South Indian Lamb Curry

Perfect for autumn and winter, you know it's good when the spices are measured in tablespoons. Any one familiar with the Bombay Pantry in Dublin will understand.

Ingredients:

• 1.2kg diced lamb (shoulder or leg is good)
• 2-3 tbsp sunflower/groundnut oil
• 500g onions, chopped (about 3 large onions)
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 50g root ginger, peeled and chopped roughly (about the size of a golf ball)
• 1 tbsp of each of the following: cumin seeds, black/brown mustard seeds
• 15 curry leaves (fresh, if possible)
• 400g canned tomatoes
• 2 tbsp concentrated tomato pureé
• 2 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 500ml chicken stock
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp each of the following: red chilli flakes, ground coriander, garam masala
• ½ tbsp each of the following: paprika, turmeric, dried fenugreek leaves
• 2 tsp light muscovado sugar
• handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (320°F)

1. Prepare two masalas – one with the ground spices (chilli flakes, ground coriander, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, fenugreek) and one with the whole spices (cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves). Set aside.
2. Place a deep cast-iron casserole on the hob and heat the oil. Add the onions and cook them gently for around 30 minutes until soft and light brown in colour.
3. In the meantime, blitz the garlic, root ginger and tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Add a little water to loosen if necessary. Remove the browned onions from the casserole using a slotted spoon and add to the blender. Blend again until very smooth.
4. Put the casserole back on the heat. There should be a little residual oil, but you can add a little extra. Add the masala made from whole spices and stir fry for a minute to release the flavours.
5. Add the onion/tomato mixture to the casserole, then add the diced lamb and the ground spice masala. Add the chicken stock, coconut, salt, sugar and tomato pureé, then stir to combine. Cover the casserole and transfer to the oven and cook for about 2-2½ hours until the meat is very tender.
6. At this point, you can spoon off some of the fat which has risen to the top of the sauce, if you wish. This is good with plain basmati rice or lemon rice.