This is a recipe from Rick Steins India cookbook and was given to him by Mr Singh. On the TV series of the same name he talked about Sikhs and how he ad yet to meet an unpleasant Sikh and I entirely agree with him, although I am sure, by the law of nature, that there must be some out there. All I know is that whenever I have seen or met a sikh they are always incredibly smart with well trimmed beards. They have always been very friendly and helpful. Most male Sikhs have Singh (lion) and most female Sikhs have Kaur (princess) as their last names. When they are baptised male Sikhs must cover their hair with a turban, but for female Sikhs this is optional. The greater Punjab region is the historical homeland of the Sikhs, although significant communities exist around the world.
This recipe uses shoulder of lamb. In the past I have opted for leg of lamb for my curry recipe, mainly because my husband hates fatty or chewy meat. This time I decided to go along with the shoulder option and, although I did cut out excessive fat and all sinews that I could find, I did leave in some of the fat. The result was the tenderest most succulent lamb I have ever tasted. i will definitely be using shoulder of lamb in future for any slow cooked recipes.
I have previously provided a link to this recipe on the BBC website but, as they have now removed it, here it is.
Mr Singh’s Slow-cooked lamb curry with cloves and cardamom Serves 4 – 6
- 8 cardamom pods
- 4 – 6 cloves
- 3 medium onions
- 200g tomatoes
- 10 cloves garlic
- 4cm root ginger
- 75 ml vegetable oil
- 100 ml full fat natural yoghurt
- 700g boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 4 cm pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- 1 tbsp single cream
- Grind the cardamom and cloves into a powder and set aside.
- Using a mini processor roughly chop the onion then add a little water and process to a puree. Set aside.
- Rinse processor then blend tomatoes to a puree. Set aside
- Rinse processor the blend garlic and ginger with a little water. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat and gently fry the onion puree for about 15 minutes until golden. Add the ginger and garlic paste and continue to fry for another 3 minutes. Stir in the yoghurt then ad the meat and mix well so it is coated. Season with the salt then cook over a low – medium heat for 30 minutes until browned. Stir in the Garam masala and chilli powder, cook for about 30 seconds then pour over enough water to barely cover the meat. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and tomatoes then the cardamom and cloves mix. Cover the pan with foil then replace the lid and cook over the lowest heat for 40 minutes or until the lamb is tender.
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