Lamb Korma
Lamb Korma...which will mean different things to different people, but at home, it's always been a lamb dish, never chicken, it's quite spicy, not at all like the average mild Korma that restaurants do..so beware!.
1kg of lamb shoulder or leg, on the bone, and cut very small. The reason being that the technique is to fry the lamb quickly in the spices and then simmer it in yoghurt, no water added, just a splash to stop it from sticking to the pan if necessary.
1 large Onion, chopped
6 green cardamoms
6 cloves
1 tsp whole black pepper corns
1 cinnamon stick.
quarter tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
2 Tbsp of Garlic/ginger paste
6 or 8 fresh green chillies, left whole, just pricked with a fork
1 large tub (500g) of good quality Yoghurt
Salt to taste
Optional but very delicious: A couple of tablespoons of crushed almonds.
Heat up 2 Tbsp of oil, pop in the whole spices and when they crackle, pop in the onion and gently fry till golden.
Add the chillies, stir fry for a minute, then add the powdered spices one at a time, frying each for a minute or so before adding the next one. Then add the garlic/ginger paste and fry for another couple of minutes until the spice/oil mix is well blended. Add the almonds if you're using them and salt at this stage.
Turn up the heat, and stir fry the lamb making sure it's thoroughly coated in the spice mix..then turn down the heat and keep stir frying for at least another 5 minutes ensuring it doesn't burn.
Turn the heat right down, add in the yoghurt gradually, a couple of spoons at a time and keep mixing and stirring.
Once all the yoghurt is in and looks well blended with the spices..pop the lid on and simmer till the lamb is tender, probably about 25/30 minutes. You can add splashes of water at this stage to stop it sticking if required. (I sometimes cook it in the oven on low for longer)
Garnish with fresh coriander and eat with plain rice or naan. Enjoy!
