Looking for a simple, tasty Lamb Curry Dish?!
Answers: My wife and I love Indian food and I always get the Lamb Curry...It is always tender chunks in a smooth, rich sauce...I would love to make something like this at home...any tips and recipes would be appreciated.
INDIAN STYLE LAMB CURRY
4-5 lbs lamb cut into 1" square cubes
6 tbsp oil
1 med onion chopped coarsely
1 whole bulb garlic (approx 15 cloves) minced
3 tsp salt (more if desired, but start with this)
3 tsp tumeric powder (yellow curry powder)
6 tsp Masala powder (allspice)
1 bunch cilantro
fresh chilies (start with little bit, add to desired heat)
3 med potatoes, peeled and quartered
the leaves from 1 stem of curry leaves (optional)
4 cups water
You may have to find an East Indian store and show them this recipe for them to know what you need.
In a large cooking pot on medium/high heat, add the oil, and heat until oil is hot, add onions, and fry until light brown.
Stir in tumeric powder, and 30 secs later add the garlic and chilies. Mix for about 1 min, add the curry leaves (make sure no stems), and stir in the lamb.
Add the Masala powder and salt and mix. Cook covered for about 5 mins.
Add the water, then cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes, and cook another 20 minutes covered.
Check to see if meat is cooked, potatoes are softened, and taste for salt, and chilies, and sauce has thickened.
If needed, cook longer until the desired result.
Garnish with cilantro, serve over rice (basmati is best) and that's it.
This is the basic recipe, and measurements are also approximate, if the sauce thickens too fast during cooking then add water till the desired result.
The sauce, when it's finished should be the same thickness as pancake batter, or clam chowder.
If you can get this basic sauce right, you can use it as a base for numerous flavours including curries.
You will need to experiment with the spices to get a taste that suits you.
Basic White Sauce. (Roux)
2T Butter.
2T Flour.
S & P
1 Cup of Milk.
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour, seasonings to taste.
Gradually add the milk, stirring all of the time, (on medium heat), until sauce thickens, then cook for 3-4 minutes.
India's most famous & delicious lamb curry is ROGAN JOSH:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds tender lamb (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 1/2 cup yogurt
6 stalks (chopped) cilantro
1 (1-inch size) piece (chopped) ginger
2 teaspoons or to taste red chilli powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch asafoetida
1 teaspoon black cumin seed
1/2 (1-inch) piece cinnamon
3 cardamom
4 cloves
6 peppercorns
1 pinch nutmeg powder
2 blades mace
1/2 teaspoon saffron
3 teaspoons (hot) milk
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Directions:
Clean and wash meat. Mix yogurt with chopped cilantro, ginger, red chilly powder and asafoetida. Marinate the meat with this mixture and keep aside for 10 minutes. Grind together black cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg powder and mace to a smooth paste adding little water. Crush the saffron, add to hot milk and set aside. Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Add the marinated meat pieces and cook in low heat with occasional stirring till oil starts separating. Add the spice paste and add 1-2 cups of water, enough to cook the meat. Add the saffron soaked in milk and cook on reduced heat till the meat is tender. Serve hot with steamed Basmati rice, pulao or Naan.
Lamb Curry
2 lamb shanks, 2 lamb shoulders steaks (yielding about 2 lbs of meat without the bone)
2 large onions, chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil with butter
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 lemon sliced (with rind)
2 peeled and chopped apples
1/2 cup of raisins
1 cup of chicken broth
8 small red potatoes, quartered
Chutney, yogurt, rice
Optional : marinate lamb pieces overnight.
Marinade: grind and mix with 2 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp of coriander seeds
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On stove, brown the meat in a little bit of olive oil in an oven-safe pan. Remove meat from pan.
2 Add ghee (or olive oil with a little bit of butter) to pan, add curry powder, cook gently for a minute or two. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Return meat to pan.
3 Add sliced lemon, apples, raisins, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Put pan in oven and cook for 3 hours. In the last 45 minutes, remove from oven and put in potatoes. Return to oven.
Serve with chutney and yogurt over rice.
Serves 6.