Lamb and Potato Curry

[Steve Kroll]

One of my all-time favorite curries.

Lamb and Potato Curry

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lamb stew meat, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 3 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1 28 oz. can tomato puree
• 3-4 Tbsp oil, or as needed
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tsp turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp red chilli powder
• 2 Tsp coriander powder
• 1 Tsp garam masala powder
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 4-5 red potatoes, peeled and quartered
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 1 or 2 hot green chillies, seeded and chopped (optional)

Method

1. Add the oil to a cold dutch oven or large kadai. Add the cloves, bay leaves, black and green cardamoms, and cinnamon. Turn the heat to medium and allow the spices to warm in the oil until they become fragrant.
2. When the spices begin to crackle, add the onions. Saute until the onions become translucent, then add the cumin seeds, ginger, and garlic. Continue sauteing, stirring occasionally, until the onions are light brown and begin to caramelize. If the onions become too dry, add a tablespoon of water to the pan.
3. While the onion mixture is cooking, in a separate pan cook the lamb pieces in oil over medium-high heat. Work in batches, so as not to crowd the pan. Stir until the pieces are browned on all sides. This is to seal the meat. Add the lamb to the onion mixture, along with the turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander powder.
4. Add the canned tomatoes and cook over medium heat until most of the moisture has evaporated from the pan.
5. Add the yogurt. Stir until the yogurt is blended.
6. Add 2-3 cups of hot water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the lamb begins to become tender, maybe 30 minutes.
7. Add the potatoes, garam masala, and salt to taste. Simmer until the lamb is very tender and the potatoes are done.
8. If desired, garnish with cilantro and chopped green chillis. Serve the curry with an Indian bread (naan, roti, chapati) and rice.

 

[Siegal]

Why don't you make it easier on yourself and just use curry powder! I'm sure it's just as good....

 

[Steve Kroll]

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Lovely ruby steve

 

[Gravy Queen]

That looks wonderful, quite similar to a jamaican recipe I use so I also add all purpose seasoning which I brought back with me. I use lamb as quite difficult to get goat where I am but would use goat if I could get it.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Steve,

Lovely recipe ... I would like to give it a try later in the month. We have an excellent Indian Market in Madrid.

Thanks for posting.

Margi.

 

[Andy M.]

This sounds tasty. I'm not a big fan of stewed potatoes so I may try it over basmati rice.

 

[Kylie1969]

Thanks so much Steve, this recipe sounds perfect!

 

[Caslon]

Steve, I usually use curry powder but probably shouldn't ask you to modify your recipe. I may just buy some turmeric, cardamom pods (?) , masala powder (?), coriander powder and cumin seeds. These are spices I don't usually stock. If I can buy these spices for your recipe, your recipe looks easy to cook up and probably wouldn't be the same using store bought curry powder. McCormick now sells lesser used spices in little plastic containers, which firehouse type cooks like me appreciate.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Caslon, if you can't find or don't have the whole spices, you can substitute powdered spices, however, if you do that I would also make one additional change. Rather than fry the spices in the oil at the beginning, wait and add them with the onion. That should provide enough moisture so they don't burn in the pan.

Also, I think McCormick makes garam masala, but if you can't find it, simply substitute curry powder. It won't be exactly the same, but it should be pretty close.

One last thing I will mention with regard to this recipe. It makes a lot of gravy. Personally, I prefer "wet" curries over dry ones (we always have it over rice) so I add a lot of liquid and then let it reduce to the desired consistency. But if you like curry with less gravy or don't have time to allow it to reduce, use a 14 oz can of tomato puree instead of 28 oz and reduce the amount of additional water to 1 cup.

 

[Caslon]

Caslon, if you can't find or don't have the whole spices, you can substitute powdered spices, however, if you do that I would also make one additional change. Rather than fry the spices in the oil at the beginning, wait and add them with the onion. That should provide enough moisture so they don't burn in the pan.

Also, I think McCormick makes garam masala, but if you can't find it, simply substitute curry powder. It won't be exactly the same, but it should be pretty close.

One last thing I will mention with regard to this recipe. It makes a lot of gravy. Personally, I prefer "wet" curries over dry ones (we always have it over rice) so I add a lot of liquid and then let it reduce to the desired consistency. But if you like curry with less gravy or don't have time to allow it to reduce, use a 14 oz can of tomato puree instead of 28 oz and reduce the amount of additional water to 1 cup.

Noted. So everything the same except replace masala powder with curry powder.

One thing about my curry over rice is that...when i pour a fairly thick chunky lamb curry stew over my rice, the rice almost strains out a thin liquid at the bottom of my plate. Does that indicate my sauce wasn't made thick enough to begin with or something?

 

[Caslon]

Noted. So everything the same except replace masala powder with curry powder.

One thing about my curry over rice is that...when i pour a fairly thick chunky lamb curry stew over my rice, the rice almost strains out a thin liquid at the bottom of my plate. Does that indicate my sauce wasn't made thick enough to begin with or something?

The arrowroot or cornstarch added to a stew or sauce can make or break the dish if not done correctly. It's what thickens the sauce at the end. Too much arrowroot or cornstarch will tend to mute the flavor of the stew.

 

[CWS4322]

You can also make your own garam masala. There are many recipes for doing so on the Internet. I find it is "sweeter" than your average curry powder. A friend is married to a gentleman from India, so in exchange for fresh eggs, she supplies me with both--homemade garam masala and curry powder. I'm spoiled--store-bought blends are inferior to what she makes.

 

[Steve Kroll]

You can also make your own garam masala.

Note that, depending on the recipe, garam masala itself may require a lot of exotic spices to create. For example, one of the recipes I use calls for close to a dozen spices, including methi seeds, cardamom seeds, and fennel seeds.... items many cooks may not have in their spice cabinet.

Garam masala simply translates to "hot mixture". There are probably as many recipes as there are Indian cooks. The purpose of using it is to sort of kick up the flavors in the dish.