Did you know that Indian food was ranked as the fifth-best cuisine in the world for 2022? Indian cuisine has gained global recognition, and food like butter chicken, garlic naan, samosa, and gulab jamun are now familiar to a lot of people.
Today, we will be preparing a traditional Indian dish – lamb curry. This recipe offers a delicious and aromatic flavor that will appeal to anyone who appreciates good food. Despite being a hearty dish, it is relatively simple to make be it for two or ten people. In comparison to French cuisine, which commonly utilizes onion, carrot, and celery as base ingredients, Indian cuisine primarily relies on onions, ginger, and garlic. Additionally, Indian cuisine incorporates a variety of whole spices. For this recipe, we will be using store-bought curry powder, consisting of coriander seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, dried chilies…etc2. When combined, these spices create a flavorful and fragrant curry. If you’re not a fan of lamb, you can also use chicken or beef as alternative proteins.
Apart from a generous amount of onion, the key to a delicious curry lies in sautéing the masala for an adequate period of time. The spices should become fragrant and separate from the oil, which can take around 15-20 minutes. Once the masala is well-cooked, the rest of the process becomes effortless. Personally, I prefer cooking beef or lamb in a pressure cooker as it makes the meat fork-tender in a fraction of the time, but you can also use a regular pot to let the aroma fill your home and perhaps even reach your neighbor’s house! Speaking of which, I have an Indian neighbor who frequently cooks various Indian dishes, and the enticing aroma always reaches my house.
To add creaminess, you can choose to incorporate yogurt or cream into your curry, although this is entirely optional. Give this lamb curry recipe a try. It’s a delicious dish that pairs well with basmati rice and a side of cucumber raita or cucumber salad. It’s also fantastic with bread such as naan and chapati, allowing you to savor every bit of the delectable gravy. Curries tend to improve in flavor the next day, so feel free to double the batch and enjoy it throughout the week.
- 1kg lamb, cut into 1½-inch chunks
- 2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
- 2 tbsp ghee (optional)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large onions, blended
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 2 green chilies slit into halves
- 2 tomatoes quartered
- 1 tbsp plain yogurt or 2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
- 2 bay leaves (dried)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt to taste
- In a pot, add oil and ghee. Saute sliced onions, curry leaves bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and cloves for 2-3 minutes.
- Add all blended ingredients, green chilies, and curry powder. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Turn the heat to medium and cook while stirring occasionally till the oil begins to separate from the paste. If the mixture is too dry, feel free to add some water.
- Add in the lamb and add 1L of water. Season with salt and cover the pot.
- Cook until the lamb is tender. You will need to keep checking on the lamb as it cooks and add more water whenever required.
- Once the lamb is tender, add tomatoes and let this cook for another 10 minutes.
- Finally, add yogurt or cream, if using, and top with fresh cilantro.
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