
Preparation time is 50 minutes, Cooking time is 1 hours 30 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
For Coconut spice paste
- ½ cup – (125ml) desiccated coconut or ¾ cup freshly grated coconut – (175ml)
- 8 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 ½ tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger – (30ml)
- 1 cup of water – (250ml)
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, finely ground – (15ml)
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander – (30ml)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Indian red chili powder – (7.5ml)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric – (2.5ml)
- ½ teaspoon cumin – (2.5ml)
For Lamb
- 1/3-cup vegetable oil – (75ml)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed – (5ml)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed – (5ml)
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed, finely ground – (1.25ml)
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
- 10 fresh curry leaves
- 1 lager onion, chopped
- 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt – (5ml)
- 2 ½ pounds trimmed boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-½ inch pieces – (1100grams)
- 3 cups of water – (750ml)
Directions
- When using desiccated coconut, you will need to soak it a bowl of warm water. Cover the coconut, soak for 1 hour, and drain using a sieve before you use. When using fresh coconut, it will need to be graded, either using a food processor or a hand grader. To open a fresh coconut use the back (blunt) side of a cleaver. Whack the coconut with the back of the cleaver a few times all around the center until it cracks open cleanly into two nearly equal halves. Do this over a bowl in the sink to catch the juice as it drains from the cracks.
- In a blender combine graded coconut, ginger and ½ cup of water and blend. Then add another ½ cup of water, fennel, coriander, chili powder, cumin powder and turmeric. Blend together until the mixture is thick and paste like.
- In a 6 quart heavy pot, warm oil over a med high heat until hot but not smoking. Add cumin, fenugreek, fennel, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and cook until fragrant. Stir in curry leafs and cook for 1 minute. Add your chopped onions and cook until onions begin to soften and brown – about 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, stirring occasionally and cook until they begin to soften, approximately 1 minute.
- Stir in your coconut paste, and season with salt. Cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add lamb and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until no long pink. Add water, cover and simmer, until lamb is tender, about 1-½ hours.
- Transfer your lamb to your serving plates and cover. Simmer sauce until it thickens. Return your lamb to the pot, mix and serve.