Curry Night (2)
Lamb Dilpasand
A rich, oniony, nutty curry based on a recipe by Mridula Baljekar, Indian Cooking, Coombe Books (1993, ISBN 1 85813 130 8). A bit of an effort, but well worth it.
500g cubed lamb; 125g natural yoghurt (full fat); 1tsp tumeric; 2 tbsp white poppy seeds; 2cm root ginger, peeled and chopped; 5 cloves garlic, ditto; 2 green chillies, chopped; 3 small-medium onions; 3tbsp ghee; pinch chilli powder; 1 tsp paprika; 1tbsp cumin; 1tsp curry powder; 1tbsp tomato purée or juice from 1 can tomatoes; salt; 25g creamed coconut (or 100ml coconut milk); 2 tbsp chopped coriander
Mix the yoghurt and tumeric and stir in the meat. Marinate 4h to overnight in the fridge.
Dry-roast poppy seeds until just darkening, cool and grind to a paste.
Finely chop 1 onion and process with the ginger, garlic and chilli until smooth.
Chop the remaining onions and gently fry in the ghee until just golden—about 12 minutes.
Lower the heat and add the remaining powdered spices. Stir for 2 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium, add the processed ingredients and fry 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, to drive off the raw smell. If the spices stick, loosen with 1 tbsp of water.
Increase heat to high, add the meat and marinade and fry 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the tomato (purée), salt and just enough water to not quite cover (or the coconut milk, if using). Simmer, lid on, for about 30 minutes. Stir frequently towards the end as the thickened gravy may stick.
Chop up the dessicated coconut, if using and add with the poppy seeds. Simmer another 15 minutes.
Garnish with the coriander and serve.
Potato and Cabbage Curry
1 heaped tbsp ghee or 2 tbsp oil; 1 onion, chopped; 25g ginger, peeled and sliced; 5 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised; salt (use to crush the G&G); 1-2 fresh green chillies, chopped; 1 tbsp panj puran; 5-6 curry leaves; 2 cloves; 2 green cardamons; 1 large cardamon; 2 cm cinnamon bark; 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp tumeric; 1 small green cabbage, shredded; 2-3 medium potatoes, roughly cubed and par-boiled 10 minutes (still firm)
Sweat the onion, add the crushed ginger and garlic and fry off the raw smell. Lower the temperature, add the chillies and whole spices and fry 2 minutes. Add the powdered spices, fry another minute, then stir in the cabbage until thoroughly coated. Add the potatoes and a minimum of water, cover and steam (check it doesn’t boil dry) 15-20 minutes until the cabbage is just tender.
Served with Red Lentil Dhal and fresh coriander and lime relish: finely chopped tomatoes (seeded), cucumber and spring onion with lime juice, black pepper (or chilli) and finely chopped coriander (do not add salt as it draws out all the juices).
Tags: 'Round the World Recipes, Tag Index
Denni