Ingredients
Units Scale
- 500g lamb shoulder, leg or neck, cut into 1.5 inch chunks
- 3 white onions, sliced thinly
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 thumb of ginger
- 1 red chilli (or more, depending on your preference)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes or passata
- 1 tin chickpeas (or any white beans of your choice)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (preferably Kashmiri)
- 3 cardamon pods, crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- fresh coriander, as required
- 1 green chilli, finely sliced
- 10 dates, as required
Instructions
- Firstly, cut the lamb (either shoulder or leg) into 1.5 inch/4cm chunks and season liberally with fine salt. Let the lamb absorb the salt in the fridge for 20 minutes whilst you prep the rest.
- Next, prepare the ginger-garlic-chilli paste. Place them into a small pitcher with a splash of water and oil and blitzing with a hand blender until smooth. Alternatively you can use a mini food processor. You might need to add a bit more water depending on the size of your pitcher.
- Take the sliced onions and put them in a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir regularly and make sure that they don’t brown. For best results cook for at least 45 minutes (see note 1) or until they’re sticky and have a rich golden brown color.
- Add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and cook over a medium heat until fragrant.
- Add a splash more oil and add the spices, cook for 20-30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the lamb, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours (see note 2).
- (Optional) Once the lamb is tender, remove the pieces (and excess fat with a spoon) and add the sauce to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Pour the sauce back into the pan along with the lamb. Add the drained chickpeas, yoghurt, green chilli and prunes.
- Cook for another 20 minutes and serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1: Ensuring the onions are deeply caramelised gives this curry the restaurant quality flavour. I’d recommend caramelizing them for at least 40 minutes for best results. If you’re short on time, 15-20 minutes will suffice!
Note 2: The cook time will depend on the cut of lamb. If using a slow cooker cook on low for 6 hours. If using an Instapot, cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Mains
- Cuisine: Indian