
This recipe is one my favorites. It is traditionally made with minced lamb, but I prefer to use boneless leg lamb for texture and depth. I also add additional bones from my butcher to enhance the gravy’s flavour. However, you can remove the bones if desired.
SERVES 4
4 garlic cloves
5 cm ginger root, roughly chopped
3 tbsp vegetable olive oil
2 dried bay leafs
4 cloves
4 whole green cardamom seeds
250g thinly sliced white onions
2 green bird’s-eye chillies, slit lengthways
1 tbsp ground Coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
200g tomatoes, finely chopped
1 heaped tsp tomato purée
600g boneless leg lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
500ml water
1 tsp sugar
Salt, to taste
200g dried, tinned chickpeas
½ tsp garam masala
To garnish: Chop coriander
To serve, finely chop red onion
juice of ½ lime
- Blend the ginger, garlic, and water in a blender.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan on medium heat. Add the whole spices, bay leaves, and white onions. Once they start to smoke, add them to the saucepan. Stir frequently for 12-14 minutes.
- Fry the garlic and ginger paste along with the green chilies for a few moments. Next, add the ground coriander powder, cumin, and chilli powder. Stir well. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook for 4 more minutes, scraping the base of the pan. If the tomatoes are sticking to the pan’s bottom, add a splash of water. Add the tomato purée and stir well.
- Add the lamb to the bowl and mix in the spices. Seal the meat for about 5-6 minutes. Add the water, sugar, and season to your liking. Bring to a boil. Once it has boiled, cover and simmer for 40 minutes on low heat, stirring once in a while.
- Cover the pan with chickpeas and cook for another 20-25 minutes. Stir a couple of times to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the garam masala and fresh coriander to the pan. Turn off heat and serve warm. Sprinkle with lime juice.