badami elachi gosht - almond and cardamom lamb
rating:Serves: 3-4
for the curry paste:
1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 large green chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
2tbsp ground almonds
25g unsalted butter
4 whole cardamom pods, crushed
2.5cm cinnamon stick
340g diced leg of lamb
3tbsp natural yogurt, whisked
salt and white pepper
142ml thick single cream
seeds of 4 large green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1tsp fresh coriander leaves
to make the curry paste, place the garlic, onion, chillies and almonds in a blender, add a little water and process to a fine paste. Set aside.
melt the butter in a pan, add the whole cardamom pods and the cinnamon stick, and stir over a medium heat for 15 seconds to release the flavours. Add the curry paste and cook gently for 5 minutes - stirring from time to time so that the paste doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
stir in the lamb and cook over a medium heat until lightly browned. Add the yogurt, salt and sufficient water to just cover the meat. Stir, then cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. (The lamb might appear slightly oily, but it's meant to look like this.)
increase the heat, add the cream and stir while bringing to the boil. Stir in the crushed cardamom seeds and white pepper to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves.