← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 800 g lamb shoulder or leg, bone-in or boneless, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 3 tbsp ghee (or mustard or vegetable oil)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing) (optional)
• 2 Onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 3 cm piece Ginger, finely grated
• 1½ tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tsp Fennel seeds, finely ground
• 1 tsp Ground ginger
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste) (optional)
• 150 g full-fat plain yogurt, at room temperature, whisked smooth
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 500 ml hot water
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped, to serve

Method

1. Pat the lamb dry. Heat the ghee in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat and brown the lamb in batches for 5–6 min per batch, until well coloured. Set aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom to the fat and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant, then add the asafoetida and onions. Cook for 10–12 min, until soft and golden brown.
3. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add the chilli powder, ground fennel, ground ginger, coriander and tomato paste with a splash of water and stir for 1 minute.
4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the yogurt a spoonful at a time, so it doesn’t split. Return to a low heat and cook for 3–4 min, stirring, until the oil starts to separate.
5. Return the lamb and its juices with the salt and hot water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 1¼–1½ hours, stirring now and then, until the lamb is very tender. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
6. Uncover for the last 10 min to thicken the sauce into a rich red gravy with a layer of oil on top. Stir in the garam masala, scatter with coriander and serve with basmati rice or naan.

Tips

• Kashmiri chilli powder gives the deep colour with gentle heat; using ordinary hot chilli powder in the same amount would make it fiercely spicy.
• Most asafoetida contains wheat flour; use a gluten-free brand or leave it out.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Swasthi's Recipes BBC Good Food