kashmiri lamb curry

…another one that’s easy to make, but takes time.


place 2 dried chillies, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ¼ cup black peppercorns and 3 cardamom pods in a frying pan and dry fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. put into a grinder and grind until fine.

place 1kg de-boned leg of lamb, cubed, into a mixing bowl, add the spices and a glug of olive oil and mix to combine. cover and leave to marinade for about 4 hours.

combine a pinch of saffron with 1 cup of warm water and set aside.

put a dash of olive oil in a large saucepan. add 2 thinly sliced onions, 1 finely chopped clove of garlic and ½ teaspoon finely grated ginger and gently fry until soft and golden. add 1 teaspoon ground garam masala and cook for about 5 minutes. increase the heat to high, add the lamb and cook until nicely browned.

add the saffron, with the water, 100g ground almonds, 160ml fresh cream and salt to taste. stir to combine, cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 1½ hours.

remove from heat and stir through 1 cup of thick plain yoghurt.

serve wrapped in rotis or with warm naan bread.