Classic Lamb Potato Curry Recipes

CLASSIC LAMB & POTATO CURRY

Steps:

• Wash and drain your meat. Peel and chop 3 - 4 onions.
• Place the meat, onions, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp garlic, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamoms, fenugreek seeds and salt (to your taste) in a pot and cover. Turn the flame to full and cook for 20 - 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Gradually you will find that there will be a lot of fluid in the saucepan (top left photo), let the meat cook covered till most of this fluid has evaporated. Remember to stir the curry, stirring prevents it from burning and helps break down the onions, ginger and garlic.
• Once most of the fluid has evaporated and you can see the oil/fat from the meat has separated and is bubbling around the edges of the pan, you're ready to add the oil and spices. I normally add 3 serving spoons, the flat wooden spoon here being my measurement of oil (top right photo) but I estimate this to be about 80 - 100ml. You do need a fair amount of oil for the spices to fry well, you can't expect to cook a decent curry without adding extra oil. Photo on the bottom left, shows you what your meat should look like before adding spices. Once you've added the oil proceed to add spices; add ½ tsp of turmeric (add 1 tsp if you want more colour)....
• tsp of chilli powder (use less/none if you want a mild curry, this is a medium heat curry), 2 heaped tsp mixed curry powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cumin.
• Mix the spices well and allow to fry over a low flame for 5 - 10 minutes to remove the raw taste. You have to be careful at this stage as the curry has very little liquid in it, so has a tendency to burn at the bottom. Make sure you stir it frequently to prevent this. I usually half cover the curry and keep my lid slightly ajar, this helps me keep an eye on the curry and I can smell if it's starting to burn at the bottom. If your curry does brown a little add some water, approximately ¼ glass and leave it to soften the burnt parts then scrape off with a wooden spoon, this normally doesn't affect the taste. If however it burns REALLY badly, I suggest changing pots.
• Meanwhile peel and halve 5 medium potatoes. Rinse and add to the pot, cover again and leave to simmer over a low - medium flame for a further 5 minutes. When the potatoes are half cooked (bottom right photo), you're ready to add water. Don't overcook the potatoes as you will boil them and don't want them to disintegrate.
• Add 1.5 glasses of cold water. After adding the water you should find that the oil from the curry rises to the top. Cover, turn the heat back up to full and allow to boil vigorously for a further 8 -10 minutes. You may add several whole chillies at this point, more for decorative purposes than flavour. Check the salt before taking the curry off the heat and adjust if necessary.
• Remove from the heat, leave covered for several minutes to allow the oil to rise to the top then garnish with fresh coriander. Enjoy your lamb and potato curry with rice, pilau or a flat bread.

CURRIED LAMB AND POTATOES

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, paprika and thyme, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin and olive oil. Add lamb chops; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight., Place potatoes in a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker. Transfer lamb to slow cooker., Place tomatoes, broth, onion, and remaining garlic and seasonings in a blender; cover and process until blended. Pour over lamb and potatoes. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat with two forks. Strain cooking juices, reserving potatoes; skim fat. Return lamb, cooking juices and reserved potatoes to slow cooker; heat through. If desired, serve with rice and cilantro.

SLOW COOKER LAMB CURRY WITH CAULIFLOWER, PEAS, AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Place lamb shanks, culinary stock, coconut milk, tomatoes, curry powder, red pepper, and salt together in the bottom of a slow cooker. Cook on High until lamb is tender and juices run clear when pierced with a knife, about 3 hours.
• Skim the fat off of the top of the mixture. Mix in cauliflower, potatoes, and peas. Switch to Low and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 hours more. Remove lamb meat from bones. Return meat to the slow cooker; discard bones.

LAMB CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add cinnamon stick, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cardamom. Cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 15 seconds more.
• Add lamb, potatoes, and broth. Season with salt. Secure pressure-cooker lid and bring to high pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to medium to maintain high pressure. Cook 24 minutes; remove from heat. Vent pressure, then remove lid. Stir in spinach. Season with salt and serve with accompaniments.

LAMB CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-low heat. Saute lamb and onion in the hot oil until lamb is browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in broth, raisins, almonds, chutney, vinegar, curry, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
• Stir in rice. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

HOME-STYLE LAMB CURRY

Steps:

• Put ½ the thumb-sized piece of ginger, 2 quartered onions and 4 garlic cloves in a food processor with 300ml water. Blitz to a smooth purée.
• Scrape down the sides with a spoon and blitz again to make it as smooth as you can. Tip into a deep sauté pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins.
• Remove the lid and cook for 5 mins more, stirring occasionally. By now the liquid should be all gone. If not, cook a little longer.
• Add 2 tbsp rapeseed oil to the pan with the remaining piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks. Turn up the heat and fry, stirring, for 3-5 mins until it starts to colour.
• Stir in 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground turmeric and ½ tsp fennel seeds, then add 750g leg of lamb. Stir-fry until the lamb changes colour.
• Tip in 400g can chopped tomatoes with a can of water and 1 deseeded and sliced red or green chilli, season well, cover and leave to simmer for 1 hr.
• Stir in the finely chopped stalks from a small bunch coriander, re-cover and cook for a final 30 mins until the lamb is tender. Add a splash of water if necessary to loosen the consistency as it cooks.
• Stir in the roughly chopped coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice and mango chutney or raita.

LAMB & POTATO BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 10-12 mins or until half-cooked. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Brown the mince in 2 batches, breaking up any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Tip all the mince back into the pan, add the cinnamon and fry for 1 min. Pour in the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 mins. Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can without breaking the slices.
• Layer the mince and potatoes in a 1.5-litre baking dish. Season each layer and finish with a layer of potatoes. Spread the cheese or white sauce on top and bake for 35 mins until golden and the potatoes are tender.