Classic Lamb & Potato Curry
 
 
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Ingredients
  • 1kg lamb meat (approx), washed and drained
  • 3 - 4 small onions (or use 2 large ones) peeled and chopped
  • 2 tsp minced ginger
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • salt (to your taste)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 - 4 bay leaves
  • 3 - 4 cardamoms
  • pinch of methi (fenugreek) seeds
  • oil (80 - 100ml)
  • ½ - 1 tsp turmeric (add 1 tsp for more colour)
  • 1 tsp chilli powder (use less/none if you want a very mild curry)
  • 2 tsp mixed curry powder (I use Rajah Mixed Masala Curry Powder)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 4 - 5 medium sized potatoes
  • water as needed (I added 1.5 glasses of water)
  • 4 - 5 green chillies and coriander for garnishing (optional)
Method
  1. Wash and drain your meat. Peel and chop 3 - 4 onions.
  2. Place the meat, onions, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp garlic, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamoms, fenugreek seeds and salt (to your taste) in a pot and cover. Turn the flame to full and cook for 20 - 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
  3. Gradually you will find that there will be a lot of fluid in the saucepan (top left photo), let the meat cook covered till most of this fluid has evaporated. Remember to stir the curry, stirring prevents it from burning and helps break down the onions, ginger and garlic.
  4. Once most of the fluid has evaporated and you can see the oil/fat from the meat has separated and is bubbling around the edges of the pan, you're ready to add the oil and spices. I normally add 3 serving spoons, the flat wooden spoon here being my measurement of oil (top right photo) but I estimate this to be about 80 - 100ml. You do need a fair amount of oil for the spices to fry well, you can't expect to cook a decent curry without adding extra oil. Photo on the bottom left, shows you what your meat should look like before adding spices. Once you've added the oil proceed to add spices; add ½ tsp of turmeric (add 1 tsp if you want more colour)....
  5. tsp of chilli powder (use less/none if you want a mild curry, this is a medium heat curry), 2 heaped tsp mixed curry powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cumin.
  6. Mix the spices well and allow to fry over a low flame for 5 - 10 minutes to remove the raw taste. You have to be careful at this stage as the curry has very little liquid in it, so has a tendency to burn at the bottom. Make sure you stir it frequently to prevent this. I usually half cover the curry and keep my lid slightly ajar, this helps me keep an eye on the curry and I can smell if it's starting to burn at the bottom. If your curry does brown a little add some water, approximately ¼ glass and leave it to soften the burnt parts then scrape off with a wooden spoon, this normally doesn't affect the taste. If however it burns REALLY badly, I suggest changing pots.
  7. Meanwhile peel and halve 5 medium potatoes. Rinse and add to the pot, cover again and leave to simmer over a low - medium flame for a further 5 minutes. When the potatoes are half cooked (bottom right photo), you're ready to add water. Don't overcook the potatoes as you will boil them and don't want them to disintegrate.
  8. Add 1.5 glasses of cold water. After adding the water you should find that the oil from the curry rises to the top. Cover, turn the heat back up to full and allow to boil vigorously for a further 8 -10 minutes. You may add several whole chillies at this point, more for decorative purposes than flavour. Check the salt before taking the curry off the heat and adjust if necessary.
  9. Remove from the heat, leave covered for several minutes to allow the oil to rise to the top then garnish with fresh coriander. Enjoy your lamb and potato curry with rice, pilau or a flat bread.
Recipe by www.afeliaskitchen.com at https://www.afeliaskitchen.com/classic-lamb-potato-curry/