This recipe is by the very talented Paul Merrett, and is also available from the UKTVFood website.
I have tried it a few times now, and experimented with spicy / mild / Lamb / Chicken. My personal preference is Lamb, with the same amount of chilli powder as below, and one chopped chilli in the pan. As before, it’s all down to individual taste. I also use a block of creamed coconut, instead of the canned cream ….. purely because I didn’t have any. It tasted great, but the cream would loosen the sauce a little more.
Ingredients
- 2 heaped tbsp chopped onions
- splash vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced or grated
- 4 cloves
- 1/2-1 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cardamom pods, split
- 2-3 chillies, sliced (optional)
- 450 g lamb shoulder, cut into cubes
- 500 g carton plain yogurt
- 1 lemon, juice
- 3-4 tbsp coconut cream, (optional)
For the spice mix
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1-2 tsp ground almonds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
Method
1. Fry onions in a little oil until softened and lightly golden. Add the garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and chilies if using. Fry for a couple more minutes until the garlic has softened.
2. Mix together the spice ingredients with a pinch of black pepper and add to the pan. Cook for a minute or two until you can smell the spices.
3. Add the lamb and cook for five minutes to brown on all sides. Then empty the carton of yoghurt into the pan and cook over a low heat. If necessary add a little water to loosen the sauce a bit. Season with salt to taste. Cook until the lamb is tender (about 2 hours) over a low heat until the meat is soft and tender.
4. Once almost ready to serve add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Add the coconut cream and heat through, mixing well. Then serve with rice.