Recipe:

Lamb & Carrot Curry

Growing up I always ate meat on the bone or ‘hadi’ as this is where all of the flavour lies. The cut of meat was often a leg of lamb cut into small pieces at the butchers using a band saw. The pieces I’d fight for were the hadi that included the bone marrow – which I would suck out with glee! A gastronome’s delight I assure you. We’d also have lamb chop curry too, and sometimes mum would make this as a ‘tharri’ or soup, with potatoes in it.

As my own family are not keen on meat on the bone I use lamb neck fillet as an alternative – it’s just as delicious as meat on the bone and worth paying a little more for a better cut.

Ingredients

1 kg lamb neck fillet
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, grated
1 and a half inch piece of ginger, grated
2-3 green finger chillies, slit in half lengthways
2 tsp cumin seeds
x2 black cardamom pods
x5 whole peppercorns
x3 whole cloves
2 inch piece cassia bark
2 bay leaves
pinch of Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp turmeric
1 and a half tsp garam masala
2 tsp sea salt
150ml passata
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
x5 small-medium carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
1 tbsp chopped coriander
vegetable oil for cooking
0.5- 1 cup of water for the ‘gravy’ or sauce

Prep Time:

5-10 minutes

Cooking Time:

35-40 minutes

Serves:

Cook’s Tip:

A cut on the bone that might excite meat lovers is lamb shank, definitely works as a celebration dish - coming to a dinner party or supper club near you let’s hope! Also do remove any whole spices before serving, so your diners don’t inadvertently bite into these – don’t expect that would be overly pleasant!

Serving Suggestion:

Serve with freshly cooked chapattis, or rice if you prefer, along with a side salad kissed with lemon juice and sea salt, and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Method

1. Cut the lamb into large bite sized pieces, the meat should be marbled with fat which will melt during cooking, don’t remove. Set aside.

2. Let’s make the ‘tarka’. Take a medium-large lidded sauce pan, saute the onions, cassia bark, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns in 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on a moderate heat until the onions become translucent and soft.

3. Next add the garlic, ginger and chillies and cook out for a couple of minutes.

4. Now add the garam masala, turmeric and salt and toast off for 30 seconds. If the pan is too dry add a splash of water so the spices don’t stick to the pan and burn. Allow the spices to cook out for a minute.

5. Then pour in the passata. Increase the hob heat, and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook out for 5-10 minutes. When you can see the oil has separated on the surface of the masala it’s ready to taste. Check your seasoning here and adjust to taste.

6. Place in the lamb and mix together, coating all of the pieces. Do this on a high heat to seal the meat. Then reduce the heat to medium and stir in the yoghurt and a splash of water. Beware of adding too much water as the meat will shrink and also release water during cooking. (If you do add too much water you can correct at the end by simmering for an additional time, pan uncovered, and reduce the sauce).

7. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer the lamb covered for 10-15 minutes.

8. Now add in the chopped carrots, a generous pinch of methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and mix. Re-cover with a lid, and simmer for a further 20 minutes, or until the lamb is soft and tender and the carrots cooked through. Don’t let the pan run dry, you may need a splash more water.

9. Finally scatter with a flurry of chopped coriander leaves.

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