbsp of ghee or peanut oil (see above, yo)
- 2 pinches of kosher salt
- 6-8 whole cloves
Rinse the rice until the rinse water becomes mostly clear. The rice bangs together during transport and generates a fine powder that covers the grains. If your rice sticks together and you don't want it to, this is probably why (not rinsing). You can also take this time to inspect the rice for particles that aren't rice. I've found small rocks/granules more often than you might think.
Put the ghee into a rice cooker and let it melt (or melt it before putting in). Mix rice thoroughly with it and add the salt and cloves. If you are one of those "the salt does not go in with the rice" people, then don't. Now, mix in the peas and add 4-5 cups of water (I would lean towards 4). Start the rice cooker.
Serve all this with buttered naan, mango chutney and yogurt/raita. A nice shiraz would be lovely, too.
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I made lamb curry the other night and posted a note on Twitter about it. A few folks asked for a recipe. So...below is my recipe for this particular version of a basic lamb curry (I have four of them). Where there are ranges, you must decide how much to use given your personal preferences. I used the max for each, but I tend not to measure, so they are kinda very edumicated guesses at the max. REMEMBER, while it is not optimal (the frying brings out more spice flavor through extraction of oils than just adding later) you can start with a smaller initial amount and add more once it cooks for a while to experiment. The essence of cooking is knowledgeable experimentation.
A basmati rice & peas recipe is below all this to keep the ingredients from being confused with one another.
This recipe is designed to serve 6-8. That's just how I roll.
The main bits:
- 1 5-6lb lamb leg
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 onion (not huge, but slightly bigger than what you get if you buy them bunched in a bag)
- 3-6 whole cloves of garlic
- 3.0 tbsp Gourmet Garden Ginger Spice Blend (do not give me a hard time about this...3 kids at home and full-time job. I am not cutting, peeling and chopping ginger for as much as I use it :-)
- 1.0-2.0 tbsp brown sugar
- 1.0 tbsp pure cane sugar (I probably use a bit more)
- 3.0 tbsp ghee or peanut oil (real chefs use ghee, don't be a poseur)
- coarse kosher salt (to taste)
For the curry powder:
- 1.0 tbsp ground coriander
- 0.5-1.0 tbsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tbsp ground turmeric (I probably end up using more, tho)
- 0.5 tbsp fenugreek (I would not make the curry without this)
- 0.25 tbsp ground mustard
- 0.25 tbsp paprika
- 0.5 tsp (yes, teaspoon) nutmeg
- 0.0-1.0 tbsp of chili powder (this is the kick, so consider yourself warned)
- 3-6 whole cloves
- 2-8 whole green cardamom pods
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1-2 tsp of powdered ginger
(NOTE: I will not mock you if you use 3.0-4.0 tbsp of Simply Organic Curry Powder instead of mixing your own...Well, not much, anyway. Purists take whole spices, roast and grind, so I am already taking a shortcut)
I'm a pretty big believer in miz ɑ̃n plas, so we'll cover the recipe that way. You should have a number of decent-sized and small holding bowls/ramekins. These work well. I use stainless steel ones.
Mix coriander, cumin, turmeric, mustard, paprika, nutmeg, giner & chili powder (if any) in a small prep bowl and set aside. Notice that the fenugreek is not in this list.
Trim as much of the fat as possible from the lamb leg and remove the bone. (I roast the bone and give it to our golden retriever...your dog will love you forever, trust me). Remove all traces of tendon from the meat as it will make the lamb tough unless you slow-simmer the curry for hours. Cut the remaining lamb meat into smaller than you think it should be bite-sized pieces. Dust the meat with some kosher salt and set aside in a larger bowl.
Peel and cut onion into small enough pieces to put into a food processor (and then put them in the food processor). Toss in garlic and ginger. Make it into a fine paste with almost no lumps. The lumps will be large pieces of garlic or onion and your guests will despise you if they bite into it. It's not like you are doing the chopping or grinding. You're just pressing a button. Set this mixture aside in a bowl or the food processor container with the lid off.
Heat the ghee in a decent sized pan/pot (I use this) on medium heat and put in the paste you just made. It will probably splatter a bit, so just take that into consideration. Stir it constantly (you'll end up dedicating a spoon to curry if you use wooden ones) and let it turn just a hint of brown. This releases sugars that are quite yummy and also helps break down the garlic for those that are more sensitive to it (like me).
Toss in the whole cloves & cinnamon stick, then press the cardamom pods with your fingers and add them too. Stir this mixture for about 2 minutes.
Add the curry powder you made, lower the heat a bit and stir for 4-5 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes and mix together thoroughly.
Put the heat back to medium and add the lamb. Stir the mixture until everything is evenly covered. When the curry starts to bubble, reduce the heat and add the sugar and fenugreek.
Cover with a lid and stir occasionally. This can sit for as long as you like (or until the rice – below – is done). It is safe to eat when the lamb is cooked through (the volume of liquid will increase as it is released from the lamb). This will depend on how small you cut the lamb, tho.
If you can find it, adding a small amount of asafetida powder when you remove the dish from the heat will really bring out more flavor.
When you serve it, you can take out the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick if you like. Or, you can make it a nice hide-and-seek game for your guests.
You can reduce prep time further by substituting Gourmet Garden Garlic Blend for the garlic cloves and just use the Simply Organic curry powder. It will come out almost as good.
Final warning: I read through this four times after all edits, but check back for updates (I'll note them) and offer up suggestions/corrections/results in the comments.
For the rice:
- 3.0 cups of basmati rice
- frozen peas (as many as you like!)
- 1.0-2.0 tbsp of ghee or peanut oil (see above, yo)
- 2 pinches of kosher salt
- 6-8 whole cloves
Rinse the rice until the rinse water becomes mostly clear. The rice bangs together during transport and generates a fine powder that covers the grains. If your rice sticks together and you don't want it to, this is probably why (not rinsing). You can also take this time to inspect the rice for particles that aren't rice. I've found small rocks/granules more often than you might think.
Put the ghee into a rice cooker and let it melt (or melt it before putting in). Mix rice thoroughly with it and add the salt and cloves. If you are one of those "the salt does not go in with the rice" people, then don't. Now, mix in the peas and add 4-5 cups of water (I would lean towards 4). Start the rice cooker.
Serve all this with buttered naan, mango chutney and yogurt/raita. A nice shiraz would be lovely, too.<!--break-->
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