Kashmiri Lamb

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Description

This recipe has been with me for over 30 years; it was given to me by a Kashmiri guy I shared a house with when I was 17. This is his mum’s family recipe. Kashmir’s cuisine combines the area’s fruits and nuts with the ingredients and the cooking style of the Moghuls. This rich stew makes a marvelous main dish. Serve it with hot steamed rice or crusty breads. This is lovely!

Ingredients

  • 4 dried red chile peppers (such as cayenne)
  • 3 long, green fresh chile peppers (such as Indian Jwala)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri garam masala
  • 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ¼ cup dried unsweetened coconut
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 pounds lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • ½ teaspoon saffron threads
  • 20 whole blanched almonds
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place red chiles
  2. green chiles
  3. cumin seeds
  4. garam masala
  5. ginger
  6. garlic
  7. grated coconut
  8. and tomatoes into a blender; pulse several times to chop
  9. then blend into a smooth paste.
  10. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent
  11. about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low
  12. and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and golden brown
  13. 10 to 15 minutes more.
  14. Stir the spice paste into the onion and cook and stir until the oil separates from the mixture
  15. about 3 minutes.
  16. Stir in lamb pieces and salt. Cook
  17. stirring frequently over medium-high heat
  18. until the lamb pieces are browned on all sides
  19. about 8 minutes.
  20. Mix in yogurt
  21. saffron
  22. and blanched almonds until well combined.
  23. Reduce the heat to low and simmer
  24. covered
  25. until the meat is tender and the gravy is thick
  26. about 1 hour.
  27. Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro before serving.

Prep Time: 35 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins

Servings: 6

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