Lamb Madras Curry
Serves: 4
Time: 30 mins prep time 1-2 hours cook time
A lamb madras is my all time favorite Indian curry. This recipe has been very slightly modified to accommodate my likes as I am a fan of veggies in a curry which is not the traditional way. I am also a bit of a cheater so the method has changed a little, but the core ingredients still remain the same….so it’s still a lamb madras right? hahaha trust me, the end result is still delicious!
Leftovers
I always love a curry the next day, I often think it tastes better and this one is great to freeze down as well for a rainy day.
What you'll need
2 large brown onions
5-8 red chilies depending on how hot you like it
6 curry leaves
5 cloves garlic
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
1 kg diced lamb
1 tin of coconut milk
1 cup of water
125g butter
6 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon tamarind
1 heaped teaspoon garam masala
red rice
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 Lebanese cucumbers
2 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
coriander for garnish
1 medium eggplant
1/4 bunch of mint
1/2 cup of yoghurt
1 packet of poppadoms
From the Pantry
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric
Prep and Cook
Make Curry Paste
Lightly toast off in a small pan the ground coriander and ground cumin.
Peel and roughly chop the brown onions, garlic and ginger and combine in a food processor with the red chilies - roughly chopped, curry leaves and salt and blitz till smooth.
Heat butter in a casserole dish, then add the paste and cook on a moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly so that the bottom doesn’t catch.
Meanwhile
Toss the meat in the turmeric with some salt and pepper. Set aside.
Once your curry paste has cooked out add the meat, along with the fennel seeds and fry for 3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, water and the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Turn down to a gentle simmer and cook slightly covered for 1 and a half hours, stirring occasionally.
Check the texture of your meat you want it to be soft enough that it falls apart, if still hard continue to cook for another half hour or till soft to the point where it falls apart.
Cook Rice
Red rice is one of the few rice that I actually do the absorption method with; you’ll want to follow the instructions on the packet as different brands will vary.
Make Salsa
Finely dice your two tomatoes and splash over with the red wine vinegar.
Very finely dice the red onion and add to the tomatoes.
Wash and roughly chop coriander but don’t mix through till you are ready to serve.
Make Mint yogurt
Roughly chop mint and finely dice the cucumber, stir through the Greek yoghurt with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook Poppadoms
Fill a small fry pan 1/3 with oil and bring up to high heat.
Use tongs to gently submerge the poppadom into the oil. Once it’s hot it will puff up straight away. Remove immediately and repeat till all poppadoms are cooked.
Finish the Curry
Chop pepper and eggplant into bite sized pieces and add to the curry along with the tamarind and garam masala.
Cook with the lid off until the sauce has thickened.
All Meat Cooks Differently
I say this a lot but with long slow cooked meals, it is important that you don't simply follow the recipe to the exact time but learn to judge by feel. Every piece of meat will be different depending on how it was raised, how it was fed, how it was slaughtered and how it was hung. Some meat will be melt in your mouth soft after 1 1/2 hours, some meat will be hard. If you find the meat is still hard, you just need to continue gently cooking and check the progress every 20 minutes or so.
Lunch tomorrow
Leftovers are exactly the same as dinner (unless you are like me and eat all the poppadoms)