A fragrant mix of spices infuses this dish with mouth-watering flavours.
Serves about 8-10
Ingredients
- 900g boneless lean lamb
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 medium onions, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp green cardamom seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 heaped tsp ground turmeric
- 2 red chillies, seeds and white pith removed and thinly sliced
- 2 red peppers, seeds and stalks removed and finely chopped
- 400ml Millac Gold
- 600ml lamb, chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 star anise
- Three 5 cm pieces of cassia bark
- Salt and freshly milled black pepper
- 700g basmati or long grain rice
- Large bunch of coriander, chopped
- 200g toasted, unsalted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
Method
- Trim any excess fat from the lamb and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat the oil in a large pan, add a small batch of the lamb pieces, cooking and stirring until lightly browned. Lift out of the pan and put on one side. Cook the rest of the meat in batches in the same way.
- Tip the onions and garlic into the pan (adding a little more oil, if necessary) and cook slowly, stirring often, until very soft and just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Stir in the fennel, cardamom and cumin seeds - after a few seconds they will begin to ‘pop'. Quickly stir in the turmeric, chillies, peppers and browned lamb. Pour over the Millac Gold and stock.
- Add the star anise, cassia bark and seasoning. Bring just to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes until the lamb is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice following packet instructions. When it is just cooked, drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well, cover and set aside.
- Carefully stir the cooked rice into the curry mixture. Heat, stirring gently until piping hot.
- Stir in the coriander and cashew nuts and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Add your own touch
Use a good-quality curry paste in place of the spices. Replace the lamb with turkey or shellfish or, for a vegetarian version, add a few more chopped or sliced vegetables such as courgettes, okra or mushrooms.
Serve with
Hot naan bread, poppadums, raitas, mango chutney, lime pickle and sambals.
