Ingredients
Garlic 8 cloves, roughly chopped, Ginger 5cm piece, roughly chopped, Lamb shoulder 750g, excess fat trimmed, cut into bite-sized pieces (see cook’s notes), Kashmiri chilli powder or mild chilli powder 1½ tsp, Whole dried kashmiri chillies 10, soaked in 400ml of warm water, Vegetable oil 8 tbsp, Onion 4, thinly sliced, Chapattis or naans to serve,m Ghee 3 tbsp, Whole dried red kashmiri chillies 3, Bay leaves 3, Ginger 2cm piece, cut into slivers, Tomato purée 1 tbsp, Lamb stock or water 600ml, Garam masala ½ tsp, Coriander chopped, to serve
Method
– Blend the garlic, ginger and 2-3 tbsp of water to a smooth paste. Put 1 tbsp in a large mixing bowl with the lamb and chilli powder. Mix and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
– Blend the whole chillies to a paste with 3 tbsp of their soaking liquid.
– Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions for 45-50 minutes stirring often, until the onions brown evenly. Drain in a sieve and set aside.
– Heat the ghee in a large heavy pan over a medium heat. Fry the whole dried chillies and bay leaves for a few seconds, then add the cooked onions and stir for a minute. Add the lamb and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring well and scraping the bottom of the pan as you go. Add the ginger slivers and the remaining garlic-ginger paste, along with the kashmiri chilli paste, and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the stock or water, season and add the lamb bones, if using. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
– Add the tomato pure´e and simmer for a further 40-45 minutes over a medium heat with a lid on, stirring halfway through, until the sauce is rich and glossy and coats the lamb. Turn off the heat then stir in the garam masala and finish with coriander sprinkled over. Serve with chapattis or naans for soaking up the gravy.
Mild chicken curry
Ingredients
1-1½ tsp coconut oil (we used Fushi) or sunflower oil, 1 large onion, finely chopped, 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed, 1cm fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp yellow mustard seed, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 x 500g pack chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks), or thighs, 1 chicken stock cube, 1 cinnamon stick, 250g Greek yogurt, at room temperature, 2 tbsp sultana
Method
– Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan. Fry the onions gently for 5 – 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, mustard seeds, garam masala and cumin and cook for 1 – 2 min allowing the aromas to release.
– Add the chicken and cook for 10 mins over a gentle heat, flipping occasionally and making sure the spices don’t catch. Pour in around 300 ml boiling water until almost covering. Stir in the stock cube and cinnamon stick. Simmer for around 45 mins – 1 hour with the lid off so there is a small amount of thickened sauce at the bottom of the pan. Remove the cinnamon stick.
– Stir in the yogurt and sultanas, heat through gently and serve. Scatter with coriander, if using.