Lamb Curry

Serves 4

Prep and hob: 1 hour

Oven: 2 1/2 hours

Source: The Best Curry of Your Life, via Amateur gourmet, from April Bloomfield’s 'A Girl And Her Pig'

Ingredients

Serve with flatbread/rice/pitta, raita, cucumber, mint yoghurt as desired

Toast seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant (or replace with ground untoasted):

1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

10 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
3 green cardamom pods
3 fresh/6 dried kaffir lime leaves
1 tbsp crumbled dried chilies
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg/1 tsp pre-ground
2 tsp ground turmeric

Olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced shallots (or onions)
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 small cinnamon stick
90g diced fresh ginger

2 cans peeled whole tomatoes, 1 drained, 1 not
1 tbsp salt

coriander

5-inch strip of orange peel, no white pith
5-inch strip of lemon peel, no white white pith
1 squeezed orange juice (1/4 cup)
1 squeezed lemon juice (2 tbsp)

1 squeezed lime juice (1 tbsp)
1 and 1/2 cups pineapple juice

1.8kg boneless lamb shoulder


Instructions

Cut the lamb into 2 inch pieces. 

In a large ovenproof pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat until smoking; meanwhile, season the lamb with lots of salt. In batches, brown the meat all over, then set aside.

Meanwhile, in a spice grinder grind any of the following not already ground - toasted spices, cloves, star anise, cardamom, lime leaves, chilli flakes, nutmeg, and turmeric.  Mix the ground with the pre-ground.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Heat a medium/large frying pan over medium high heat and add 1/3 cup olive oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the shallots/onions and cook, stirring often until deep brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic after 5 minutes. 

Add the ground spice mixture, cinnamon stick, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. 

Stir in the tomatoes and salt, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture looks quite dry, about 15 minutes.

Stir in coriander, citrus peel and fruit juices, then turn off the heat.

Put all the cooked lamb together with the curry mixture into the ovenproof pot, mixing well. Cover and cook the lamb 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then.

Reduce the heat to 250 F for a further hour until the lamb is fork tender but not totally falling apart.