Madras Lamb Curry Made with Curry Leaf Infused Oil. Spice up your week with this fragrant recipe for madras lamb curry.
Serves 8
2 tsp black peppercorns
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp whole cloves
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 dried red chilli
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 green chilli
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2cm fresh ginger
1.5 kg lamb (mutton, cut into cubes
150ml yoghurt
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
15 curry leaves
3 onions, peeled, finely chopped
500ml passata
1 tbsp tamarind puree
Crisp roti bread, to serve
Coriander &
Cucumber Salsa
1 telegraph cucumber, diced
2 cups coriander leaves
2 tbsp lime juice
To make coriander and cucumber salsa, combine ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan on a medium heat. Dry toast peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fenugreek, mustard, poppy seeds, cumin, fennel seeds and red chilli until fragrant. Add to a spice grinder with turmeric and pulse to a fine powder. Place in a bowl. Wet-grind green chillies, garlic and ginger with 100ml water to make a fine paste.
Marinate lamb or mutton in a large bowl with spice powder, yoghurt and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot to smoke point. Cool down a little, before heating again. Add mustard seeds, let them pop for a few seconds, then add curry leaves and onion. Sauté onion for a few minutes until light golden in colour. Add green chilli, garlic and ginger paste. Keep stirring to prevent curry from catching the bottom of the pan.
Continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Add passata and tamarind. Bring to the boil, then add lamb and any accumulated juices to the pan.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour on a low heat until curry has thickened and meat is tender. Serve with coriander and cucumber salsa, and roti bread.