Lick-The-Bowl Lamb Curry

If my Mum ever finds out that I've shared this recipe with you, I am so dead.

 

I kid you not, it has taken me twenty two years to get my grubby little paws on this recipe. By the time I hit 'publish' I will have already fled the country and be living in a small straw hut, shelling coconuts for a living and teaching locals how to twerk.

Life will be a hard slog from here on out, but seeing as it's you, I think it's worth it.

For as long as I can remember, this curry has taken pride of placemat at my Mum's family get together's and glamorous grown-ups-only dinner parties alike. 

As a child, she would sneak bowlfuls upstairs for me and my sister and we would sit in bed, feasting on fragrant lamb and sticky white rice, whilst laughter roared from the dining room below and the scent of freshly chopped coriander wafted up the stairs.

It took a bit of eyelash fluttering, but finally, she showed me how to make it. 

 

To make a pot big enough for 8-10 people, you'll need:

A good curry paste. This is the most important step & creates the basis for a fab curry. Buying spices can be costly but once you've got them, they last for months. I use:

2tbsp fennel seeds, cumin seeds & coriander seeds

1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds & black peppercorns

4 cloves & 4 cardamon pods

1/2 a cinnamon stick

You'll also need to fetch yourself:

1.5kg of lamb shoulder or any other meaty cut

800g chopped tinned tomatoes

1/2 pint of chicken stock

2 red onions

10 cloves of garlic

2 fresh chillies, red & green

2 inch chunk of fresh ginger

Two big handful of chopped coriander

1/2 pint natural fat-free yoghurt

A bag of spinach

2 big tsp butter

Half a lime

I know, I know. It sounds like a right old fuss. But this isn't a dish you'd knock up on a daily basis. This is a meal for special people at special dinner parties only. Ok? 

Right. Pre-heat your oven to 180, weigh out your spices and toast them over a low heat for two minutes. When they're ready, grind them up with a pestle and mortar.

 

In a food processor, whizz the onions, garlic, chillies, ginger & half of your coriander.

 

Throw in your spice dust and blitz everything together until it's paste-like.

Heat a large, oven proof dish over the hob and spoon in your butter. When it's melted, add your curry paste. Take a whiff of that, right? Unbelievably yummy.

After a few minutes, pour in your tinned tomatoes and chicken stock.

Pop on the lid and put your sauce in the oven for around an hour and a half. In the meantime, cut your lamb into bite size chunks and brown in batches.

 

Check on your sauce every 30 minutes and top it up with stock or water if it's looking a bit dry. When the house is smelling irresistibly delicious and your will power begins to lapse, add your browned meat and give it a stir.

It's not ready just yet, buster. Good things come to those who wait... and drool.

After another two hours in the oven, it should be ready to go. Throw in your spinach and pop the lid back on. It will quickly wilt, so stir it in and grab your yoghurt.

Dollop it over your sauce and stir thoroughly. Your curry will become lighter in colour and take on a deliciously creamy flavour. Squeeze over your lime juice and season.

Mum always serves hers up with sticky white rice and roast cumin potatoes, drizzled with fresh yoghurt and lashings of freshly chopped mint.

Scatter over the remainder of your coriander and plate up straight from the pot.

Dishing up is strictly prohibited when making Lick-The-Bowl Lamb Curry, it's far too much effort after all that hard work in the kitchen. Now, go seek out a large glass of wine and praise yourself for being the wondrous chef you truly are.

Mum, I'm sorry. Forgive me for blog blabbing.

It's off to the airport I go.